Constructing bridges to knowledge— helping teachers help students

Bridge Building as a Metaphor for Teaching & Learning

Rwanda— the Land of a Thousand Hills. That means it’s also the land of a thousand valleys, and the land of a thousand little streams and rivers that swell rapidly after a heavy tropical rain storm. The footbridge pictured above is a common sight in Rwanda. There are literally hundreds of these footbridges across the country, spanning the many waterways and flood zones, connecting rural communities on opposite hills, helping villagers access markets, roads and schools. When on my bicycle, I will often stop at one of these footbridges for a quick walk across and back. I find them fascinating; bridges constructed across divides giving access to opportunities.

Bridge-building is a great metaphor for teaching and learning. The process of developing knowledge or acquiring a skill is much like building a bridge over a river. Standing on one side of the gap, you lack the knowledge or skills— you’re a novice. After constructing the bridge and traversing it, you stand on the other side with a degree of expertise. When it comes to the content of subjects taught in school, the teacher already stands on the side of expertise, having already built and crossed their bridge. But there are lots of experts on that side of the river; teachers are those with the ability to guide others across. This process requires that each learner do their own bridge construction; no one crosses on someone else’s bridge. The teacher’s job is to provide the students with the materials, the tools, the models, and the guidance to help students construct their own bridges from the bank of the novice, to the side of expertise.