Why is it that a 2 year-old on the stroller can learn to operate iPads when an adult struggles to do so? Because children will learn to do things when they are truly interested and motivated. Here is an inspiring TEDtalk by Sugata Mitra. His speech here sums up what I believe about children’s capabilities:

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education#t-262146

Every child is capable of learning and they have incredible brain. We cannot underestimate their ability.

Mitra states in his presentation that education happens when children are interested. So as an educator, it is important to ignite that interest in children. To do so, I have to show excitement about the topic and demonstrate genuine care towards the material presented. Positive attitude becomes the key.

Now in the video,  Mitra also discussed “the grandmother method” – stand behind, admire, act fascinated, and praise. As Mitra’s experiment demonstrated, children showed greater learning just by having that “grandmother” there. This to me is my belief about teachers being a facilitator. Have the children guide their learning but be there for them so they don’t get lost.  

As an educator, I cannot just stand, admire, act fascinated, and praise. I have responsibilities. But I can definitely incorporate that aspect into my everyday teaching. Be a facilitator who can provide an environment and opportunities for maximum learning to occur. This means knowing the children well – who do they work well with? what is their learning styles? are they visual or tactile? etc. – and setting up an environment where things can smoothly operate.

I think having faith in these students can make amazing things happen. And when great learning happens, students seem to perceive learning as fun and enjoyable. So I want to let the students steer the wheel – they might be able to find a better path towards the same destination. I want to live the joy of learning together with them.