This summer, my 12 year old son decided to spend his hard earned money on a new scooter. Part of me was overjoyed! At least he didn't want to spend any more money on new video games or devices to help play the games (we were on the verge of becoming the "stuck to the couch, might never move out of the parents house" kind of addiction!).
On the other hand, I was not sure what he would be able to do with a scooter. Ride down the sidewalk? Go around the pool deck a few times a day? This didn't sound like exercise...or even fun!
What I failed to realize was that he had been spending time watching scooter tricks on Youtube and was planning on becoming an Olympic level scooter-er (is that even a word) in the first month of owning the device. After all, it looked pretty easy on Youtube!
Oh, the lessons he learned1
The first hard lesson was the need for protective gear, gleaned clearly after fall and a trip to Urgent Care!
The second lesson was a little more frustrating. Apparently, these tricks are far more difficult (and sometimes scary) than they look!
I worried that he might just give up when the frustration set in. Instead, he took a bit of a break, watched some more videos, and tried again. And again. And again. On Friday, he came home, propped his computer open on the island, watched a couple minutes, then went outside to try another new skill. This was repeated over and over.
While he still isn't able to do the tailwhip he wants to do, he is getting pretty good at controlling the scooter and doing other tricks on it. (Meanwhile, when I got on it, I nearly learned the first lesson for myself...the hard way!)
It is interesting to watch him learn something that he wants to learn for himself.
My daughter, on the other hand, had some chemistry homework this week that the teacher had not quite finished teaching in class. Her plan of action was to just wait for the teacher to tell the class all about ionization energy the next day. Not look it up. Not check the textbook. Not ask mom, former chem teacher (insert eye roll here...from ME)!
Of course, I made her google ionization energy read a definition, tell me what it meant in her own words, and relate it to atomic structure, look at pictures of periodic trends and finally, finish the homework. She learned it...and the teacher taught it the next day.
Yet the stark contrast the desire to learn and the willingness to do so between my two kids, made me wonder.
Why do students know how to use Youtube and Google to learn how to do scooter tricks, or complete video games, or build things they are interested in, but forget about this resource when it comes to school?
How can we reinforce their ability to learn this way, but with the content we are teaching?
What processes or policies could we adopt to help students understand that they entire world is at their fingertips and educators are simply here to help them find the door, not to push them down the whole hallway of our content area in a wheelchair?
How do we get learners like my son and scooter tricks, instead of ones who wait for us to tell them what to do the next day?
I don't have the answers to this, but maybe you do. I'm sure we are all ready for students to take a larger role in their own cognition and learning. How do we do this and not leave some behind, or overwhelm others?
How do we truly become the "guide on the side" rather than the "sage on the stage"?
If we could harness their passion for learning, that we know is there but sometimes don't see within school, we'd be onto something big.
Share your thoughts with others around you this week.
And celebrate every moment that you see learning initiative in your students. You may see it when you least expect it!
Have a great week!
Kim
Comments