" The aesthetic has moved closer to the center of Hawkins' vision; its pursuit stands next to, and seems almost indistinguishable from, science itself. Hawkins connects aesthetic experience to interest and engagement, arguing that classrooms that are aesthetically dreary places are ones where kids are bored, either because they are kept at workbooks all day and have no chance for authentic exploration or because they are allowed to do exactly as they want and, having been given no guidance, they are not learning anything – for although Hawkins sees choice, pleasure, and play as central to what happens in good classrooms, he assigns the teacher an active and demanding role in observing and guiding children’s explorations. "

- The Featherstones on Hawkins