Day 29 - I went into a class this afternoon to talk to a teacher, who was rather excited with a number carpet on the floor. Teachers must be the most amazing, simple human beings who can get happy on seemingly mundane things like a carpet with the hopscotch boxes with numbers 1 to 10 on it. Anyway, the teacher was excited to tell me how she had made big sponge dices for children to roll and then jump on the number that rolled up with the dice. And then she pulled a face saying that that did not happen.
I waited for the story to continue... because this teacher is an amazing educator who constantly improves, looks out and facilitates open-ended inquiries.
Her face suddenly broke into a smile as she described what her students did instead. Her classroom has many 'loose parts', open-ended materials and one of the mini baskets (Daiso 2$ cane baskets) had an assortment of paper cut-outs, foil pieces, feathers etc. Children used them to create a pattern on the number carpet! 1 feather for box with the number 1; 2 scrap papers for the box with number 2..... and so on! What a beautiful way for children to show their understanding of numbers!
Student-initiated, student-centric, student-led activity that the students enjoyed! Of course, she took no time in quickly documenting this learning through her iPad. Small yet big thrills of a teacher's daily life!
How did this happen? A combination of all factors come in mind.
Her classroom facilitated collaborative learning. Children felt comfortable to explore and reach out.
She was "listening" to the children and was able to identify quickly when the children did not get interested in the dice.
The image of the child in her pedagogical belief was that of the children being competent, capable learners who have independent access to the learning material around them. They are able to use the materials competently to build as well as demonstrate their understanding.
She was open-minded with her own set of beliefs and though she introduced the dice activity, she did not impose it upon the children as the only right way.
She was respectful towards the children and most importantly believed in them.
Her enthusiasm was contagious. I came up to my office and reflected upon the learning in her class. I remembered the time I had asked my Year 3 students to show me the times tables for 3. How did they know 3X6 was 18? They came up with an array of exciting ways, from using stickers, to leaves arranged in a flower shapes, to using straws in bundles, to using popsicle sticks in piles. What I still remember distinctly was a fascinating way in which a student deviced a musical instrument with straws of different lengths in groups of three. As he blew into the straws, the sounds differed (which became another inquiry!). It happened by chance as he was trying to tape the straws up and his friend remarked that it looked like a peruvian instrument he had at home.
I got reminded of this incident this morning. The more I thought about it, the more I got fascinated. I looked up 'loose parts' and the possibilities they offer in a classroom.
My learning for the day was that the theory of Loose parts was first proposed by the architect Simon Nicholson who believed that the 'loose parts' empowered creativity. Loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, taken apart and put back together in a number of ways to build a design or redesign an idea. They don't have a set direction or use and can be used in a combination.
Loose parts website
Stones, wooden stumps and sticks, glass pebbles, clay, twigs, leaves, shells, gravel, paper pieces, yarn, wire, pencil shavings, fabric, pebbles, caps, dried beans, seedpods etc can be kept in the classroom as loose materials. Children use these competently to create, extend and demonstrate their understandings.
I want to try it with adults in the next learning environment. What can we come up with? Will we be able to let go the impositions of our educated minds on ourselves and allow creativity to take course?
That might be a learning for another day!
