When I think about teaching, I think the room, the learning environment, plays a key role. The room should have materials that are engaging and will encourage children to explore and experiment. And the room must be a neutral space, ready to accept whatever ingenuity grows from the learners' minds.
The room must be a flexible environment, ready with engaging ideas and ready to be a part of a completely different engaging idea.
And in this flexible space, the children repurpose materials to create their own ideas. In this flexible room, blocks become letters and words and sentences.
The room must be a flexible environment, ready with engaging ideas and ready to be a part of a completely different engaging idea.
And in this flexible space, the children repurpose materials to create their own ideas. In this flexible room, blocks become letters and words and sentences.
Or the blocks center becomes a place to write your name.
Containers become building materials
Headbands (strips of cloth) become doll clothes
Headbands (strips of cloth) become doll clothes
Food become bricks in a pyramid tower
Masking tape becomes a hat
Masking tape becomes a hat
A block bin becomes a hat
Tables and chairs become a tunnel
Tile becomes a lake
Green Lego bricks become landscaping
And gems become pizza toppings
Green Lego bricks become landscaping
And gems become pizza toppings
Kids have great imaginations and great ideas. They can take just about anything and reimagine it into something completely different.
But there's one barrier to this - ADULTS. We can dampen those ideas with a just a few words. Or a mindset. (Well, maybe it's not you. Maybe it's me.)
Often we say "no" when we could say "yes." Or at least "Hmm. Let's think about that."
As you work with a group of children or survey a classroom, think about ways you can say yes. Yes to creativity. Yes to fun ideas. Yes to repurposing. Yes to a flexible classroom.
I learn some of the best ideas that way!
