From as
early as senior kindergarten, where I had only the most basic comprehension of
spelling and sentence structure, I knew I wanted to write. Words came naturally
to me and I found this level of satisfaction in writing that I could not find
anywhere else. I remember beaming when I showed my Grade 1 teacher that I had
used two pages for the first time on
a single journal entry. As much as I enjoyed other subjects and learning in
general, I wanted desperately to improve my craft. When I got home from school,
I would bind pages and pages of printer paper together with scotch tape and
write these mini books about everything from bunnies to superheroes. I had a
clear passion for literature. I did well in math, but you couldn’t hope to
catch me attempting algebra problems for fun in my spare time. Until now, I
never considered the possibility of student choice in learning. I never
questioned the fact that we were being told what to learn, whether we like it
or not, because the leaders of our country had decided that it was important.
While I agree that receiving a well-rounded education in multiple subject areas
is necessary, I want to explore some of the suggestions made in the text for
student-directed learning and propose my own idea for how schools might foster
both a child’s natural tendencies towards a particular subject or subjects, and
the need for a balanced education.
In Chapter 4: Exploring Inquiry and
Interdisciplinary Models, student-centered inquiry learning is discussed.
This pedagogy encourages a shift to where “…students are posing and pursing
their own questions” (97) as opposed to being forced to answer teacher-proposed
questions on topics they may or may not be interested in. When teachers prepare
inquiry learning activities, they allow neither curriculum nor their own
interests to interfere, and they actively seek to ‘“go where the kids’
interests are”’ (97). From a young age, students are already getting an idea of
where their academic strengths and interests lie. Since we are all in a program
where the selection of a certain discipline is required, I want to know: how
long did it take you to realize that you enjoyed your subject area? How long
does it take for an English person to realize their love of literature, and how
long does it take for a Science person to realize their competence in math?
With this
in mind, I want to know why we need to suffer twelve years before we finally
get a substantial choice in what we learn. I realize that many people don’t
recognize their occupational callings right away (I’m still confused…) but we at
least have an idea of where we thrive, and what we like. Why not have students
as early as elementary school spend half the day learning a variety of
subjects, and then allow them to branch off and pursue the subject they are
most passionate about for the second half of the day? In the second half of the
day, students could explore topics of interest using a model similar to inquiry
learning and have the opportunity to truly master their craft under the
tutelage of teachers who also share that passion. As further support for a
program such as this, the text also discusses the use of Genius Hour and
mentions its previous success in the workplace: “Another example of student-centered inquiry
is Genius Hour. This is a grassroots movement inspired by Daniel Pink’s (2011)
observation that employees were much more productive
and creative when they were given
free time to follow their own interests” (my emphasis, 102). I highlighted the
terms “productive” and “creative” here because these are two qualities that we
have been discussing as the very top of the hierarchy of knowledge. If students
are given the opportunity to explore the topics they actually want to explore,
there is a much greater chance that they will rise above memorization of
concepts that they won’t remember or care about the next day, to being so engaged that they actually want to
create something new out of the knowledge they have acquired.
It’s also important
to note that students are not bound to one subject for the second half of the
day, either. The student may choose a subject for that day that merely
satisfies curiosity. Even if some students do not have the same level of
passion for a subject area that I had, they are given the opportunity to find that passion by receiving the
freedom to explore whichever subject they want, to whatever extent they want.
This might
be a little bold to propose…but maybe if students were given a chance like
this, they might even have less difficulty choosing a career path in the
future.
Call me
crazy! It’s just an idea!
But all I
can say is that if I had been given the time to nurture my English and creative
writing brain the way I had wanted, I probably would have saved myself a lot of
time suffering in biology and chemistry thinking I was going to be an
orthodontist…
I suppose
there are some who are just better suited for it than others. So why not roll
with it?
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| Another kindergarten shot! And of course, I'm the one on the far right who is apparently fascinated by the peace sign. Even from this age you could sense the creative soul waiting to be unleashed! |
