Time and space: what it takes to create authentic moments of learning
Disha Jain
Time and space are two very important resources for a teacher. The time spent with learners and the spaces in which a teacher facilitates learning can contribute significantly to learning experiences that reflect students’ thorough and active involvement. When you plan your lessons thoughtfully and with clear objectives, allowing for flexibility in time and space, you will notice that there is a free flow of ideas, focused collaboration, collective reflection, and creative application of the skills learnt in the classroom.
One such opportunity presented itself in our school when teachers and students of grade 7 (MYP Year 2) came together, outside their classroom spaces, to demonstrate their learning in an interdisciplinary unit where they explored the concepts of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) from the lens of two subjects: Individuals and Societies, and English. Students could choose how best to present their learnings based on their interest and competencies. What was remarkable for me as an educator was to see how variability was being offered at the level of expression.
This exercise presented, even to the teachers, an opportunity to collaborate on the projects they liked, not to mention a chance to use their expertise and knowledge of not just their subject but also of their interest to creating learning engagements for the students. I got the opportunity to lead an upbeat group of students who chose to demonstrate their learning through mime. As a teacher who eagerly looks forward to opportunities where she can integrate performing arts, especially drama in her pedagogy, I couldn’t have asked for more! It gave me a chance to pursue my interest in theatre and use the knowledge of different forms of theatre that I had gathered over the years to support and facilitate students’ performances.
Notwithstanding the number of hours that went into unpacking the nuances of this theatrical form, the entire process of composing and performing a mime on the issue of gender stereotype was a true reflection of what authentic learning should look like. From exploring about the form of mime and how it is practiced on stage, to reaching out to mime artists and drama teachers, to gathering knowledge about makeup and costume, it was reassuring to see how students, with a little bit of nudge and collaborative deliberation, went all out to compose not just the script for their mime performance, but also a poem to play in the backdrop for impact. To any teacher, the sight of students ideating, delegating work amongst themselves, and eagerly seeking feedback is a sight to cherish! And I couldn’t have desired for more in this respect when my students presented a critical reflection of how gender stereotypes are prevalent in our collective lived experiences to an audience comprising teachers, parents, and fellow learners, after multiple rounds of collaborative writing and practice sessions.
Regardless of the fact that this task didn’t have the element of assessment, the students’ commitment to demonstrating their interpretation of the concepts in a real-world scenario was truly wonderful. This experience made it possible for me to understand how events like these can offer an incredible opportunity to educators to use time and space outside the classroom in ways that shape and influence students’ creative and critical faculties.
An educator of English language and literature, the author is currently enjoying her new role as a mother to a one-year-old. While on the job, she is learning how to divide her time between these roles satisfactorily. She also enjoys those silent moments of reading and introspection, whenever her current phase of life allows. She can be reached at disha.nanu@gmail.com.
