I was listening to some kids in the library a couple of days ago who didn’t understand something in a book. Instead of looking at the pictures, reading the sentences around them or even guessing, the kids got up and found an adult to explain it to them. Yes this is good that they are reading, even better that they want to know the truth but I saw a sense of dependence on someone else who “has all the answers”.
I recently read an article called “Nine Dangerous Things You Were Taught in School”. The first two things “we were taught” in school struck close to this situation:
The people in charge have all the answers
and
Learning ends when you leave the classroom
If this is what we teach out kids, we are in trouble. As parents and teachers Some of the best things that kids can be taught are: Relevance, Problem Solving and Life Long Learning. We do this with hands on activities that spark a curious mind, having kids coming up with an answer to their own questions and making things relevant to what they know outside the situation. Bring in their own lives into what you want them to learn at home or at school.
Kids may never remember the capitals, how to do long division or even how to spell certain words, but is that important in today’s society anymore? No. We have Google for that. Yes kids should learn these things but we have to find ways to make them relevant or they become just as dangerous as making students dependant on a teacher and a classroom to learn.
