Tap into Brilliance

Learn by Making (7.3)

Table of Contents

Consider the possible outcome if our first reaction when someone is misbehaving or struggling was “This person must have extreme creative strengths. Let’s find them!” This is what Peter Reynolds’s seventh grade math teacher did, and Peter went on to make an indelible mark on the world. The Dot, Ish, Going Places, Playing from the Heart, and his other books spread the message that everyone has a valuable, powerful spark of creativity inside. His mission is to make the world a better place through picture books and creativity.¹ Peter himself experienced the transformative support of a teacher who encouraged his deep soul strengths even as they were being expressed as negative traits. In fact, his most famous book, The Dot, is dedicated to “Mr. Matson, my seventh grade math teacher, who dared me to ‘make my mark.’”²

One day, Mr. Matson called Peter aside because he was drawing during math class. Peter thought he was going to get in trouble, but instead his teacher asked him if he would be willing to use his art to help explain a particular math concept to the other students. This was a fully heuristic challenge. It had a goal: to help other kids learn complex math concepts through the use of his artistic talents. It also had constraints: the solution was to be in the form of a comic strip. But Peter could approach the task however he’d like. This was a brilliant way to give a deep soul student an opportunity to learn by making while solving a problem the teacher had with his entire class.