| Although I am not familiar with Doman's philosophy on learning, I have
been reading a book called "Raising Children Who Love To Learn" and it
has a different approach to what Doman seems to be advocating. This
book is _almost_ a parental guide on how to raise kids who love to
learn. It teaches us how to allow your children to explore on their own
and help them maximize the experience. It even covers simple things
like how to ask a question to little kids and proves how a differently
stated question gives vastly different answers. Asking "what did you do
at school today?" is too broad a question for a child and chances are
they will say "nothing much", mainly because they won't give you a
detailed report from the first moment they entered the building. Asking
specific questions like "who did you sit next to at lunch?" is much
better. And you should always ask questions that are answered with more
then one word answers, like yes or no. This allows the child to explain
and remember and learn to develop conversations.
I do recommend the book. It is relatively light reading - not too much
psychological or technical jargon. It is from the Children's
Television Workshop Family Living Series. It covers language, math,
social skills, science and the arts.
I did have flash cards at a very young age myself but thinking back
they were probably just memorized (like the good old times tables) and
who knows if they really stuck (although I prefer to do math in my head
or on paper then pull out the calculator). Maybe they did. I think this
book takes learning from a totally different perspective - develop
children who like to learn (which I think is just having a natural
curiosity and allowing it to never be hindered) rather than teach them.
That basic premise will then be carried through life.
I am interested in hearing if Dowan's thinking works as well.
Andrea
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