Child-Driven Education

Last night I went out for dinner with my parents and my husband. While sitting in a booth, two friends, one that brought a child along, were sitting at a table near us. The daughter was between a year and a half to two years old (my estimated guess). She was sitting in her high chair and playing with an ipad while the two friends chatted amongst each other. At our table we joked to my parents how they had it rough, they had to entertain us as children when we were out. Not only did this ipad keep this child entertained, but she knew what to do with it. We then went into a discussion on how children at such a young age can grasp technology and can learn it so quickly on their own.

This goes into the video I watched for this week, titled “The Child-Driven Education” by Sugata Mitra. This TED talks video went into detail about an experiment Sugata Mitra had performed in countries like New Delhi and South Africa. He performed the “Hole in the Wall” experiment where computers with internet connection were placed in the streets. On their own, children figured out how to use them, and became educated through them. It is stated that children will learn to do what they want to do, no matter where they live. If children are interested, then they can figure out what they are looking for and what they want to know. The video goes into more depth on different examples of children succeeding through their own methods.

This was an interesting video to watch, and teachers can learn from it. Children are smart and ambitious; they are excited to learn. We need to provide environments where they are able to explore on their own, dive into topics they are interested in, and use technology to enhance their learning.