"Learning to learn" with the Waldon Method
The Waldon Approach: Learning to Learn
Fundamental Elements for Learning to Learn:
The focus of the Waldon Method is to foster and develop the skills of 'learning to learn':
- effortful engagement
- staying focused
- to keep going with interest in an activity
Non-verbal capacities must be learned FIRST
Special about the 'learning to learn' approach is that it is non-verbal, - because that is how young children learn in order to develop their early mental capacities. They learn only through their own movements and physical experiences. Not through language. That comes later. Verbal speech develops from the primary understanding that the child has acquired for himself and by actively engaging with his environment. Without this fundamental understanding of 'this is how it works', both his own body and the world of objects, meaningful language cannot develop.
HANDBOOK: Learning to Learn
Anyone interested in learning more about the Waldon Method will find Merete Hawkins' book very helpful, - both to better understand this little-known approach and as informative guidance for putting it into practice with children
The 'Learn to Learn' Session
In a 'learning to learn' session, the adult prepares activities that resemble a child's early learning situation, guiding the child through the movements and directing the child to handle, and play with, the objects.
The child learns to focus and engage in these play sequences by means of activities and play materials that can be easily adapted to the child's particular stage of development and progress.
LEARNING MORE about 'Learning to learn':
The Waldon Approach is a theory about the most fundamental elements of human learning and development, about how understanding arises and how a child learns to understand. How we learn to adapt and survive. The educational application of these ideas is called the Waldon approach and can be used in many different settings, with people of all ages and ability levels. It is most commonly used by parents and professionals ... Read more here: The Waldon Association, UK
