The Process

Inside of a school-age program, there is plenty of action. The children move fast and engage in a wide variety of activities. The space is noisy as the children take part in a continuous discussion. Some conversation is about the social happenings of the day. Other discussions revolve around projects the children are working on. Looking even closer, the conversation circles around the process of trial and error. What works and what works better, the process of Iteration.

This article is part three of a series inspired by a video from the Lego Foundation. The video "Characteristics of Playful Experiences that Lead to Deeper Learning." inspires this post. In previous articles, I shared about active engagement and social interaction. Attributes I observe each day when co-learning with school-age children. One attribute I observe when the children engage in play is Iteration.

The Lego Foundation video defines the term iterative. "Using mistakes to learn how to move forward, through a testing process. Discovering what works and why." I like this definition, but I found a similar word that adds more to the concept. Ideation, "The formulation of ideas or concepts, a process of creating new ideas."

In school-age care, children engage in play with different materials. Some children are familiar with specific materials and enjoy exploring the material's full potential. Other children are new to a material and are investigating the material for the first time. Both are on a journey of discovering the possibilities a material has to offer. 

On a typical afterschool day, children engage in many activities. Blocks are used in one space while three children dance on the stage. A small group of children builds with clay, and another group plays an active game. The collection of activities the children engage in daily is impressive, and during that time, some form of ideation is occurring.

Ideation is a tool children use to gain understanding about their investigations. The children will work with a material or discuss a question repeatedly as they try different ways to learn. Ideation is the process of gaining understanding and validation of their questions and hypothesis. I like to call afterschool programs the "School of Applied Knowledge." because of the active participation. The ideation process invites children to engage in action to gain understanding. The children are unaware of the answer they are looking for and discover new solutions based on experimentation. 

This type of learning is an opportunity for children to explore and look deeper into their interests. The process of ideation creates enthusiasm to investigate new materials and ideas. As educators, we can invite this type of exploration and discovery and encourage ideation to blossom in my practice.

A key factor for inspiring ideation is inviting children to choose their work. Children who choose their work are more open to experimentation and innovation and investigate deeper. When children work on their own choices, the worry about right or wrong answers dissipates. Instead, children focus on the inquiry because there is no perfect answer in ideation, only possibilities and discoveries. 

Another way we encourage ideation is by creating an environment rich in materials. Having exciting and relevant materials help children focus on their work and invites experimentation. Interesting materials help children find answers and learn new skills. 

A plentiful workspace is vital in ideation so that children can move, experiment, and spread out materials. Space invites children to try new ideas without hesitation. Time is another essential component in this process. Often children in school-age are moving through their day dictated by a clock. Children need time to explore and experiment at their own pace and rate. If children only work in specific short blocks of time, the opportunity to make discoveries vanishes. 

These are some of the ideas and practices we use in school-age care to create an environment that promotes ideation. I am not saying ideation will not occur without these accommodations. We are born to investigate, experiment, and refine. Our role as an educator and co-learner is to support the process and create environments that enhance the growth of our learning community.