Last week when students presented their learning, one student in particular - the one who thought I was crazy for even attempting fully self-directed learning - had a great deal of difficulty seeing the value in what some of the other students had selected for their topics. "I don't really think that's school."
At the end of our presentations last Friday, we debriefed and discussed what constitutes learning, where the learning was in those particular projects and the constructed models of school we hold in our heads. We also discussed how the skills those students had developed link to careers.
This week, when it came time to announce topic selections, the student in question announced that he was going to attempt something creative. He worked industriously and with intense focus for the entire week. Today I took time to interview him about why he had chosen origami.
This is what he said, "Last week after the discussion I thought over the weekend about what was said and I wanted to find out if I was wrong. " He then exclaimed with pure delight, "I was!"
He has expanded his understanding of learning and I don't think this would have occurred unless we had approached school in an entirely new way. The tools of design and integrative thinking have provided a framework for this student to understand how and why his thinking has shifted.
At the end of our presentations last Friday, we debriefed and discussed what constitutes learning, where the learning was in those particular projects and the constructed models of school we hold in our heads. We also discussed how the skills those students had developed link to careers.
This week, when it came time to announce topic selections, the student in question announced that he was going to attempt something creative. He worked industriously and with intense focus for the entire week. Today I took time to interview him about why he had chosen origami.
This is what he said, "Last week after the discussion I thought over the weekend about what was said and I wanted to find out if I was wrong. " He then exclaimed with pure delight, "I was!"
He has expanded his understanding of learning and I don't think this would have occurred unless we had approached school in an entirely new way. The tools of design and integrative thinking have provided a framework for this student to understand how and why his thinking has shifted.
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