A learning sweet spot is a place where children are happy, engaged, inquisitive, leading, and extending that learning on their own. This is what I strive for as a teacher. The opposite of this sweet spot is when children are agitated, turned off, dull, passive, and uninterested in what's going on.
Examples of sweet spots include groups of children working together to complete a task, solve a problem, and/or create. Other sweet spots may find children laughing out loud, weeping, or curled up silently as they read a book they love. Sweet spots are children reading to their kindergarten buddies with care, leading the whole class with a new idea or good advocacy, and questioning that hits at the heart of a matter of interest or focus.
I strive for learning sweet spots as I teach. These sweet spots are not examples of good management, but instead times when all children are invested, interested, and involved in positive ways. This week as I teach and lead the class, I'll be taking note of when sweet spots occur and when they don't. As I notice this, I'll think about this year's students and what engages them and helps them to learn with the greatest investment and care.
