The Learning Jam: Think with your hands

by Lu Gerlach

Do ever get an opportunity to meet a genius?  I was fortunate to be a live participant for Gever Tulley during his keynote session for Toddle's Learning Jam.  This experience was a reminder that not all is lost in the land of education, because there are people who get it in the field of education. 

Gever and his co-founder Aaron started an unorthodox summer camp where students tinkered with ideas and elements of design.  By the end of the course, they were showcasing pieces of furniture they had personally designed and built.  This evolved into their current project, the Brightworks School, where they have expanded this mindset of design to a wider range of learners.

My big takeaway from this session is that all students are capable of design if we provide time and allow them to explore their wonderings.  Something tells me that he'd make a perfect PYP educator.