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Learning by Making, Doing, and Failure: Experiential Education for Your Child

February 17th, 2017

The Creation of the Lightbulb: A History of Trial & Error

If you ask an historian if Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, you are probably going to get one of these answers:

  1. No, his work would have been impossible without Nikola Tesla’s inventions.
  2. Yes, he invented a highly successful incandescent lightbulb, but not the lightbulb.
  3. He invented 1,000 ways NOT to make a working lightbulb.

While there is an interesting argument over who was the better inventor, Tesla or Edison, as educators, something else from this piece of history stands out – the trial and error involved in creating the light bulb.

At Selwyn School, our education style provides students with the opportunity to learn and grow in an environment that fosters their creative problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence, and social responsibility. More importantly, all Selwyn students, from lower to upper school, are given the chance to fail. Failure as a learning tool is incredibly powerful; when children learn to accept their failures, embrace challenges, and keep moving forward, they have gained a valuable, lifelong skill.

Thomas Edison was able to create his powerful, long-lasting incandescent light bulb because he had the time to make, do, fail, and subsequently learn from his failure. An education at Selwyn offers small class sizes guided by teachers who empower students to take their learning into their own hands. Because we are an independent school, student-centered learning takes the stage all the way from kindergarten to college prep.

Experiential Education: The Selwyn School Difference

You will not find Selwyn students pouring over worksheets or studying to pass state-issued standardized tests. In Selwyn classrooms, you will discover students in an interactive environment, conducting lab research and experiments, and working together to solve problems. With a wide curriculum encompassing mathematics, science, English, foreign language, music, the arts, and more, children of all ages at Selwyn can discover their interests, develop their skills, and become effective communicators on a global stage. Through trial and error, Selwyn students can find their path to success.

If you’re interested in learning more about experiential education for your children at an independent school, contact Selwyn School today.

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