Teaching and Learning
What Happens After the Mistake?
I made a mistake the other day. It’s probably true that I made more than one. But the one I’m thinking about, the one that…
DETAIL
Not just a pretty space
At the beginning of the school year, before the children arrive, all of us teachers at Opal School spend a lot of time thinking about…
DETAIL
Reflecting on Leaning In With Curiosity (Part Two)
In my last post, I told the first part of our story of using Playful Inquiry to create conditions for children to lean into making sense…
DETAIL
Inventiveness emerges through the tangles found in play
At a recent meeting Opal teachers were asked to reflect on the ways invention has emerged in their respective learning communities this year. Using a…
DETAIL
Seeking to understand and be understood
In the beginning community of three-, four-, five-, and six-year-olds, the teachers hope to cultivate courageous thinkers, collaborators, and change makers. We want the children…
DETAIL
Confronting the disimagination machine
Friday, a frustrated colleague texted me this worksheet that a teacher in her school had given to the kindergarteners she works with on an “accountable…
DETAIL
Leaving the Door Open for Theory-Building
In the story below, I tell about work that the Sitka classroom of third- and fourth-graders did in the Fall from my own perspective as…
DETAIL
Growing Theories and Provisional Thinking
This year, in the Sitka learning community of 8 – 10 year-olds, we have been chewing on a big question: How does exploring the relationships…
DETAIL
Spreading Love While Marching for Love While Being Loved
On March 14, in solidarity with children all over the United States, Opal’s students and teachers walked out of school at 10 am, local time.…
DETAIL
Love, Play, and Mail
“In play, children begin with their own set of premises and learn to follow through, step-by-step, scene by scene in the complex process of creating…
DETAIL