Yesterday on a wooded knoll a young gentlemen and I had words. He wanted to push and shout his way to the front of the line, and I advocated a quieter, more polite movement.
"The front of the line" is a main pursuit of fourth graders, particularly fourth grade boys. I do believe this strong urge has its roots in the evolutionary past, and the fact that being first probably meant a greater chance of survival. I try to point out that the difference between being first and last in most school events is a matter of seconds, and typically doesn't mean your experience differs.
I tried many ways to convince the young man that it was necessary to be a good listener, to wait his turn, and not to use "playground behavior" during this outdoor learning event. Finally we shook hands and moved on, and later he said to me, "I did better, didn't I," and I agreed.
There's a right balance between listening and play when it comes to learning new information. There's also the challenge of large numbers of children learning together at once--the energy of 20 plus young students mostly creates a desire for play and interaction, not quiet listening. Yet, the chance to hear an expert in the field, to learn a new fact, and to deepen one's understanding and skill is an important goal of education, and learning all this in the field magnifies this effect.
So as I think about deeper learning, learning design, learning in the field, and students' behavior and readiness, I am prompted to think about the preparation for this deep learning.
How do we ready our learners for deeper learning? I've employed and written many posts about "learning to learn" mindsets and actions, but yesterday's trip makes me want to build this into the curriculum with greater purpose and depth. I also noticed that students' sense of teamwork was strong yesterday as they shared materials while exploring the pond and river, and I attribute that in part to our recent TEAM research learning where students had to work together a lot. I also know that teamwork is a focus in every classroom and specialist area in our school so they are learning this all the time, and it showed.
As I met with the young boy yesterday, I noticed how he had grown cognitively since the start of the year--he understood my request well. Teaching these "learning to learn" behaviors will take on some new strength next year when I move to fifth grade because of this cognitive shift--children are ready for more, and are more aware of their peers and environment when making choices for themselves and others. We owe it to our students to prepare them with strong, flexible mindsets, behaviors, and skill for teamwork, deep learning, and success. And when we do this, our gain is increased learning and satisfaction for all.
