Kids are from Jupiter

“Mere movement is without value. [It] should be purposeful and should contain possibilities that contribute to the learner's growth.” - John Dewey Sometime ago, I attended a talk by Dr. Grace S. Khoo, a professor of educational psychology from U.P., Diliman. It was called “Kids are from Jupiter,” and talked about helping kids reach their full potential in the classroom via the use of a 'language' that was understandable and most of all, interesting to them. Sometimes, we think that kids today are from another planet,” she began. What with the demands from school, the many distractions available via television, the internet and video games, now, more than ever does it seem that we don't know kids at all. “(At the end of this talk), we hope to understand more about our little aliens,” she finished. Following the Men are from Mars, women are from Venus logic, Dr. Khoo likened children to the planet Jupiter. “Kids are large and active, and Jupiter is a large planet with any active volcanoes,” she explained. A good way to get them interested in learning things in and out of the classroom, especially in the realm of science, is to enhance their natural curiosity. Questions are they key Every parent in history has had to deal with his or her child's questions about everything from why is the sky blue to what makes a rocket ship fly. Dr. Khoo explained that just asking questions is not enough. Kids should be taught how to ask the right questions, and helping them reach correct decisions regarding the answers they have collected. “Science learning is about decision making,” she said. Three main things inspire kids to ask questions. They are: ? 48% curiosity (based on personal experiences, the concerns and their observations of people in their proximity) ? 2.5% wonder at the information propagated by the media; and last but not least, ? 13.5% cultural beliefs and folklore Kids have different reasons for asking questions. Among them: ? the need to validate common beliefs and misconceptions ? the need to gather basic information ? the need for explanation; and ? questions related to imaginary scenarios In the next installment of this column, we find out how kids get most of their information (certainly not from mom and dad!), the kinds of questions kids asks, and how to help them ask questions that aid in their learning. The talk was sponsored by Creative Challenge Inc. Read more about them at www.creativechallenge.ph