[Jagriti55] Why we take things Easy 😎
I guess most of us like to take things easy. Children do too. So you can often see them shirking from taking the tough way. But many times they take up the tough way. I guess the shirking happens more in tasks determined as important by us (eg: writing neatly). Obviously, initiative happens in things that they like.
If this is how it is, then would it make sense for us to bring things to children in such a way that they like, and if they don't, then not expect it.
Lev Vygotsky's Theory of proximal development.
The three zones (comfort, challenge and frustration) which Vygotsky talked about (see visual in the previous post), gives us perspective on how and when to facilitate the child.The premise is that learning primarily happens when the learner is in the challenge zone. This is also the 'joy' zone.
In most cases, the child would push himself or herself into challenge zone (when he or she is ready for it). Issues come up when we want them to move! Many a times we end up either rescuing the child who is in the frustration zone, or we get impatient with the child in the comfort zone.
Another approach is to rather nudge the child into the adjoining zone of challenge/learning (from frustration or from comfort)
In any case, in the comfort zone, anybody (including us) rarely learns anything (since we are not doing anything new).
Similarly in the give-up or frustration zone we are anyways not ready to do anything new.
Successful Video games and movies, as an example, do this very well - keeping me in the just-enough-challenge zone. If it is too easy or too predictable, it's boring. If it's too tough or complicated we give up. They give just the right amount of excitement.
When working with children, in many cases children push / manage themselves. In those cases, I, as an adult around, would shut up.
In other cases, maybe, I would be better off thinking, What role can I play so that the child is able to enter and enjoy this challenging zone? Maybe I can be a co-doer, or an assistant, or an observer, a videographer or ...
For example, when playing Badminton or TT (in which I am quite good at) with young children, I play with my (weaker) left hand. This ensures that I am not bored and they are not outplayed (frustrated) - both of us enjoy the game in our respective challenge zone.
So here is a situation for you to think about:
A child instead of writing a report on the trip she has just returned from, instead chit chats all the details with her friends.
Is she in the comfort zone or the Challenging zone? What can you, as her parent, do about it?
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warmly
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