An Unlikely Source of Inspiration
Last week, parents and carers would have had the chance to see the classrooms and meet the teachers and Early Years Practitioners (or EYPs) who work with the children at ISA. For those that could attend, they would have heard the importance we place on creating and maintaining a safe learning environment, where children feel like they can take part fully in the learning process. Crucially, this means feeling safe enough (socially, emotionally and intellectually) to make mistakes, knowing that their classmates are close enough to see and hear them as they make every effort to improve. Indeed, ensuring that learners feel secure and supported is one of our key learning principles.
I spent a lot of time during the summer thinking about all the ways that we can support students so that they feel like they can take risks in front of others and, quite likely, make mistakes as they move through the learning process. I read books and watched videos and held lengthy conversations with other educators around the world. And then I had a surprise encounter with an unlikely source of inspiration.
What I saw and heard was a living model of a space in which learners of all ability levels came together to develop and grow. In this space, I saw true beginners and experts working side by side, taking turns and giving each other space. Often, a person with experience or a more-developed skill set would stop and help someone else, offering advice or a supportive word of encouragement. Each person was focused on their personal goals, while allowing for others to work at their own level and at their own pace. In short, it was a place where each learner had the opportunity to push themselves to make improvements, while feeling safe enough to fall flat on their faces (often literally) while they put in the work to move forward in their development. This was a living example of a safe learning environment and one that held many lessons for us to think about. Was it a classroom in a model school? No. A lecture hall? Nope.
It was a skatepark in Glasgow.
The prime lesson that I took away from this was that true growth (the kind that comes from determination, perseverance and risk taking) happens in settings where learners don’t worry about making errors. In fact, this type of learning happens precisely because the learners feel free to push themselves. Everyone at the skatepark was there to learn and improve. Equally, everyone who walks through the doors at ISA is here to learn and improve. Leaving our actual skateboards at the door, our learning will be boosted when our classrooms resemble that skatepark. Please support our efforts by letting your children know that making mistakes is part of the learning process and that different people are at different stages in their learning. With this in mind, just as all those different skateboarders and BMXers and scooter riders did, all of our children will approach learning with a mindset of personal growth and respect for others.
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