What Does Learning Sound Like?

It is exam time in the Siwak-Brooks household.  Grade 11 math: relations, functions and trigonometry have received intense focus over the past two weeks.   It has been fascinating to watch the study process because my daughter requires social interaction in order to learn.  She has always been a quiet student at school, and it is when she comes home that the learning begins.  She needs to discuss, think out loud, test and interact in order to master concepts.  For the past week, she and my husband (#reallygeekyspouse) have been reviewing and exploring together - for hours each day. I hear laughter, questioning, silliness and playing as they work their way through concepts. The laptop is open on the table and frequent visits are made to You Tube instructional videos.  They use the Khan Academy but have found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKV5ZqYIAMQ to be a little more useful because the instructor makes fewer assumptions.  They also like the very low-tech construction of the videos. Throughout the entire process are sounds, the sounds of learning.

Learning has a rich and vibrant sound - the sound of frustration, confusion, puzzlement, curiosity, joy, satisfaction, explanation, confidence, query, understanding, hesitation, review, pleasure, sharing, laughter, friendship, jokes, puns,  ... it's as varied and complex as a symphony and a pleasure to listen to.