Mapping Student Minds

In the article, “Mapping Student Minds” by Ariel Owen, I found that there were a number of interesting things going on in this one project. The students were all getting to explore their environment, which is something I believe children should be given more of a chance to do when it comes to schooling. They got to see how what they were learning involved themselves and the world around them, and they were not limited to just reading facts from a textbook. From my own experience, I’ve found that learning in this method not only allows me to better understand the information or concept, but it also has inspired me to learn more about it in the future. Also in the mapping project, the kids are given a chance to use technology to show their specific ways of thinking. They are provided with tools (technology) that further help them in understanding a particular concept on cause and effect. I really liked how the teacher who wrote this stated that, “I cannot count the number of times a kid will stop right in the middle of an explanation and say, ‘Wait- that’s not right. Let me fix it and then come back.’ For me, that is the real test of learning- when a student can self-correct and move forward” (pg. 10). That really makes so much sense to me, because you know someone has to understand what they’re doing or really know a concept if they are able to see the mistakes they have made and then can go back and fix them on their own.