Our Checklist Problem

By Audrey Mendivil, SDCOE District Advisor, Curriculum and Instruction, Mathematics

Sometimes I create lists just so I can cross things off the list. For a long time, I had no idea how common this practice was or how many people rely on to-do lists and check-lists to both relieve stress and provide a sense of focus and, eventually, accomplishment. Whether you believe in the theory that the checkmarks provide hits of dopamine or use lists to relieve the pressure you might feel to remember everything, checklists are how many people have learned to cope with the burdens of numerous projects and commitments.

Sometimes I wonder, though, if we rely on checklists for the wrong kinds of problems, tasks and situations. Robert Kaplinsky wrote that problems, tasks and situations fall into two categories - complicated and complex -  and helped me to understand the difference between the two in a blog post: 

“Think about the differences between programming a TV remote control and learning how to drive a car.  Programming a remote control can certainly be a pain, but as long as you follow the instructions it can be completed.  Now think about what happens when someone learns how to drive a car.  While instructions on how to drive can teach you the basics, there are so many variables you can’t control, from icy roads to road construction to defensive driving.  This results in no instructions covering it all.” 

We can create checklists for complicated problems and tasks in our classrooms and schools - emergency evacuation plans, taking attendance, creating randomized groups of three, and perhaps even developing an LCAP. But when we try to create a checklist for the complex problems and situations, the result is a list that is incomplete and unable to capture the details that need attending to. 

I think as educators, we have a checklist problem. The teaching and learning that can transform our schools and disrupt inequities is complex. We can’t make a checklist for it, but that’s often the first thing we want to do. What’s the cost? Well, in doing so, we over simplify, miss important steps, details and nuance, and end up with a list void of transformative power. 

We’ve been highlighting parts of the process of Universal Design for Learning in our newsletter this year, including designing with rigorous goals, expecting and planning for variability, and reframing what’s broken to create curb cuts that give every student access to lessons that center their strengths, value their identities, and foster a sense of belonging. But each of these steps has nuance and numerous variables, and can’t be reduced to a checklist. This is the complex work of transformational teaching and learning. Before you lose hope - remember that just as most of us have learned to drive cars, we can learn to navigate the complex tasks and situations of teaching with UDL with a combination of learning the rules and skills, some guided “behind-the-wheel” practice, and the on-going daily driving that helps us become better at navigating complex situations. 

So the next time we feel the urge to create a checklist, I hope we’ll pause and consider if the list will help us enumerate the steps and components of our complicated tasks and lives or if perhaps we can work to uncover the complexity and power of the situation without our beloved list.