Strategic Trust—The Foundation for Choosing to Participate and Present in Class to Reduce Anxiety

We want students to present an original piece of work in class that they chose to participate in developing. This requires trust as a foundation and strategy as a catalyst.

Trust means that even when we can’t see the end and the full picture isn’t yet clear, we believe everything will be okay—that we’re all in this lifeboat together as the ship is about to sink.

Improv actors have this kind of trust in one another, but they likely come to the acting workshop of their own free will. Intrinsic motivation is the key factor. You could say that children and teenagers go to school out of a lack of choice. This is also a characteristic of daily life: homework isn’t necessarily tailored to every child; you have to sit through the day.

It’s understandable that frustration builds when I feel teachers don’t believe in me or see who I am. It’s possible I don’t know what I’m worth—what gifts I was born with.

It’s possible this frustration manifests as shaming a classmate. It’s highly likely the frustration will build up inside, resulting in anxiety—the most common term used today to describe children and adolescents.

Because academic performance is measured by a grade, the environment is competitive. This implies it’s okay to trip up a classmate to win the sprint. But no, this is a relay race. It’s a long-distance run—one that sometimes requires giving myself a break and running at a slower pace, where it’s perfectly fine if someone passes me in the meantime. I’ll gather my strength, and then I’ll run faster. Everyone will reach the finish line—that’s what matters.

Trust is multidimensional: the teacher’s trust in me, the student, that I can do it; the student’s trust in the teacher that they will help me reach my personal finish line (which is always the starting line of the next race); the teacher’s trust in themselves—that they are driven by a sense of mission and goodwill; and the student’s trust in their own strengths.

Above all, both the teacher and the student need to trust that they are in control of the situation—so they can allow themselves to enter a state of wonder, because that is the monster that might devour us all with its ambiguity. It is the threatening specter of being in the midst of a process when unambiguous answers are slow to come.

Wonder - Painting by Michelle Korenfeld (C) 2026

Ambiguity is a very difficult feeling. It’s so unbearable that you need a cigarette—or some other readily available solution, like anxiety. In a multiple-choice question where you just have to pick one answer out of four, there’s almost no ambiguity. But when creating a learning product that we want students to participate in and even present, there’s a lot of ambiguity.

The innovation E's strategy can serve as a guide, like a

pedagogue accompanying the learner hand in hand along the new path: the Yellow Brick Road.

The advantage is that the path defines a space that invites wonder.

It requires a little time, a bit of patience, and a lot of courage.

But it offers a great deal of hope.

The Innovation E's strategy sets a structure for choice:

1. Explore—I empathize with the lesson topic through a brief lecture or an engaging activity.

2. Experience—I delve deeper into the topic through active, hands-on learning.

3. Evaluate—The formative assessment rubric guides me toward the final product I will present.

4. Develop—I develop the final product I will present, demonstrating what I have learned.

5. Express—I present my work and learn from my peers’ presentations.

   
   

This strategy catalyzes meaningful learning, but the foundation, as mentioned, is trust.

So let’s start by setting the rules:

1. The following words do not exist in our vocabulary: mistake, weird, and nonsense—every idea counts.

2. I remember how I felt when someone raised an eyebrow at my idea, and I will never do that to anyone else.

3. Humor is bright thinking that reflects a new perspective—making fun of someone else is simply not funny.

4. I think creatively, constructively, and positively—if my idea leads to a negative outcome or harms anyone, it goes straight to the SPAM folder.

5. I’ll start by saying: “That’s interesting,” “I’d like to add,” “That raises a question,” “You could also say," or “What if we…”

To sum up on strategic trust, here’s a basic rule for participating in improv: I always say something a colleague can build on. And let’s add: to construct learning based on, and to grow by.

So there might be more ambiguity, but it’s worth seeing whether there will be less anxiety.

And ambiguity—if I refer to the “Wonder” painting above—while it’s a threatening, existential human feeling, it’s also the gateway to dazzling colors.

Good luck with your creative efforts,

Front cover Michelangelo in the 21st Century

Michelle Korenfeld

Learn more about the teacher book: Michelangelo in the 21st Century to help engage students, participate, and present!

Visit Michelle Korenfeld's website: Raising Creative Thinkers!