PAUSE 4 THOUGHT

Pause 4 Thought

13 March 2020

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.”- Socrates

We considered a different type of Wonder this week – ‘I wonder’ questions. 

Wondering is a vital part of inquiry and drives us to explore, underlying our sense of curiosity. I asked the girls to consider what they wonder about and told them some of my wonderings that Tuesday morning: I wonder 

  • If: clouds have a flavour
  • How: birds navigate from Europe to Africa (and back again)
  • Where: I will go on holiday next year
  • Why: Mrs Hurley chose to wear that top today
  • What: you would do if there were no teachers in school one day

We moved then to look at the book ‘Wonder’ by R. J Palacio. I played the girls the trailer to the movie stopping it at various points to ask:

  • I wonder why he’s wearing a helmet? Why hasn’t been to school before? 
  • I wonder why they asked him if he knows what an eraser is? 
  • I wonder how he feels? How his parents feel?
  • I wonder why the book is called Wonder? 
  • I wonder how each of us would behave – if we were Auggie? If we were the other children? 
  • I wonder if we would/do choose kindness?

Their responses revealed some fabulous and thoughtful wondering – ‘Maybe he’s wearing a helmet because he’s been on a space mission and just returned’, ‘Maybe he’s not been to school before because he’s too poor’, ‘Maybe they asked him what an eraser is because they assume that because he looks different, he’s not very clever’. (Kindly, those students who were familiar with the story kept quiet).

Two really important words emerged – ‘maybe’ and ‘assume’. The former is a friend of wondering, the latter can get in the way.

I wonder what your family is doing this weekend? 

Mrs D-C

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