I observed a student in one of our classrooms this week so wrapped up in a task that they didn’t seem to notice anything else going on.
There is such a joy watching a child deeply connected and focused on what their
curiosity has led them to. A few pots of paint were at hand and globs of unusual
colours were on various parts of large piece of paper. When I asked for
help to understand what she was was doing, the response was priceless:
“There’s no green
paint. I’m trying to figure out how you make green! I’ve heard you can make it,
but I don’t know how to yet.”
What a wonderful answer! There are several things in it that
reveal to me the beauty of a classroom committed to exploring God’s world.
Learning is making
sense of an amazing creation. Exploration and inquiry are such a vital part
of enabling our children to not simply passively observe, but also actively
play, create, and do things with the “stuff” God has made. Excellent learning has a component of facilitated
discovery – encouraging a healthy desire to know how and why things work, and
marvelling at the creator who put it all in place.
Learning is often about
process, not necessarily the final product. While the finished product of
the page of this young painter may not have looked like much was accomplished, an understanding of how colours
work together has grown significantly. Excellent learning builds on previous learning, always moving from where you are to where you can go.
Learning takes time,
and commitment to see it through. I loved the last word in the reply –
“yet.” Countering an age of instant gratification, we do well to encourage
students to see past the first failure and instead look forward to what next
step they can take even if they were not first successful.
LCES is a place with learning opportunities around every
corner!
SJ
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