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What have you learned from a young person recently?
As Adora Svitak artfully demonstrates in her TEDTalk, being open to learning from our youth is crucial for improving our world.
TEDxYouthDay 2011 (www.tedxyouthday.com) is two months away -- a day dedicated to empowering and inspiring youth on Universal Children's Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Day).
In preparation for this upcoming event, what anecdotes do you have about how you have learned from youth?
Topics:
Kids empowerment tedxyouth tedxyouthday youth
Deborah Zotian
A friend has a son who is about 9. He's able to carry on conversations about baseball with anyone from the casual fan to a baseball fanatic, with knowledge, statistics and enthusiasm. At that age, all I was able to do was say yes ma'am, yes sir.
I love the way they have taken children should be seen and not heard (my era) and turned it on its head.
Cloe Shasha 50+
Rafi Amin 20+
sunita sharma
in fact, i received my first lesson on teaching from my child when, as a baby, he started responding to the surroundings. he taught me how children learn.
i wish they retain the 'childhood' so that they can inspire the adults!
Cloe Shasha 50+
karunanithi ulagappan
2) Always joyful.
3) Interaction with lot of people.
4) Smartness.
5) Dreaming for self development.
Chandramouli Dorai
Erin Ashley
Autumn Frisco 10+
She discusses how children are naturally curious about what they don't know or don't understand and that it isn't until adults infer something is different (in hopes to keep the children polite) that they become scared or judgemental.
Cloe Shasha 50+
Yashpal Chhatwani 10+
Gerald O'brian 50+
Abhijit Parkhe
The insight here is that this is applicable, figuratively speaking, to all communication. When you deliberately try to understand, objectively assess and then bring yourself to the level of your audience, the effectiveness of your communication improves significantly.
Kent Spencer 10+
Andrea Morisette Grazzini 30+
Here are three stories that illustrate powerful lessons I've learned from youth:
http://tinyurl.com/StudentsTeachAcademics
http://dynamicshift.org/archives/secret-lessons-for-parents-and-policymakers-2
http://dynamicshift.org/archives/football-players-teach-professors-“man-mentor”
The first is about:
Two second grade boys I tutored, from polar opposite ends of the learning spectrum. I'll never forget the year I had the privilege of observing them teach me how opposite energies that often obstruct learning can produce constructive outcomes. Most of all, I think, was that they crystallized what few policymakers remember: they were once kids just like these two boys:
The second:
Black college football players and white college volleyball players teaching stunned professors the power of candor. Imagine that! Jocks who educators thought more-or-less dumb. Turns out these young people are PhD - level thinkers. Best of all seasoned scholars from America, Africa and China who thought they'd seen it all were stunned and near-silly with excitement to witness both the academic and social sophistication of these athletes.
And, finally, the third:
Fifth grade students, who at the end of the year, barely knew each other due to their differences discovered themselves in other students they'd never thought to learn about. Though they were engaged in an intentional exercise I led called "Me to We," I learned by asking their teachers to give me just one hour the kids would more than deliver on my promise -- that given the chance kids empathy is easily triggered in ways adults wouldn't think of -- and sadly, aren't willing to support through educational, social and often even religious funding.
Most of all these pre-pubescent kids gave me hope. As, of course, the second grade and college-aged youth did, too.
Andrea
Cloe Shasha 50+
Cloe Shasha 50+
Andrea Morisette Grazzini 30+
I couldn't agree with you more! Nothing more interesting and fun, in my mind.
Andrea
Jay Mane
Sebastián Muñiz
Of course, this has been possible since positivism came into light, and those with enought power, or influence, created that division.
I am learning here, as I read, that what the concept by itself is mostly wrong.
Thanks.
robert richards
Kareem Fahim 10+
James Kindler 20+
Orlando Hawkins 20+
Children minds are really like blank slates that is just filled with information from their external experiences and it is these experiences that will determine a lot of who they will be once they get older
I will say this though, in order to understand how beautiful and abundant nature really is (for older people), one must really see nature, as Emerson would say "through the eyes of a child".....This is very true, being that when we get older our priorities shifts our thinking. I have a one year old son, and when he is around nature and is playing in water, his experience I would say is almost transcendental. He is is such an amazement and awe that he is literally focused on the moment.
Scott Armstrong 50+
Wayne Roberts
And there is a point when you DO actually sound like your parents.
Ed Schulte 50+
BUT most certainly re-Minded of much!
Salim Solaiman 50+
Deborah Caldwell
Cloe Shasha 50+
Andrea Morisette Grazzini 30+
There is nothing better for a child than I grandma who talks to trees, eats potatoes right out of the garden and, as my mom does, builds secret gardens where she sets up a fancy table to eat peanut-butter and jelly sandwich picnics with you, or a grandpa as my dad does who takes you to discover creeks he visited as a kid and feeds you ice cream cones for lunch.
Andrea
Scott MacAfee
That's a great lesson...
Cloe Shasha 50+
Scott MacAfee
Could it be "The Fountain of Youth"?
Bryann Alexandros
I don't have a recent anecdote, but something from way back that I remember clearly. In high school, one student just calmly asked why we were required to learn one author's work over another's. "Why is it required?" The teacher's best response was an aggressively evasive "Because I said so, now go sit down."
However better the situation could have manifested is anyone's guess, especially if the teacher would've only paused and invite the student to express their exact objections. Asking "why" is an awesome catalyst to rethink and rework what's old.
The fear of failure is so built into our psyche throughout our education. Many adults refuse to ask "why" and simply accept things as they are. Joe's response about innocence, novelty, and detachment reminded me that young kids aren't afraid to ask questions.
Cloe Shasha 50+
Joe Delsen 20+
I heard one little girl giggling as she commented about her father who is getting frustrated (at something else) "Daddy is funny".
Seriously, we're probably better off controlling our urge to teach the young and rather respect them as precious individuals and understand more their point of view.
Cloe Shasha 50+
Silvia Marinova 20+
Cloe Shasha 50+
Silvia Marinova 20+
Benny boy
Sai Rajeshwari Gourishetty