The Process Behind the Pearl: A Metaphor for Learning

What is learning?

Learning comes from the collection of experiences we partake in throughout our lives. Each experience building upon another, to form a gem of knowledge and light. In fact, it is as complex and delicate as a pearl. Although this jewel takes years to form and shape itself into the glowing gem, its beauty is everlasting.

Most are unaware of the steps within a pearl’s formation. It begins with an oyster, found at the bottom of the sea. Imagine yourself sinking to the depths of the ocean, quiet, cold and still. As you descend you see an item that piques your interest. An oyster, although rough and jagged as it looks, it seems to be at peace, calm, tranquil even. Only feeding of plankton, the oyster languishes in the water and flourishes below the activities of the sea. As you admire this fascinating creature, you wonder what is inside…

A pearl, an iridescent jewel that is mesmerizing to the eye. Pearls are created from layers of a silky coating called nacre. The layering process begins when a foreign substance, enters the oyster’s mantle (the organ that produces the shell) causing discomfort and irritation. As a defence mechanism, the oyster secretes a mineral-rich substance, nacre, which is from the mollusk of the oyster. With each layer of the crystallized substance, a thick and smooth ball is created. So let’s redefine it, a pearl, protection from irritation. Food for thought...

Back to your quest under the sea and our journey to answering the deeper question. Learning in the educational context is a process. Each process has a starting point, just as a child would on the first day of school. Here child has now become a student. A student who has entered the school system. The classroom, the implementation of structured learning, the school bells and routine, are foreign, and now an irritation in the child’s life. No longer is the child limitless to explore but is now a student concealed and encapsulated in a shell. As educators, we are apart of the shell and now the shelter for this uncertain, and discomforted grain of sand. The shell is also created by the classroom, peers and parents; each a ringlet in the oyster's shell. Although it is unfamiliar, we attempt to create an uncomfortable balance of exposure and experience.

Essentially, we begin to teach. We teach new concepts, theories, strategies of problem-solving and critical thinking. We continue to perturb, and push the boundaries of student cognition, building layers of experiences and greater awareness. Due to a pearl’s sharp and reflective luster, one can interpret learning as a transformative theory, which “explores how critical reflection can be used to challenge a learner's beliefs and assumptions” (Palis, A. G., & Quiros, P. A., 2014). Here we can picture the concepts in curricula, physical and social interactions as a crystalizing coat during the pearl’s development. Each layer is a thought, a conflict, a problem and solution, a lesson, a realization, a mistake, a down fall, an achievement, success. Experiences are millions of crystals that link so strongly together that they become one. Each helping shape and form a student as an individual.

The development and value of an organic pearl is so astounding that humans are incapable of replicating the formation outside of an oyster. This shows the importance of the classroom. The classroom is a safe space. And as the layers form, they create relationships, virtually bonding with each other to create something so beautiful and delicate, but also persistent and strong. Looking at the theoretical underpinning of the metaphor, this process behind the pearl is contractual. It is collaborative and based on strong relationships. In Etienne Wenger’s A Social Theory of Learning, he discusses the various approaches to learning. He states that although there are many different learning theories each “emphasizes different aspects of learning”, therefore each is useful for different purposes. Which also encapsulates the true nature of knowledge (Wenger, 2009). Knowledge and learning are multidimensional just as the formation of the pearl. With each layer of learning, comes a connection and meaning. Due to this nature, learning itself becomes an experience. The layers continue to interlink during the development of the child; aiding in the formation of identity. Wegner asserts that “active participants” in the practices of social communities aid in the construction of identity, resulting “a form of belonging” (Wenger, 2009). Think of the relationship between the pearl and the nacer, being nurtured and shaped. The nacer encapsulated by the shell, the water sounding the shell and animals within the water, allowing this lustrous pearl to form over the years.

It is important to note that the learning does not end when the pearl is formed. What once was an irritation is now a lustrous ball of knowledge, that has the agency to shine through any circumstances. A pearl is strong, resilient and iridescent! To be able to witness learning in its purest form is extraordinarily lucid. Learning does not end in the classroom but is sustained through a community of practice. Think about the location of the oyster in the water, it is located deep within the ocean, and although it is surrounded by many power welding factors as we do in society; the classroom, parents and teacher, in other words, the shell is able to nurture and protect, shape and shine, the pearl. If a pearl was release from the shell it would shine through the open space, but thriving by from the support of the ocean, making ripple effects in the community.

Real pearls are not perfectly round. A pearls everlasting diversity can be representative of our different strength, abilities, and exceptionalities. An oyster can produce multiple pearls. Freshwater pearls, Akoya pearls, and golden south pearls are just a few of the many types of pearls that can be found (Crofts, 2016). Just as the uniqueness and authenticity of our learners can vary so can the years of development. If learning the process behind the pearl, teaching is the greater scope of the sea that goes beyond the academic enterprise and into the world of great exploration, opportunity and discovery.

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Some may say that the cultivation of a pearl from a grain of sand, is just a myth. But it is important to note that the theories behind knowledge vary from Piaget's blank slate to the Bandura’s social learning theories. Nonetheless, the process is real, and virtually open to interpretation.

References

Crofts, C. (2016, March 03). 10 Fascinating Facts About Pearls. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/nature/10-fascinating-facts-about-pearls.aspx

Wenger, E. (2009). A social theory of learning. Contemporary theories of learning: learning theorist-in their own words. Routledge, New York, NY, 209-218

Palis, A. G., & Quiros, P. A. (2014). Adult learning principles and presentation pearls. Middle East African journal of ophthalmology, 21(2), 114.