Constructive learning- Highscope parent workshop 22 august 2013 – Medan

I just understand what it means by “constructive learning” in this session of parent workshop. Highscope believe that it is the best way to prepare the future leader. I do believe that the traditional way of learning is not enough for my children future challanges. That’s how I were raised. But I have no idea what the better way to do it either.

When I choose Highscope for Fab, it seems to offer the “personalized” education that I do believe will give opportunities for my child to find his passion. I’ve read linchpin that describe that we are no longer in “industrial era”. Sir Ken Robinson point out that finding the element will give meaning to life. Plus Rene Suhardono, the career coach in hardrock FM proposed that everyone should find their passion. It will be great if I could help my children to find their passion in their early years. They could get the 10000 hours practice that “outlier” said to master anything before they graduate university. They surely have a wonderful life ahead of them.

Along the way, I saw how my son develop. He is the kind of boy who can not stop moving. He can’t control his body. Reading and writing is the least thing he want to do, because it require him to sit down and still. I was quite stress with the fact that all other elementary schools in my area require first grade student to be able to read and write as a submission test. I guess only Highscope who believe that each child will get skill soon or later, and it is ok for 1grade to not master reading amd writing.

I am not the only parent that worry about it. I saw many parents in Highscope gave their child extra lesson after school. I really believe that reading should be fun, because it opened my mind with lots if knowledge. I want my children to love reading, so I avoid to force them to learn it with pain. I tried many ways that finally I gave up and made Fab do the english kumon. Simply because it gives exercises he need to practise. I can made it, but it make me overwhelm to create those exercises everyday.

So I thought what is Highscope trying to do? Is it being permissive with the child?

At the parent workshop,  the speaker try to applied Highscope way to teach the parents about active learning. Mr Andri Syafaat ask the parents to write in group the step to teach bicycle to their children. I can see there a lot of differences in the way each parent think about it. Some of them want to give the theory or examples first, some of them give additional wheel to help the balance, some of them even need to grow their children interest in riding bike, while I was just simply let my boy try it and see in which part he need help on.

I realized that it is the same with our child education. So many ways to do it and it’s really depend on the child personality and interest. From that activity, I can conclude that learning is a personal thing. We can not use the same procedure to every child. It need to be cusmtomized to each pupil.

I also realized that this kind of way of learning will give different result for each student. Maybe I was the only one parent that has this kind of conclusion in that session. Most of them will probably still wondering what is the connection between “how to teach riding bike” with Highscope approach. I construct myself the understanding of “constructive learning” by observing, analyzing and summarizing it in my mind. I experience it myself and make it easy to understand. I dont have to “remember” the definition, I just understand it. And try to teach to other really make me understand it better. (by trying to write it here)

So I thought, that is what happen if we see how is a class of Highscope has different level of skill. Each student will only able to master things that was the most interesting for him. As I myself have a huge interest in education, I contemplate and think more than the other parents in that session. I also has experiences in developing my sub ordinate in my previous work, makes me understand how each person is different.

In the next session, the speaker try to explain highscope objective by giving the parents a task to describe each of it with their on words. Collaboration, complex thinking, social decision making, meta level reflection, communication, adaptive and agile, innovate and creative, and ethical leadership. I remember it because I understand it. when I was a manager, I need a team that has these skills, plus a specialist skill which is Application Development of course.

So I guess I have to learn to be a better facilitator for my children. So they can construct their own understanding of life and other skills. I really think it is really hard thing to do. It is harder than just give them material and explain it. First of all, I have to create a good learning environment and support. Then my child need to have the curiousity to learn, that will grow his internal motivation to learn it. When it happen, all I have to do is to watch him grow and he will surprise me with what he has made.

I think that what education is.