Journal 12

I remember a few weeks ago in Design class Paul asked if we agreed that they best way for children to learn was to hand them something and let them figure it out. Saying that the student will fail until he finally figures it out, but I do not entirely agree with this. I do think that spending time on a project or learning goal and failing is a way to learn and really comprehend what one is learning, but it definitely is not the only and best way to learn. Dewey pointed out in the first few chapters of Democracy in Education that without learned knowledge from elders the children would die and that would lead to the end of the human race. Children need to be taught language and other skills for survival. They can learn these skills in different ways, but it is our job as the elder to prepare the child to be able to survive. Without communication and other basic skills, survival would not be possible. In my job, working with autistic children, if we tell the child to do something and they have never accomplished it before, there is very little chance they will achieve their goal without assistance. They have to be prompted in what to do, just like extremely young children. Without prompting, or help from others, the child may never understand what to do or how to communicate and they will fail indefinitely. We need mentors for success.