the teacher
Learning for Life
I
n a time of rapid change, educators and politicians worldwide are faced with the challenge of preparing children to handle unprecedented levels of uncertainty for their future. Staying grounded, resilient and being able to apply learning to whatever the world throws at them next is essential. I never cease to be amazed at what I read, see and hear on a daily basis, often challenging my thinking and decisions, but always taken as an opportunity to learn something new. Learning is a daily occurrence if we are open to it, no matter our age. Who would have thought that the speed of change would take on a life of its own? This is the point where I have to say that a sound education has to be the only answer. Without this our children will find the future a difficult place. But what are the skills over and above academic success they will need? Education comes in all shapes and sizes. It is not only the classroom or the lecture theatre that provides it. Just think for a moment on how you were educated, and continue to be. Where did your journey take you? Was it engaging, challenging, relevant and significant? I have avoided using the word “academic” because that insinuates that there is only one form of a great education. Indeed, it is a very important part of being educated and is a good place to start. I also have to admit that a good academic education provides a future of freedom to make choices, and I may even go as far as saying that it can provide better health and happiness. To equip our children for the future is time-consuming and expensive, but an enjoyable and very valuable part of raising them. From the moment they are born they begin learning. You become their first teachers, and then entrust them to the professionals. It is in these formative years that children will set in place the allimportant life values that will continue to guide them through the many obstacles and challenges they will encounter. Parents as first teachers play an enormous role in teaching, modelling and securing these values before children enter school. A child’s brain has reached 80 per cent of its adult size by the age of three, and the key areas of brain wiring peak during this period! To prepare them well for school in these years it is essential to talk to them, read to them and play with them as often as possible.
It is essential that the future generations also be internationallyminded people, who will take on the responsibility of continuing to make the world a better place for the generations that will follow theirs. There is no doubt that the world will be a technical one and workplaces will be, well, who knows? Our teaching programmes need to keep up with this rapid change, in particular, technology. The children certainly are keeping up, and are often leading and teaching the teachers, as they have no fear of it. Most schools now have excellent and truly exciting technology departments, and it is fantastic to have some larger businesses attaching themselves to schools to offer help and support in this area. Term 3 will be coming to an end by the time you read this. It will have been an important term when teachers consolidated learning and extended challenges. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s learning, it is time to talk with their teachers so that any changes needed can be put in place next term. I recently read an excellent article by Jim Flynn, emeritus professor of Political Studies at Otago University, in the NZ Listener. He summed up for parents six points to enhance children’s cognitive ability, that will enhance their learning and help prepare them for future success. They made a lot of sense — I’ll recap them here. — Judi Paape Professor Jim Flynn’s pointers for parents/caregivers:
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Be a good role model – read widely, become well-informed, talk, challenge and react to world issues with intelligent criticism Make reading a lifelong habit Talk aloud – chat around the dinner table Choose schools well. (A personal experience in my family this year. Now sorted and a very happy teenage boy has resulted) Make homework automatic – encourage children more than you reprimand them Don’t seek perfection (I like this suggestion) – “driving yourself into a frenzy trying to raise the bar won’t benefit anyone! Don’t push in the face of resistance and destroy the pleasures your life and child should give you”.
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Dr John McCabe, BDS Otago, Dr Carin Burger BDS, and Associates. Your Auckland Dentists for General, Cosmetic and Family Dentistry
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