From Head of Junior School
20-11-09
In order to encourage our girls to be flexible we should allow them many opportunities to transfer their knowledge and skills beyond how they initially learnt to apply them. They must be given many opportunities to develop different scenarios in which to apply their knowledge. This ensures proper learning. For example, we all realise it is important to learn, and have recall of multiplication facts. We must also be able to apply this knowledge to real-life situations and use the facts we learnt, in problem solving. It is no longer good enough to learn material by rote and be able to retrieve it speedily just for the sake of it. Learning must have a purpose.
Flexibility is about using knowledge in other ways than the way it was first taught. In order to be truly flexible we must encourage the presentation and learning of the same items of knowledge in a variety of different ways and for a variety of different purposes. Being flexible is also a life skill. Being able to adapt to different situations and problem solve are important skills for our children to learn.
In the early years of school teachers are often satisfied if students can demonstrate an awareness of key concepts and facts. This may be shown by memory tests that require the student only to reproduce what was taught in roughly the way that it was taught. In the later years learners are expected to demonstrate a certain degree of complexity and the ability to independently transfer their acquired knowledge to new situations. Teachers encourage their students to problem solve, to use their core of knowledge to find meaning in the current situation.
It is impossible to equip students with the knowledge to solve all problems. There are too many different problems for them solve. In order to think and act, children must bring knowledge from various sources, from home and school. We must provide them with the tools to think through a problem to arrive at a solution acceptable to them. We do this by teaching them core knowledge, by giving them strategies to solve problems and by encouraging them to be flexible in their thinking.
We teach them to listen to the opinions of others and assess their worth. Children need to be open to new ways of thinking about problems and seeing their world in a different light, or through the eyes of others. They also need to feel that their ideas are valued and they should be encouraged to discuss the validity of their ideas. If they do have a really good idea it is important that they are encouraged to pursue it to conclusion, considering all possibilities as they go.
When problems arise please encourage your children to try to seek their own solution before asking you to help them. Their initial attempts may be inadequate but in time confidence in their ability will grow and with confidence, success.
We only reap what we sow!
Cora Farrall
Head of Junior School
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