Preparing for Quality Lifelong Learning Begins at Birth

Preparing for Quality Lifelong Learning Begins at Birth

by Elane V. Scott & Rick Stephens | B2W Radio: Janet Doman, part 1

Never in the history of our world has the need for large numbers of bright, articulate, resourceful people with great critical thinking capabilities been more important. The looming question is, whose job is it to prepare them? In this program, our guest is Janet Doman, Director of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP). She talks with us in about how today’s parents can successfully begin, right from the birth of their children, to prepare them for the physical, intellectual and social challenges they will face in the future that we can’t even imagine today.

It was my own week at the IAHP’s “How to Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence” course that made me realize how important my role was as a mother. I learned that the way I chose to meet the needs of my growing infant would affect her forever. It was axiomatic that the mother is the child’s best teacher. This was not a romantic notion, but the reality of nature giving specific drives and instincts to her to care for her child and make it ready for when it must be on its own. In society, daily talk about children and education typically centers on schools being the place where children learn what they need to function well. Yet, children are not in formal school settings more than 12% of their time. It is in their community and being among family and friends that dominate what children will learn and build their worlds around.

Problem-solving and critical thinking skills so hotly touted as the workforce skills of the future, begin to develop and mature from infancy when babies, youngsters, adolescents and young people are faced with demanding, life challenging problems to solve, not just paper problems. Without a mandate in life to stretch and apply what a person has learned, critical thinking is hard to develop. Parents provide children the opportunities and experiences in life to grow.

It is with great excitement and pride that I am able to share this first segment of our two-part interview on the potential of children to grow, develop critical thinking skills, and successfully meet the yet unknown demands of tomorrow, beginning at birth.

janet-doman

Janet Doman,
Director of the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential