3 Things I’ve Learned from The Study’s Child-Driven Learning in the 21st Century Seminar

I didn’t think teaching our children could this be intense. Transitioning from homeschool to traditional was more painful.

Oh, pulling our hair out? It’s normal to moms, ya’ know!

However, the insights my partner and I learned from the homeschooling community were helpful to becoming a better “teacher” to our children. We’ve learned to embrace mistakes, gracefully. One of which is adapting to the digital age.

Enderun Extension is another initiative of Enderun Colleges. This department is similar to tutoring centers focusing in collaboration, high productivity, creativity, and ingenuity.

Such were the things I’ve learned in the recent seminar headed by the Extension program of Enderun Colleges. The speakers shared their knowledge on how we could teach our children in the 21st century.

Here are the 3 things I’ve learned from the seminar:

3. Take adequate time to bond with them

To fully understand our children, especially, if you are raising a “screenager or a teenager who is always staring the computer screen,” a term coined by one of the speakers, Rita Atienza, is to bond with them as much as possible.

Reading is one of the many great bonding moments you can do with your children. (Photo by homeandfamily.org)

This is one of the many ways to unleash their potential. Essentially, depriving them of using gadgets or Internet usage could develop rebellion. This is the time they would learn how to sneak out to watch their favorite shows or play their games.

Interestingly, Mrs. Atienza brought up an example of handling a toddler or a grade schooler who is hooked on the game Minecraft.

Little did I know, Minecraft teaches them soft skills, which are critical in life.

She shared how her granddaughter learned what “parameters” mean by building a swimming pool in the Minecraft world.

Essentially, bonding with your children would uplift their self-esteem, boost their self-confidence, and improve their problem-solving skills.

2. Encourage them to have a “growth mindset”

I’ve read and romanticized with books about leadership and mindset but Mrs. Atienza’s adaptation left me hungry for more.

Rita Atienza is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Math from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Trained under Jay Mctighe and Grant Wiggins on Authentic Education, she has been a consultant for schools in New Jersey for 9 years now and has written curriculum designs for schools in Maryland, Georgia, and New Hampshire. 

She thoroughly explained the difference between fixed mindset and growth mindset. As it turns out, the society has been blinded by “fixed mindset.” We need to teach them how to plan and create survival steps. This way, they will grow independent and learn to be innovative.

Thankfully, people are now more mature and open-minded. Thus, developing a growth mindset. For instance, we now see more positive thoughts shared online, we come across inspiring articles about living our lives to the fullest, and we provide productive ways to beat our daily struggles in life.

1. Respect and accept who our children truly are

Acceptance and respect: two powerful things we all have difficulty doing. It’s hard to accept things we don’t understand. It’s hard to respect someone if the person has done bad things to you. It’s hard to respect someone who has tested our intelligence online. It’s hard to accept defeat, and the list goes on.

But in reality, we have to learn how to respect who they really are. It’s the only way to teach them how to be respectful to others.

In between sessions, Mrs. Atienza asked us to write down things we would like to enhance or change the way we teach our children and let me share it with you:

That from now on. I’d (1) respect who they are and (2) I will (always) communicate with them.

The teachers from different schools and I attended a sample session of Enderun Extension program.

How do we prepare our children in this digital world would increase their survival rate in the future. And how do we do it? We must bond with them, encourage them to have a growth mindset, and respect who they are.

Remember, there’s no such thing as bad parenting – to each his own, so to speak. As long as we have an open-mind and respect to one another, we could live in peace and harmony.

What are your parenting struggles in this digital world? Let’s exchange notes by leaving a comment below!