Spark Insight Journal – Page 5 – The Beauty of Mixed Age Group
Observing our mix of kind helpers and keen observers on a daily is a heartwarming experience. Witnessing an older child (often a veteran) showing a younger one how to complete an activity, as the younger child is fascinated by watching his older friend accomplish what s/he can’t yet do.
Older learners having a sense of studio ownership, find opportunities to become mentors to their younger friends, while learning and practicing important leadership skills. A young learner watching an older learner exploring and focusing on their work, builds the growth mindset muscle, thinking to him/herself, “If they can do that, someday I will as well!” They find many incredible chances to absorb new information around them.
More so, spending three years in the same environment also helps the learners to not rush through the process of learning, as, this setting perfectly provides the learners more time to follow their growth trajectory in the studio before moving onto the next adventure in their journey; the Discovery studio, which only furthers this experience by providing a realistic representation of the world beyond the studio walls. A mixed-aged environment truly offers so many wonderful moments of growth, learning, and change.