Modeling Learning All the Time

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Modeling Learning All the Time simply means that the parent or guardian must be engaged with the world in such a way that they are learning all the time.  In this way the child or children learn what it means to be curious about and in the world; they learn how to do real world research.  Maybe most importantly, they aren’t afraid of what they don’t know, in fact they learn to be excited by what they don’t know.  They are excited to ask questions and easily soak up the answers – sometimes even the first time they hear or see them.  One doesn’t need to use drills or flashcards when the learner has an intrinsic need to know something. 

I offer two examples of what this looks like in our home.  The children may see me researching new cookbooks to get at the library.  The children see me request a particular book be sent to our local downtown library.  Then they go with me to pick it up a few days later and notice me flipping through it once we’re home, they may even want to look at it with me and talk about what they see.  When I come across an ingredient I don’t know about, the children witness me looking it up in the index and, if needed, looking it up online.  They may even come over and join in at some point, asking about the ingredient, the recipe, or the process.  This is how children learn how to learn, just as children learn how to speak what is spoken to them and around them.