Action & Reaction

We do not live in a vacuum. All of our actions have an effect. We may not realize it but, when we take action, there is always a reaction.  I’m not talking about something as distant and abstract as the butterfly effect. I’m talking about the direct reaction to every one of our actions.

In the study of physics, this is explained in Newton’s Third Law of Motion. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In my classroom, I expand on this just a bit more to clarify it:

For every action force, there is an equal (in size) but opposite (in direction) reaction force.

One of the greatest misconceptions my students have is what happens when two things push or pull on each other.  Think about this situation

The correct answer is...

The confusion come into thinking that force and motion are the same thing. This ties back into the second law.  Which says that if forces are equal, an object with less mass will have a greater change in motion (acceleration).

Have you ever thought about your impact on the Earth? Your literal impact on the Earth. Every step you take, you push on the Earth and it pushes back on you with the same force. But the difference in mass affects the different changes in motion. That’s why the Earth doesn’t leave its orbit everytime you walk your dog.

If we think about the 3rd Law in contexts outside of force and motion, we begin to realize that it applies to many the actions we take.  

Failure results in learning.

An answer creates more questions.

The actions and attitudes we have as educators have reactions in our classrooms. Educators set the tone for learners and the learning that happens in our classrooms.

Do we believe that all students in our classroom can learn? Will we give opportunities for all learners to learn?

How do we approach the lessons that we teach? Do we stretch ourselves to engage learners or do we just try to get through it?

Who is taking action or communicating learning in our classroom?

What is the action of the letter grades we give if we don’t provide any in depth feedback or the opportunity to use assessments for relearning and growth?

When we allow learners to create their own products to communicate learning, we learn about them as learners and as people.

Sometimes when you stop pushing, others will start pulling.

Try not to think about your actions having consequences.  Think about your actions having reactions. Classrooms are dynamic systems with actions and reactions. The 3rd law teaches us that the object of every action is also an agent for action. So while you may feel like an agent of action, you are also the object.

So, what are some of the reactions that you are looking for in your classroom and what are the actions that inspire them?