Risk

Tinkering is about risk.  I have seen this over and over again in the learning lab.  There are always one or two kids who sit and wait to be told what to do. They are tentative and wait for instruction. If, by the end of the session, they are surrounded by a mess created from trial and error, I know I have done my job.

I first noticed this when we began to design our alarm systems. One little boy sat quietly looking at the table until I asked him what was up. He replied that he had been waiting to be told what to do. Slowly, he began to engage in the process until he relaxed and dove in.


This is the beauty of holding tinkering sessions at the Museum. Kids are free from being assessed. They can explore. They can try out their ideas without worrying that they might be wrong. It's what I like best about museum education.