EDUCATOR Elaine Foster-Allen, Principal of Shortwood Teachers College has called for parents to become more actively involved in helping their children learn, suggesting that they both curtail television time and introduce homework policies.

Foster-Allen also insisted that parents need to help their children think more critically, implying that families should more frequently discuss current events and their implications.

She said further that Jamaica should follow other countries and introduce philosophy in the curriculum, suggesting that it was one of the best methods of getting persons to think about and critically analyse the things they see and experience.

“Too often our children go home to four hours of television with no adult intervention – nobody to say stop and think,” said the teachers college administrator. “I’ll tell you that many of our children cannot differentiate between fact and fiction on the (TV) screen.”

She adds that multiple research supports her claim.

The educator encouraged parents to spend more time with their children helping them to become critical thinkers.

“Ask questions about how they feel, about their own thoughts and ideas on things,” she suggests. “Apart from demonstrating that you yourself are interested in learning and that you will continue to be lifelong learners, you must have some policies on when homework is to be done.”

Foster-Allen urged parents to ask what she referred to as the “Socratic questions” – referring to the Greek philosopher – of what happens if; how do you feel; and are you aware.

“We need to find ways of developing critical thinking in our children, and there are many countries, where teaching children philosophy is now part and parcel of the school curriculum,” she said.

“Parents I would like to encourage you to put in place, what I call the infrastructure, the scaffolding for your children to learn to become scholars. These are the days when we are not just about rote learning. We are about teaching our children to learn how to learn.”

She adds that parents should invest time developing in their children the love of learning, which she said would feed a better quality student, who is oriented towards learning, into the classroom.

Foster-Allen made the comments while delivering the keynote address at the 12th Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony of Blue Cross of Jamaica held last month at Eden Gardens.

The health insurance company awarded 21 five-year scholarships valued at $1.6 million to children who entered high school this year.

Said Foster-Allen to the awardees: “You are worthy of the scholarship if you believe that you have the moral force of character to be obedient, to be trustworthy and to give yourself to service.”

Professor Errol Morrison, having advised the scholarship awardees that education represents one of the best engines for success, said that for the average the worker to cope with today’s technology, he or she needs at least 12 years of education.

He advised students to make the best use of the five or six years of high-school they have.

All the Blue Cross scholarships are renewed annually based on student performance. They must maintain a 75 per cent grade average, and produce good conduct certificates from their school principal.