Minds in the Making: Self-Directed Learning

As parents we watch in awe through the preschools years as our children dive into the world with an insatiable curiosity and drive to learn more. Unfortunately, without nurturing this valuable innate need to know, it wanes as frequently seen in the school-related angst of teenage students.  So how do children learn best? What can we as parents do to kindle the flame of learning as long as possible?

One, create a supportive environment and be aware. We all know how important it is for children to be in environments where they feel loved, valued, and supported. Not only does this foster stronger social and emotional development, but this is equally critical for academic growth. Children look for the response of connected others to validate their actions, behaviors, and choices. When adults respond in an interested and supportive way, children are motivated to learn and to continue to explore. On the contrary, when behavior is met with disinterest or disdain, the spark to continue the behavior is stifled. In much the same way, children are acutely attuned to our behaviors, mannerisms, and words. A recent study by Meltzoff (2009) found that 12 month old infants shown a novel way to play with a toy can remember and imitate the action even after a 4 month gap of no additional exposure. In similar thread, Dr. Nameera Ahktar (2009) found that even when children are fully engaged in play, they are aware and can correctly identify aspects of adult behavior and conversation occurring on the other side of the room. In other words, children are looking for us to validate what they are doing directly or vicariously. Even when we are sure that our children are busy and unaware, they are still fully focused on what they are seeing and hearing.

Two, help children work towards goals. Goal-setting, as we have discussed prior, begins with perseverance. Celebrate each of your child’s discoveries, large and small. Encourage him to continue to study the ant on the sidewalk, keep trying to pedal his bike, or find another something to stack on top of his tall block structure. With this continued prodding to persevere come opportunities to model planning. When your child expresses an interest in making a craft, baking cookies, or playing Play Doh, give multi-step verbal instructions. Talk through and model the pre-planning, the gathering of necessary materials, and then the perseverance through the activity. This is a strong precursor to advanced learning opportunities your child will continue to be exposed to as he or she moves through grade schooling.

Third and finally, elaborate and extend learning. Ask questions. Ask questions of your child to force him to think both concretely and more abstractly. Ask open-ended questions that encourage more complex or creative responses. Encourage your child to tell you how to play the game or to tell you about what he or she is doing. Be engaged and ask more questions, positioning yourself as the learner. Listen without judgment or correction. If your child is struggling with a task, ask leading questions to encourage them to turn their learning in a new direction. “Oh no, our block castle fell over again. What should we put on the bottom? Should we put bigger blocks down there to make the bottom more stable? Can you show me how we could do that?”

We all want children who are curious and who want to learn and know more. As parents of preschoolers, we watch in awe at the way in which our children naturally are driven to learn and know more, through trial and error learning, imitation, and endless questions. With an active interest in these qualities and a conscientious encouragement to continue this, we can lay the foundations for our children to be lifelong learners, lighting a spark of knowledge for years to come.

Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction

About Chesterbrook Academy
Chesterbrook Academy in Royersford, Pa. is part of Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., a national network of 180 private schools, including preschools, elementary schools, and middle schools in 15 states across the nation. Nobel Learning Communities provides high quality private education, with small class sizes, caring and skilled teachers, and attention to individual learning styles. They also offer before- and after-school care and the Camp Zone® summer program. For more information on Chesterbrook Academy please visit www.chesterbrookacademy.com.