If learning is a natural process, why do we need to pressurize children to learn?
All parents would agree that every child has an innate sense of wonder and curiosity. From being wowed by the discoveries made by their toddler, somewhere in time, adults switch the lens and view their 5- or 6- or 7-year-old child as someone who is not up to the benchmarks set by the society in terms of learning. Thus, parents shift from being amazed by their intelligence to a state of constant worry of “are they up to their grade level?”.
What does child-centred pedagogy say?
Pedagogy refers to the “how” of education. Child-centred or child-initiated pedagogy recognizes that understanding and respecting child’s interests and motivations promotes self determination in a child. By letting children choose their learning interests and passions, they begin to take ownership of their learning and act based on their intrinsic motivation rather than because of an adult asking them to do so.
Why do children resist lessons or homework?
Many parents complain that their child has to be bribed, cajoled, negotiated with or even be threatened to practise their daily lessons or complete their homework. Somehow learning becomes the parent’s agenda rather than the child’s responsibility. This becomes a vicious cycle and continues till their senior grades. Learning something new is hard work – a child who has just embarked on their journey to read and write might want to choose the path of least resistance. It is natural. It is the adult’s responsibility to keep that spark going, feeding the curiosity just enough so they step forward to explore more. Adults always feel the necessity to include themselves into the work of a child when in reality as we take a step back and help them take ownership, the tables start turning. It might take a week or even months, it will not come easily to a child who is so conditioned to take instructions. Every child loves to learn, it might just not be the way you have pictured in your mind.
Does child-led learning really work?
Child-led learning means that the child is leading their learning while the adult plays the role of a facilitator. When you give the keys to the child to drive their own learning, you might see different responses. A child younger than five years of age might gladly jump in and start choosing things that interests them, while an older child may wonder what he has to do. He has been told what to learn or what skill to practise each day, when suddenly one day you say you can “choose” your work? The child may be confused or even lost. The initial responses and reactions of a child is not an indicator of the effectiveness of this method. It only means that the child as well as the adult need to change the conditioning of their mind to start this whole new journey. There are frameworks, effective curriculums, efficient branches of educational philosophy which the school or family must explore in order to find the right fit for themselves. This better and burdenless way of learning does exist and is possible!
Change your lens
Its time to view your children who are capable of pursuing the journey of life long learning without external pressures. Children love exploring – you can see that day in and day out as they talk about things they see or listen to everyday. They are curious little scientists who can thrive in an environment rich with learning opportunities. It is definitely possible to let go off the reins and let the child take over. It IS possible- it might not be the way you imagine though!