Everyone Starts Somewhere

And this is where I am starting. 
I have been working in education and child care for more than a decade now. I have seen a broad variety of classrooms and strategies, and (at least where I live), the system has changed dramatically over that time. The things we did when I first started in the field are now considered outdated. And with good reason.

The point is that as adults in this field, we have been constantly learning, growing and evolving. So, if the field of education has been doing this, why do we regard the learning of children to be any different?

As children grow, they absorb more and more information, a bottom up approach in many ways. Once they have the foundational knowledge necessary for further development, they start building on it naturally. Play is the most useful tool for children learning, because they are engaged. Abstract concepts must be built up on the concrete understanding that comes from observation and experience. I imagine we all know these things.

So why, in many instances, are we focusing on end products with children? The end product often doesn’t indicate much about the actual learning or understanding of a concept, or what skills have been explored and employed. Furthermore, studies have repeatedly suggested that praising “accomplishments” over the process and engagement of a task results in children who become overly focused on extrinsic reward and easily give up when confronted with failure. The focus is on the present failure, rather than the elusive but possible future success they haven’t reached YET. Alternatively, children who are praised for their effort and their perseverance are more likely to see a failure as a stepping stone, and are more likely to try different approaches and enjoy the pursuit of a solution rather than just the attainment of one.

Think about that: the prospect of raising people who thrive on the pursuit of a problem, on challenges, on creativity and exploration. Think of how the world could change as we focus on mastery and the overcoming of obstacles rather than the obstacles themselves. We all start somewhere, and I hope we can teach these young minds to see the benefits of experience rather than the fear of failure.

If you are interested in more information on encouraging resilience:

• Carol S. Dweck and the Power of Yet here
• Carol S. Dweck on the perils of empty praise