Can I?

Incorporating the 4Cs (Collaboration, Critical thinking, Communication and Creativity) in learning does sound fancy and interesting but making the children work together is a challenge. On a recent observation of a class, the students, divided into teams of four, had to come up with games of their own using only paper cups.

Later, using a rubber band tied to four strings, they had to build a tower without directly touching the cups and the rubber band.

When the teacher asked all students to write their names on a small sheet of paper for using them as a randomizer, a lot of questions came up.

“Sir, can we write with a pen?”

“Ma’am, can I use sign pens?”

“Do we have to write our last name too?”

Our first reaction was “Why are they so specific? Why does it even matter what color they use?”

As adults, if we were to look at this situation, it might not be great of concern to us. We do have other important things to worry about. Right? But imagine a 30-year-old asked to fill in a bank voucher. S/he will be cautious in an instant.

“Today is the 15th, right?”

“All capital letters?”

“Do I sign here or?”

The very small sheet of paper handed to the kids is extremely important to them. That is for two reasons. Firstly, a teacher gave them the paper. Secondly, they were taught to write with certain instruments, in certain formats, with a certain criterion.

If you’ve been given certain rules to follow, one is told to abide by them. You can’t do the things listed otherwise. Thus, as human instincts, one would try to avoid things that might get the person in trouble. “Trouble” here means getting scolded by the teacher for having performed a task differently. After realizing that it will not get them into trouble, they feel free. They might even make little flowers beside their names.

After the task proceeded, we noticed how the students were not comfortable working in teams. They were putting up a fight to bring their ideas into practice. Most of them were struggling to draw to a conclusion. However, as they saw another team finish early, a fire ignited in them as they started incorporating each other’s ideas.

Witnessing students working together is always inspiring. After a while, the students were enjoying it: each member in the team trying to hold the end of one string and picking the cup. Despite this, it’s hard convincing them that it’s okay if they fail.

Soon after, students from one team were visiting the other ones to show their ideas and models. If looked at the rules of the game, students couldn’t do so.

That said, social constructivism might get you the result you want from a student, but it limits their ideas at a pinpoint. Once you let them believe that there is no punishment for a task, they will let their imagination run wild. After a while, they were using their elbows to pick the cups and we said,

“Hey, you can’t do that!”