When it comes to Education I'm a bit "Back To The Future" in my philosophy. Hi-Touch and Hi-Tech. Hi-touch because there's nothing more real than children, especially young children. Hi-tech because it's the present and future.
Combine the old fangled methods that work well with technology that meets the educational, intellectual, emotional and creative needs of children. It sounds very simple, and conceptually it is but...it also implies asking and answering many questions about what the "educational, intellectual, emotional and creative needs of children" are. That is one of our goals here at Daily Life Consulting (4 Kids).
Other goals include applying all the knowledge and using it to create and develop and teach daily life solutions which will enable children to have the most fun and successful childhoods possible. We work with parents, teachers, counselors, therapists, coaches, schools and school administration, government and corporations and anyone else who works and cares about children who would like to acquire the skills, knowledge and techniques that will enable them to encourage healthy growth and success.
To that end, along with the Learning Readiness and Skills modules that I've been working on we are in the midst of creating and developing one of the most exciting coaching and learning modules that it has been my extreme joy and excitement to create. I don't want to say more until it's been worked through a bit more but it will combine the most basic elements of hi-touch with preparing children for a future in a very hi-tech world.
In answer to your questions about what I think re: the New York Times article about Single Sex Public Education. Yes.
As for what works, check out a great article in the Wall Street Journal about education that works, that is (gasp) somewhat old-fashioned What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?Among other concepts "one explanation for the Finns success is their love of reading".
What I love about the article is the description of the Finnish philosophy, the libraries in the malls, the lack of competing "cool factors" in schools. The focus on learning and allowing for children to be children and growing. Mr. Erma, a teacher at the school put it brilliantly "we just have to accept the fact that they're kids and they're learning how to live."
Let's work together to do that ... help them "learn how to live". Not "how to take tests well" or "how to get a pedicure at 6" or "how to follow pop entertainment role models to the exclusion of everything else" or "how to be the ultimate consumer by age 10" but simply "how to live".
If you have any questions or comments or would like more information on Daily Life Coaching 4 Kids please email me at rebecca at dailylifeconsulting dot com.
Enjoy the day your way,
RK
Rebecca "Kiki" Weingarten M.Sc.Ed, MFA
Daily Life Consulting
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3 comments:
I have three of my own and have worked with children for the last 20 years in my practice. Great thoughts. I especially love your last paragraph about helping children "learn how to live." I will definitely point my patients' parents to it.
Enjoying the day, my way,
J
Hi Rebecca,
I just checked out the article about the Finnish kids. Wow, that is so interesting. Some of what they do there doesn't sound like it's impossible to do - why don't schools here in the States do it? I wish my children's school would institute some of the rules and expectations. And libraries in malls? Wow. My kids go to the mall so they can shop and buy and eat and hang out, they might ever go to a library.
I also didn't know that about the Finnish language and that no other country shares it. That is very, very interesting. How'd they get it then?
Thanks for the clarification. Great stuff.
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