Liberating Constraints
This is such a cool concept!
It comes from complexity theory and has been applied to education by a guy named Brent Davis.
Here’s the idea: There’s a tricky balance between freedom and constraint. Freedom, we assume, means being able to do whatever we want. Yay!! That’s good, right? Well, not necessarily. Not, for instance, if you’re not sure what you want or if you’re overwhelmed by the options.
But constraints, now those are bad because they limit us. They impinge on our freedom. They keep us from doing what we want. (And some constraints, like handcuffs, or fill-in-the-blank worksheets, or laws against drinking and driving, do.)
But liberating constraints — they're different.
They limit our choices in ways that spark creativity.
Take, for example, a child and a room full of plastic toys. Freedom, right? The kind of room that should keep a child busy for days, right? Then why does that child keep coming out to the kitchen saying, “I’m bored”?
He needs constraints. Like, say, a friend. And a safe space. Even if that space has only a broom and dust bunnies in it. (In that case, you might need to add “And don’t come out until it’s clean!”) See how your child and his friend make it fun.
(A little self-disclosure here: Under similar circumstances about five decades ago, my younger brother and I made up songs that we still sing together.)
Or take, for another example, a student with a reading assignment. Lots of text and ideas in there, right? Then why does that student (and all her classmates) fall silent when it’s time to discuss that reading?
They need constraints. Like one question that sets a purpose for reading, that gives them permission to focus rather than to feel responsible for absolutely everything the author says,
leaving their eyes spinning and their minds blank.
Or — another example — saying, “I won’t (because I can’t).” Then adding, “But I’d love to brainstorm other solutions.” Yes! Your “won’t” becomes a constraint that liberates creative problem-solving!
See how that works?
What liberating constraints have you encountered? Where might you impose one or two to make your life easier and