Knowledge, Wisdom and Learning
I have been reading a lot about knowledge and wisdom lately. And, if you have been following my posts, What is music for kids?, Is there any learning? I had also mentioned how the devotion towards a subject is no more being carried forward from the guru to the disciple. The devotion is getting lost in making the student do EXACTLY the way it was taught, sing EXACTLY the way it was sung, dance EXACTLY the way it was shown, colour EXACTLY the way it was told, move EXACTLY where the line is drawn, sit EXACTLY where it was shown and many more, and what's more disastrous? - All this in the early years of one's life.
Where is the freedom to use one's own wisdom given?
When is the time to nurture one's own innate wisdom provided?
Watch what Prof. B.M. Hegde says in the following video:
Orginal Video here:
This led me to read more about T.S.Eliot:
Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? T. S. Eliot
From http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/information/information.html,
With all the technological advances and change,
Is mankind happier or wiser than he was 100 years ago?
"Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
Aren't we really losing our innate thinking ability to the way we are directed by information?
Aren't we rushing kids to go by information instead of giving them space to nurture their own wisdom?
In ancient times, there were ardent devotees who expressed their love for god in the form of kirtanas/songs. In the present age, are we rushing our children to learn those kirtanas for the only reason to have them perform to an audience or are we giving them the time and space to invoke their own wisdom and express their love for nature/god in their own ways?
There may be children who really love learning to sing and dance. Nothing wrong with it. But, aren't the parents rushing kids as young as 3 years to these coaching classes? Can kids so young express their interests? Can kids so young express their emotions?
And then, there are claims that a child should be exposed to all possible fields in this world around.
Wonderful. Perfect. Nothing wrong.
Only that the word 'exposed' is not understood as it was supposed to be.
Giving a child exposure means letting the child soak in all his senses in the art form. Be it music, dance, reading, writing, maths, science, geography, soil, sports, games, people and in a wider aspect - LIFE!
Let the child first be shown the art form, let her enjoy by all her senses, let her create something new from what she observed, let her have a free hand in what she likes and upon having really immersed one's self in that art form, let her express the need to perfect her learnings! Learning is a journey. It is not the destination(singing to an audience) that matters. The journey could be more enjoyable than the destination.
A parent who wishes to introduce pottery to a child can invest time and energy in actually walking by a stream of water, collecting sticky mud, or digging sand to collect sticky mud, let the child have free play with the mud, let him build castles, let him learn the art of pressing, mixing, sticking different layers of mud and after the child soaks all his senses in the art, be introduced to a pottery wheel or a traditional class to learn the art form.
Or, the child could be first taken to dance and music concerts, given freedom to make her own songs and own moves, write her own poems, feel the bliss or devotion towards the art form while immersing in it and then, when the child expresses a wish to learn further, be taken for professional coaching.
Getting back to what I wrote above:
There may be children who really love learning to sing and dance. Nothing wrong with it. But, aren't the parents rushing kids as young as 3 years to these coaching classes? Can kids so young express their interests? Can kids so young express their emotions?
I am sure the parents would definitely connect to the child and develop the understanding so as to 'KNOW' what the child is ready for and when the child is ready. If not, developing this connect and trust would help the relation better.
Can adults encourage children to make their learning self-directed?
Can we give them some time to soak their senses in the numbers before we rush them to write 1-50 for 10 times?
Can we give them some time to make their own words, discover the rhyming nature of some words, make their own patterns of words before we rush them to read out the flash cards that are shown to them?
#RethinkEducation
#RethinkParenting
#Freethekids
#letthekidsbe
Where is the freedom to use one's own wisdom given?
When is the time to nurture one's own innate wisdom provided?
Watch what Prof. B.M. Hegde says in the following video:
Orginal Video here:
This led me to read more about T.S.Eliot:
Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? T. S. Eliot
From http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/information/information.html,
With all the technological advances and change,
Is mankind happier or wiser than he was 100 years ago?
"Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
Aren't we really losing our innate thinking ability to the way we are directed by information?
Aren't we rushing kids to go by information instead of giving them space to nurture their own wisdom?
In ancient times, there were ardent devotees who expressed their love for god in the form of kirtanas/songs. In the present age, are we rushing our children to learn those kirtanas for the only reason to have them perform to an audience or are we giving them the time and space to invoke their own wisdom and express their love for nature/god in their own ways?
There may be children who really love learning to sing and dance. Nothing wrong with it. But, aren't the parents rushing kids as young as 3 years to these coaching classes? Can kids so young express their interests? Can kids so young express their emotions?
And then, there are claims that a child should be exposed to all possible fields in this world around.
Wonderful. Perfect. Nothing wrong.
Only that the word 'exposed' is not understood as it was supposed to be.
Giving a child exposure means letting the child soak in all his senses in the art form. Be it music, dance, reading, writing, maths, science, geography, soil, sports, games, people and in a wider aspect - LIFE!
Let the child first be shown the art form, let her enjoy by all her senses, let her create something new from what she observed, let her have a free hand in what she likes and upon having really immersed one's self in that art form, let her express the need to perfect her learnings! Learning is a journey. It is not the destination(singing to an audience) that matters. The journey could be more enjoyable than the destination.
A parent who wishes to introduce pottery to a child can invest time and energy in actually walking by a stream of water, collecting sticky mud, or digging sand to collect sticky mud, let the child have free play with the mud, let him build castles, let him learn the art of pressing, mixing, sticking different layers of mud and after the child soaks all his senses in the art, be introduced to a pottery wheel or a traditional class to learn the art form.
Or, the child could be first taken to dance and music concerts, given freedom to make her own songs and own moves, write her own poems, feel the bliss or devotion towards the art form while immersing in it and then, when the child expresses a wish to learn further, be taken for professional coaching.
Getting back to what I wrote above:
There may be children who really love learning to sing and dance. Nothing wrong with it. But, aren't the parents rushing kids as young as 3 years to these coaching classes? Can kids so young express their interests? Can kids so young express their emotions?
I am sure the parents would definitely connect to the child and develop the understanding so as to 'KNOW' what the child is ready for and when the child is ready. If not, developing this connect and trust would help the relation better.
Can adults encourage children to make their learning self-directed?
Can we give them some time to soak their senses in the numbers before we rush them to write 1-50 for 10 times?
Can we give them some time to make their own words, discover the rhyming nature of some words, make their own patterns of words before we rush them to read out the flash cards that are shown to them?
#RethinkEducation
#RethinkParenting
#Freethekids
#letthekidsbe
Labels: naturalLearning, Thoughts
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