By this time in Session 5, learners have been together for 7 months. They have figured out the learner driven environment, learned to approach new challenges with confidence, and have grown close with the other members of the tribe. Even in this dynamic environment, learners have started to fall into a routine. That’s why this session’s drop in intentionality did not come as a surprise.
At this time in the year, it’s easy to lose focus. The weather is finally getting warmer, the excitement of the holiday season has faded, and the end of the school year is too far away to seem real. Learners don’t want to finish their far-off goals, which, after working most of the year on them, seem as faraway as ever – they want to be outside, playing and socializing.
During core skills, quest, writer’s workshop, and art, learners consistently lost focus, falling into games with one another or having conversations, and not holding each other accountable. Individual learners, regardless of their behavior, reported having difficulty focusing and wanting to get more work done – but they just couldn’t seem to do it. From a guide’s perspective, I could see the problem was a lack of boundaries and self-control. I thought of various solutions to return order to the studio. So what did I do? Nothing.
The role of a guide is not to fix problems. I equipped them with tools and prompted socratic dialogue about the situation. In launches, heroes identified there was a problem. They were able to say why this was happening. They were able to identify their individual behaviors that were hindering their learning. But, in practice, nothing changed!
At this point, I admit – I started to panic! Luckily, we have an amazing group of guides at The Village School. The surprising advice I got? Dips in intentionality happen. Step back. See if they will pull each other up.
So I did nothing. Paradoxically, doing nothing felt like the brave, difficult choice. I decided to place my trust in the learners.
That same week, at Town Hall, a learner brought up the level of intentionality in the studio. Everyone was unanimous in agreeing that the studio wasn’t doing well. They brainstormed solutions, and they decided that one hour of core skills time would be silent, independent work.
After this decision, the change was incredible. Learners set big goals and were achieving them. Their collaborative time became a time of intentionally working together and helping one another. They were holding each other accountable. It was like being in a new studio; and, because the decision was learner driven and executed, every learner wanted to uphold a new standard in the studio. This is where the merit of a learner-driven environment shines: the learners developed their own motivation for keeping themselves focused, and they decided that focused learning time was something that they value.
In my personal life and my role as a guide, this session has taught me that, as tempting as it is to try to fix things for other people, it is impossible to make decisions for others or force them to have motivation. The learners have discovered that the studio is a sacred place and reinforced that their goal at The Village School is to pursue knowledge.
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