The author used a lot of data and materials to demonstrate and explain that it is more helpful for children's success to cultivate generalists and broaden their boundaries.
All along, we have been brainwashed by an educational concept, that is, we can't let our children lose at the starting line. To this end, many parents reported many interest training classes to their children as soon as they learned to speak. It seems that if they develop a certain skill one day earlier, their children will have one more chance to surpass other children.
Parents who are not to be outdone even give their children interest classes crazily. When the child seems to have some special skills, or the parents have some unfinished wishes, they try to push the child in this direction.
If children draw well, they are bent on making them painters; If you think that children seem to have some sports expertise, you will put all your hopes on sports.
It is understandable that parents want to cultivate their children into valuable people. However, they don't know that if they focus too much on a certain field and ignore other growth possibilities, it may be detrimental to their growth and success.
"Haste makes waste", I believe many people have heard this sentence, but not many people can really slow themselves down.
This is especially true in learning. No matter the students themselves, parents and teachers, many people hope to improve their grades and see the learning effect in a short time. It is best to spend as little time as possible.
When parents are helping their children with their studies, they feel even worse when they see that their children are confused after finishing their homework. They can't wait to tell their children all the problem-solving processes at once to avoid their pain.
While imparting knowledge, teachers also want to teach students all the knowledge, so that students can master and understand it as soon as possible.
The original intention of parents and teachers is understandable, but they ignore a problem, that is, learning should be both persistent and flexible, and blindly pursuing speed and simplicity is the problem.
The author mentioned a concept in the book: agreeable difficulty.
What do you mean? It means that there will always be some obstacles in the process of learning. In the short term, these obstacles will make learning more challenging, make the learning process more difficult and make learners depressed. But in the long run, it is beneficial.
In the process of learning, in order to get the answer to the question, learners should look for it themselves in the process of learning, not directly given by others. When the problem is overcome, the answer gradually emerges. By using questions, learners can establish contacts, deeply understand and master knowledge, and gain more lasting memories.
What is the best way to learn? The author tells us that although the road to learning is "long and difficult", it is not only slow, but also may not perform well at present, but these difficulties are precisely to make people perform better in the future.
Take your time, it's faster. All efforts and efforts can be seen in time.
Excessive learning behavior: Professionals have been facing the same challenge and repeating the same reaction again and again until this reaction becomes an automatic behavior, so that they don't even realize that it is a specific tool for a certain situation.
In this book, there is an impressive example.
In four fires in the 1990s, 23 field fire-fighting elites refused to put down their tools and took them with them.
The researchers also found a similar phenomenon in naval sailors: when abandoning the ship, the sailors ignored the order to abandon the steel-toed shoes, and as a result, they punctured the life raft or drowned directly; On the damaged fighter, the pilot refused to skydive; When karl wallenda, an internationally renowned high-altitude tightrope walker, fell from the sky, his first reaction was to grab his balance bar, not the cable below.
Because people are unwilling to give up their familiar tools, they finally turn things into tragedies.
In the author's view, it seems particularly difficult for experienced professionals to put down familiar tools and face unfamiliar situations, because they are used to relying on "excessive learning behavior".
"If a worker wants to do a good job, he must sharpen his tools first", a good tool, plays an inestimable role in the success of a thing.
Here, "tools" are not just the specific objects we need to make an article. For example, if we want to fertilize potted plants and change soil, we must use tools such as shovels. If we want to assemble a cupboard, we need tools such as screwdrivers.
At the same time, "tools" can also represent our ability and knowledge to accomplish or realize something. If you want to make a form, you need to use office software; If we want to lose weight by swimming, we must have the basic skills of swimming.
We have to admit that everyone's time and energy are limited, and so are their knowledge and skills. We spend most of our time on one thing, so the time spent on other things will inevitably be shortened.
A while ago, I was watching "Braving the Wind and Waves Sister 2". There are singers and actors in it. Some people may have excellent acting skills, but they may not be good at singing and dancing. Some people sing well, but they are not necessarily good at dancing.
Everyone has areas that he is not good at and areas that make him uncomfortable. But the most touching thing about "sisters" is that they are not afraid of the unknown, dare to explore and dare to break their comfort zone.
There is nothing wrong with sticking to what you are familiar with, but when you go to a less comfortable and familiar place, you may find another world.
So when we say that putting down familiar tools and stepping out of the comfort zone is to turn more unfamiliar areas into our comfort zone, and then gradually expand our familiar "territory".
In The Boundaries of Growth, the author mentioned that Auggie Ogas, director of the "Mind, Thinking and Education" project at Harvard University and a computer neuroscientist, discovered those successful people and studied their career paths.
It is found that almost everyone, whether architect Piano tuner or some excellent individual organizers, has taken an unusual path, which makes them who they are today.
It seems that their road to self-exploration is not so smooth. In the process of growing up, they gave themselves more possibilities and experiences.
I don't set limits for myself. Through various attempts, I determined what suits me, and finally achieved impressive results.
Admittedly, we may not be able to extend the length of life, but we can expand its width.
Turn our worries and fears about the future into curiosity and attempts, keep our desire for learning and discovery, be as curious as children, and expand our boundaries, and our life will open up endless possibilities.