Once in a rare while, you scan your emails or social media feeds and stumble upon an intriguing title for an article or blog. You click the link to read more and then you are transported.
It started with Allison as she reviewed the Fast Company newsletter over her morning coffee – she was intrigued by the use of story in the title “5 Questions to Discover the Story of Your own Success.” So she opened up the link and was transported.
So she immediately shared the article with Bena with a cryptic message: "Are you a gongoozler at heart?"
Gongoozle (gon·goo·zel/ gahn-goo-zel) verb: To stand and stare idly at boats moving through a canal or watercourse
So, she realized the fuss about gongoozling is not so much in answers but in a thought-provoking set of questions.
As we shared our personal reflections with one another, we imagined how gongoozling opened up fresh thinking for both of us and wanted to imagine how to frame this with our school clients. How might it help to tell the stories of the curriculum journeys teachers were designing with the hope that the students would stop and idle long enough to reflect on what piqued their interest, curiosity, fascination?
To gongoozle in this way invites students to step into the river of ideas, searching for stories they might tell themselves and others in a quest to make their journey meaningful and memorable.
Could they begin to tell where they have been in their learning journey so far? Would they allow themselves the patience to reflect without any artificial suggestions about what they should be reflecting on?
Doing so focuses and strengthens the habit of Responding with Wonderment and Awe, tapping into our experiences.
Heidi, Allison, and the team are offering virtual coaching, in-person workshops, and more. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out!