Exhibition of Learning
When I experience an Exhibition I am always intrigued by how learners navigate the session topic but more curiously I love to witness the ripples and variety of growth on display. Last night learners grew in confidence, others grew in experiencing the pride from earning their first badge, and more seasoned learners grew in their ability to articulate the systems and democracy they helped create. Probably the most growth I witnessed last night, perhaps you noticed this gem too, was the amazingly brave leadership of 8 learners, the “Leadership Team”. These learners were chosen to be leaders by their peers and these learners truly shined last night. I am absolutely in awe of their bravery (some shy just a few months ago). Last night they were ready, prepared, spoke to a crowd with pride. They were proud leaders, proud of their school, proud to be part of the Acton parliament of owls! I am simply proud to bear witness.
You may be wondering how this leadership team was formed. The answer is evidence, evidence, evidence! The soul of much of our work at Acton is proof of learning. Each of these 8 learners were trusted with Exhibition leadership because they thoroughly demonstrated leadership in their studio throughout the session. Examples of daily leadership are guiding the work of your running team, holding fellow travelers accountable for promises, helping learners complete jobs, and extending kindness when it was most necessary. Hero ambassador Barbara M. White puts it best “Building trust is a process. Trust results from consistent and predictable interaction over time.”
Today, the final day of Session 1, learners added one more process to their Prediction Tool belt, the process of reflection. Of all the processes and systems at Acton I believe that the process of reflection is the most powerful agent for positive change. Reflection invites pride in the journey of hard work and it also invites an opportunity to make changes if the path you took was a bit bumpy. Today learners reflected during group discussion on what went well this session, what didn’t, they reviewed their work strategies, areas they want to improve, and shared actionable changes for next session. Plus, they reflected on the amazing teamwork and fun they had and what they are excited to learn in the next session.
“I want to make more captain choices.” “Being a model learner is hard but also feels so yummy.” “I’m going to challenge myself to stay at Launches because even though it’s hard I want to do it more because I like being challenged.” “I want to be someone who is remembered as a great leader so every day I’m going to practice.”
Learning isn’t about a finished product or a final test you may forget, it is about the pursuit of learning, it’s about making mistakes and making changes. Although Exhibitions are a goal and feel like an ending to the session, I like to think of these events as weigh stations because learning isn’t over. The learning from one Exhibition extends to the next and this is how we grow.
So now it’s your turn. Take a moment this weekend and week off to reflect on your child’s journey and your journey these past 5 weeks. Think back to day 1, think about how your child entered school and then think about how your child entered the Exhibition. How has your hero grown and changed this session, how have you grown? Do you feel differently the first day to today? What has changed? What are you excited for next?