At the end of the bridge project we knew that each GROUP succeeded and that each child had benefited from that process, but just how much were they really taking with them? A recent experience made a big impact on me.
As part of our reflections on the project, some children got the K'nex back out to demonstrate some of their ideas. Since I was working mostly with another group, I wasn't present for most of the building, but when walked by later on, my jaw dropped (maybe even completely to the floor).
Within minutes all of the children were completing intricate, sturdy, streamlined structures. Some children who had held back a bit within the collaborative setting were now working on their own creations with so much facility. There were also teams of children who worked efficiently and coordinated easily about their new structure. The vocabulary flowed easily as they shared their ideas along the way, coming to consensus about how they wanted to accomplish their goals. Every single child was moving forward as a master builder.
I thought back to the first day we got out the K'nex and how labored it was to make anything. In fact I don't even know if we DID make anything. This new moment was such a contrast. It was such a manifestation of what they had acquired through the earlier work and struggle. The K'nex made it all so much more visible. The K'nex were like picture of the type of learning and connecting I know went on in other less tangible ways. If I could see a picture of their flexible thinking or their ability to communicate their ideas, I'm confident that they would impress me just as much. They would be stronger, sturdier and more complex. The children would use them with more fluency and ease. The K'nex just made it all so visible.
These types of moments help to cement my confidence in "the process".
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