The Mission of Intellectual Equity

The Functionally Fluent Teacher and The Ambitious Years

The core mission of The Functionally Fluent Teacher aligns perfectly with the work I’m doing with The Ambitious Years: the pursuit of intellectual equity.  

We believe that every learner has a unique potential, and it is our mission to empower those who teach them to unlock it. But we cannot achieve intellectual equity if our "operating systems"—our relationships—are broken. 

Central to Functional Fluency is Accounting and this is the bridge to equity because:

• It provides a common language for different generations to discuss behaviour objectively.  

• It helps us to respond to situations rather than reacting, which can often make things worse.

• It recognizes that safety is the foundation of learning. A student in "shutdown" (dorsal vagal state) cannot hear your instructions, let alone engage with an ambitious curriculum.  

• It moves us away from "trying to change teenagers" and toward changing the settings in which they spend their time.  

  
  

When we use Accounting to understand the unmet needs behind a student's behaviour, we aren't just "being nice"—we are removing the relational barriers to their success. That is the heart of intellectual equity.

The Ambitious Years, through the judicious choice of demanding texts makes their ideas accessible to all through the selection of engaging video clips, thought-provoking images and the pedagogical superpower that is reading aloud.

So, if you haven't already explored The Ambitious Years resources, start exploring here. And to find out more about how Functional Fluency can help deliver intellectual equity download chapter 2 of the book free here.

#IntelectualEquity #FunctionalFluency #TheAmbitiousYears