Lydia Arnold

I’ve had a phrase in my mind for some time that captures a way of teaching that intuitively appeals to me: I’m calling it the pedagogy of letting go. I mentioned this in a panel last week at Staffordshire University’s Phenomenon-Based Learning Conference, so I thought it was time to write it out.

As I work with—and write about—action research, authentic assessment, phenomenon-based learning, curriculum design processes, and even approaches to new technologies, I see a growing need for this pedagogy of letting go. Here are some examples from my own work to illustrate what I mean.

Assessment Design

When designing assessments, I am drawn to open-ended tasks that allow for expression, choice, and inquiry in multiple directions. Educators employing this approach need to trust their students, trust the learning process, and let go of fears or preconceived notions about how we might approach something.

This can feel risky. We may worry whether students will produce work of an appropriate standard. However, scaffolding, sharing, and evolving ideas together can overcome these concerns. Often, when we let go a little, students exceed our expectations. When we hold on too tightly to preconceived ideas of what “good” looks like, we confine students to our own perspective, imposing a deficit model. Letting go opens the door to unimagined excellence.

Action Research

In action research, another key area of my work, we must let go of control over ideas and agendas, allowing room to listen and co-create. We need to let processes, collaboration, evidence, and discussions unfold naturally. If I imagine that the only way forward is X, I close myself off to potentially better options.

Phenomenon-Based Learning

In phenomenon-based learning (PhBL), student interactions are facilitated without predetermined answers—or even prescribed questions. This approach allows learning to follow leads, experiences, research findings, hunches, and the outcomes of unpredictable collaboration. It requires educators to take a leap of faith that, if the conditions are right, learning will happen. (want to know more about PhBL – check out the toolkit from Staffordshire University and Harper Adams University).

Curriculum Design

In curriculum design, while we need some direction or framework, we must also allow space for the content to remain current, relevant, and adaptable to the needs of individuals, groups, and teaching teams. A fixed, prescriptive curriculum can quickly lose its appeal since it is tied to the moment in which it was created. Letting go—loosening the curriculum—provides room for curiosity and interest to flourish.

The Pedagogy of Letting Go

I propose the pedagogy of letting go, which is characterised by:

• Trust in the learning process.
• Faith that learning will happen, even in unexpected ways.
• Openness for educators to learn alongside students, with confidence that they do not need to be all-knowing.
• Frameworks that guide learning without controlling every interaction.
• Curiosity to see where learning leads, with anticipation and excitement.
• Support from institutional frameworks and quality processes to enable risk-taking and even failure.
• Inquiry-based methods that nurture learning.
• Criticality to guide all learning and engagement.

A Flexible Approach

I fully recognise that some courses and some moments require a tightly defined curriculum. That is why I have deliberately avoided framing this pedagogy as being in opposition to other methods, depicting pedagogy as a spectrum of diametric choices. Instead, I see room for diverse approaches, depending on the context.

There will be moments to let go and moments to hold on tightly—these decisions reflect the skill of the educator as a conductor, curator, and enabler. This post seeks only to highlight how many of the tools we use in our teaching toolbox may require a mindset shift—embracing the pedagogy of letting go.