Can children build theories?
Do you think a baby can build a theory?
What about a child age 3 or 12 or 15?
If we accept the idea that our search, as human beings, to find the meaning of the world around us is essential to life, then we can accept that we can build the answers to our questions. We tend to build theory as a satisfactory explanation that can help us to understand the whys that are inside of us. We are inviting you to think about this essential element that is expressed in the children, because the children themselves are one of the best expressions of our being human, when they create their own theories as satisfactory explanations. Observe and listen to children because when they ask “why?” they are not simply asking for the answer from you. They are requesting the courage to find a collection of possible answers.”
Carlina Rinaldi. The Relationship between Documentation and Assessment NAREA Vol. 11, no. 1. Winter 2004.p2.
Renowned educator Kath Murdoch shares her thoughts about inquiry learning.
How would you describe inquiry learning?
How would you describe an inquiry classroom?
More information about Kath Murdoch’s work can be found here.
This attitude of the child means that the child is a real researcher . . . Yet it is possible to destroy this attitude of the child with our quick answers and our certainty. How can we support and sustain this attitude of children to construct explanations?”
Carlina Rinaldi. The Relationship between Documentation and Assessment NAREA Vol. 11, no. 1. Winter 2004.p2. Read the full article here.
Proper questioning has become a lost art. The curious four-year-old asks a lot of questions… but as we grow older our questioning decreases”
Tom Pohlmann. Relearning the Art of Asking Questions. Harvard Business Review (March, 2015). read the full article here.
Do you think it’s possible to destroy children’s natural tendencies to ask questions in order to seek meaning or do you think children naturally grow out of it?
Please share your thoughts below