The Art of Enjoying Learning
Learning is a crucial quality.
A strong desire for growth and the pursuit of excellence can lead to significant frustration. Expectations can lead to disappointment; we cannot deny the impact of outcomes on our emotions.
We must connect our desire for growth with the enjoyment of the content itself. We need to find more pleasure in the substance of what we learn. Developmental psychology studies the impact of learning psychology on learning outcomes.
Example: A professor gave a class of children a very simple question that all the elementary school students answered correctly. Then, the professor presented another question. Some students were excited to tackle it, while others struggled, becoming very frustrated. Some said they needed to work harder, while others felt they were not good enough.
The professor then gave another simple question. Those who couldn't solve the difficult problem but had succeeded with the first simple question now couldn't even answer the third simple question correctly.
This phenomenon shows that people are often more concerned with the outcome than with the content. This is related to the image theory, where individuals strive for a perfect image.
However, another group of children focused on the content and were genuinely interested in it.
These two states of learning elicit different reactions in children:
- Children who embrace the journey theory react proactively. It's not that they don't experience frustration, but they don't become disorganized by it. They are interested in and enjoy the material, treating the entire process as a pleasure and recovering quickly. They are willing to take risks and actively express themselves; the outcome is not their primary concern.
They are not overly concerned if they do poorly on a test, nor are they afraid of upsetting their parents or worrying about the opinions of others. They are focused on the process of engaging with the content.
- Others become disorganized, lose their capacity to respond, and feel extreme pain and frustration, as if the world is ending, and they don't know how to recover. Others' perceptions of them are completely transformed.
Character development is a process, but confidence is key. Parents have a responsibility to nurture this in their children.
Example: When teaching children strategic chess formations, teachers should emphasize mastering the basics while encouraging exploration and innovation.
Cultivate a love for the learning content, blending knowledge, intuition, and creativity. This naturally leads to focusing on key issues, enjoying the process, and fostering a character that progresses a little each day.
Those who focus on the learning content and the process tend to perform well. If one solely focuses on results, cares only about others' opinions, and neglects the process, their performance will suffer. This causes them to overlook the joy of growth, and the beauty and value of the content itself.
Many parents today do not pay attention to their children's growth or the learning process. They only assign tasks and focus on efficiency, prioritizing learning above all else. They do not accompany their children in learning, focusing attention on the content, and nurturing a love for it. It is not about the grades, but about fostering a passion for the subject matter.
For a parent, it is crucial to accompany a child's growth and cultivate their interest in learning, for example, English, and to enjoy the process.
What happens when content is largely ignored and results are highly emphasized?
A child chess champion, who excels at school, often seeks out games with less skilled classmates to enjoy the feeling of being praised and victorious. He avoids failure, fearing the disruption of his perfect image.
Winning in school becomes solely about results, neglecting the learning process. Facing difficulties and setbacks becomes a detriment. An education system that only values good grades is a flawed system.
Nurturing the learning process and interest in children only requires a little time and patience. Do not envy those who are disconnected from the process. Parents should focus on content and encourage daily progress.
Cultivating Interest Over Chasing Results
When teaching a child to play the piano, one should also understand a little bit about it. Cultivating the child's interest, rather than learning for the sake of appearances, will ruin the child. The initial stage may indeed require strict demands, but these should be related to the substance of the content. If the content is well understood, the results will certainly be good. But what should we do if we cannot distinguish good from evil and blame our own strengths? We should face the pressure with composure, embrace learning, be willing to face failure and pressure, and strive for daily progress, placing little importance on external opinions. Even if parents behave this way, we must remain strong and courageous, steadfastly fighting against the dark forces behind it.
One must be very clear about having a strong capacity to withstand criticism and judgment, knowing that one is making daily progress, rather than being swayed by others' words. Have confidence in your own state, believe in what you enjoy doing, and persevere, trusting that it will yield results, in due time. Self-confidence is essential! It is the quality of being able to stand up after setbacks, to explode with strength under pressure, to be unbreakable and courageous, and to never give up. Resisting pressure is crucial, and the ability to become stronger in the face of adversity stems from a love for the content.
In summary: While a desire for growth can bring great disappointment, enjoying the content brings delight. Image theory stems from excessive concern for others' opinions, emphasizing results, and neglecting the process and enjoyment of the content. It leads to discouragement in the face of setbacks and failures. Journey theory involves children focusing more on the content. Facing failure becomes a learning experience, and because they inherently enjoy learning, they recover confidence and interest more quickly.
When nurturing children, focus on the content. If a child performs poorly on a test, carefully review the incorrect problems with them, cultivating their love for the content and building their confidence.