Learning occurs at the point of challenge
This year in the ELC, we the educators, have set ourselves the task of learning about the Cultures of Thinking mindset, Learning Occurs at the Point of Challenge.
As we unpack the Point of Challenge mindset, we soon realised that young learners are coming across ‘challenges’ all throughout the day. It occurs when they build a stack of blocks, which keep falling down, or when they can’t quite cut around the picture they have drawn, or when the sandcastle falls down even though they filled the bucket with sand all the way to the top. You could say it encompasses how young children learn, then unlearn, then redo, over and over again until they master a particular skill or knowledge.
As we learn more about the point of challenge, we realise it is our job as educators, to not jump in too soon as often we supply the answer before the point of challenge has arisen. By sitting back and letting the purposeful play unfold, we can support the children through a point of challenge without diminishing its impact and the learning that is occurring.
Our role as educators is to play alongside the children, coaching, supporting and extending the learning that is occurring through the point of challenge and beyond.
Claire Trappitt | Pre-Prep A Teacher
