All learning in self-directed learning is meaningful

My son doesn't go to mainstream school, but adopts the Segu independent learning model, that is, children follow their own interests to learn, no compulsory curriculum, no hidden agenda set by adults, no reward system, no one suggests what to learn is the best Well, no one is going to measure his learning. Children's motivation to learn comes entirely from within and has unlimited time to explore.

He has been fascinated by marine life for nearly two years. We were out on a trip to go snorkeling and an aquarium when he was just over five years old. Before he set off in Hong Kong, he had already actively collected information on the aquarium. Before entering the venue, he carefully read the aquarium map, set a goal, and planned a route. He said that he was most looking forward to seeing deep-sea creatures.

After entering, I took a look at those creatures and decided to move on. Unexpectedly, my son watched each creature for a long time. He knew the name of the creature without reading the introduction of the brand name, and also explained their characteristics to us along the way.

He was very excited the whole time, and when I saw my son look at the garden sand eel and his eyes light up, I was deeply touched because he has an emotion for everything he learns, and everything feels good to him. meaningful.

I think back to my childhood, I have been to famous museums, big and small, and I have dabbled a lot. I can show off that I have seen many world-famous things, but in fact I have no feeling. Pointless.

When I was a teacher in the past, some parents told me that their children would ask, "Why do you want to learn these things?" Many of those children were excellent grades. Back then, my parents and I would make sure the answers were positive and positive. The answer is the answer, but the question of children has been haunting me for so many years because it reflects a deep human desire: the desire to find meaning in life.

A person will do what he finds meaningful from the heart, will remember with his heart what he cares about, and will feel heartfelt satisfaction and joy in experiencing that meaning. When a child doesn't feel meaningful about something, he naturally asks "why". He is not naughty, nor is he ignorant, but because he is close to his inner self, he deeply desires to live a meaningful life.

intrinsic motivation to learn

When I held the Segu Education Lecture, I did a questionnaire survey and asked everyone about their ideal education. The survey results show that parents have different opinions on educational methods, but 100% of the parents surveyed hope that their children have intrinsic motivation (intrinsic motivation), that is, they want their children to learn from the heart. Over the years, I have been in contact with children, and I have come to realize that a child needs to feel the meaning before he will have an inner motivation to learn and want to know more.

In the past, when I was a teacher, I had to design a lesson plan, first set a theme as the main axis, and then add "extension activities" to ensure that children's learning extends to art, music, science, sports, cooking classes, etc. Looking back now, I feel wishful thinking. I can only provide countless materials from the outside, but no matter how rich and interesting the lesson plans I design, I cannot control the inner workings of each student and ensure that they will find meaning in it.

And when children love something, they will naturally integrate their interests into their lives, and they will not passively wait for others to provide information. For example, when my son loves dinosaurs, he automatically adds dinosaur elements to everything he does. He reads dinosaur books, draws dinosaurs, bakes dinosaur cookies, and even learns Chinese and English in order to understand those books. He did this not because he had analyzed these "extension activities" covering different subjects to make him more comprehensive, but because he simply loved dinosaurs and felt meaningful.

Also, he is interested in marine life but refuses to go to a dolphin show because during his studies he learned that captive dolphins would make them suffer. So did he question the aquarium? Does he think aquariums are causing misery to marine life? I'm not sure, nor fully understand how he judges, nor can I predict what activities he will enjoy or resist, but I do know that his learning has brought him meaningful experiences and feelings that influence his thinking and behavior.

Daniel Greenberg, founder of Thur Valley School in the United States, said that every child is born with intrinsic motivation to learn, and it disappears because it is replaced by extrinsic motivation, such as punishment, fear of the future, grades, rewards, Other people's approval, other people's expectations, praise. I thought of a capable friend who did everything smoothly in the workplace and could become the best employee in the eyes of the boss in any industry. One night when the bar was quiet, he said, "I have been very successful in all my work. But in fact, doing it well does not mean that I like it. I really want to know what work I do, so that I can feel the happiness and meaning from the heart.”

It is obvious that every child is born to do what he finds meaningful. Since when do we even wonder how we can be happy? It becomes so difficult?

In the self-directed learning mode, all children's inner driving force is exerted, and everything is triggered by their curiosity and enthusiasm. No one can control the inner drive of another independent individual, we can only accompany and support the child's growth, let him find a life that is meaningful to him.

Originally written in May 2018