First Blog

From first history class we took in our schooling days we all sort of understood that our communication skill, either verbal or written is one of the biggest functions, which separated us from other primates.

In our first book in this class, “The Cultural Origin of Human Cognition by Michael Tomasello"Here pointed out that one of unique cognition skill: “to understand of others as intentional being like the self” (Page 6) is the key to this separation and development to Homo sapiens.  Because of this unique quality human primates had, they invented communication skill - language which lead us farther deeper to development of culture.

I wonder what it is like to be a one of first people to recognize and practice this unique skill.  As Dr. Plumb said in last Tuesday class, it might happened among children, and maybe between girls?   I agree with him saying it had to be among women.  It had to be something to do with Food too.  Women love to gather, so probably, they are the ones started recognizing others as “intentional being.”  Maybe women’s Maternal Instinct was the key to open this unique door.(?)

This unique quality that human had formed a new social cognition, which Tomasello called “sociogenesis and cumulative cultural evolution.”  When we learn new things from others, we became a member of the culture.  Tomasello is telling us in this book, “ There is an connection between adults’ active instruction of children and the earliest form of cultural learning. “ (Page 81)  He also said that most significant event of human culture is “Adults actively instruct youngsters.”  It is interesting to learn that 9 months – 12 months old is the time child start recognize others as intentional being like themselves.  Maybe that is why we celebrate Birthday every 12 months.(?) 

Then the language comes in.  Tomasello said in this book, “ there is not question that acquiring and using a natural language contributes to, even transforms, the nature of human cognition.”   Using language is a key for child to walk into a culture and develop it more.  But in order to learn a language, it has be “a joint attentional work between adults and child,” Tomasello explained.  And this would happen more naturally in a curse of daily life than adult giving instruction to child.  For earlier development of child is not in schooling, it is coming from daily events that adult and child are doing. (Page 95)

We have a Saying in Japan, which my grandmother and mother used to say many times, “The child is father of the man.” (Note: there is a direct translation in the link, and I believe that is a mistake. If I do direct translate, I would say, "The soul of three years old will go up to 100 years.")See here  It means “The nature and habits developed when young, becoming a metaphor even out the old,” and also it means, “3 years old is the key age to start teaching her/him basic discipline of our society.” Here I believe that people back in old time knew that somewhere around 3 years old was the time child form his /her personality (base of character).  Some mothers misunderstand this Saying and they are trying to discipline children by 3 years old, but I believe it means most likely “importance of first 3 years is to give child a sense of security and a sense of basic trust, self-affirmation, that would foster the child’s cultural learning skill.” Also Here

I feel the important information I gained in last Tuesday class is that child from 9 months old to 12 1/2 years old is the time they would acquire a lot of information from others and that is the crucial years for child to develop cultural learning skill. (Dr. Plumb called " Cultural Acquisition time.)  Combined this with our Saying "The child is father of the man," which I have been hearing all my life in Japan,  I came to believe that building the base of this cultural learning skill is the most important event in child and adult activity during that time.

You might hear some examples from some other people, however, back in my country and most of Asian countries, young students are stressed out about getting better grades and getting admitted for better schools.  I see adults not just support them to learn something, but pushing them too much to learn even if child is not interested in.  Also there is the opposite of above scene; child doesn’t get any support or help from anyone and child has no clue how to learn what she is interested in.   Usually, this child doesn’t learn as same pace as others and she was left behind.

For me, it is not important for my children to be able to do Grade 9 math when they are 7years old.  What Tomasello said in the book, I think, it confirms what I used to hear from my grandmother and mother.  For child development, for them to become a part of our culture, adult and child need to work together.  But I know there are some people who didn’t have the good history of childhood learning situation, but later on, when they were able to be in an environment to acquire their interests, they do very well as an adult. I believe that helping child to learn language or anything during the Cultural Acquisition time is not only limited to materials.  It has to be also “minds.”  Adult need to help child prepare to learn anything that child is or will be interested in.  Adult need to be there to knock on the door of child's capacity and capability in order for child to acquire new things from others in child’s coming years. 

Even if child was never in a good learning environment to get support from adult during this cultural acquisition time, if somehow, she or he was nurtured in a way to create a base of this "Bucket" within, she or he is able to put things in much later in her or his life when she or he encounters an opportunity.  That is how I see Tomasello’s theory.  And this “base of bucket” should be consisted of security and trust toward to this world and others.  

As an adult educator, it is good idea to know that most people who come back to study have probably this “bucket” already there, and they might need a help to find it within them.  But if somehow, we noticed this “bucket” is missing in someone, we probably need  some other (professional?) help to re-build this “bucket” within.   (Some what like the movie "Good Will Hunting") Here.

More I go through life with my family, and from some readings, movies, and other medias, more and more I like to emphasize the importance of this "mind."  I have not finished this Tomasello's book yet, so I am just stating from what I have read and what we discussed in our class,  but I think what human primates had as a unique cognitive skill many years ago is what we call now “minds.” 

I am pretty happy to be in Canada right now with my children.  I don't think my children would do well in that kind of competitive educational environment Asian countries have right now.