Help Kids SEE Differently
In chapter 4 of The Brave Learner, I write about the 4 Forces of Enchantment and how they catalyze learning. The second force is “mystery.”
Mystery provokes:
- depth,
- awe,
- closer scrutiny,
- a shift in perspective.
It’s the force of “unknowing”—the heart of any deep dive in learning.
One of the ways I suggest promoting mystery is to help kids SEE differently using all kinds of tools:
- microscope,
- binoculars,
- magnifying glasses.
When I visited the Getty Center a while ago, I noticed these BIG magnifying glasses hanging on the wall. They were provided to examine Leonardo da Vinci sketches. People flocked to them. You had to wait for one to come free and then they were immediately snapped up again.
Holding the glass and looking carefully through it meant every person spent more time examining the artwork in that room than any other room I had been in. When I looked at one of the drawings, I noticed that it had been composed of deft hashmarks, layered—sometimes close together, sometimes far apart. Made me wish I had a magnifying glass for every painting, too!
A shift in how you SEE leads to an awareness that my habits of seeing are limited. There is always more to see/know when we shift perception, when we find aids to help us move away from the familiar to discover more.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
