WHEN LESS IS MORE (FULL) RETHINKING EDUCATION Ezhilarasan childcare LIBRARY

RETHINKING EDUCATION --WHEN LESS IS MORE --

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1. Exposing children to concepts they are not ready for will actually cause them damage.

2. The earlier the better and the faster equals smarter -thoughts of parents are totally wrong.

3. As we push children to achieve more and more, earlier and earlier, we don't realize that our children may pay a high price.

4. Not only does early drilling and cramming steal the joy from learning but also creates emotional anxiety in the child.

5. Sinagapore is one of the top rankers in mathematics. There they cover fewer topics per grade. Topics are also taught more comprehensively when they are introduced, so the need for repetition in later grades is reduced.

6. Getting --flash cards-- and making toddlers hear Mozart music is like putting a Video cassette in FAST FORWARD instead of PLAY.

7. By overstimulating a child, we cannot necessarily push his developmental window.

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MY HIGH-LIGHTS / NOTES --

As another academic year begins, education still remains a race against others as well as against time in a spiralling frenzy to learn more things faster, earlier.

We need to slow down and let children learn at their own pace so that their understanding of themselves and the world becomes richer and more nuanced.

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The "earlier the better" and "faster equals smarter" ...ethos is deeply embedded in our cultural psyches that it influences both parenting styles and school curricula. As we push children to achieve more and more, earlier and earlier, we don't realise that our children may pay a high price.

Not only does early drilling and cramming steal the joy from learning but also creates emotional angst in the child.

Moreover, the practice of introducing higher level concepts at younger ages also undermines children's cognitive foundations and thereby defeats its very purpose.

Right from pre- to high school, our children are not only expected to race against each other but also against time. Developmental principles of stages of learning and cognitive preparedness are given scant regard as we are out to prove that our kid is the smartest and fastest on the block.
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Furious pace

Today, we live in an age of information overload. As there is so much to learn, many parents and educators try to give children a head start by introducing them to advanced concepts early on. Worksheets, textbooks and test papers seem to reflect this belief.

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What is the point of introducing perpendicular lines when children do not have a concept of angle?

Unless, angles were covered in UKG at this fast-track school!

A science paper for first-graders required children to indicate true or false for the following: 

Star fish are echinoderms.   Chameleons are mammals. Of course, the vast majority of kids in class would have answered the questions perfectly after being coached at home by high-strung parents.

While children may rightly state that chameleons are not mammals but reptiles, do they appreciate the significance of these terms?

Do they realise that humans are mammals? Do they understand how animals are classified?

Mere memorisation and regurgitation of disconnected facts will not enhance the web of conceptual links in their minds.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is conducted by the U.S. Dept of Education every four years to see how children compare worldwide.

Singapore is one of the top rankers in mathematics. A study undertaken by the American Institutes of Research compared curricula in the U.S. and Singapore. In contrast to most U.S. states, Singapore covers fewer topics per grade. Topics are also taught more comprehensively when they are introduced; so the need for repetition in later grades is reduced. In the U.S., depth seems to be sacrificed for breadth.

Contrary to what one might expect, more advanced topics are introduced earlier in the U.S. compared to Singapore. For example, in the state of Florida odd and even numbers are introduced in Grade 1; whereas, in Singapore this topic is not introduced until Grade 3. Thus, instead of exposing children to advanced topics early on, it is more prudent to spend time strengthening fundamentals.

Disadvantaged

A study in the U.S. revealed that children in 'academic' preschools where the three R's were introduced did no better than children in traditional preschools that emphasised free play. ***

As psychologists Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff write, "When we perceive the world as ripe with social and learning opportunities, we will help our children grow. To do more, to use flashcards with infants, to insist on Mozart for the pre-infant.. is like putting a videocassette on "fast-forward" instead of "play".

To put children on fast-forward is to risk turning them off to their natural desire to learn, and instead increases their risk of becoming anxious, depressed and unhappy.

As schools exert pressure through high-powered curricula, parents feel the need to keep children running, lest they fall off the treadmill.

The educational toy industry in the U.S. alone is worth around a billion dollars per year. Parents feel compelled to purchase flashcards for infants and educational DVDs, **** 

We have to remember that we, parents, are not the architects of our children's minds. By overstimulating a child, we cannot necessarily push his developmental window.

As neurologist, Prof. Huttenlocher says, "One has to consider the possibility that very ambitious early enrichment and teaching programmes may lead to crowding effects and to an early decrease in the size and number of brain regions that are largely unspecified and that may be necessary for creativity in the adolescent and adult."

Thus, schools should evaluate their curricula for developmental appropriateness and parents may take a backseat instead of rushing to buy the latest set of encyclopaedias.

AUTHOR : Ms Arun Sankara

The author is the director of PRAYATNA, Centre for Educational Assessment & Intervention.

Friends,

The following is a copy of my  PERSONAL NOTES covering major part of an interesting article I read in THE HINDU newspaper (June 13, 2015) on education.

I am collecting this articles for my individual research. However, I think you may also be interested in it.


COLLECTED BY

EZHILARASAN VENKATACHALAM,
GLOBAL TAMIL BASED ENGLISH TRAINER,
SALEM, SOUTH INDIA.

EZHILARASAN VENKATACHALAM.
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Source:

http://www.thehindu.com/education/school/article452712.ece