Habitats for Learning

This Labour Day weekend two events transpired which have precipitated this post:

1. My five year old nephew and I visited a pond together
2. I had a visit from an educator whom I admire greatly who encouraged me to share my voice more often

So here I am ... on the eve before a new school year ... sharing a rather cheesy analogy that popped into my head while playing at the pond with my nephew.

First the story of the pond.

My nephew Ben and I went on a wee adventure to a pond close to our family cottage on Lake Huron. We spotted a snapping turtle sitting on a log and he asked, "Why does he live here"? What's better than a curious five year old? Words cannot express my childlike happiness. My primary teacher instincts immediately kicked in and we got into a discussion about what we noticed about the pond - Lots of space, green stuff on the surface of the water that maybe he could eat, sunshine, a nice big log to sit on, not many people around bugging it, etc. I later replied to Ben, "This is his habitat. It's the perfect place for the turtle to live and grow." We talked about how all living things need food, water, shelter, and space in their habitat. He nodded his head, smiled, grabbed my hand, and on we went.


Now for my inner dialogue.

This past week I have been floored by the images and posts of the most incredible classrooms organized and setup by the most passionate, dedicated educators. The time and care expended to ensure a welcoming physical space for students really is something. This was on my mind.
Educators and students spend a great deal of time in these spaces, and I got to wondering what's essential for learning to thrive in them. While wandering around the pond with Ben I couldn't help but think about classrooms as habitats for learning.

Learning Habitats Need:

- Rich content explored through curiosity, critical thinking, creativity (food)
- A safe learning environment where questions, dialogue, independent thought are encouraged (shelter)
- Flexible physical spaces to meet needs for collaborative work, whole group consolidation, quiet reflection as well as room from learning to breathe - deep learning takes time. (space)
- Relationships established by each community member having the ability to show up and be present as their authentic selves. Relationships are the sustaining factor of any learning habitat. (water)



I also thought about one of my most treasured Capacity Building monographs, The Third Teacher (2012). It states, "It is both an art and a science to design a learning environment that responds to our ultimate goal as educators – to develop independent and rigorous thought." What conditions need to be in place for us to meet this goal?

It also outlined the key components for designing the social environment in pursuit of our ultimate goal.
"Learning is both an internal process of assimilating new information and a social process of discussion and negotiation."

This is a worthwhile read, especially when considering your own learning habitat at the commencement of a new school year.


While this post has been mostly centred on classroom educators, I think the same is true for instructional leaders when considering professional development opportunities. Think about cultivating trusting relationships, space for application and reflection, and learning that is rooted in our goal as educators.


Wishing everyone well as a new school year begins - invite curiosity into your learning habitat and see how it thrives!!