Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?

This article describes a tutoring program in New York City in which parents pay large amounts of money for children as young as two and three years old to spend an hour, twice a week, being tutored in math and reading skills to be prepared for school. Research suggests that there is little benefit from this kind of tutoring. However, research does suggests that young children learn just as much about math, if not more, fitting mixing bowls together on the kitchen floor. From college courses taken at AUM and my experience as a teacher, I feel that the best way for young children to learn math concepts is through hands-on experiences with various child appropriate materials. Children need to be exposed to various math games and manipulatives that will enable the child to construct their own knowledge about math. Piaget's philosophy of how children learn suggests that a child learns best when the child is constructing their own knowledge in their own way. I have witnessed this first hand and I fully agree with Piaget's philosophy of how children learn best. When you teach a child a concept by doing drills over and over again, the child is only memorizing what was done during the drill. The child never fully understands what the concept means and how to apply it in any given situation. All children develop at their own pace and in their own way. I say, give them the right materials, the right environment, and allow them to construct their own knowledge. This type of learning has proven to be more meaningful and have a more positive affect on academic performance.