My name is Shinichi Suzuki and I was born on October 17, 1898, in Nagoya, Japan. My father was the owner of the first and largest violin factory in Japan. Having said this, it may come as a surprise to find out that I did not hear a violin being played until I was 17 years old. I fell in love with the instrument. I could not believe this instrument, which I had always believed to be a simple toy, could make such beautiful sounds.
Eventually, I began teaching children to play the violin. Doing this inspired the creating of my method, The Suzuki Method, Talent Education. I realized that children can learn music just as they learn to speak. For example, infants do not learn to talk by starting with printed letters and words. Instead, the child learns to listen, and then speak. Letters are then taught and gradually reading occurs. This development occurs naturally and with relative ease. I call this the Mother Tongue Method. We use this method with teaching – first listening, then practicing notes, and gradually playing the instrument occurs. If this type of natural learning can be applied to teaching other skills, I believe learning can occur successfully.
My Method is based on the following ideas:
- The human being is a product of his environment.
- The earlier, the better – with not only music, but all learning.
- Repetition of experiences is important for learning.
- Teachers and parents (adult human environment) must be at a high level and continue to grow to provide a better learning situation for the child.
My teaching also emphasizes parental involvement. It is critically important that my students be supported, guided, and genuinely encouraged at home; I believe that if love is deep, learning potential is unlimited. Additionally, given that learning by listening is an effective learning technique, students must be immersed in music even while at home.
I also emphasize kindness and goodness in my students. I believe music can help my student develop beautiful hearts, sensitivity, and endurance. Creating good citizens is at the heart of my wishes for my students and the foundation for my teaching. During lessons, I always encourage my students to be kind to everyone—their friends, families, and teachers. Often, I will assign them the task of doing good deeds for those they love.
My students are not musical geniuses although they play flawlessly at very high levels. I do no testing for ability before accepting students for lessons. All children, regardless of age, are capable of excellence if taught the right way, as the world has seen.
My method applies to this class by emphasizing that children are not born with skill - talent is not a "special thing" that only few people have. Do you agree with me? If not, how can we reach struggling students (especially those that enter our school systems already behind)?
I believe that when children have a supportive and loving environment, they have limitless potential. What is the role of educators in supporting students when this environment is not found at home?
I agree that children are not born with skill. However, I think all children are born with potential. A thorough education can provide the framework for moral and intellectual development.
ReplyDeleteI think educators are responsible for providing a structured environment in which all children can learn. It's also important that students learn good character traits at school, especially if the home environment does not provide it. This can be done through the study of literature.
~ Johann Herbart
I agree with Johann Herbart that teachers should provide a structured environment for children. I also feel that the earlier intervention is crucial to a child's education. Sometimes it is the teacher's role to provide a caring and nurturing environment as well. If students feel that they are cared for and safe they will respond in a positive manner.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Peabody
Johann and Elizabeth have views in which I agree. Students are able to acquire talent and skills with practice and hard work. Students that are already behind require much intervention such as reading recovery. Many of these students are also struggling at home and require much more from a teacher in the way of caring. If students trust you as a teacher and know that you care I have found they will work much harder to meet goals.
ReplyDelete-Marie Clay
I agree with you Suzuki about parent involvement being an important factor in a chil'd learning. However, if a child isn't getting the support at home that they need, then you can give them moral support at school. Allow them to discuss what is going on in their lives adn then making them feel important by allowing them to act theri situation out and then turning it into some type of lesson. This will allow their confidence to be boosted and they will feel important.
ReplyDeleteYou have enlightened me about music and how it relates to children's learning abilities. I too feel that we are not bron with talent-it stems from our urge to learn and practice. When a child comes in already "behind" we must reach this child by giving them the ideas they need to succeed and allowing them time to reach answers.
ReplyDeleteParental support is huge in the line of education but as you suggested this is not always found at home. I think by educators not telling students their opinions and allowing them time to form thier own and listen to others we are providing them self assurance and self respect (as well as respect for others).
-Eleanor Duckworth
Children whom are not loved at home are dreadful to deal with in the classroom. They tend to be very low in discipline skills and this is simply not tolerated in my school. Students of this nature will learn quickly that acting out in the classroom is a surefire way of being kicked out of our programming.
ReplyDeleteChildren should have an open and free environment in which to learn. Teachers should only be present to help guide the children. Lectures and seat work do not produce the best education.
ReplyDeleteDoes research support that children are not born with skill? All students have the potential to learn they just need to be find something they are interested in that will drive their learning. Educators can help by providing children with a wealth of books to help make up for the lack of reading at home.-Stephen Krashen
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great method for learning how to teach and understanding how children learn. However, I do think that learning music is a different type of learning than other types of learning. I applaud your ways of "listening" to what the children tell you and using that to teach, rather than imposing your own arbitrary ideas. I also agree that parental involvement and the environment are key. Without those, children are not able to flourish. Great work Shinichi! ~Horace Mann
ReplyDeleteYes! Parent involement is very important. But, if they are not receiving anything from home then the environment in which the teacher sets forth should supplement what they are lacking at home.
ReplyDeleteAll children have the potential to do anything they set their mind to. If children have the motivation and drive, they will all have some type of "talent".
Parents should play an instrumental role in their children's education. I do not agree with teaching children to play instruments unless it will be their trade in later life. Education should be focused on character development.
ReplyDeleteJean Jacques Rousseau (Emile)
I do not agree that children are born without skill. Children are able to learn on their own, given the chance. This is especially true for girls. Parents could play an important role in education as they can provide models of social roles. However, if children are not getting modeling and instruction in morals at home, then educators must take on these responsibilities in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think that each child is born with potential, not necessarily skill. I think that environment, educators, and parents help to develop these skills more quickly. Unfortunately, too often, students don't have the parental support like you're talking about. Educators need to compensate for this by providing support on all levels, academically, socially, emotionally, etc. This could mean helping students outside of school by tutoring, going to after school games, etc.
ReplyDelete-Hilda Taba
All children can benefit from an excellent education. I have seen children that others labeled "unteachable" transform in amazing ways given the right envioronment and instructional methods. The best thing for any child is to provide them with a carefully designed educational environment containing materials that allow the child to explore, concentrate, and learn by following their inherent desires. When a nurturing environment is not found at home, we can best serve the child by giving them the best possible environemnt in the classroom.
ReplyDelete-Maria Montessori
Each child is unique. They have their own interests and motivations. It is the teachers, parents and community job to find these interests and motivators to guide their education. This approach can be used with all children, not just those who struggle, are already behind or have little support at home.
ReplyDelete--Reggio Emilio
Congradulations on following your heart and in turn learning from it. That is the opportunity I provide for my students. I encourage children to follow thir interest and guide their own play. They learn to create, solve problems, and challenge themselves through play. I also encourage citizenship in my classroom. Children learn to create a democratic society through their social interactions at play. Supportive loving environments are important, sometimes they are not present in the home; all children are supported and encouraged to think and follow their natural inquisitiveness here.
ReplyDelete