Slow and Steady

We have all found at a time or two that the old proverb “haste makes waste” rings true. I’ve been letting this thought simmer in the back for my mind for a while now. As I watch my grandson I notice that he spends many hours, playing, practicing, repeating, and changing what he is exploring and therefore learning.  He picks up both familiar and unfamiliar toys and turns them over and around and looks at objects from all angles, sometimes trying to put them together or sorting them or even rejecting an object for his purposes at the moment – concentrating or focusing on what he is doing. He is deliberate in his actions and does not like to be interrupted. Many times – and days he returns to what is familiar then checks out new materials, combines, and sorts.

Several weeks ago as I climbed into the car, I turned on NPR and there was an interview on the radio. I wasn’t paying attention until I heard a world renowned musician being interviewed. (I so apologize that I didn’t catch his name just the essence of some of his words.) He was explaining his process for learning a piece. The bottom line was when learning a piece – the music is played very slowly and practiced deliberately over and over. The musician's feeling was that he could add speed later but to really understand all the nuances of a piece meant practicing slowly with deliberation.

I liken this to a connoisseur of wine or watching a gourmet savoring food as he/she hand waves the aromas toward the nose, then looks at the presentation of a dish noting texture and appearance, before taking that first forkful which is held on the tongue before swallowing. He/she then knows the bouquet- texture, all the ingredients including the subtle spices. 

These are just two of many incidents where approaching something slowly and deliberately seems to lead to expertise. Both the musician and the gourmet have had the time to truly develop their knowledge and craft by taking the time to take previous knowledge and intentional practice to get acquainted with the newest challenge.

My grandfather wouldalways say “slow down and savor the food.” As a child I never appreciated this as an adult it all fits together. When taking the time to eat there are many, many benefits, from the physical, to the mental health of being able focused and self-confident while gaining intentional and unintentional knowledge.

Children are caught with the speed of life that is being imposed on everyone. It appears that the push is to hurry up, finish, and move on to the next project.  There is no time to think, savor, explore, and discover the nuances and patterns of a subject or theme. For individuals to become strong, communicators (oral and written), readers, and mathematicians and develop strategies and thinking skills there needs to be time to develop some deep knowledge and strong thinking skills and strategies. Children who have had the time to practice and become knowledgeable have that old fashioned “foundation”. Then with encouragement the child can speed up, stretch into new areas and tackle with confidence new challenges. This allows children use the knowledge that
is secure to work through new material.

Think about it, this is how most people learn. First by looking and watching, then very slowly beginning often exploring with someone supporting, encouraging, and offering instruction to follow. Digging back into what is previous secure knowledge. Then the learner is in need of time for exploring and experimenting with the new information. To really learn a piece of music, or add two digit numbers, or learning to speak, it means going slowly to really understand and develop a sense of the subject and process of the learning. Lots of practice is involved.

As an observer of young children and educational issues it appears that in general many people are forgetting the need for children to start slowly to practice (a lot), to savor, and to learn the nuances of the basics. When a child is permitted to deliberately exam and interacts with material (real or symbolic) that child develops a “sense” of the learning, knowledge and understanding are increased, and self-confidence develops as a side affect.

Consider giving our children help, and direction and most of all time to focus, savor, and practice new knowledge(skill) and see how new thoughts fit with what is already known; developing strong habits for learning and a solid foundation – the speed will come later and with high quality.