“His Workmanship, His Poiēma”
“We are His workmanship,” (Ephesians 2:10). The word “workmanship” in this verse is a derivative of the Greek word
“Poiēma”
Poiēma means “poem.” His Workmanship literally means that each of us is a creative work of art, written by The Master Poet. Just as a dedicated poet painstakingly crafts every line and verse of a poem with intention and care, God thoughtfully and meticulously designs each individual with unique purpose and meaning.
When we choose to view each student as His Poiēma, it becomes our priority to better understand each student’s design to learn before we design a plan to teach.
Many factors makeup a “Fingerprint of Learning” as I like to call it. Our brain is a miraculously complex organ, intricately built from conception to work as a single connected system: created to help us understand the world through a unique perspective gifted specifically to each one of us by our creator in order to reflect His glory.
By the 24th week of pregnancy a baby can hear, and by birth an infant can recognize a familiar voice. At birth, a newborn visually seeks out the shape of a face. According to the Center for the Developing Child, Harvard University, 2025: “The brain’s basic architecture is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues into adulthood..”
It is very unlikely that the schools in which our children attend assess the architecture of the brain before content knowledge is assessed. Time is limited in a school day, and since the first establishment of the educational system in our country, it hasn’t been the goal. The goal of the educational system as it currently exists is to identify key content standards for instruction, research and deliver best practices of instructional strategies for the “neurotypical” learner, and provide intervention and support if students do not exhibit mastery or show a need additional instruction. This scaffolded system of educational support proves to be highly effective in the growth of student achievement on assessments/data. However, I wonder how much more we could unlock the true potential of student learning and the JOY of understanding if we understanding neurological architecture, or the “Fingerprint of Learning” became our priority.
To put it simply: how can brain design and function reveal the lane in which students learn? Neuroscience basics say the brain has four main parts that take in, process, and express information.These four areas are: the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and the occipital lobe. These four areas, along with the brain stem and inner core, allow us to interpret visual and verbal input, motor coordination and balance, and regulate our emotional response to sensory stimuli. So each of us is born with an original “brain map” is a unique to us! How awesome is that?
As a child grows, millions of neurological pathways develop to process the world around us. In fact, “More than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second in the first few years of life.” (Harvard, 2025) We know that as children grows, environmental factors impact the “original brain map,” and a specific, strong pathway for learning is developed.
So if we understand the research that “our early experiences shape our brain architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health,” (Harvard, 2025) then why aren’t we making it a priority to understand the architecture of each student’s learning pathway before we begin teaching them?
Login to amywebsteracademics.com and be sure to follow my blog; I will continue to identify and unpack unique pathways of learning. I will share the history of our current educational system, and provide some insight on how we can adjust to better meet the needs of today’s students. I will share scriptural truth that magnifies the beauty of our Creator God. I will testify to the fact that we are
His Workmanship, His Poiēma,
and I will share how to reflect His glory as we discover more about our unique design to learn.
