In my third year of teaching I covered one of my classroom bulletin boards with the following saying from Confucius:

I hear and I forget;

I see, I remember;

I do, I understand.

Whether I realized it or not at the time, that message was a reflection of my philosophy on teaching and learning.  Seventeen years later I still believe that DOING is at the core of LEARNING.

If I think back to my days in elementary school (some 30 plus years ago) my memories are not of note-taking, colouring or spelling lists.  Rather I remember my role as the ‘macaw’ in our grade 1 production of Bambi.   I remember making a clock that ran on the energy from a potato, and of the project I wrote on the duck-billed platypus because I wondered about how an animal with such a strange beak could survive.  Each of these memories involved elements of creation, exploration and action – different ways of “doing.”

This week I have watched the “Power of Doing” unfold throughout our school using inspiration from the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.  530 students have become honorary members of countries participating in the Sochi Olympic Games. In mulit-grade groupings they have collaboratively created cheers and flags for their countries. On Monday we will experience our own opening ceremonies first hand. Olympic teams will enter our gym, as countries, bearing their flags, and singing their chants. Junior students have researched every Canadian Olympic athlete.  The researched posters adorn our hallways.  As competitions are won, medals will be placed on the athlete’s poster.  Next week we will host our own outdoor Olympic events. I cannot think of a better way to build community, leadership and learn about the Olympic experience.  This beats reading about it in a textbook anytime!