Nothing makes me happier than to see a learner create something with their own hands.  There is something magical about it.  

This past week was so joyful.  We had awards ceremonies, Genius Hour presentations, and a parent showcase.  Most of these experiences were very learner-driven, which is what made is so memorable. 

In particular, the parent showcase was something we will remember for a long time.  Our last units for math and language were on area and perimeter and animal research.  We decided to combine the two to create an animal sanctuary architectural plans.  In the picture above, my learners had already calculated the area and perimeter of each building and were in the process of measuring walls to house the animal enclosures.  This is where the ideas began to fly.

My learners wanted to ensure that the walls reflected the height in real enclosures to ensure all animals had the space they needed.  They carefully measured each side to to make sure they were equal.  

On the day of the showcase, the parents assisted in transforming the 2D plans into 3D structures.  This took their and brought them into life.  One parent commented that this is what architects do everyday, which made my learners feel very proud.  

​The morale of my story is that learners apply more by making and doing than writing.  This project was one of the favorites of the entire year.  When I asked my learners what was so impactful, they told me it was because they controlled the design.  There were so guidelines, but the look, the feel, and function were all up to them. 

This circles back to our prior discussions about learner agency.  When we give learners the opportunity to use their hands to make, it helps the learn to apply thinking differntly.  We call this kinesthetic or somatic processing.  We are processing ideas through physical use of our body and mind together. 

If this is how some of our learners process information, where is there opportunity for this to happen in our classrooms?

Playfulness is not something you either have or you do not. It is a cognitive disposition that can be practiced, developed, and deliberately brought into professional life.  Just look at any innovator in history and you can see that playfulness was at the center of their learning. 

The belief that playfulness is a personality trait is one of the most damaging ideas in education because it lets serious, skilled, deeply committed teachers off the hook for never creating genuinely playful learning conditions. It becomes: that is just not who I am. Parker Palmer would say: then look more carefully at who you are.

Playfulness is a process. Playfulness means approaching problems with curiosity, holding multiple possibilities, and finding genuine delight in not yet knowing. Those are cognitive skills. They can be taught and practiced.

A teacher who is genuinely playful tries things they are not sure will work. They make mistakes in front of learners and treat those mistakes as something interesting, rather than shameful. They bring genuine curiosity to their role, rather than performance of expertise. They design learning tasks that have no predetermined correct output. They laugh, because something is actually funny or surprising.

Stuart Brown's work on play shows that play deprivation in adults produces rigidity, depression, and loss of adaptability. Brené Brown connects playfulness directly to vulnerability and courage. Neither of them is talking about craft activities on a Friday afternoon. They are talking about a fundamental orientation to experience that either opens or closes the capacity to learn.

Take a moment to reflect:  When did you last try something in your classroom that you were not sure would work?  How did the learners react to it?