Thinking In... Controlled Chaos

FIRST GRADE’S PRIMARY LAB

To the untrained eye, the energetic squalls of activity that swirl, several times a week, through the early-elementary wing of Colorado Academy’s Lower School may look like barely controlled chaos. Kindergartners flit between three homerooms in search of creative supplies and willing work partners, while First Graders scour ceiling-high shelves of recycled materials and knickknacks for glittering decorations, or use a buzzing “ChompSaw” to transform piles of reused Amazon shipping boxes into something from their imagination.

 

But to a generation of CA students and teachers in the know, the unusual weather patterns have always made perfect sense—the creative forces swelling this way and that all part of a carefully laid plan, mapping an early learning experience that remains alive in the memories of Mustangs long after they leave the hallways of the Lower School.

More than three decades ago, veteran First Grade Instructor Diana Giarusso and her co-teacher, Connie Adcock—a revered educator who retired in 2011—wanted to create time and space for young learners to explore topics in literature, science, social studies, and the arts in their own way: setting their own goals, making all their own choices, tackling challenges using their growing reserves of resilience and imagination, and learning to depend on the collaboration and support of their fellow creators.

 

They called their unconventional program Primary Lab, a twice-a-week block calibrated to unleash the creative thinking and problem-solving skills of First Graders, whose enthusiasm and capacity for doing more than the traditional elementary curriculum allowed were clear to innovators Giarusso and Adcock.

“This is one of the most academically rich things we do, with so many layers beneath the surface.”

–Sarah Ingham, First Grade Instructor

Their idea: Give students time and materials to pursue a goal entirely of their own devising, big or small, successful or not, from woven bracelets to cardboard cars. It was the beginning of a shift toward student-driven learning and concepts such as Design Thinking that would eventually transform classroom teaching at CA all the way from Pre-K to Grade 12—a reflection of a larger movement that was altering education across the globe.

“Most teachers then thought of the elementary curriculum only in terms of reading, writing, math, social studies, science,” recalls Giarusso. “We always recognized the importance of those foundations, of course, but we knew that giving kids choice and control over their own learning could engage them across all of these areas in entirely different ways.”

Jokes Giarusso, “Eventually, the rest of the school caught up with us.”

Primary Lab became a First Grade institution, and a few years later it was adopted in Kindergarten classrooms in a modified format called Thinking Lab. The programs would set the stage for robust new pedagogy emphasizing innovation and student-led inquiry throughout the Lower School as well as in both the Middle and Upper Schools.

“Teachers used to ask us, ‘Isn’t this taking time away from essential learning?’” notes First Grade Instructor Sarah Ingham. “But today this is one of the most academically rich things we do, with so many layers beneath the surface. Students learn to work independently and collaboratively without teacher guidance; they persevere through challenges and disappointments; they find inspiration on their own and exchange ideas with others; and in the end they get to share their creations proudly with their peers and families at home—building their language and social skills at the same time.”

Teaching and learning will keep changing; best practices will come and go, Giarusso observes. “Primary Lab is the one thing I will always fight to preserve.”

THE GIFT OF MISTAKES

Visiting a classroom during Primary Lab or Thinking Lab is like stepping into an industrious workshop, where serious endeavors are underway and adult guidance is barely needed.

In the Kindergarten model, valuable resources and tools such as pipe cleaners, “smelly” markers, scissors, egg cartons, tape, and recycled shipping boxes are strategically distributed throughout three homerooms, encouraging children to wander next door or across the hall to find what they need and, possibly, discover an unexpected idea or collaborator.

 

According to Kindergarten Instructor Stacey Boyd, “It’s the opposite of the rest of their school day.”

She explains that rigorous academics, a full slate of specialist-taught classes such as Spanish, science, and art, and regular Physical Education blocks plus instruction in social and emotional skills and self-regulation mean tight schedules and strict structure. “Time for free play, for not having something to do, is such a scarce resource for kids today,” she says.

But Thinking Lab undoes that equation, at least momentarily, points out Kindergarten Instructor Christine Booth. “For those kids who are creative self-starters, this is the time for them to just dive in. And for those who might struggle to get to that place, it’s a really rewarding challenge for them to try to figure out how an egg carton, say, can become something else.”

“This is a beautiful way for them to learn the gift of mistakes, the gift of imperfection,” she continues.

“They’ll visualize their creation, but then get frustrated as they try to build it. They start to learn flexibility with themselves, the ability to pivot and create something that they hadn’t thought about before. They learn how to work together, absorbing ideas and picking up new techniques from their classmates.”

 

“As a teacher, I’m someone who really appreciates structure,” offers Kindergarten Instructor Jenni Richards. “And I know that there are kids in my classroom who are ‘risk-avoidant,’ too—it’s hard for them to step outside of their comfort zone. Thinking Lab is a great exercise in letting go.”

Kindergartners are natural hands-on learners; the biggest challenge in such an unstructured approach might be dealing with their peers. Richards notes that supplies of materials such as cardboard and markers are deliberately rationed from one session to the next, requiring children to negotiate with each other about who gets to use what; inevitably, no one ever receives everything they set their heart on.

“We know many of our students have access to all sorts of wonderful resources at home,” says Richards. “So by limiting the supply and keeping materials simple, they actually have to figure out how to work through scarcity, even deal with disappointment. This is a critical executive-functioning skill they need to be successful in school and in their lives.”

The amazing thing about Thinking Lab, Boyd notes, is that teachers rarely have to step in to settle disputes about materials, “borrowed” ideas, or anything else.

During the course of an ordinary day in Kindergarten, teachers assist in resolving countless minor disagreements or soothing hurt feelings. But in Thinking Lab, she says, “They realize that working together is essential.”

LEARNERS IN A NEW LIGHT

By the time they reach First Grade’s Primary Lab, CA students who have graduated from Thinking Lab are equipped with both the engineering experience and the social emotional skills they need to go bigger.

There’s an unlimited cardboard supply, an extensive selection of trinkets such as buttons, ribbon, and wooden game pieces, hot-glue guns safe enough for students to use themselves, and even the ChompSaw, a router-like cutting tool for kids that makes quick work of carving lines and curves into box panels and other materials.

Says Giarusso, “The things they create on their own are far superior to anything I could come up with for them to do.”

 

Four boys recently worked together to complete a towering birthday “cake” for Lower School Principal Angie Crabtree; decorated using hot glue, buttons, markers, and feathers, the four-layer cardboard confection required multiple Primary Lab sessions to complete and had to be transported to Crabtree’s office by a team.

“The things they create on their own are far superior to anything I could come up with for them to do.”

–Diana Giarusso, First Grade Instructor

Another pair of creators designed formal wear for their favorite Labubus and invited their classmates to a “wedding,” a highlight of the fall. Other original items have included laptop computers, musical instruments, robots, marble run-style games, and many, many more.

“They are usually so absorbed in their work that you can almost hear a pin drop,” attests Ingham. She notes that projects frequently incorporate ideas inspired by other parts of the First Grade curriculum.

When students in their Writer’s Workshop responded to a prompt based on a non-fiction book about the Moon, for example, one student went ahead and fabricated their own telescope for stargazing, too. Struck by the design, yet another student created a kaleidoscope.

First Grade Instructor Cecelia Kern observes that Primary Lab gives many students who might struggle academically another way to demonstrate their expertise and creativity. “It’s a chance for us to see our learners in a new light—and for their classmates to appreciate all they have to offer.”

Adds Ingham, “Plenty of our students come to us with some form of anxiety, whether it’s about a particular subject like writing, or it’s a fear of making a mistake, of something not being perfect. For so many of these, Primary Lab is profoundly calming; you can just see them settle down into their work.”

Like the student who has trouble focusing on math lessons but spends hours measuring and designing 3D shapes with a ruler in Primary Lab, says Giarusso, all First Graders get the chance to discover their superpower when they see themselves as creators and inventors.

PROCESSING THEIR WORLD

There’s even more to the program than empowering deep thinkers, says Kindergarten’s Richards.

“When you look around at our world today, there are so many unknowns for children, just like there are for us. It’s chaotic and messy in a lot of ways. So in those moments in our classroom where students are dealing with a challenge, having to solve a problem on their own, that’s teaching them something they will rely on in the future. Our world needs kids with these kinds of skills.”

Giarusso, who has seen that growth in action over her many years coordinating Primary Lab, cites one striking example. As the topic of school security has risen in importance among teachers, administrators, and parents over the past decade, she says, her students, too, have increasingly brought it into their Primary Lab creations and other classroom activities: Who will be the security guard? What kind of protection should we build for our village?

“Through open-ended play and creativity, they are processing their world,” Giarusso explains.

 

Time in Primary Lab or Thinking Lab is so vital, she notes, that it competes with recess as the most eagerly anticipated section of any day’s schedule.

It’s become a lifeline for another reason, adds Ingham: “Parents and guardians often talk about how they don’t hear from their kids about ‘what you did at school today.’ Well, they’re hearing a lot about Primary Lab.”

That connection with families is one ingredient of the “secret sauce” that has made Primary Lab and Thinking Lab so beloved—and so sustainable.

Says Giarusso, “Kids can’t wait to take home all their projects every week, so they can share them with parents and guardians.” In turn, she notes, families have started collecting recyclable cardboard and other castoff materials in their basements so they can bring them to school for the entire grade to use. “For some students, we’re hearing that Primary Lab is the biggest thing that gets them to school in the morning. The families love to support that.”

SEEING THE WHOLE CHILD

Both Kindergarten and First Grade programs are perfect examples of CA’s approach to challenge and rigor, according to Booth. Through Thinking Lab and Primary Lab, “We’re truly pushing our students to stretch—to call upon their own resilience and the support of their peers to confront a blank canvas.”

At the same time, she explains, there’s nothing more developmentally appropriate for early elementary students than hands-on creativity. “We’re meeting them exactly where they are at their age, and there’s no doubt they are going to love that environment and thrive—because it’s made for them.”

Young children, notes Booth, learn language and social skills, process and prepare for their academic lives, engage with the world through the senses, and do so much more when school has all the components—physical, intellectual, emotional—to appeal to the whole child.

“One of the major reasons I came to CA to teach Kindergarten—and I think one of the reasons all of my colleagues have such great experiences here—is that we get to meet our students as people first. That’s what’s so special about this community: Our expectations are high, but programs like Thinking Lab and Primary Lab provide such a strong foundation.”

“Our expectations are high, but programs like Thinking Lab and Primary Lab provide such a strong foundation.”

–Christine Booth, First Grade Instructor

The unique, child-driven model may have come far since the days when Adcock brought broken typewriters to the classroom for her First Graders to disassemble, Giarusso recounts. But the guiding spirit has never wavered.

“There’s absolutely no plan to anything our students do in Primary Lab or Thinking Lab,” she explains. “Of course, they learn building techniques and how to work with different tools and materials—but what amazes us is how they incorporate that knowledge into their own process of wondering and creating, without any real input or direction from their teachers.”

In Kindergarten and First Grade’s lab times, Giarusso says, there are plenty of failures, plenty of messes that are themselves recycled to become someone else’s idea.

There is also children’s thinking, tangible and full of possibility.