How can we teach children to effectively absorb information in a more meaningful way? Most definitely all children learn at different paces and that is 100% okay. I know from my own childhood I learned a bit slower than other kids in elementary and that did not change anything about my early adult cognition. The main point is that, boosting a child’s learning abilities from the beginning can be a great way to get the ball rolling. Learning must be done correctly and effectively to have lasting effects. Leslie Hart is an author who came up with this idea, and proposes a couple ways to help battle learning. A couple of his points that stood out the most where:
- The brain is a social brain
- Emotions are critical to patterning
- Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral attention
- Learning always involves conscious and unconscious processes
- Learning is developmental
- Complex learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat
What this short list can tell us, is a whole lot of information of just small changes we can make to a child’s curriculum. First off, making learning a hobby not a chore, especially for young children is a great way to start off. Children should have low risk when trying to learn. In other words, a child should not be put through tremendous stress while attempting to educate themselves as that would just be counterproductive. Another point to make evident, is that children are constantly absorbing their environments. Just simple gestures will help children soak in knowledge. In addition, like I mentioned early all kids learn in different places and that is perfectly normal.
See American University, “Brain Based Learning.”