Born Ready to Learn

Children are born ready to learn. Any adult who has spent a few hours with a baby or a toddler knows that children are curious and interested in everything around them. They are forever peering into boxes, putting things together, taking them apart, climbing on or crawling under places. They use their senses to explore, experiment and make sense of the world around themselves. They are forever asking why and parents are often amazed at the rapid pace at which their children learn. That is why parents of young children are forever bragging about new words, knowledge or skill that their child has learnt.

What is also obvious to most adults who interact with children is the fact that they enjoy learning.  The look of concentration on a child’s face while try to put together a new puzzle, the whoop of joy when a child finally makes a tower of blocks stand after repeated attempts all point to the fact that children want to learn, they do not give up easily and they find satisfaction in personal achievement If children in their Early Years are curious, eager to learn and  capable of rapid learning why do so many children find school boring and have difficulty in keeping up with the school curriculum. If learning happens so naturally and spontaneously why do so many children struggle with reading and writing or maths? Why do so many of these bright, smart toddlers metamorphose into ‘children who are not interested in studies and need to work hard’ as per their teachers assessment? 

Let us as parents, teachers, Instructional Design experts and decision makers discuss and debate these questions that are of fundamental importance for the well being of our children and their future.