From owner-freebsd-chat Fri Jul 3 20:00:54 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id UAA29238 for freebsd-chat-outgoing; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 20:00:54 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from phoenix.welearn.com.au (suebla.lnk.telstra.net [139.130.44.81]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id UAA29230 for ; Fri, 3 Jul 1998 20:00:49 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from sue@phoenix.welearn.com.au) Received: (from sue@localhost) by phoenix.welearn.com.au (8.8.5/8.8.5) id NAA18822; Sat, 4 Jul 1998 13:00:37 +1000 (EST) Message-ID: <19980704130033.12105@welearn.com.au> Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 13:00:33 +1000 From: Sue Blake To: Greg Lehey Cc: David Caldwell , FreeBSD Chat Subject: Re: Beginning user's OS (was: Here is a really odd question!!!) References: <19980703010915.6825.qmail@hotmail.com> <19980703124514.H358@freebie.lemis.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 0.88e In-Reply-To: <19980703124514.H358@freebie.lemis.com>; from Greg Lehey on Fri, Jul 03, 1998 at 12:45:14PM +0930 Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org On Fri, Jul 03, 1998 at 12:45:14PM +0930, Greg Lehey wrote: > On Thursday, 2 July 1998 at 18:09:15 -0700, David Caldwell wrote: > > Hello, > > My name is David Caldwell and I have a question that is sure to generate > > some curiosity amongst those who read it (as well as some laughs). > > I would like to know if this is a "good" operating system to start a > > young mind in learning to use a computer? The operating system that they are motivated to use. You show them a range of what is available, and give them the perspective required to make a choice. In the process you might find out a little more about what their real motivations are. Tell them it's a temporary system for trying out, stand by to make up for any educational deficiencies in the chosen operating system, and be ready to switch to another after a suitable period of learning (about the children and about yourself, as well as about the operating system). > > Here is what I am proposing so that you will get a better understanding > > of what I am asking for. > > I have a9 year old daughter and an 8 year old son who both have more > > curiosity about "how does your computer work Dad???" than I did when I > > bought my first TRS-80 model 3. It's hard to know what children really mean when they say things like that. Often they don't have a clear idea themselves until they're given more information and experiences. Could be that the strongest part of the motivation is one of the parts that the child cannot articulate: they want to have an interest in common with an admired adult, and perhaps by doing so they will earn a place beside him while he engages in the activity which currently separates him from them. If this is the case, to put them in the corner with a unix box studying manuals while you "work" with windoze would be the cruelest thing you could do. Consider the number of times you, as a parent, have played sports you detest, sat through disgusting TV shows, driven the family to noisy uncomfortable places, put on a silly hat, or read mind-numbingly stupid stories in order to enter your children's world. Why wouldn't they want to do the same to enter yours? Children have different timing. To harness their interest they need quick rewards and short range goals. Every activity is potentially frustrating to a small growing human, and even the easiest and most rewarding task will teach them about consistent effort and waiting for delayed rewards. There is no need to impose a large extra dose on them. > > My son at this moment is having some > > difficulty with his reading skills and doesn't really try that hard when > > I try to coax him into reading to me,so I thought that I would use his > > "want to know about a computer" to good use and set him up with a crash > > box 486 and a totally different operating system than the windows unit > > that he sees me working with. I don't know about children, but when adults are learning to read for the first time what they need is success, success, and more success. They want stuff they can read and enjoy or benefit from fairly quickly, not reading matter that reminds them of their deficiencies and makes the reading experience memorable for its unpleasantness or humiliation. Surely children have these feelings too. If children are similar, reading computer manuals in order to learn would be a massive turn-off for both reading and computing. > > I am at a loss as far as my daughters math skills but any suggestions > > there would be helpful. I have taught basic mathematics to adults and children who needed special help. In nearly every case, their main problem was a history of failure with mathematics and the belief that they will always fail in the future. It takes a great many experiences of success in the absence of failure over a period of time to correct their view of their relationship with the topic. This is very hard work on the part of the teacher or helper, but when followed to its completion you generally end up with someone who is so impressed with their own ability to succeed that it's damn hard to get them to stop talking about numbers! It is common for children who have been given self esteem through solving their maths blockage to become better at mathematics than their peers. Not only do they know they can do it, they have pride and motivation that comes from within. When approaching computers, look carefully at the balance between failure and success as viewed from the learner's perspective. Control this balance and you control learning, motivation, and your own credibility with them when it is time to offer advice that seems contrary to their current limited experience. -- Regards, -*Sue*- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message