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Comment by hobs | Hacker News Reader

Children want to learn, and if you dont beat out their love of learning by forcing them into a box that hardly anyone fits in, their inherent need to understand the world comes out. Its almost... logical.

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I am a fervent proponent for modern constructionistic learning environments, but affecting change in the current system is almost impossible. Some teachers are enthusiastic and willing to spend their own time to develop and implement these modern* ideas about learning, but in the end, one way or another, they have to conform to the traditional educational system. If it isn't for management that presses for better test results, parents that want good grades, children that cannot take to the new way (for whatever reason) it is the seemingly incommensurability of these ideas with the traditional norm for education that leads to a watering down of the ideas and a feeling of hopelessness about it all.

What many don't understand is the enormous difference between the learning of the one child (your child) and the education of a nation. Try institutionalizing these "almost logical" ideas about learning for nation-wide implementation for a reasonable price and see what happens. I think it is possible to implement these ideas, but that means that we as a nation have to make hard choices. At the moment, we choose to fund education for all and learning for all be damned.

*: Every couple of decades these ideas or similar ideas seem to be reïnvented by a new generation ...

"...affecting change in the current system is almost impossible."

As the kids say, nowadays: This. Any major change in education will take a cultural shift. And cultural shifts are generally very, very slow to form.

> but affecting change in the current system is almost impossible

Sorry to be a pedant, but that should be "effecting change". "Affecting change" would be pretending that some change had occurred. I'm sure it was just a typo, but it's one that trips people up so much, I figured it would be better corrected.

Relevant Carl Sagan: "Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." (http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199601/carl-sagan?pa...)

True. But it is VERY hard to encourage the enthusiasm of a 4 year old who asks "Why?" 600 times a day. :-)

Well, according to the article you just have to build a computer into the wall and let him/her work it all out on their own ;)

That's what YouTube and Netflix documentaries are for. My kids love them and they give you a break from coming up with all the answers. :)

Don't forget PBS. Lacking cable growing up I pretty much watched nothing but PBS and a few Saturday morning cartoons. I think that worked out pretty well :).

We pitched the TV figuring it would remove our temptation to be lazy and disengaged. We generally reserve computer time for supporting foreign language acquisition. (I feel like I'm rapidly turning into one of THOSE parents)

Asking "Why?" 400 times a day is enthusiasm. The problem is getting them to be self-sufficient and find answers by themselves.

It's tough when they're 4. They can read a little, but too young for Google. And I'm afraid of some of the unfiltered answers. :-)

Nope. It's play-acting. They are learning the question/answer role. You can tell this by the simple fact that a rampaging 3 year old is not listening to the answers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in the unschooling/homeschooling camp, but this isn't evidence of enthusiasm. :)

Do they listen to anything other than accidental F bombs?

I always wondered how old Pinocchio was. In that Disney movie he exhibited this behaviour, so now I know he was the human equivalent of between 4 and 5 years old.

there is a huge difference between having a sense of curiosity about the world and studying science seriously. people love to watch documentaries about the natural world, yet very few attempt to teach themselves mathematics or physics.

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