Hands-On Learning

Progressive education differs from traditional education in a number of important ways, one of which is experiential learning: the emphasis that progressive schools place on learning through doing. Students learn more, they learn more deeply, and they are more likely to retain what they’ve learned when they engage in active, hands-on ways in the educational process—when they build their knowledge of the subject matter rather than being told what, how, or why by a teacher. So “teaching” at Summers-Knoll is actually more about creating rich experiences through which students understand something because they’ve done it - they've explored it, questioned it, designed it, measured it, cooked it, acted it, turned it inside out and back again. It’s both a more compelling and more challenging way to learn.

It makes sense that when we’ve actually done a thing, we have a stronger memory of it, and the learning is deeper (and more fun) than if we’d merely listened to someone talk about it. Experiential learning encourages more zest to "do", and our students become people who like to get out there and try things - and have developed the confidence to do so. Engagement with learning is strong because the kids are involved in it actively. They see the point of it. They are not jumping through hoops.

So what does this look like in practice? We set up situations in which answers to important questions are discovered by the students, not given by the teachers - such as the 5th and 6th grade Global village experience, or the 3rd/4th grade collaboration with the Buhr Park Food Forest. This leads to project-based learning experiences, in which students learn to set goals, develop plans, execute their plans, and reflect upon their developing skills. For example, in music our children learn not only by listening to music and learning to identify the elements of it, but also by composing their own songs and learning to play them on different instruments, mastering each different part and learning to understand the elements of music deeply by actually crafting it. In early childhood classrooms, children learn the importance of accurate measurement, careful execution, thoughtful choices, patience, and good manners by making their own classroom pillows, including field trips to buy the fabric, and learning how to use the sewing machine. This is echoed in 3rd and 4th grade with more challenging projects such as designing and building doors for classroom cubbies. Take a look at the different classroom blogs this week to see more (links to all of them are on the right sidebar of this blog).

Encouraging the students to transform the school environment is another aspect of hands-on learning, for example, taking over the school hallways to lay out a timeline of human history, or turning a classroom into a village. 8th grade legacy projects often involve leaving a lasting mark on the school building - check out the murals in the middle school area, the handprints of former graduates going up the stairs, and the play structure "SKeidelberg House," designed and built by a recent graduate inspired by the Heidelberg Project after his class partnered with Tyree Guyton and the HP, installing a structure of tires in the Heidelberg Project itself.  Watch out for the SKeidelberg House - it's going to be painted soon; current and alumni students will give it its first incarnation, and later it can be changed by future inspired young artists.

Experiential, hands-on learning has multiple, well-documented benefits. If you'd like to read more, you can find an article you might enjoy here.