The Most Memorable Learning Experience Exercise

I recently attended the Innovative Learning Conference at The Nueva School where I attended sessions on topics ranging from gifted education to the maker movement. I was struck by how certain ideas came up again and again, whether they were theoretical or practical. One idea, offered as professional development advice to teachers, was brought up on separate occassions by Mark Schoeffel (The Nueva School) and Geraldine Mabin (Friendship in Action) and Larry Rosenstock (High Tech High). It is called the "most memorable learning exercise." How it works is individual teachers think of the most memorable learning experiences they had before or during the grade they currently teach. They should then share their learning experiences with each other and find commonalities. Finally, teachers should reflect on ways they can include those shared characteristics into their own teaching practice. As I thought about my experiences in school before and during third grade, three came to mind. I will warn that only the first one makes a mildly interesting story.

• In first grade, we started each day with a classroom meeting in which music and geography played important roles. Almost everyday, we would sit on the carpet and sing a song about the continents, while my teacher pointed them out on a map of the world. Occasionally, this would lead into a discussion about world geography, and students would ask questions about countries and their physical features. This is how I learned that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. During one of these discussions, I remember asking where it was located, and she would not (could not?) tell me. She encouraged me to research it at home, so I asked my dad at dinner that night. Without consulting a map, he told me Mount Everest is in China, which is, of course, incorrect. I went back to school the next day, and shared that misinformation with my classmates. My teacher encouraged me to research it further, so I asked him again. This time, without consulting a map, my dad told me it was in India, which is also incorrect. I went back to school again, and by the time I was ready to share, another one of my classmates informed everyone that Mount Everest is in Nepal. Turns out, this is how I learned that Mount Everest is located in Nepal. I also learned that I could try to answer questions for myself.
• In second grade, my class did its first scientific investigation. Our goal was to find out which brand of microwave popcorn popped the most kernels. Everyone brought a bag of a different popcorn into class, and we popped them one at a time in my teacher's classroom microwave before counting how many kernels popped and how many did not. This may have been how I learned about the best brand of microwave popcorn, but I forgot. I do remember having to share the popcorn with my group as well as making predictions, performing tests, and drawing conclusions.
• In third grade, my class tackled United States geography. Our goal was for everyone to give an individual presentation about one of the states before joining together to sing the Illinois version of "Fifty Nifty United States" in front of our families at an after-school event. Like my classmates who picked Delaware, Alaska, and California, I picked Maryland because I thought that it objectively had a claim to "most important state." Unfortunately, I had not yet realized that Washington, D.C. is not technically located in any of the states, including the Old Line State. I definitely learned that over the course of the unit, but I forgot almost everything else I learned about Chesapeake Bay and the surrounding area. Still, I remember having choice, working at home, and presenting what I learned to an audience outside of my classroom.

My most memorable learning experiences had authentic questions, research, group work, choice, and authentic audiences. These are the elements I want to prioritize in my own teaching.

What are your most memorable learning experiences?

Larry Rosenstock's description of the "most memorable learning exercise" begins at 6:49.