What did you do?
On a flight from New York City to Los Angeles, I got the opportunity to watch the Steve Jobs movie. The above scene particularly struck a chord with me. There are two mindsets involved with two drastically different outcomes. Steve Wozniak was an expert in circuitry and programming. Steve Jobs was an orchestrator and conductor of vision and innovation. Neither are wrong, nor is one better than the other. Each had a part in shaping the future of the computing world. Wozniak knew and mastered his craft, but was limited in seeing the bigger picture and what grand goals could be achieved. Jobs saw the bigger picture and made the grand plans a reality, even though he didn't master any specific skill or ability.
I reflected and made a connection to education. Teachers can often be classified as a Wozniak or a Jobs in the type of opportunities they provide for their students. Some feel they have to master a topic/skill and will only provide the opportunity if they can deliver the content themselves. Know it all or don't share it until you have. Thus leading to no opportunity being provided since the teacher was not comfortable with it.
Jobs like-minded people will see the bigger picture and make opportunities for students, even if not all is mastered or fully understood, as long as the students have the chance to interact. There is a carefully thought out plan with many mistakes and failures along the way, but the risk is worth the reward in the future outcome and doors opened for the students. As Jobs mentions in the clip, "conducting and orchestrating" is what he did and is what the teacher would do with students' passions, talents, and abilities towards unlocking the potential of students.
It is possible that an educator can have both mindsets in the classroom. They can be a Wozniak of content, yet still have the outlook of Jobs to impact student learning and offering opportunities not given before. This would be a powerful combination that would truly leave a mark in a student's learning career. I find myself desiring to be more Jobs-like in my approach to offering opportunities for students. When it comes to providing students opportunity and impact on their future, I ask myself and others, "What did you do?"