Give your child an opportunity to think & innovate. That’s the future.
Jobs are disappearing across the globe. Degree holders are waiting in the queue. There are enough reasons to think beyond the traditional learning approach.
More than job seekers we need job providers. As the old fashion degree holders fall into the category of an obsolete education system, we are only producing unemployment. Though the solution is very simple yet we are ignoring it on a daily basis. Parents of upcoming generation need to uphold and take the movement to the front line. We must give children the space to think of their own, find solutions to a problem of their own, make or create things of their own. In other words, we need to build a future which is capable of finding a solution to their own problems. Let’s trust them but not push them.
So now you may be thinking about where to start? The answer is from your own self before you think anything beyond. Following are a few pointers with which you may start. You may face difficulty at the initial stage but slowly you will understand the necessity of such an approach.
1. Stop assessing your child, especially with numbers.
2. If you can not sit with a book which you don't like, don't expect or push your child to do the same.
3. Know the liking & disliking of your child.
4. Practise democracy at home with children. Decide issues with them, give importance to their feedback.
5. Learning doesn't happen in school only. Involve in all the learning process/activities which are present outside the school as well.
6. A child’s learning is also the responsibility of their parents. Involve yourself with the child & their learning process.
7. At an early stage children learn mostly by copying, so be conscious about what you are doing in front of them.
8. Even though you know the world better but act like a learner in front of your child.
9. Don’t hide mistakes in front of your children. Surrender your mistake and admit things that you don't know. Let's learn together.
10. Don’t push your judgement on to the child. Let your child figure out with their intellect.
As parents, we need to understand that the process of learning is now more independent than it was ever before. If we consider books as the source of knowledge & information then let us accept the fact that a larger amount of information & knowledge is available on the internet in a more interactive way. If exams are to test the memory power of the children then we must allow them to use memory cards for the same, not their brains. Every aspect of our life has changed but the rote learning system is yet to change. Our brains are made to think not to rote. It is meant for action, not for a reaction. It is meant to innovate not to imitate.
Let us all join hands together for a better future. Support Project Nomad in their journey of helping parents understand education in a new way.
