Minimal intervention, maximum learning

Children could well learn more from their squabbles if adults reduce their intervention to a bare minimum

Do you remember what happened the last time you got into a fight as a youngster, either with your siblings, someone in your apartment or in the classroom? Chances are that an adult intervened, be it elders at your house or apartment, or a teacher, if you were at school. A by researchers at Hiroshima University in Japan, with participation from early childhood educators from both Japan and the U.S., however, suggests that this might not always be the best strategy to deal with the situation. Their findings, which have been published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, suggests that a hands-off approach when children fight might not only serve the purpose, but also create opportunities for autonomy and encourage ownership for solutions. The research, which was an attempt to explore and understand why Japanese early childhood educators do not intervene in such situations, offers a new possibility that can be implemented in other countries based on their cultural and regulatory requirements.