Educating for an Uncertain Future: Pedagogies That Prepare Learners to Adapt

Workshop

Educating for an Uncertain Future: Pedagogies That Prepare Learners to Adapt

Instructor: Prof. Michelle Lazarus, Professor of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University

Summary

This workshop introduces the concept of uncertainty tolerance and its importance in educational and professional learning environments. It helps participants understand where uncertainty arises in learning, how learners cognitively and emotionally respond to it, and why tolerance for uncertainty matters for adaptability, professional growth, and decision-making.

Participants examine research-informed strategies that support learners in managing uncertainty constructively. The session also includes an interactive design component focused on building learning activities that intentionally incorporate uncertainty while providing appropriate support.

Instructor Bio

Michelle Lazarus is Professor and Director of the Centre for Human Anatomy Education, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Scholarship in Health Education at Monash University. She works across diverse learning contexts and supports educators, caregivers, tertiary teachers, and clinical professionals in developing high-quality educational practice.

She is an award-winning educator and author of The Uncertainty Effect: How to Survive and Thrive through the Unexpected. Her work focuses on uncertainty tolerance and its implications for learning, wellbeing, emerging technologies, social inclusion, and sustainable practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand where and how uncertainty arises in educational settings.

• Interpret evidence on learners’ cognitive and emotional responses to uncertainty.

• Apply research-informed strategies to help learners develop adaptive skills.

• Design a learning activity that intentionally incorporates uncertainty.

Session Structure

• 30 mins: Define the uncertainty tolerance concept.

• 30 mins: Discuss evidence-based strategies for navigating uncertainty in different contexts.

• 30 mins: Break.

• 60 mins: Workshop activity focused on how uncertainty appears in participants’ own contexts and how to respond to it.

Pre-Reading

• The Uncertainty Effect

• Preparing Learners for Uncertainty in Health Professions

• Balancing knowledge with uncertainty

• Preparing today’s learners for uncertainty

• Preparing today’s learners for uncertainty webinar

• Managing uncertainty in professional practice

• Twelve tips for developing healthcare learners’ uncertainty tolerance

Materials

• Workshop materials, including card decks and worksheets.