From Marilyn Cain, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, UK
Your interview with Sugatra Mitra about children learning for themselves was fascinating (3 November, p 42). It chimed very well with research I did for a master's in education in 1989, on the role children wanted the teacher to play during group work. The 8-year-olds' conclusions were that the teacher should keep order, help with spelling, and wait to be invited into the group when needed for information.
One child said: “I like working in groups because you can discuss things and get other people's suggestions. I think the teacher should be sitting at their desk in case you need them. I don't like teachers interfering with what you are talking about.”
This research altered my classroom practice for the better – until top-down pressure squeezed this method out of the curriculum in favour of more testable routine. The surest way to develop potential in all children, regardless of their background and opportunities for education, is still independent learning. Natural curiosity and enthusiasm to know will stimulate a life long desire to learn.
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