Many school environments treat learners as passive recipients of information. The tacit curriculum teaches students, year after year, that their learning is someone else’s job, and that if they do what is asked of them, they will succeed. This stance is problematic in the workplace. Employees who are unable or uninclined to take initiative may fare adequately in low level jobs, but not in higher level, more demanding ones. Impacted most are learners from under-resourced schools or ones with pedagogies that undermine agency, as in some “no-excuses” schools.
In contrast, a Fast Fish stance positions learners as active agents in a supportive, yet flexible environment. Workers DO need to be able to follow rules and procedures when necessary, but also need to be proactive and to innovate for better performance when appropriate. The handout linked below describes attitudes and moves of a Fast Fish Learner. In each case, one must have: 1) Sensitivity; 2) Ability; and 3) Inclination. This means that for each attitude or move, the learner 1) notices/discerns opportunities to engage; 2) understands how to enact the relevant behaviors; and 3) is inclined or motivated to follow through on the moves.