Interests, obsessions and informal learning

June 16, 10:21 AMInformal Education ExaminerLisa Jo Rudy

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Tom could visit the aquarium every week - forever!

Tom loves fish.  And he loves the aquarium.  Here in Woods Hole MA, there's a tiny little aquarium with a couple of seals, a few formal exhibits, and a whole floor full of tanks with lobsters, sea stars and local marine critters.

Typical kids, having visited once, generally feel they've done it.  If pressed, they might want to come back again, though most would just as soon go to the beach.

Tom could easily visit the aquarium once a week for -- ever.  Then again, he could also revisit every museum exhibit he's ever enjoyed, over and over again.  He could happily re-see his favorite movies every night.  Even now, he re-reads his favorite picture books from toddlerhood over and over again (though he does read new stuff too!).

When a typically developing kid shows a special interest in marine biology, parents interested in informal education are likely to sign him up for a special class, a science camp, or even a fishing trip.

With Tom, we've done the same...  and sometimes it works beautifully.  A homeschool unit on the oceans resulted in a whole new area of interest in sea birds - and a much greater ability to look for and identify various types of shellfish and marine animals (fish, eels, and so forth).  He's also much more aware of the tides, and has a better understanding of why the ocean changes from hour to hour and from day to day.

Just as often, though, it turns out that his affinity for repeating an experience is more about repetition and certainty than it is about the experience itself.  After all, that's one of the hallmarks of autism: a preference for repeating the same thing over and over again.  Watching the same old Scholastic videos may be fun - and the literature presented may be "classic."  But it's tough for Tom to pull the stories out: he's focused on and waiting for the details of shape, color or sound.

Interestingly, while our "typically developing" daughter is better at seeing the big picture and capturing the main idea, she has a tougher time with the details.  And while Tom can find something new in a diorama at the science museum every time he visits, all Sara can see is the same old boring bunch of stuffed animals.

Searching for the right experiences is a learning opportunity for all of us.  Each time we try, we discover something new about ourselves, our kids, and the educational process.  Later this week, we try "yurt camping."  Wonder what that'll teach us??