Day 110

My five-year-old son was asking about analogies. When my wife was explaining them to him, he said, “it’s a way to make something more interesting.” I marvel at his ability to simplify the complicated. His comment, along with two books I’m reading, Range by David Epstein and The Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler, I’m seeing that I make the material too easy for students. I make the comparisons for the students. I break down the information for them. The students are connecting the material to their world.

I’m selling myself short. There are pockets where I do. But, I want to bring in their understanding, make it more challenging, and interesting.

To start the class, I had the students place any object on the table. I then told them to compare imperialism to their object.

I was blown away by not only their comparisons but by their understandings. Here is one of them.