Comments on: Children’s Museums and Spiritual Formation http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/ Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:07:47 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: minnowspeaks http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2570 minnowspeaks Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:56:15 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2570 IN THEIR OWN WAY--the title of a great book by Thomas Armstrong about helping children learn by recognizing the multiple intelligences. One draw back to too much self guidance is not jumping in or giving options, clues, diversions, when a child hits a wall of frustration. Some A-personality parents are too caught up in the idea of competition. In other words, doing it better or faster means the doer is superior. IN THEIR OWN WAY–the title of a great book by Thomas Armstrong about helping children learn by recognizing the multiple intelligences. One draw back to too much self guidance is not jumping in or giving options, clues, diversions, when a child hits a wall of frustration. Some A-personality parents are too caught up in the idea of competition. In other words, doing it better or faster means the doer is superior.

]]> By: Julie Clawson http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2569 Julie Clawson Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:06:03 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2569 Drew - thanks for that info. Sadly many still see education as being rote memorization. This might impact facts but it doesn't educate or develop thinkers. Geoff - great point. It makes me wonder how often we are open to letting our kids teach us things. Or in learning from the perspective of believers different from us. John - like I said, I see nothing wrong with teaching, that needs to happen. Its the freedom to learn in their own way as we teach that often scares us as parents. Drew – thanks for that info. Sadly many still see education as being rote memorization. This might impact facts but it doesn’t educate or develop thinkers.

Geoff – great point. It makes me wonder how often we are open to letting our kids teach us things. Or in learning from the perspective of believers different from us.

John – like I said, I see nothing wrong with teaching, that needs to happen. Its the freedom to learn in their own way as we teach that often scares us as parents.

]]> By: John http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2568 John Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:18:44 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2568 Yes! As I read, it was as looking in a mirror. However, and possibly in my own defense, there's something to be said for constructive play. That's the balance I'm trying to achieve with my son when we go to the local children's museum or equivalent experience - to give him freedom to try new things, to fail, to play by himself, but also to show him the way things work (as I best understand them). There's something about legacy embedded in that moment, and probably holds much more potency when the context changes and it's a farmer teaching his kids how to chop wood or handle a rifle or change the oil in the tractor. Not to suggest that we're comparing apples to apples there, but for a more urbanized parent, maybe the blocks and marble tracks are what we have left to show our sons, the vapors of a more utilitarian legacy. Yes! As I read, it was as looking in a mirror. However, and possibly in my own defense, there’s something to be said for constructive play. That’s the balance I’m trying to achieve with my son when we go to the local children’s museum or equivalent experience – to give him freedom to try new things, to fail, to play by himself, but also to show him the way things work (as I best understand them). There’s something about legacy embedded in that moment, and probably holds much more potency when the context changes and it’s a farmer teaching his kids how to chop wood or handle a rifle or change the oil in the tractor. Not to suggest that we’re comparing apples to apples there, but for a more urbanized parent, maybe the blocks and marble tracks are what we have left to show our sons, the vapors of a more utilitarian legacy.

]]> By: Geoff http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2567 Geoff Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:39:24 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2567 I think you can probably take it another step or two further. Because when we teach the answers, we assume that either a) there's only one "correct" answer or outcome, or b) that the answer we have is the best and most complete outcome. When we're willing to let kids play (in both the metaphorical and literal situations), the answers they come out with might not be the "expected" outcome, but can often be equally as important, and bring a perspective that we don't expect. Mmmm, it's a bit of a worry - I'm becoming quite the post-modern. :P I think you can probably take it another step or two further. Because when we teach the answers, we assume that either a) there’s only one “correct” answer or outcome, or b) that the answer we have is the best and most complete outcome. When we’re willing to let kids play (in both the metaphorical and literal situations), the answers they come out with might not be the “expected” outcome, but can often be equally as important, and bring a perspective that we don’t expect.

Mmmm, it’s a bit of a worry – I’m becoming quite the post-modern. :P

]]> By: Maria http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2566 Maria Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:24:21 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2566 Interesting insight, Julie. It's always a temptation to try to make things easier for our kids, even when we know they learn by doing, trying and failing. I suppose it's also a common temptation to look for someone to give us the "answers" that will spare us the process of doing, trying and failing in the spiritual realm as well. Interesting insight, Julie. It’s always a temptation to try to make things easier for our kids, even when we know they learn by doing, trying and failing. I suppose it’s also a common temptation to look for someone to give us the “answers” that will spare us the process of doing, trying and failing in the spiritual realm as well.

]]> By: Drew http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2565 Drew Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:30:05 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2565 "So instead of encouraging questions and self-discovery, we spoon feed answers. Not that I’m against education, but like these dads we assume we need to take charge of other people’s spiritual journey." John Dewey once said something to the effect of... Today (in the late 19th c.) education consists of hearing the recitation, acurrately copying the recitation into your notes, and then, at the end of the term, re-copying those notes from memory and handing them to the professor. The student is then evaluated on how accurately their recollection of their notes matches what the lecture content originally was. And that is not education. The best teachers are the patient ones who let the students struggle. You have to create dissonance in order for their minds to adapt in a certain way to the material and methods. If you step in to rescue them from that dissonance, they simply will not learn as best as they can, and will require a rescue when things are difficult to grasp. I would commend an essay that Simone Weil wrote on School Studies where she likens this very process to spiritual discipline. It is in the book Waiting for God. Cheers. “So instead of encouraging questions and self-discovery, we spoon feed answers. Not that I’m against education, but like these dads we assume we need to take charge of other people’s spiritual journey.”

John Dewey once said something to the effect of…

Today (in the late 19th c.) education consists of hearing the recitation, acurrately copying the recitation into your notes, and then, at the end of the term, re-copying those notes from memory and handing them to the professor. The student is then evaluated on how accurately their recollection of their notes matches what the lecture content originally was. And that is not education.

The best teachers are the patient ones who let the students struggle. You have to create dissonance in order for their minds to adapt in a certain way to the material and methods. If you step in to rescue them from that dissonance, they simply will not learn as best as they can, and will require a rescue when things are difficult to grasp.

I would commend an essay that Simone Weil wrote on School Studies where she likens this very process to spiritual discipline. It is in the book Waiting for God.

Cheers.

]]> By: Tia Lynn http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/comment-page-1/#comment-2564 Tia Lynn Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:42:05 +0000 http://julieclawson.com/2008/03/30/childrens-museums-and-spiritual-formation/#comment-2564 I couldn't agree more. Shoveling cliche one liners down believers' throats does not enhance faith, it stifles faith. I couldn’t agree more. Shoveling cliche one liners down believers’ throats does not enhance faith, it stifles faith.

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