I refer to the letter, “Parental involvement can stem tuition culture” (March 9). The answer does not lie only in parental involvement. Teachers must also be clear about their duties.
The common belief is that teachers know what is expected of them, but we must not assume this. Expectations vary, and some teachers make the tool fit the child, while others make the child fit the tool.
For example, my daughter’s son, 7, came home last week from an enrichment lesson at a loss over a mathematics pattern. It was left to us to explain the logic involved.
Why did his enrichment teacher not explain the basis to him? Was there no time? Were there too many children for the duration of an hour and three-quarters? There were only three children in the class.
I led him by the hand, so to speak, to where the logic resided. This took patience before his seven-year-old mind grasped what was involved. Once he understood, he said it was easy.
Facts and principles had to be broken down into the simplest, most descriptive terms relative to a seven-year-old. The father of mastery learning, Benjamin Bloom, made clear that understanding of what was taught was vital. Learning by rote was undesirable.
The belief was that if there was understanding, everything was simple; if there was no understanding, everything was difficult, if not insurmountable.
The brain is a wonderful biological marvel. The processes of thought, the wonder of neurons, brain-specific proteins and synapses must, in the tender years, be given digestible particles of logical facts.
It is about fitting the educational cloth to the child. If a teacher does not do this, then it is left to the parents. If parents are unable to do this, then the tuition culture blossoms.
In my grandson’s case, we had to finish the work the teacher started. This is unacceptable.
The common belief is that teachers know what is expected of them, but we must not assume this. Expectations vary, and some teachers make the tool fit the child, while others make the child fit the tool.
For example, my daughter’s son, 7, came home last week from an enrichment lesson at a loss over a mathematics pattern. It was left to us to explain the logic involved.
Why did his enrichment teacher not explain the basis to him? Was there no time? Were there too many children for the duration of an hour and three-quarters? There were only three children in the class.
I led him by the hand, so to speak, to where the logic resided. This took patience before his seven-year-old mind grasped what was involved. Once he understood, he said it was easy.
Facts and principles had to be broken down into the simplest, most descriptive terms relative to a seven-year-old. The father of mastery learning, Benjamin Bloom, made clear that understanding of what was taught was vital. Learning by rote was undesirable.
The belief was that if there was understanding, everything was simple; if there was no understanding, everything was difficult, if not insurmountable.
The brain is a wonderful biological marvel. The processes of thought, the wonder of neurons, brain-specific proteins and synapses must, in the tender years, be given digestible particles of logical facts.
It is about fitting the educational cloth to the child. If a teacher does not do this, then it is left to the parents. If parents are unable to do this, then the tuition culture blossoms.
In my grandson’s case, we had to finish the work the teacher started. This is unacceptable.
