01. Feel the Learn

My dad taught me to build a fire in our fireplace without ever mentioning the “Fire Triangle.” Yet his instructions to leave enough space between the pieces of wood for air to flow, prepped me for the day I’d learn the concept in science class. Then again at summer camp. Most fires need heat, fuel, and oxygen to burn. For me, the first two were the most obvious sides of the triangle— my dad didn’t have to explain the need for matches and wood. Yet leaving space for oxygen was less intuitive. I also missed opportunities to create space when I became a teacher. Learning, I would come to understand, has its own powerful trio of components.

Students bring the heat. People of all ages are curious and that spark leads them to invest deeply in learning what they care about— whether mastering a hobby, memorizing song lyrics, or acing the MCAT. Teachers (in the broadest sense possible— from parents to professors) provide the fuel. And skillful teachers know how to use the thin kindling of basic concepts to build towards the thick split logs of mastery. Space, the least intuitive ingredient, is the oxygen.

In a high school classroom, space might be “wait time.” As a teacher I had to fight the urge to call on the first raised hand. Other students needed an opportunity to process and respond. Education systems have often rewarded speed. The points-based grading system I used in my classrooms for almost ten years, penalized students who didn’t immediately master material. I’m encouraged by the push towards a more equitable “mastery-based grading” approach, which is really just an extension of “wait time.” More space.

Behaviorally, young people also need space. More on that in the next post.