The classical (and Medieval) learning methodology of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric is still sound (not that I know it well enough to comment on it competently) but I'd like to offer a scaled-down version that I think can be worked in into anyone's life--child or not. I propose that possessing a love of reading, an active imagination, and a love for and time spent outdoors will aid any student in any endeavor.
It isn't enough to read, because the majority of Americans can do so. The trouble is that skill is not exercised enough, is not cultivated, is not turned into a tawdry love affair. So you can read--BFD! The more important question is: Do You?
Reading and reading regularly (of a variety of books, by the way) leads into and is supported by my next necessity: imagination. This is a quality that everyone possesses, unlike literacy, but too many have one stunted by TV. Now, TV in small quantities (how much is small? Good question) will not stunt an imagination--it may even aid it in say, picturing Rome, or the African Veldt, a crowded street in Beijing, etc. Any place that one doesn't have access to, TV can aid in the apprehension of it. Beyond that, the imagination should be nourished by stories (the book kind) and free play. An active imagination assists problem solving, diplomacy, empathy, innovation, or simply a cure for the ever present 21st Century ennui.
Lastly, spending time outdoors observing and experiencing the natural world is supported by and supports reading and the imagination. Fresh air, unstructured play, observing natural processes and plants and animals connects us to the earth in unquantifiable ways. Do you want to instill wonder? Go play in a tidal pool or a pond. Would you like to develop your imagination? Read about the original inhabitants of your area, visit places they lived, and reconstruct their lives in your mind while taking in the view of the same rocks and maybe even the same trees that they saw.
If we could have children--and adults--practice these three, we'd be happier, spend less on stuff, and perhaps solve some of our more persistent problems.
It isn't enough to read, because the majority of Americans can do so. The trouble is that skill is not exercised enough, is not cultivated, is not turned into a tawdry love affair. So you can read--BFD! The more important question is: Do You?
Reading and reading regularly (of a variety of books, by the way) leads into and is supported by my next necessity: imagination. This is a quality that everyone possesses, unlike literacy, but too many have one stunted by TV. Now, TV in small quantities (how much is small? Good question) will not stunt an imagination--it may even aid it in say, picturing Rome, or the African Veldt, a crowded street in Beijing, etc. Any place that one doesn't have access to, TV can aid in the apprehension of it. Beyond that, the imagination should be nourished by stories (the book kind) and free play. An active imagination assists problem solving, diplomacy, empathy, innovation, or simply a cure for the ever present 21st Century ennui.
Lastly, spending time outdoors observing and experiencing the natural world is supported by and supports reading and the imagination. Fresh air, unstructured play, observing natural processes and plants and animals connects us to the earth in unquantifiable ways. Do you want to instill wonder? Go play in a tidal pool or a pond. Would you like to develop your imagination? Read about the original inhabitants of your area, visit places they lived, and reconstruct their lives in your mind while taking in the view of the same rocks and maybe even the same trees that they saw.
If we could have children--and adults--practice these three, we'd be happier, spend less on stuff, and perhaps solve some of our more persistent problems.
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