At The Village School we trust young people to learn from their own experiences. As adults, we often think we know best. Our life experience overshadows and our been-there-done-that attitude camouflages the curiosity we should have when it comes to our own children’s learning and life experiences.
Of course, there are times when we do know best, but there are also plenty of times that the stories we tell ourselves about our own and our kids’ experiences are just that: stories. We often get stuck in those narratives and have a hard time recognizing the many other perspectives (including that of our children!) that might tell a different version.
Each day at The Village School we challenge ourselves to lean into curiosity and live out our belief that young people can be trusted to learn from their own experiences. One of our favorite ways to override our egocentric thinking is to provide time and space for learners to reflect. Reflection is the cornerstone of all of our signature learning experiences from our session-long immersive projects to our middle school apprenticeships. The Village School learning design relies heavily on the art and skill of reflection. In fact, a learner’s reflection on what, how, and why they learned over the course of a session or year is way more important to us than how their final poster looks, how their presentation or draft turned out, or how many badges they earned. Who our learners are is more important to us than what they know – and their ability to reflect on their experience is the most important data point that provides evidence of their growth.
Data points are something people often ask us about when learning about our school model. “That all sounds great, but how do you know if the kids are learning anything if you don’t have tests?” Our answer is always the same: We ask the learners.
As we close out this school year, we’ve been spending lots of time reflecting. We asked the learners to share their greatest lesson learned this year and here is what they had to share:
“My greatest lesson learned is that I can do anything.” – 12 year old learner
“This year I learned a lot about how to make a good presentation.” – 11 year old learner
“I learned how to read!” – 7 year old learner
“I’ve learned that actually doing the work is more important than getting the credit.” – 13 year old learner
“I learned that people are naturally caring and not everyone is out to get you.” – 13 year old learner
“I learned how to do the monkey bars and I’m proud that I’m getting close to the aqua [reading] drawers!” – 6 year old learner
“I learned that I need to balance my work so it doesn’t all pile up in the end.” 11 year old learner
“I learned how to do things I couldn’t do at the start of the year.” – 6 year old learner
“I learned how to listen to other people’s points and opinions and maybe agree with them.” – 9 year old learner
“I learned that if you have a great idea and you present it the wrong way your idea will be lost.” – 8 year old learner
“My greatest lesson learned was to keep trying. I learned how to not get mad when I get something wrong.” 10 year old learner
“I learned that to get something you have to work really hard – even when you don’t want to do it.” – 9 year old learner
“It’s really hard to agree sometimes.” – 9 year old learner
“I’ve learned to be more patient with myself.” – 9 year old learner
“I’ve learned how important it is to always be yourself.” – 11 year old learner
We believe these reflections are evidence enough that our learners have gained something more valuable than any numerical score might suggest. Just this week we asked our learners to synthesize their learning over the course of the year in one single sentence using the frame: I used to think……now I think….
“I used to think that making friends was hard…now I think you can get many friends from one single round of kickball.” – 8 year old learner
“I used to think learning was a chore, now I think it’s an opportunity.” – 9 year old learner
“I used to think I would only focus on stuff I like, now I think I can do anything if I set my mind to it.” – 9 year old learner
“I used to think that Khan was the hardest thing in the world and should be used as a torture device. Now that I have seen how far I’ve actually come, I actually think it’s kind of fun.” – 9 year old learner
“I used to think I was shy, but now I think I’m brave and kind.” – 8 year old learner
“I used to think I had to be cool to fit in, and now I think being yourself is the best.” – 10 year old learner
“I used to think people would guide me. Now I think all along I was guiding myself.” – 7 year old learner
We challenge you to find some time at the end of this school year to reflect on your own experience. What is your greatest lesson learned? How might you complete the sentence I used to think…now I think…?
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