A few weeks ago there were old tape decks were about to be thrown out.
So I left them on a bench and in my classroom. Sure enough the students spotted them.
They started pushing buttons.
Pulling ariels.
Making sounds.
Turning knobs.
This was old technology to them.
Curiosity is the most important ingredient in learning but is also the one quickly forgotten when teachers plan units.
We rush to check boxes and create work for the students to do.
How much time do you leave your students to play?
To wonder?
To make silly noises?
By leaving some trash about the classroom my students could play with the past.
Teaching the Teacher 
It is so fun to see our kids to this sort of thing, isn’t it Stephanie.
Some years ago, while I was teaching in Canada, one bloke who was teaching a boys only class got hold of an old photocopier. Over several months they ripped it apart and discovered. In fact, it became a point of reward for the boys… “If you get your work done, you can spend 10 minutes on the copier”.
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