Becoming Learners

Learning is messy! I don't necessarily mean a physical mess although it can be that. I mean that everything your child learns is connected to every other thing that he or she learns. Learning really can't be completely compartmentalized into math, reading, writing, etc. It is easy to see how reading and writing are related and how learning something about writing can improve your reading and vice versa. Other contents seem to separate more easily but are actually all connected, too. That is one of the basic tenets of Expeditionary Learning - we embrace the fact that learning is messy and all tangled up and not neatly segmented into discrete areas.

So while we may have long lists of skills and standards for each grade, we don't just march through each list and check things off as we go. We don't do this because learning is messy. Kids learn things at different rates and at different times. Skills and concepts are connected and overlapping and learning isn't sequential and orderly. It is messy.

So we embrace the mess and dig in and mess around with new ideas and new learning all day, every day. We make connections between things we are learning. We have complicated, passionate, messy discussions about the things we are learning - yes, even in first grade.

We learn to learn and be learners. We really focus on noticing, wondering, figuring things out and putting things together for ourselves. Once kids get a taste of doing this, it becomes an addiction. They can't stop noticing, wondering and learning all the time and on their own. This is not to say that parents and teachers aren't necessary - they are. But once kids learn that they can learn on their own, they begin to soar.

Our crew loves to notice and wonder. They love to share their learning. They are becoming very good at discussing things and figuring things out. Most of them are not afraid to make a mistake in front of the crew and then work on figuring out what went "wrong" in their thinking process. They are all willing to talk in front of the crew and share their idea. Cate and I are constantly making eye contact with each other to share our happiness at all of this growth.

So remember, while we do have lists of standards and content that we teach, there is also so much more to the learning process. There are so many, many other things to learn that aren't on those lists. There are so many different time tables that each child is on and learning is simply a path that meanders rather than a well-established road that isn't flexible. Embrace the mess and dive in with your child. It won't be easy but it will be worth it and it will be fun!