Learning -2

                                                                       Learning -2

                              The home environment:  Important habits in life are derived from the home. Children begin grasping things by observation. They learn their vocabulary and usages from elders, neighbours and other acquaintances.

                                All elders have a contributory value and should therefore be very conscious in utterances. Learning can be routed through play and stories. Children enjoy listening to anecdotes and lively narratives. Narratives offer the scope for descriptive adjectives that enhance the thrill in listening. One difficulty with this approach is the memory in children. If, on a second narration we were to deviate in phrase or content they do not accept it. They demand tempo in narration. So, one has to carefully plan a narration and remember it for subsequent fidelity. It is a real reward and engagement talking to children because they raise questions - unexpected and at times unanswerable.  It is the latter variety which requires patient and polite handling. All of us are aware of “child’s curiosity”. It is the right offer to us to learn the art of saying which is different from speaking.  Since children are ready to learn, one has to make the best use of the occasion to initiate appropriate words. Very soon the child would excel in conversation. The child is very alert to new usages. Simple stories, small prayers and counting of   numbers in play can be tried without forcing the child to repeat or respond immediately. If they do not respond they should be left alone. After a couple of such efforts, the child tries to follow the message. Only deft handling can yield the best results. Children differ in their preferences as much as we do. This feature is often ignored, causing “disturbance” to all. It is our rigidities that the child readily reciprocates and turns recalcitrant. These prospects should be carefully weighed in properly guiding the child to learn good things.

                               There are a number of books that attract children. The investment made on these is a productive exercise, since children get into the habit of learning by “browsing”. Children enjoy doing things as they wish. Learning is one such activity –preferred as an “all by self” approach from the child. [S]He may hold the book upside down and prattle. Please do not interfere.  Let the child develop companionship with books. Children books help to get in to the habit of book-reading. The child starts scribbling – an attempt to write. Soon reading and writing turn routines. The child comfortably scribes R, C or F as mirror images. Please do not interfere as the eye – hand co-ordination may even go on up to 7 - 8 years of age. Only tender advice can help the child learn by unlearning the wrong orientation. Elders have to recognize that mistakes are recurrent in the early stages of any learning including such activities as Cycling. Unlike the elders’ mistakes, child’s errors are enjoyable. Corrections should be gently made by happy efforts. At this stage the child should not be frightened. Fear is the first enemy to learning. Remember how people fearing English are unable to learn it. Fear curbs freedom of dabbling. Sometimes dabbling also helps learning. After all, even walking begins only after stumbling a few times. The domestic environment must provide for learning without a conscious insistence upon.

                                Schooling:  The attitude to learning and the basic discipline inculcated in the child’s mind are conditioned by the School. But, parents should recognize that school and home should complement the learning process for a child. Many parents heave a permanent sigh of relief once the child is admitted to the school. Actually, parallel responsibility begins from here.