This week I have thought a great
deal about how to make our kindergartners more self-reliant learners. As a teacher I want to facilitate learning,
model appropriate behaviors, and guide students in developing strategies that
help them become competent readers, writers, and problem solvers. Striking a balance between allowing them to
be independent learners and knowing when to step in to help can be
difficult. I want to provide the balance
that allows children to become self-confident and self-sufficient while still
feeling supported and mentored.
It is often
more important for me to ask questions to guide thinking rather than to provide
quick easy answers. “What do you think? How would
you solve that problem? What should we
do first?” Asking leading questions
and brainstorming together can help stimulate thinking. Modeling good questioning techniques provides
young children with some strategies to attack problems on their own.
As parents and
teachers we have to encourage our children to take risks in their work and let
them know that it is okay to make a mistake or two along the way towards
greater independence. As adults it is
hard to let go of our idea of perfection.
It is definitely quicker (and more skillfully done) to complete tasks
for our children instead of allowing them the time to complete them on their
own. When hanging up coats or packing bookbags
on their own our children see they are responsible for taking care of their belongings. When a child says, “What’s that word?” or “How
do you spell…?” It is so easy to give the quick answer. I know I am guilty of this during a time
crunch, but this makes my students continue to depend on me. My goal should be to nurture the persistence and
inquisitive spirit needed to find answers independently. I want our children to know they are capable of
solving problems and that making a mistake is not the end of the world.
We need to
model responsibility and self-reliance in what we say and do. Our children rely on us and watch carefully to
see how we react to life’s situations. I
have often been guilty of wanting to rush in and shield children from
disappointment or failure, but by doing this I deny them a chance to develop some
important life skills like self-reliance and self-confidence. Our children are depending on us to teach
them how the world works and how we should work in the world. Sometimes that means they learn from us and
other times it means we encourage them to work it out on their own.
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