I was watching a recorded program from a few weeks back and noticed that ABC (the Australian one) was airing a report on 'Learned Optimism' and how it had been used at Gelong Grammar School to encourage children to... Be more optimistic, I assume, that part wasn't very clear. The part that was clear, though, is that they were absolutely certain it was a good thing. Apparently, the course aims to "teach children optimism the same way they are taught spelling or arithmetic", and that's where I have a problem.
I don't think there's anyone who disputes the product of 4 and 5 or the selling of hedge (unless there's a u involved somewhere, but that's a cultural thing), but in a field as subjective as child psychology I don't think a standardised curriculum quite cuts the mustard. I'm also not so sure my children should be assessed on their happy-go-lucky attitudes in the same way they are assessed on their understanding of long division. Children are impressionable little things, how do you think you'd react if your primary school teacher told you that you weren't very good at being happy?
I don't think there's anyone who disputes the product of 4 and 5 or the selling of hedge (unless there's a u involved somewhere, but that's a cultural thing), but in a field as subjective as child psychology I don't think a standardised curriculum quite cuts the mustard. I'm also not so sure my children should be assessed on their happy-go-lucky attitudes in the same way they are assessed on their understanding of long division. Children are impressionable little things, how do you think you'd react if your primary school teacher told you that you weren't very good at being happy?