How Your Child Is Smart - a great reality check by Dawna Markova

I often think about how we accept society for the way it is, and we just go with it. People like to follow, conform and rarely question. This is particularly relevant in the education system as it is the commercial world. I love to scratch the surface of society, have a look under and question. The systems we adhere to were never properly designed; they simply just ‘evolve’ on an improvised basis without consideration for the developmental needs of children, students and workforce and we end up in many cases trying to fit square pegs in round holes. Many educational and work place practices are considered part of the tradition, and these habitual patterns are passionately adhered to. “This is the way we have always done it!” I my quest to answer some of my own question,s become a better coach and person, I am always very interested in reading widely around and outside of my field, as we are dealing with humans in training, understanding them, how they develop, think, act and learn is part of the process. This brings me on to a book I am currently reading: 'How Your Child Is Smart by Dawna Markova'. Below surmises some of the key golden nuggets in the philosophy of the book without going into any great detail. 'Our prevailing system of corporate management has destroyed our people. People are born with intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, dignity, curiosity to learn and a joy in learning'. 'The destruction begins with toddlers being given prizes and gold stars for grades, this goes on up through to university. In places of work, teams, divisions are ranked in reward for the one at the top, punishment for the one at the bottom. This system of management is not just the fault of commercial enterprises, it is a deep set of culturally embedded beliefs and practices that manifest in social institutions profoundly inconsistent with human nature'. 'Human beings are designed to learn. The drive to learn is more basic than the drive to reproduce'. 'Our primary social institutions, work and school, are designed to control, and with the break down in our family structures, these institutions are increasingly shaping social norms and behaviors'. 'The young child learns very quickly the school is not about learning so much as it is about avoiding mistakes. School is about getting the right answers, school is about gaining approval and avoiding disapproval. These are the same lessons the first time worker learns. 'Don't screw up', 'do what your told' if you do screw up, make sure you dont get blamed' at all costs look good. 'The profound mismatch between humans intrinsic drive to learn, and our institutions drive to control thwarts to continual unfolding of natural curiosity, capacity for invention, love of experimentation, sense of wonder and sense of connection'. 'The scars are equally server for those who 'succeed' and fro those who 'fail'. The winners have so much vested in what they know and in being right that they become 'smart people who can not learn'. These 'winners' populate the highest ranks of our organisations and reinforce the predominant norms of looking good, being right and staying in control. By default they reinforce the system that they were successful in and the cycle of mismatching in life continues. 'We are failing our children. Many cry out for a 'fix', but you can not fix something that people do not see as broken or a structure that was never designed for full learning in the first place'. 'To fix the system requires children to be educated from the foundation up. This involves questioning basic assumptions, like some kids are smart and some are not'. It will involve engaging in a reciprocal process of reflection and inquiry, understanding the unique ways in which each of us learn, adult and child.