Recently, I started thinking about extraordinary learning experiences that stay with us – and what exactly is behind them? What causes them to stay with us? Are these experiences as casual as we might think? Or, is there really a pattern to these learning experiences, that would allow educators to create more of them for children to experience? Instantly, I was led to Dan Heath’s research. You may remember, he was he co-author of Switch, Made to Stick, and most recently, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact. This text would allow me to ground some of my thinking. Basically, Dan Heath shares four key elements that characterize these experiences. Elevation, insight, pride, and connection are what ignite extraordinary experiences. Below I shared just a few that resonated most with me, but also left me wanting to delve deeper.

Elevation, insight, pride, and connection are what ignite extraordinary experiences.

The second point that really stuck with me was – why we build deeper connections more quickly when we work together on something bigger than ourselves. This idea was part of the DNA of the campus I had the privilege of serving as principal. Often, middle schoolers deal with a number of different and difficult situations during this watershed time in life. We found that when our learners had an opportunity to be a part of helping someone or cause that was bigger than themselves, they were able to cultivate more positive than what they were dealing with. This aligns beautifully with learning – when our learning is experiential with some social intertwined the learning is deeper – richer – and far more impactful. So often, it feels like folks just want the ‘silver bullet’ fix instead of learning that allows us to tap into defining moments and appreciate the experiences that build the learning.