Learning and the educational system

Children do not choose to go to school, they are sent there by their parents, society expects them to go to school and the law of the country prescribes compulsory education.

Once at school children are expected to learn fast and efficiently without causing any disturbance to the school system, and they have to learn in the way the teacher presents the material and according to the national curriculum. Expectations by parents, family and teachers are high as success in later life is determined by good educational results. A child may wish to go out and play with friends, watch television or rest longer, but for a school-aged child these are 'free-time' activities and free-time is the time left after school hours, home-work and daily chores are done. For many children there is very little 'free-time'.

This is how life is and millions of children follow this routine day after day. No wonder that motivation often is low, attention and concentration mostly can be better and exam results are lower than expected. It is not in the power of parents to change the educational system, but it is possible to help children perform much better at school, boost motivation and self-esteem and achieve higher grades in exams.

Learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge, understanding, behaviour or a new skill. Learning is a life-time endeavour, starting before birth in the womb and continuing till death. Some learning will occur consciously, whilst much learning will take place outside our conscious awareness. Learning does not exclusively have to take place in a dedicated environment, such as a school – young children, for instance, learn most of their social skills through play. In short: Learning = Life.

Do not confuse Learning with Education. Education is a system of learning, often centred around a school system devised by the government, based on uniformity and efficiency in order to teach all children certain skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. Every child will learn all the time, but some may find that the education system does not fit them very well. The SAS methods will help children to learn better and make the best use of the education input as provided by the school system. It will also improve the chances of passing those vital tests and exams.


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