Yes, and ... !
“But” is more than just a little word, it’s really powerful and can be destructive.
What happens when a teacher keeps saying “but” or the children keep saying “but”? It shuts down a train of thought and thus creates a block in the classroom. When either the teacher or the children are stuck in this loop of “but” it can quickly get in the way of learning and teaching.
Imagine a class situation where you ask your students a question to begin exploring a new subject
You might ask: “What material could you make a boat out of?”
Your student could say: “We could make the boat out of paper.”
And you, or another student would answer: “But paper isn’t waterproof.”
End of conversation.
That little word, that “but” blocks any creativity which the conversation would have cultivated had it been allowed to continue. —Now let’s revisit the same conversation again and change that one little word to “yes, and …”
Teacher: What material could we make a boat out of?
Student: We could make the boat out of paper.
Teacher: Yes, and how would you keep it afloat since paper isn’t waterproof?
Student: I would seal the hull with resin.
Creative!
The “yes, and …”-tool is most useful in brainstorming projects, where kids and adults are unpacking a theme and exploring the possibilities of that theme. It helps you as a teacher to listen to your students’ logic, it will lead you to ask for clarifications and helps you determine whether your students are exploring their creativity.
“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock pile when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.”
You can take this tool beyond brainstorming situations by teaching your class —or your family— to use “yes, and …” rather than “but …” in every day interactionss.
As I listen to kids conversations, I have noticed a pattern: when one child comes up with an idea, it’s most often met with the words “no” or “but”. The child that offers the ‘but’ continues to brainstorm, adding their point of view, their ideas, however the first child’s idea is not developed any further. This is easy to re-train since as a teacher, you are aware of the words children use in conversations in your classroom. Simply give the kids a gentle reminder whenever you hear them use the word “but”.
You will encourage everyone to open their minds and think together in conversation. Rather than learning to argue one’s point against others, students —and siblings— learn to take a real interest in the other and to collaborate on a solution.