Making sense of their world

I felt truly privileged to be part of the learning and teaching today, when I was amongst the active adventurous play outdoors. Louie pointed to the sky and announced "Look an aeroplane."  Ollie and I looked up, and in the far distant sky we too saw the winged object, but as we looked at the gliding, dark, small aeroplane, the wings moved only slightly as would the wings of one of those gliding rather than flying creatures.  At this point I think Ollie and Louie may have thought similar thoughts to me ( I thought it was a crow).   Ollie said "It's an aeroplane bird."  Louie said "Those are dangerous ones aren't they."  Ollie said "They peck peoples heads to pieces."  We continued watching this captivating slowly gliding aeroplane bird and Ollie gave the commentary "It's landed on a tree."  Four ladders were collected from the fire engine play and four boys propped their ladders on the boundary fence, climbed to the highest rung.  Louie joined his fingers to make the shape of 'noculars', followed by the other three.  Two of them had joined with the hope of seeing whatever Ollie and Louie were seeing.  By now we had lost sight of the dark gliding object, but anytime a sparrow landed or left a branch of a neighbouring tree the exclamation was "There it is."

Had I gone straight to information and declared "It is a crow." I might or might not have been correct - I think I was given the wrong information sometimes when I was a child and that wrong information was never challenged.  I do not want to pass on that wrong information for another generation.  Meanwhile I would be removing the opportunity for children to know they can make predictions, form theories, research, test and retest theories.  Safe in the knowledge that their predictions and theories are valued, these children  construct their own learning.  They will be actively involved in the learning rather than passively listening to a teacher tell them what she knows.  What she knows is very limited.  Imagine what information we could find out about aeroplane birds or crows (if that is what they turn out to be).