Kieran Egan's latest book, Learning in Depth: a simple innovation that can transform schooling (Chicago University Press, 2011), envisions first-grade classes beginning with ceremonies where students are randomly assigned individual topics to explore, such as apples, electricity or clocks.

They’re also given a portfolio to fill with information about their topics, which they’ll pursue alongside the regular curriculum for the next 12 years.

“Most people’s initial response is that the kids will get bored,” says Egan, a professor of educational theory. “But boredom is a product of ignorance. The more you know about something, the less you find it boring.”

His hypothesis —that students experiencing this learning-in-depth (LiD) approach will develop genuine expertise and a passion for learning—is proving true as countries worldwide, including Japan, Iran, Greece, Hungary and New Zealand, begin implementing LiD.



Langley teacher Linda Holmes was among the first to try LiD in 2008 with a mixed Grade 1-3 class. She says students were initially hesitant but soon found their curiosity driving them, with many pursuing their topic during summer break.

Since then, more classes at Holmes’ school have adopted LiD along with the regular curriculum and Egan says there’s talk of the entire school adopting it.

“The whole process has brought the study of knowledge into my classroom, instead of just facts,” says Holmes. “We’re having a lot more interesting discussions and a lot more fun with the study of the world around us.”

Egan is not surprised. “Imagination is one of the great workhorses of learning and it only works with what we know,” he says, noting that children as young as five can wonder about the nature of knowledge, which leads them to realize how little they actually know.Egan now has a two-year Social Science and Humanities Research Council grant to study student and teacher reaction to LiD.

For more info visit www.ierg.net/LiD/ or watch a video at http://at.sfu.ca/mKCEoR.