Comments on: Does Your Toddler Know the Mona Lisa?

By: Mombian » Blog Archive » How Academic Should Schools Be?

Mombian » Blog Archive » How Academic Should Schools Be? — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:11:19 +0000

[...] the theme of education from earlier this [...]

By: Dana

Dana — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:16:32 +0000

>> At the end of the day, it’s up to the child to choose. All we can do is provide a whole world to choose from.

Oh, well put!

By: lula

lula — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 04:18:34 +0000

I think it’s all about exposure.

We do firmly believe in taking our 3-year old to the museum with us (dealing with the glares of incensed adults as we go along) if only because we hope to share our love of art with her. Maybe she will forget all about it as a teenager, but hopefully revisit this experience of her life as an adult.

We don’t expect to her to actually know or recognize what she’s seeing. I’m just happy that she says: “Oh look, a horse”, or “the sea!”. Sometimes, she will see things that we don’t necessarily notice. Sometimes her approach to art is so refreshing, like tickling the toes of a Henry Moore sculpture this afternoon. (of course, we were immediately told by the warden to not touch the art but it made for a good laugh).

The same applies to books. Our book cabinets are open and she’s welcome to grab anything that piques her interest. At the end of the day, it’s up to the child to choose. All we can do is provide a whole world to choose from.

By: Polly

Polly — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:21:45 +0000

I’m with you, Mrs. Micah, and Deb. We have done nearly zilch with our daughter (now three), and periodically worry. Then we just watch her and see that what’s happening is that her natural zest for learning is simply evolving unimpeded. We read to her tons, we provide for her the raw material to exercise her imagination. We pay attention, basically, and stoke whatever embers she has going. But with kids, as with adults, I draw a distinction between information and knowledge and wisdom, and I’m interested in cultivating the last of these three most. The first two can feed it, but their acquisition are not and never will be an end in themselves.

By: Deb on the Rocks

Deb on the Rocks — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:40:17 +0000

Silly superficial parents. Flashcard people confuse me! Flashcards are great drill tools right before an exam, or to hammer things into cell memory for use in other function (such as knowing your times tables before learning division.) But they only get associations into memory. Knowing an encyclopedia of artists is no better or worse than knowing baseball stats or memorizing where the coins are in Mario. Without context, the facts are merely in there. Building memory capacity happens naturally, with no risk of burning out or turning off a kid.

Rich experiences and a sense of emotional intelligence is what makes the difference in the long run, but that’s harder to sell than a pack of cards.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:25:30 +0000

Eh, the Mona Lisa is all about parroting anyway. It wasn’t famous until Walter Pater in the 19th century said “Hey, let’s all think for ourselves about art instead of listening to other people. Now I happen to find this picture of La Giocanda (Mona Lisa) really cool. Here’s why. Go pick your own pictures and enjoy.”

Only people reacted by saying “Oooh, Mona Lisa!” instead of actually going out and making their own decisions.

As for my future toddler, I want him/her to enjoy learning and discovering. I wouldn’t want to risk it with flash cards too early.