Poster: The Learning Pit

Learning begins when we step outside our comfort zone, when we face the new and unfamiliar. That's why at the start, we stumble, much like when we learned to ride a bike. We're filled with feelings of fear, uncertainty, and confusion. Through the learning pit, we can engage with students about these emotions. And not only that! The learning pit can be enhanced with strategies and skills that help us (ourselves and each other) climb out of the pit (hole), enriched with new experiences and knowledge.

It's an excellent tool for open conversation between teachers and students about where they are in their learning journey. With repeated discussions and activities, students gradually lose the fear of admitting they don't know something, that they need help and support. They become comfortable asking for it. They learn more effective self-help strategies and become empowered.

Being in the learning pit, feeling confused, is acceptable and beneficial in school. It means pupils are learning, thinking, and resolving cognitive conflicts that will bring them new insights once resolved.

The use of the learning pit for teachers is simple. All of us who believe that learning is a process and value its outcomes will find that using the learning pit makes our work easier. Pupils quickly adopt it as their own and perceive it as a compass for tracking their own emotions and progress on the path towards their set goals..