“9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn” by Leo Babauta, is a great
article on alternative teaching methods for our children. In this article he
explains that in many cases parents “stick to the system” because of the fear
of change. He believes that as parents we shouldn’t fear change; but instead,
embrace it. Parents need to start going against the norm to find more effective
ways of teaching their children. He states that the world is constantly
changing and children need to be able to constantly adapt. All of the 9 points
made are very interesting and valid, and they are the reason why I chose to blog
about this article.
I agree with the notion of an ever-changing world; it’s obvious to see
that there is a huge change in the world nowadays then even 5 or 6 years ago. I
remember my old flip-phone which at the time, I thought was an amazing piece of
technology. Since then, I have owned the iPhone 3GS, 4S and now the iPhone 5;
all of which have improved greatly, and all of which would put my old phone to
shame! The way we educate our children is changing as well; therefore, we need
to adapt and come up with better methods of teaching them. We have so many new
pieces of information at our disposal, and we need to start putting them to
use. We need to encourage our kids to solve some problems on their own; learn what
works and what doesn’t, teach them that what’s in now probably will be
completely different in a few years. I completely agree that we need to adapt
to a changing world, the better we can adapt the better our lives will be.
Charles Darwin would agree, don’t you think?
Hey Colin,
ReplyDeleteI chose the same article to blog about because I felt that he viewed his concept of "deschooling" in both positive and negative light. He wasn't just trying to sell the good but he also clearly expressed the limitations of this "movement", that it is a work in progress and that parents/teachers will surely make mistakes but that it is not a bad thing to do..mistakes will lead a brighter future for our kids.
This article hit home because I will be a father some and I think about how I would like to raise my child, educationally speaking.. These tips will definitely come into play as my child grows. Wish me luck bro!
I agree with you Colin. We should try to keep up with the latest and greatest teaching methods and technology and integrate it into our classes. Teaching is one of those professions that allows people to become complacent without a lot of oversight from management. So, it's up to us to be self-motivated and strive to learn new things in order to pass along our newly acquired knowledge to our students.
ReplyDeleteHi Colin, encouraging kids to solve problems on their own is definitely on my shortlist of teaching objectives. The earlier a student can learn to be confident in themselves when facing problem solving tasks, the sooner they'll develop those skills. This will give them an important asset for getting through their developmental years in the school system which may lead to academic excellence, as well as better social development.
ReplyDeleteHey bud, I also read this article and thought it was great. I applaud the notion of encouraging kids to think independently, ask questions and problem solve. However I felt his list was incomplete and it should have included "creativity". Passion is extremely important too. I like his ideas, but think there needs to be a balance with traditional methods.
ReplyDelete