Richard CrampAssisting Children Appreciate Different Perspectives
June 22nd 2008 06:24
Learning is ultimately a personal process of understanding the world, other people may be there to help us, teach us, guide us along our path, but the lesson to be learned is always ours; and when we make the finding for our self – even if we're the last person on Earth to see the light – we never forget it.
Thinking beyond the square in which we live
There is a Buddhist teaching entitled “You too are right”; often labelled as a parable within the Buddhist manta, it contains no overt moral message but invites the reader to reflect the issue of ‘differences in personal perceptions’ and is related as follows ...
In this parable, the first monk ignores the possibility of other valid points of view; thus having heard the verdict he wanted to hear he leaves without hearing any further discussion on the matter.
The second monk, having become aware of the fact that two differing perspectives may be validly drawn from the same circumstance, has an opportunity to gain further his wisdom and enlightenment from the situation by asking the simple question “ ... how can we both be correct?” He, however, on hearing the judgment that he too wishes to hear opts to ignore the validity of an alternative perspective and walks away satisfied that his particular take on events is acceptable.
The third monk, demonstrating the greatest propensity for personal growth, reflects on the situation questions the Master the poignant question ... how can both points of view be correct? The Master in his wisdom understands that if the third monk is to fully appreciate the validity of different frames of reference then he must reason out and reconcile the apparent paradox himself. The resolution of which comes down to, the particular perspective from which you view the universe and your existence within it. is for the most part a shared experiences there will, however, be occasions in which we find our particular perspective at odds with that of others. This is all a natural part of the human experience as the particular frame of reference that we hold is a product of circumstance and conditioning.
A readiness to accept and respond to change is a continual part of the human experience; an experience that is assisted by our capacity to think critically and communicate clearly, and to develop questioning minds motivated to the continued pursuit of learning as lifelong endeavour. Yet, accepting that there may be more than one way of viewing a situation can at times be both difficult and challenging for adults, let alone children.
The learning process
Right from birth we begin to construct a personal reality of the world, as we perceive it, through a series of mental images or schema that represent various aspects of what we have come to understand it through that which we observe, sense, experience, and are taught.
As we make our way through life’s journey, new information that falls within our existing frames of reference is easily remembered and incorporated into our worldview through minor modifications of existing schema. However, when new information is perceived that does not fit a schema, we can …
or if the new information cannot be ignored, existing schemas must be changed and results in either our …
For the most part these schema are an effective and efficient tool for interacting with, and understanding, the world. Requiring no effortful thought in most everyday situations, they allow us to apply automatic thought processes to quickly organize new perceptions into schemas and act effectively without effort.
As a consequence, our perceptions can either positively influence or hamper the uptake of new information, such as when existing stereotypes give rise to limited or biased discourses and expectations (prejudices). Hence, our capacity for personal growth (academically, physically, spiritually, and socially) depends in many ways on our ability to view ideas, experiences and information from different perspectives (ie. to continually change our frame of reference in order to assess the validity of information) and adjust our schema. This constitutes a fundamental part of the learning process.
Habits of mind
When our children experience trouble in problem solving situations, they inevitably experience difficulty in shifting their frame of reference in order to approach the problem from another perspective.
Being open or closed to other points of view (the ability to change from one frame of reference to another) is a habit of mind that is directly related to the ability to think flexibly. Therefore the ability to change perspectives, generate alternatives, and consider options is something that we train ourselves to do. It is, however, not a stand-alone habit as it draws strongly upon three other key habits of mind …
So what can we do to help our children develop proficiency in applying these habits of mind?
For the most part these skills cannot be taught directly; they need to be modelled and practiced. Therefore, wherever possible, we should patiently guide our child to a conclusion rather than simply providing an outright answer. This, of course, requires patience and a willingness to model the process of changing frames of reference by asking a series of leading questions that get your child to …
Finally, we should encourage our children to develop the kind humility that avoids notion that their ideas and perceptions are necessarily is better or more important than those of others.
"Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward."
~ Carl Sagan ~
There is a Buddhist teaching entitled “You too are right”; often labelled as a parable within the Buddhist manta, it contains no overt moral message but invites the reader to reflect the issue of ‘differences in personal perceptions’ and is related as follows ...
Two monks who came out of a lecture by their master went on a hot debate regarding what they heard during the lecture. Each of them insisted that his understanding was the correct one. To settle the dispute, they went to see the master for a judgement.
After hearing the argument put forth by the first monk, the master said, "You are correct!" The monk was overjoyed. Casting a winner's glance at his friend, he left the room.
The second monk was upset and started to pour out what he thought to the master. After he finished, the master looked at him and said, "You are correct, too." Hearing this, the second monk brightened up and went away.
A third monk who was also in the room was greatly puzzled by what he saw. He said to the master, "I am confused, master! Their positions regarding the issue are completely opposite. They can't be both right! How could you say that they are both correct?"
The master smiled as he looked into the eyes of this third monk, "You are also correct!"
After hearing the argument put forth by the first monk, the master said, "You are correct!" The monk was overjoyed. Casting a winner's glance at his friend, he left the room.
The second monk was upset and started to pour out what he thought to the master. After he finished, the master looked at him and said, "You are correct, too." Hearing this, the second monk brightened up and went away.
A third monk who was also in the room was greatly puzzled by what he saw. He said to the master, "I am confused, master! Their positions regarding the issue are completely opposite. They can't be both right! How could you say that they are both correct?"
In this parable, the first monk ignores the possibility of other valid points of view; thus having heard the verdict he wanted to hear he leaves without hearing any further discussion on the matter.
The second monk, having become aware of the fact that two differing perspectives may be validly drawn from the same circumstance, has an opportunity to gain further his wisdom and enlightenment from the situation by asking the simple question “ ... how can we both be correct?” He, however, on hearing the judgment that he too wishes to hear opts to ignore the validity of an alternative perspective and walks away satisfied that his particular take on events is acceptable.
The third monk, demonstrating the greatest propensity for personal growth, reflects on the situation questions the Master the poignant question ... how can both points of view be correct? The Master in his wisdom understands that if the third monk is to fully appreciate the validity of different frames of reference then he must reason out and reconcile the apparent paradox himself. The resolution of which comes down to, the particular perspective from which you view the universe and your existence within it. is for the most part a shared experiences there will, however, be occasions in which we find our particular perspective at odds with that of others. This is all a natural part of the human experience as the particular frame of reference that we hold is a product of circumstance and conditioning.
A readiness to accept and respond to change is a continual part of the human experience; an experience that is assisted by our capacity to think critically and communicate clearly, and to develop questioning minds motivated to the continued pursuit of learning as lifelong endeavour. Yet, accepting that there may be more than one way of viewing a situation can at times be both difficult and challenging for adults, let alone children.
"Our pervious experiences affect our perceptions!"
The learning process
Right from birth we begin to construct a personal reality of the world, as we perceive it, through a series of mental images or schema that represent various aspects of what we have come to understand it through that which we observe, sense, experience, and are taught.
As we make our way through life’s journey, new information that falls within our existing frames of reference is easily remembered and incorporated into our worldview through minor modifications of existing schema. However, when new information is perceived that does not fit a schema, we can …
simply ignore or quickly forget the new information (the most common reaction) basically because we choose to ignore it or as is most frequently the case we are merely not conscious of or even perceive the new information;
or if the new information cannot be ignored, existing schemas must be changed and results in either our …
assimilating the new information through a reorganisation of existing schemata to fit the new information. For example, when an unfamiliar dog is seen, we will probably just assimilate it into our dog image of a dog; or
accommodating the new information as a new schema. For example, if the dog behaves strangely, and in ways that don't seem dog-like, we will formed a new mental image for that particular dog.
accommodating the new information as a new schema. For example, if the dog behaves strangely, and in ways that don't seem dog-like, we will formed a new mental image for that particular dog.
For the most part these schema are an effective and efficient tool for interacting with, and understanding, the world. Requiring no effortful thought in most everyday situations, they allow us to apply automatic thought processes to quickly organize new perceptions into schemas and act effectively without effort.
As a consequence, our perceptions can either positively influence or hamper the uptake of new information, such as when existing stereotypes give rise to limited or biased discourses and expectations (prejudices). Hence, our capacity for personal growth (academically, physically, spiritually, and socially) depends in many ways on our ability to view ideas, experiences and information from different perspectives (ie. to continually change our frame of reference in order to assess the validity of information) and adjust our schema. This constitutes a fundamental part of the learning process.
Habits of mind
When our children experience trouble in problem solving situations, they inevitably experience difficulty in shifting their frame of reference in order to approach the problem from another perspective.
Being open or closed to other points of view (the ability to change from one frame of reference to another) is a habit of mind that is directly related to the ability to think flexibly. Therefore the ability to change perspectives, generate alternatives, and consider options is something that we train ourselves to do. It is, however, not a stand-alone habit as it draws strongly upon three other key habits of mind …
our ability to reflect metacognitively, that is to think about our thinking. By knowing how we come to know things we become aware the thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions and their effects on others.
questioning and problem posing, we simply need to ask ourselves and others ‘How do you know?’ Having a questioning attitude and developing questioning strategies to produce those data.
remaining open to continuous learning. We learn from our experiences! Having humility and pride when admitting we don’t know; resisting complacency.
questioning and problem posing, we simply need to ask ourselves and others ‘How do you know?’ Having a questioning attitude and developing questioning strategies to produce those data.
remaining open to continuous learning. We learn from our experiences! Having humility and pride when admitting we don’t know; resisting complacency.
So what can we do to help our children develop proficiency in applying these habits of mind?
For the most part these skills cannot be taught directly; they need to be modelled and practiced. Therefore, wherever possible, we should patiently guide our child to a conclusion rather than simply providing an outright answer. This, of course, requires patience and a willingness to model the process of changing frames of reference by asking a series of leading questions that get your child to …
reflect on the thinking they have used that brought them to the current stage in the problem solving process (ie. ‘what have you done to get to this point?’ or ‘explain to me how you did this’ …);
view the situation from different perspectives (an effective tool here is de Bono’s ‘Six Hats’, which gets the user to view a problem from six different perspectives, one at a time.
view the situation from different perspectives (an effective tool here is de Bono’s ‘Six Hats’, which gets the user to view a problem from six different perspectives, one at a time.
Finally, we should encourage our children to develop the kind humility that avoids notion that their ideas and perceptions are necessarily is better or more important than those of others.
"Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward."
~ Henry Ford ~
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