As a young child I realized that teachers could convince me to carry out a task if they shared the rationale.
Now as a teacher I always start lessons with the rationale. I typically share a broad, far reaching reason for a lesson as well as more targeted, here-and-now rationale.
Recently in a conversation with a colleague I was not eager to follow her lead. In fact, I may have been a bit obstinate. I wondered about this, and realized that's because she didn't share the rationale. She didn't give me a good reason to follow her lead. Next time, I'll make sure I ask, "Why have you decided to do this? Why is this important when it comes to the work we do to teach children well."
Many often think that the rationale is clear and doesn't need to be shared, but most often, I believe, if you share the rationale, your support and allegiance will grow.
