Process Over Product

“If we want our children to thrive in the highly unknown future,

they’ll be best equipped if they can learn to think for themselves.”

– Rachelle Doorley from ARTSblog

I was first introduced to the philosophy of process over product during my second student teaching placement in an inclusive early childhood special education classroom. I learned the importance of this philosophy: that children learn most during the process, not the product. This philosophy is in line with my teaching philosophy, where I believe children develop a deeper understanding of content when they are exposed to real, meaningful experiences and learn experientially. Essentially, process over product is valuing the experience over the finished product.

Since being introduced to process over product, I have researched and read many articles. Rachelle Doorley from ARTSblog says it best, "[The] higher-level thinking skills [children need] won’t develop through copying or following directions, but through the processes of problem-posing that goes along with invention and experimentation. When children have the opportunity to explore new ideas, test a theory, and iterate, they develop a strong sense of self and learn to think like innovators. And isn’t that really the point of education?"

Process over product is easily done in an early childhood classroom. It was as simple as setting out materials during a thematic unit, such as pasta noodles, red, white and green paint, pom-poms, paintbrushes, and plates, and asking the students, "What do you think we can make with these?" The students were free to use the materials as they saw fit, and each finished product looked nothing like another.