How a Child Grows

Barriers

Every three years a child is supposed to take a new barrier.

A mother brings a three-year-old child to kindergarten.

He is here for the first time, he is afraid, he clings to his mother. One object is in the field of attention.

But if this is a healthy child, after some time he separates from his mother and runs to play - not with children, but with toys.

Many objects are now in the field of attention.

This was the barrier of three years.

The Barrier of 6 Years

If you have children of your own and / or have observed how children grow, you have probably noticed that learning is limited by maturation.

He has already learned all the letters - but cannot read a word!!!

But do not be sad. The age comes, and the letters assemble themselves into words.

All over the world, between the ages of 6 and 7, children come to school, and all of them read, write, and count.

Notice that all three operations require control over a linear process.

Somewhere earlier, at 2-3-4 years, the child moves from one toy to many toys.

We will call this the levels of the field of attention.

One object
Many objects
One process

And what comes next?

Many processes?

How can this be seen?

Here are two examples from my personal observations. The experiment is reproducible, but to see what I saw one needs a theoretical model.

First Observation

I worked in school twice, both times for two school years in a row.

As a substitute teacher I was sent to all ages, and I have the possibility to compare.

Let us compare together.

I come as a substitute teacher to elementary school, grades 1, 2, 3.

I give the task: open the textbooks, open the notebooks, write.

Everyone writes, silence, only noses sniffling.

And now I am in fifth grade.

I give the task. I turn to the board - behind me there is buzzing, everyone is discussing what is happening.

How is this connected with the field of attention?

At 6-7 years a person sees one process: my notebook, and I am writing in it.

At 11-12-13 years a person sees many processes: here is my notebook, and here is the neighbor’s notebook, and I see both at once.

Second Observation

The lessons are over.

I look out the window at the football field, where a first-grade class of at least ten children is playing football against two fifth-graders and losing without scoring.

How is this possible?

Like this.

One fifth-grader runs around the field with the ball, and all the first-graders run after him in a crowd.

Having pulled this crowd to the edge of the field, the fifth-grader passes to the center, and his friend scores a goal.

And so ten times!

How can this be possible at all?

Like this.

First-graders can hold one process in the field of attention. They cannot hold many processes.

Fifth-graders can.

Third Observation

I was present at an American school celebration when the whole parallel completing elementary school staged a performance.

Everyone participated.

Their participation in the role system was a sign that they were ready for the next stage of education.

In Short

3, 6, 9, 12 - every three years the field of attention moves to a new level.

The following levels may be reached, or may not be reached.

15 - transition to theoretical consciousness, to the discussion of a worldview.

18 - inventiveness.

21 - understanding many cultures.