Jonathan Fields, over at Awake@TheWheel, asks aloud how one goes about engendering a love of learning. Read his great post, which he begins with the following questions:
Is it really possible to cultivate a “universal” love of learning or is love of learning topic driven?
Should kids be made to learn things they have no intrinsic interest in or passion for?
What’s the best way to incentivize learning in kids?
(From ‘Does Learning Have to Suck?’).
These questions are key to those of us who think about the best ways to stimulate young minds in subjects that are notorious for being difficult, if not always actually so, like math.
For me, it seems an interesting question behind this is:
Is it better to acquire a broad, functional knowledge reluctantly, or a narrower knowledge with ease and pleasure?
…And I’d argue that this is invalid, a false comparison. It often isn’t a case of either specialisation to inbuilt ability or forced generalisation, but rather that knowledge and learning in pleasurable subjects often begets understanding and pleasure in so-called ‘difficult’ subjects.
The key mistake we should make is to assume that all knowledge must have a purpose or an application. Math is especially prone to this kind of error, because math skills are so important, even in an era where calculating devices surround us.
Priotizing the ends above all else with math demeans the intrinsic value of math skills and commoditizes the student’s interest. That doesn’t mean you can’t tell a child that she’ll need to know her times-tables if she wants to be an astronaut. But emphasising learning without context or interest is hollow. This is what we have striven to avoid with our online math tutor.
Some parents might be surprised that, with the right positive feedback and encouragement, the subjects their children start off hating turn into the subjects they come to love. They don’t have to experience a profound joy every time they see a math fractions problem, but they just have to know that in solving the problem they are getting better, and learning more.
…And that really is its own reward.