The author | Jiang Xiao Tangerine
For the past two days, I have been watching a documentary repeatedly.
Although it is a story from 30 years ago, every time you watch it, you can set off different waves in your heart.
At that time, the Japanese education community launched a teaching project called "Comprehensive Education" at Ina Elementary School in Nagano Prefecture, aiming to find a passion for learning in life.
The so-called "comprehensive education" is similar to the current "double subtraction".
The teacher does not assign a large number of homework, there is no exam at the end of the term, and even the lectures do not have a class schedule, and the course is adjusted according to the teaching content of the day at any time.
Instead, teachers value being educated in experiential life.
After the children entered the third grade, the teacher contacted the farmer to borrow a Jersey cow named Laura. The cow and the children have been with each other day and night for more than two years.
In these two years, the children are fully responsible for Laura, which is actually Laura's eating, drinking, sleeping and playing.
The children's experience of raising cattle was made into a documentary film " Another Education " .
In the film, we really see the growth of children, whether it is learning or life.
You might say that the educational environment in every place is so different that we can't let the children raise a cow.
Don't shake your head easily, any learning is not a rigid set, including the education of children. Let's look at the facts told by this story, and then explore the truth from the known story.
When there is interest, it will be active
Mr. Hyakuse is the head teacher of the spring group of the third grade of Ina Elementary School.
When the children expressed a strong desire to raise cattle, he reminded the children that the cost of feeding the cattle needs to be planned in advance, what if there is no money at the end of the year?
How much does it cost to raise cattle for a year?
The teacher told the children that the cost of feed for 1 month was 5190 yen, and the children could not wait to start calculating the cost of 12 months.
Although now they don't multiply by two digits.
One child began to accumulate over and over again, and after adding 10 times, the other child raised his hand and gestured,
"I know there's a simpler algorithm that can add 5 months to 2 times."
"You can also multiply by 9 and add 1 month's fee."
The children listed the calculation process in chalk on the blackboard, and the sparks of thinking were still colliding.
The voice of "I have other practices" came and went.
Because they found that the same number is added 10 times, it is better to multiply directly by 10.
So the question is, how is the multiplication of 2 digits calculated?
With an interest in arithmetic, you will actively explore more advanced algorithms.
The teacher also took this opportunity to start explaining the 2-digit multiplication operation.
At this time, every child's eyes radiated with longing.
Coincidentally, in the documentary "Childhood Elsewhere", the Finnish teacher was asked:
"What if my child doesn't do math well?"
The teacher said, "We don't think that children can't do it, but we will reflect on our own education problems." If he's interested in cars, we'll start with cars and then spark his interest in math. ”
In fact, the same is true of parents. It will be much easier to find the point of interest to the child and use this point to cut into learning.
For example, if the child does not like English, but likes to watch cartoons, then try to let him watch English cartoons;
The child does not like to read, but likes to do it, then try to make a model in the book;
Your child doesn't like to express, but he likes to listen to you tell stories, so try to let him tell the story he hears.
Interest-guided learning is the right way to open up learning. That's 10,000 times better than just shouting "Hurry up and learn."
With observation, there is output
Laura's arrival excited the children.
Every day, a child comes to the classroom early and stares at Laura, at her long eyelashes and big eyes, at its ruminations, at its grazing in bite by bite, and at its leisurely wagging its tail.
Not only to see, but also to record the children carefully stroke by stroke.
There is a diary that records its grazing, and there is a perception that describes its menstruation,
There's even a hand-drawn diagram detailing how Laura got pregnant and how she had the baby.
Look at the scenes the children describe and see, they will use delicate elephant words, and they will also anthropomorphize Lara.
These are all writing skills acquired after careful observation.
They will also further explore the scenes they see, satisfying their inner puzzlement and curiosity.
Thus, a physiological hygiene class was born.
The Soviet child educator Sukhomlinsky once said,
Observation is essential for children, just as sunlight, air, and moisture are essential for plants. Here, observation is the most important source of wisdom.
Perhaps we should let go of our anxiety and try to slow down and look at the scenery that we have been neglecting.
The child sees the excavator under construction on the side of the road, and cannot move his feet for a while, so he will accompany him to see it for a while;
The child found an ant nest under the steps, crouched there straight into the fascination, then did not rush to call him home for dinner;
The child excitedly pointed to the clouds and shouted, Mom, how cute do you see it, like an ice cream? Then point to the clouds with him and imagine.
Perhaps, you will find that children are actually good at observation.
Then don't always ignore such a slice of life, watch it with him, think about it, this is actually more useful than buying 100 composition materials.
With immersion, there is nourishment
The children not only calculated the cost of the feed they needed to feed Laura, but also added meals to Laura every day.
The teacher led the children into the forest to pick up the fallen leaves and carefully told the children the categories of the fallen leaves.
This is the beech leaf, this is the oak leaf, this is the cherry leaf...
The children took a nature lesson while looking for the fallen leaves that Laura loved to eat.
Not only the leaves, but also all kinds of grasses. Wave after wave of children came to the small river slope near the school, the small prairie.
As long as it is a place where grass grows, it will be covered with children's footprints, followed by the laughter and fighting of children.
This immersive experience, especially the intimate contact with nature, is undoubtedly a panacea for nourishing children, both intellectually and spiritually.
Just like Yin Ran in "Little Boy", he loves insects, and his parents will accompany him to the forest as soon as he has time, and the three of them will watch all kinds of insects in the embrace of nature.
As soon as Yin Ran entered the forest, he was like a little elf, and his concentration glowed.
His accumulated insect knowledge is more and more solid, and his knowledge even exceeds that of undergraduate students majoring in insects.
Yin Ran's mother said that this thing brings a happy feeling to the child, and this feeling will always remain in Yin Ran's heart.
And we might as well take advantage of the rare free time, take the child to climb the mountain once, take a step back, come to the small river, walk into the grass, breathe in the fresh air that has been missing for a long time, and let the children enjoy themselves in nature.
You will find that children become bright and happy, confident and cheerful, and this is the power of nature.
10,000 times cooler than playing games.
With thinking, there will be progress
What touched me most in the film was that the teacher never made any decisions, he just left a problem and let the children discuss their own ideas, and finally let the children make their own decisions.
Including whether to raise Laura in the first place?
What do I need to feed Laura?
Where does the money come from?
Do you want to send Laura back in the end?
This kind of thinking that guides children runs through the whole film.
Among them, in response to the question of which kind of grass to choose to feed Laura, a special seminar was also held.
The children explained their views one after another. As soon as one child sat down, others couldn't wait to raise their hands, "I have a different opinion."
Some children think it is hay, and some children think it is forage.
These ideas are not imagined, but each person has searched for knowledge in their own way, gathered it, and then turned it into their own ideas.
When it came time to talk about where the money would come from if they raised Laura, the kids brainstormed again.
They unanimously decided to plant a patch of corn in the open space at the back door of the school. When the corn is ripe, you can sell the corn for a subsidized fee.
Round after round of discussion has stimulated their independent thinking, ignited their enthusiasm for knowledge, and found their confidence in responsibility.
Similarly, parents need to let go at the right time and give their children the opportunity to make their own decisions. As small as the answer to a question, as large as a study plan.
Maybe his problem-solving ideas go around in a big circle, but please allow him to finish; maybe his study plan is not perfect, but please allow him to execute, because this is his own learning journey.
It is precisely because of imperfection that he will slowly improve in the process of implementation, and finally find his own rhythm and method.
That's 10,000 times better than your interruption and correction.
With experience, there will be empathy
The children described the experience with Laura this way,
"We were taking care of Laura like mom and dad taking care of the kids. Gradually, Laura became like Mom and Dad raising us. ”
They had to brush Laura's hair, especially the hair on the tail, and brush it backwards to be comfortable;
The pulled grass should be uniformly shortened so that Laura can eat it more easily;
Laura's excrement should be cleaned up so that the cowshed is dry.
They are doing their best to create a comfortable living environment for Laura.
Their relationship with Laura grew deeper and deeper, and when Laura became pregnant, they named the calf early. Unfortunately, the calf died on the same day of production.
The experience of death, which left them to say goodbye before they had time to meet, left the children heartbroken. They prepared a decent funeral for the calf and said goodbye.
The calf left, leaving Laura with plenty of milk. Laura is like the children's mom and dad at the moment, raising them with milk.
Milk is hard-won, and the children drink not a drop left every day. Because although the calf is not there, we are Laura's children, and we have to raise the body to be great.
Finally, it was time to agree with the farmer to return the cattle, and it was still a big discussion about whether to return them.
But when the children say,
"Laura must have preferred a life with partners on the farm?"
"We promised the farm owner to return the cattle, and if he doesn't, he must be very embarrassed, right?"
……
When these words were spoken, it was suddenly found that the children had learned to think in their own shoes and learned to understand others.
Isn't such a child exactly what we want to cultivate?
Having an empathetic heart is the best look for a child.
Just as children naturally awaken their empathy in the process of taking care of Laura, we can also let children experience more family life, the simplest is to do housework.
A survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences on the families of 20,000 primary school students across the country also showed that:
The proportion of children with excellent grades is 27 times higher than that of families who do not do housework.
Maybe you will wonder, originally did not want to delay the learning time, so as not to let the child do housework, how can the child who does housework learn well?
That's because doing housework is not only about paying labor, what is important is the empathy that arises in the process of labor, and he is in the process of giving:
They will understand the difficulty of parents, will establish responsibility for the family, and then will have the idea that "learning is not for parents, but for themselves".
Once they experience this, the child will strive to be the best version of himself. This is 10,000 times better than if you complain every day about "for whom is it so hard" and "why not study well".
In fact, life itself is the best education.
Learn by doing, think in observation, play outdoors, work at home, and grow up in a fulfilling and happy environment.
Mr. Cai Yuanpei, an educator, once said that educators also cultivate the cause of personality.
Just mechanical instilling knowledge, that is not education, but also easy to raise confused and hollow children.
Only by allowing children to explore independently in the dimension of life education, in that way, he will not only gain knowledge, but more importantly, a confident and bright sound personality.
And that's the education we want.
——End——
Author: Jiang Xiaotangerine, a mechanical engineer who loves to eat oranges and loves to see Jiang, a lover of children's psychological research, concentrates on drawing pictures with one hand, and patiently takes the baby with the other hand. Some of the pictures in this article come from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author.