An uptight hyped up parent asked me what was the best age for her two year old daughter to begin to learn to read, write and do simple arithmetic. The answer was easy. I told her that it has been long been known that somewhere between the ages of 6 and 7 years was the optimum time to begin formal education, and 7 was an excellent age to start learning the three R’s. Until then all learning should be of an activities based experiential nature.
Manic mummy was aghast. She had already planned out her daughter’s life and for the next 16 years mummy’s existence was devoted to structuring her child’s learning so that her child would score the maximum marks in some far off exam. This motivated mother thought of her daughter as an empty pot and she was determined to fill it up as soon as possible with exam related material. She is not alone. Lots of parents, and sadly many teachers, have this view of their charges. They force feed the child useless facts and subject the child to repetitive activities until the child gets it right
I tried to explain to manic mummy that a child is nothing like an empty pot. Like all sentient beings children are subject to chemically triggered changes. I used the caterpillar analogy. - Before a caterpillar can fly it needs to change into a butterfly. You can throw a caterpillar in the air but it needs to complete development triggered stages before it can. The best way to get a caterpillar to fly is put it in an environment conducive to its development. Once it has chemically and physically matured, it will effortlessly fly up into the sky.
Children too go through triggered development phases, and until they reach a certain level of physical and cognitive development they cannot begin to read and write. And that level is comfortably reached at 6 or 7 years of age.
That’s why in all but a few countries formal education begins at 6 or 7 years. In Norway, Finland, and Indonesia formal education begins at 7 years of age, whereas in the rest of Europe and parts of the USA six years of age is when children begin their schooling. In Europe only the Brits start formal education at 5 years old, and their example is also followed by a few of their ex-colonies. However the British also recognize six years old as being the optimum age to start to learn reading and writing and math, and in their system the first year children begin to learn good learning habits through play before starting more formal education at 6.
Throughout the world early learning centres are an extension of home learning and are gentle introductions to learning before the child moves to formal schooling. We call them ‘Kindergartens’ which is German for ‘Children’s Garden’ and as the word implies the emphasis is on giving the child a place where it can play safely and constructively, and develop socially, emotionally, physically creatively and cognitively. As in any garden the children learn through exploring and physical activities, through play, and inquiry, and observation. They learn by experiencing the world and from each other and supportive adults, and most importantly, while having fun.
I tell all this to manic mummy but I can see from her eyes that she has dismissed my advice. She was force fed, rote taught, repetitively told until it sunk in, and that is what she thinks is right for child. So what if that kind of learning is out of step with the whole world? - I shrug. - What else should I have expected from a force filled adult pot.
