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BY NICOLE NETHERWAY


here is nothing standard about how children learn. Whether sitting or standing, using a pen- cil or pen, Lego or Keva blocks, every student has their individ-


ual preferences, strengths and needs. In a 2006 TED Talk, which has now


amassed more than 75 million views, edu- cation expert Ken Robinson contended that “creativity … is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” As a beginning teacher at the time who had naively believed that students would all sit in neat rows and complete their worksheets or textbook assignments, those words struck me, and my entire approach began to change. Tat year was also my first experience


with a couple of Grade 4 students who were capable of great things, but weren’t engaged by how they were learning. Neither of those students was able to make it through a day without getting into trouble, and they were beginning to dislike school. I decided to try something different for them and invited them to form a Lego robotics team along with another student.


ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 19 ➔


PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE COUSINS


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