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Fair warning, this might get long:
The most obvious aspect is that the time drawn out supposedly "teaching" was really not worth it in proportion to the simplicity of the task.
The first thing I noticed reading that thread was that she was already hungry at the beginning.
The most obvious aspect is that the time drawn out supposedly "teaching" was really not worth it in proportion to the simplicity of the task.
The first thing I noticed reading that thread was that she was already hungry at the beginning.
That would have been my first clue to go, okay, hm, maybe another time. You could always demonstrate the use of the can opener (observation is one really great way to learn, after all!) for the child, and then get into the mechanics once tummies were filled.
Let's say we missed that chance, though, and were deep into the question-and-answer session. At that point there's a good chance I would think 'Well, there's no going back now' and let my stubbornness see this through, as OP did in his thread.
But that's very much based on *my* reactions and urges as an adult, not what is best for the child. This might be a cultural difference, but in New Zealand (where I live) we try to put the child first.
The OP's daughter clearly communicated her needs (and her frustration) -
The OP's daughter clearly communicated her needs (and her frustration) -
sighs, asking politely, rolling her eyes, removing herself from the situation to avoid esclation... When those were ignored, she had to resort to yelling and tears (fair enough, if you ask me!). It really sucks that the adult in the situation decided to steamroll ahead,
without proper concern for the emotions she was quite compentently communicating. That's not healthy, period, much less conducive to a learning environment. 
As adults we focus a lot on hard skills - which are absolutely necessary to life and learning, yes.
As adults we focus a lot on hard skills - which are absolutely necessary to life and learning, yes.
But I'm of the belief that hard skills should always be seen in the context of learning dispositions ("soft" skills). Being curious, being a problem-solver, working as a team, being confident - these are all examples of learning dispositions, and every single life experience
shapes and stretches our dispositions - in other words, our likeliness to repeat those behaviours. These dispositions can be stretched either way, positive or negative.
I don't know if you've ever been forced to do something while crying and hating every second of it,
I don't know if you've ever been forced to do something while crying and hating every second of it,
but it doesn't exactly inspire you to go 'Wow, that was fun, I can't wait to do that again!'
I understand and empathise that OP was probably hoping to encourage his child's sense of curiosity, analytical thinking skills, and ability to apply prior knowledge to new situations
I understand and empathise that OP was probably hoping to encourage his child's sense of curiosity, analytical thinking skills, and ability to apply prior knowledge to new situations
