When Things Fall Apart

“Mr Petersen, my project fell apart…”

Inwardly, I smiled. This was one of the best things that could happen. “Why did your project fall apart?” I asked in reply. The student considered the alignment of the paddle pop sticks, coated in way too much PVA glue, and began poking at it and moving it around. Moving one piece, moving another, and with a few adjustments everything was back where it should be. “I fixed it!” the student beamed!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t gain pleasure in watching the crushed hopes of my students’ creative dreams come crashing down when something goes wrong! But I also know that true success usually comes after a struggle. Creativity is risky. When you do something fresh and new, there is a huge chance that it won’t work, or one element won’t come out the way you intended. This leads to a cycle of testing, retesting, adjusting, evaluating, and ultimately either throwing the whole project out or standing back and proudly admiring the result of your blood, sweat, and tears. 

Exciting things are happening in the iLab! It is being developed into a centre for STEAM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths). Primary students are making, designing, testing, and building. The room itself has become a project with students helping prototype and design their learning area. Students are busy making things with cardboard, 3D printing, and designing experiments. It is the perfect environment to be creative and learn through hands-on learning activities, even if sometimes things do fall apart!

Teacher and author, James Nottingham, developed the educational concept of 'The Learning Pit' which illustrates the journey of students struggling with an idea and finding themselves in a place where only self-determination and perseverance will get them out of. Sure, we could avoid making things hard or swoop in and pull students out whenever they are finding something hard, but while it may seem we are helping, what we are in fact doing, is taking away their opportunity to learn. The challenge for teachers is to make sure the pit is dug to just the right depth.

God also doesn’t save us from our struggles. The Bible tells us in John 16:33 that struggle is inevitable, yet we can take comfort that God does not abandon us in that struggle. He walks beside us through our challenges. It’s unpleasant and uncomfortable for sure, but growth and learning happen in those hard times.

So the next time your child (big or small!) presents you with a problem they are facing, fight that urge to just fix it for them. I give you permission to smile inwardly a little as you watch them wrestle, knowing that through that struggle they are growing more capable and resilient. 

Mr Hayden Petersen
Primary STEAM Teacher