Famously , Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb . When a reporter asked , " How did it feel to fail 1,000 times ?" Edison replied , " I didn ' t fail 1,000 times . The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps ."
Innovation
Allied closely to fearlessness , because without self-belief , there would be very little in the way of experimentation , new ideas and creativity in this world .
People who have had their creativity valued , admired and praised from an early age are often the most innovative and creative adults . And creativity is more than just ‘ art ’, don ’ t forget . It ’ s a subject we explore in more detail here .
Our best advice for parents who want to foster creativity ? Only ever offer your child help when they ask ! Don ’ t add in extras to ‘ finish ’ their artistic masterpieces . Don ’ t straighten up those wonky decorative flourishes . Sit on your hands before finishing a puzzle for them . Let your child test their own hypotheses rather than give them your own answers . Every time you complete a task for your child , your message is ‘ someone else can do it better ’.
A message that many carry into adult life and work . Communication Coaching and successful communication came out pretty much on top of the list of important attributes at Google . Again , and to reiterate , these personal ‘ soft ’ skills ranked far above coding and science .
Why ? Well , what else could rank about human interaction ? What good is any other skill without being able to present your vision and ideas , clearly , cooperatively and with authority to your colleagues ?
How else to develop the success of your team than by being a coach , a leader AND a team player ? What does this mean for your child ?
We asked Sarah Rogers , CEO of EYES Middle East , a leading education centre for Early Years professionals in the UAE , for her opinion on the Google project . Sarah told us ,
" As an Early Years Educator , I was struck by the emphasis in the article ( and the subsequent comments ) on teaching these soft skills at university , whereas all the research shows that these need to be taught ( or rather modelled ) in the early years to truly imbed these skills in young children , building on them in subsequent schooling .
I have sat with university lecturers who have noted that it is too late to change students if they don ’ t already have these skills by the time they come to university . My view is that they are the foundation for everything and no matter what discipline you study at university , these ‘ study skills ’ underpin everything .
Or as we say in the early years sector , promoting ‘ equality , generosity , curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates , empathy , and emotional intelligence ’ is just what we believe is best practice to model and support every day in young children .’
At WhichSchoolAdvisor . com we encourage parents to place significant emphasis on their child ’ s early experiences and education .
Time with your child is never ‘ just babysitting ’, so value the professionalism and expertise of the staff in whichever Early Years setting you choose .
For young children , we should always remember to value play over the acquisition of academic knowledge ( for this can come later in life !).
As the world renowned Italian Educator , Maria Montessori said ‘ play is the work of children ’. A much used phrase perhaps , but one that cannot be over emphasised .
Childhood is when we acquire our most valuable , lifelong skills . Google – take note ! By Jenny Mollon , Which School Advisor