| An Indigo Approach to Education |
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| Dr. Elaine Lee | |||
| Saturday, 23 September 2006 | |||
  "Then said a teacher, Speak to us of Teaching. And he said: No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind." From the The Prophet by - Kahlil Gibran A baby is born with a natural capacity to learn. Within two years, he has learned to walk, to talk, and to wind his grand-parents round his little finger... nobody taught him psychology! He learns by using all his senses: Everything was observed, touched, tasted, and explored. And everybody praised him every time he did something right! Glen Doman has shown that it is possible to teach this two-year old a foreign language, and maths. He made it clear that this could not be done in the traditional left brained way: It had to be fun, with spaced repetition, it had to excite the natural curiosity of the child. When a child sees his parents reading, he wants to read. When he sees them writing, he wants to do this too! Stimulate curiosity! Today, children are brought to me by distressed parents who are told by the 'teacher' that their child is not yet ready for the "rigours" of Grade 1, or Grade 2. He must be put on drugs "to make him concentrate". 'Sit still and listen' is a contradiction of terms for the young child. What happened to fun? Let's have fun! The brain has a natural rhythm of some 90 minutes, during which it alternates between beta and alpha waves, and between the left and right hemisphere. Ideally, when we have mastered some maths, we should have time off (in alpha) to let it 'soak in' - and then proceed to some more right-brain activity. Use brain-based approaches! Teachers need to be flexible. The teacher (facilitator) should be accepting of each child's right to be individual, and to learn sometimes at a different pace to others. The teacher is there to guide the child, and to ensure that resources are available to encourage their curiosity. Children need to explore each topic, and be helped only when stuck. If they are not getting something right, they must be shown how to explore alternative approaches. Talking is not teaching! "Tests" are anathema to brain-based learning. Negative criticism impacts on self-esteem - which blocks learning. The classroom should never be a threatening place, where the child is made to feel inadequate. When the child becomes fearful ("I'm not good enough, the teacher is cross with me") he creates fear bio-chemistry to help him cope with what the inner brain assumes is a real physical danger. This includes the adrenalin for "Fight or Flight", lactic acids to slow digestion, and cortisol (a neural inhibitor), which goes to the brain and stops brain cells (neurons) from connecting. So, I forget what I learned for my spelling test. After that, my belief is that "I'm no good at spelling". Yes, good spelling is desirable - but the child must be shown easy ways to programme words into the brain. Eliminate fear! Schools should not be miniature military institutions! The main problem with regular schooling is that it is fear-based. Hence it produces more 'D' students than 'A' students. But we are blessed with brains that have such potential that one Russian professor back in the sixties said that if you wished to write out how many thoughts one brain cell could potentially 'think' , the answer would be a 1 followed by nine and a half million kilometres of noughts! We are all potentially geniuses. Unfortunately the scientists inform us that most brain cells can be seen to be under-developed. They've hardly been used - locked by fear! Learn to relax! Find educational centres that allow for individual learning, and which accept that education is not just academic: it should involve body, mind and spirit. Quiet time for prayer, meditation, or just to still the mind, is an essential component of the learning process. "Know Yourself" Socratic wisdom - and the child should be assisted in developing an understanding of who he is, and why he is not just like everybody else. He needs the three Rs - Respect for Self, Respect for Others, and Responsibility. Love your neighbour as yourself; honouring yourself is the starting point. The "Indigo" energy that we have become aware of over the past decade has meant that new approaches must be implemented in schools, because these children are not here to learn to conform. They hate the lack of integrity, the negativity, the mindless conformity they find in our schools and workplaces. They are here to change the world. And isn't that a good thing?
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