Every parent wants to provide as much support with school as possible: helping with homework, preparing for exams etc. However, is this enough? How can you make sure this is effective? You have to incorporate a new habit and generally the will, to do so. Do we possess the necessary knowledge? How can it be put into practice?
At the kindergarten I illustrated the following example: “Imagine you buy a brand new washing machine with the newest technology on the market including touch screen. How would you go about using it? Would you read the instruction manual? Or apply the ‘trial and error’ method?” The unanimous response is usually: “I would obviously read the manual. Otherwise I might break something.” I provide further examples of new smartphones, heart rate monitors and similar high-tech appliances. The response remains the same. Then I show the image of a brain on the overhead projector:
My question: “Has anyone read an instruction manual for this?” None of the parents I met at the meetings were able to explain the functions of the right and left side of the brain. No one knew how Information was acquired or processed and retrieved again later.
I explained: “The brain is our learning organ. How are you supposed to help your children learn, when you don't understand how the brain works?” A good teacher needs to be a good student first. Someone who knows how to teach needs to be someone who knows how to learn. The learning experience of a child depends on the parents, the environment and the teacher. After six years of natural learning processes, so called “school learning” replaces the child’s experience. Curiously, there are no courses that thoroughly deal with ‘methods of appropriate learning.’ This should be a required subject for all first graders. The other alternative would be for teacher to become better at ‘teaching’.
Abstract of the book "Unleash the Secret of Education and learn how to raise a happy child" by Hans-Peter Becker.
No comments:
Post a Comment