Learning Through Action
As an early childhood teacher, I often speak with families about the education and development of their young children. The one thing I always come back to, is the the value in playful authentic learning. People are motivated to learn, and learning happens best by actually participating in the activity. We don't teach babies to walk. We don't show them a powerpoint, read them the steps and tell them there will be a quiz on Friday. Of course this is laughable, but for some reason conventional wisdom says that this drive for human learning changes as we get older. Some people realize that this natural inclination to learn and grow doesn't go away with age. It's understood that if they want to do something, they just have to jump in and figure it out. Much like a child learning to walk, adults who want to learn new skills follow the same steps. First a learner notices a desire begin to grow within. Then she looks around to see if there is any help in watching othe