It Starts At Home: Letting Children Collaborate | Dr. Barbara Rogoff | TEDxSantaCruz

TEDx Talks

4 Jun 201509:09

Summary

TLDRThis talk highlights the importance of children's involvement in collaborative activities at home, contrasting the segregated lifestyle of middle-class children in the U.S. with the more integrated approach in Mayan communities. It emphasizes the dignity and value derived from contribution and the challenges faced by middle-class families in fostering collaboration. The speaker suggests that including children in household tasks without assigning individual chores can promote a sense of family unity and develop essential skills for teamwork and initiative.

Takeaways

🧑‍🔬 Research in a Mayan community in Guatemala has shown that children are competent and collaborative, even in challenging circumstances.
🏠 Middle-class children in the United States are often segregated from community life, which began about a century ago with compulsory schooling and child labor laws.
👶 Children naturally want to contribute and help out, as evidenced by examples of a three-year-old in Peru and the speaker's grandson.
🏡 Middle-class children in the U.S. are less likely to help at home voluntarily, often requiring chores and rewards, which can be a source of family stress.
🤔 There is a puzzle as to why middle-class children do not continue to help as they grow up, despite their innate desire to contribute.
🌎 Children in other communities, such as Mexico, are more likely to help at home without being asked, indicating cultural differences in parenting and values.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents in Mexico value their children's contributions and support their initiative, fostering a collaborative spirit from a young age.
🔄 Skills learned at home, such as collaboration, are carried over into other settings, benefiting children in activities like school projects.
🤝 Middle-class European-American children often divide activities or take turns, which does not foster the same level of collaboration as seen in children from other backgrounds.
👨‍👩‍👧 Parents can foster collaboration at home by working together with their children, valuing their contributions, and treating helping as a normal family activity.
🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of children contributing and collaborating for their development, effective teamwork, harmonious relationships, and world peace.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's research in the Mayan community in Guatemala?
-The speaker's research focuses on the competence and collaborative nature of children in the Mayan community and how it contrasts with middle-class life in the United States.
Why does the speaker suggest that the segregation of children from community life has gone too far?
-The speaker believes that while the initial segregation of children from working in factories was important, it has been taken too far to the point where children spend most of their time in adult-controlled settings, limiting their opportunities to contribute and learn collaboration.
What is the connection between children's contribution and their sense of human dignity and value?
-The speaker posits that making a contribution is a source of human dignity and value, and the lack of opportunity to contribute can negatively impact a child's sense of self-worth.
Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of collaboration for children's development and the world's challenges?
-Collaboration is an essential skill for children's development and is crucial for addressing global challenges, as it fosters a sense of community and the ability to work together effectively.
What is the general attitude of middle-class children towards helping out at home according to the speaker?
-Middle-class children generally do not help much at home voluntarily, often requiring parents to assign chores, use charts, and sometimes offer rewards or punishments for compliance.
How do children in other communities, such as in Mexico, differ in their willingness to help at home?
-Children in other communities, like Mexico, are more likely to help at home without being asked, and their parents value and include their contributions, supporting the children's initiative.
What is the role of the parents in fostering children's collaboration skills at home according to the script?
-Parents play a crucial role by including children in household tasks, valuing their contributions, supporting their initiative, and treating helping as a normal part of family life.
How does the speaker describe the behavior of middle-class European-American children in collaborative activities compared to children of Mexican heritage?
-Middle-class European-American children often divide activities or take turns without sharing ideas, while children of Mexican heritage are more likely to collaborate, share ideas, and work together.
What are some of the skills children learn from helping at home that contribute to their ability to collaborate?
-Children learn to align with others, be alert to their surroundings, considerate of others' efforts, and take initiative to help without being asked.
What is the speaker's final call to action for parents and the community regarding children's involvement and contribution?
-The speaker calls for parents and the community to include children, give them opportunities to contribute, and learn to collaborate, which is essential for their development and the world's harmony.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 The Impact of Segregation on Middle-Class Children's Collaboration Skills

The speaker reflects on 40 years of research in a Mayan community in Guatemala, noting the competence and collaborative nature of children there. This observation contrasts with the challenges faced by middle-class children in the United States, who are often segregated from community life. The speaker highlights the historical shift to compulsory education and the exclusion of children from the workforce as the beginning of this segregation. The result is a generation of children who spend most of their time in adult-controlled environments, limiting their opportunities to contribute meaningfully to society and learn collaboration skills. The speaker encourages the audience to consider the importance of children's contributions to family and community, using examples of children from different cultures who naturally help out at home without being asked or rewarded.

05:01

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Fostering Collaboration at Home: Lessons from Mexican Families

The second paragraph delves into the importance of children learning to collaborate through helping at home. It contrasts the attitudes of Mexican children, who view helping around the house as a natural part of family life, with those of middle-class European-American children, who often require incentives or assignments to participate. The speaker discusses the benefits of children learning collaboration skills at home, such as being able to apply these skills in other settings like school. The summary also points out that children from families where parents and children work together are more likely to collaborate effectively. The speaker suggests that parents can foster collaboration by working alongside their children, appreciating their efforts, and treating helping as a normal family activity. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for communities to include children and provide them with opportunities to contribute, emphasizing the importance of these skills for personal development, effective teamwork, harmonious relationships, and world peace.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Mayan community

The Mayan community refers to a group of indigenous people living in Guatemala who are part of the broader Mayan civilization. In the video, the speaker has conducted research in a Mayan community for 40 years, highlighting the competence and collaborative nature of the children there. This serves as a contrast to the challenges faced by middle-class children in the United States, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and collaboration.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the act of working together with others to achieve a common goal. It is a key concept in the video, as the speaker discusses the importance of children learning to collaborate from an early age. The video contrasts the collaborative skills of Mayan children with the challenges faced by middle-class children in the U.S., who often lack opportunities to contribute and collaborate due to societal structures that segregate them.

💡Middle-class life

Middle-class life refers to the lifestyle and socio-economic status of individuals who fall within the middle of the income distribution in a society. The video discusses the challenges of middle-class children in the U.S., who are often segregated from community life and have limited opportunities to contribute and collaborate, which can impact their development of important life skills.

💡Segregation

Segregation in the context of the video refers to the separation of children from community life, which began about a century ago with the requirement for all children to attend school and the exclusion of children from working in factories. The speaker argues that this segregation has been taken too far, leading to a lack of opportunities for children to contribute and learn collaborative skills.

💡Contribution

Contribution is the act of giving something, such as time, effort, or resources, to a cause or group. The video emphasizes that making a contribution is a source of human dignity and value. The speaker notes that the lack of opportunities for children in the U.S. to contribute to important endeavors can hinder their learning and development of collaborative skills.

💡Chore charts

Chore charts are tools used by parents to assign and track household tasks for children. In the video, the speaker mentions that middle-class parents often use chore charts, sometimes punishing children or paying them for compliance, which can be a source of stress in families. This method contrasts with the more inclusive approach of other cultures, where children are encouraged to help without being asked.

💡Initiative

Initiative refers to the ability to assess and initiate things independently. The video discusses how children in some cultures are supported in their initiative to help around the house, which is contrasted with the more structured approach of middle-class families in the U.S., where children may not develop this skill due to the assignment of chores.

💡Anthropologist

An anthropologist is a social scientist who studies human societies and cultures and their development. In the video, the speaker, an anthropologist, shares observations from their research in a Mayan community, providing insights into the collaborative nature of children in that culture compared to those in middle-class U.S. society.

💡Dignity

Dignity refers to the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect. The video mentions that making a contribution is a source of human dignity and value, suggesting that when children are given the opportunity to contribute, they experience a sense of self-worth and importance.

💡Cultural differences

Cultural differences refer to the variations in customs, beliefs, and practices among different societies. The video highlights the cultural differences between the Mayan community and middle-class U.S. society, particularly in how children are integrated into community life and their opportunities to contribute and collaborate.

💡Parental involvement

Parental involvement refers to the active role parents play in their children's lives, particularly in their education and upbringing. The video suggests that parents can foster collaboration in their children by working together with them on household tasks, appreciating their efforts, and treating helping as a normal part of family life.

Highlights

Forty years of research in a Mayan community in Guatemala reveals the competence and collaborative nature of children.

Middle-class life in the United States faces challenges due to children's segregation from community life.

The segregation of children began about a century ago with compulsory schooling and exclusion from factories.

Most children in the United States spend time in adult-controlled settings, limiting their opportunities to contribute.

Contribution is a source of human dignity and value, and its absence hinders learning to collaborate.

Children learn to collaborate by helping out at home, but middle-class children generally do not.

Middle-class parents often assign chores and use charts, causing stress and struggles over children's help at home.

Children everywhere naturally want to help, as seen with Anali in Peru and the speaker's grandson Soli.

Mexican parents include children in household tasks without asking, valuing their contributions.

Mexican children view helping at home as normal and part of being in a family.

Children who help at home are more likely to help in other settings, such as a science activity.

Mexican heritage children are more likely to collaborate and share ideas in activities.

Middle-class European-American children often divide activities and do not share ideas as effectively.

Children learn important collaboration skills by helping at home, such as aligning with others and taking initiative.

Parents can foster collaboration by working together with children and treating helping as a normal family activity.

Community involvement is essential for children to learn to contribute and collaborate, impacting their development and the world.