The Centre for Family Literacy (2004) reported “rhymes, chants, songs
and storytelling create a rich environment for language development”
regardless
of the language used because “children learn through rhythm, rhyme and
repetition.”
Musical activities, including singing, were practiced by
almost all parents we interviewed. For example, activities included singing
and playing a musical instrument and singing together at home, at church or
in the car. A parent of a 14 year old says of her daughter, “She writes
songs all the time”
; a parent of another 14 year old said playing guitar
“is his passion.”
Two parents said their children have weekly music
lessons—two children 8 and 10 have weekly piano lessons and two children
7 and 14 have weekly guitar lessons. One parent said “music is a very integral
part of our lives.”
It may be that parents do not have the knowledge and tools to help their children
maximize their potential, or perhaps parents are unaware of the effect their
modeling behavior has on their children. For example, Grieve (2003:42) suggests
parents “look at our attitudes towards ourselves and towards learning.
We can talk about the negative messages we often give ourselves, and how we
sometimes sabotage our own efforts. We can explore how to give ourselves more
positive messages. Similarly, we can look at how our actions either support
learning or create further barriers to learning.”
This may explain the
wide range of passive and active modeling behavior respondents reported.
Social and cultural excursions are informal learning activities. The IALSS research collected information on activities such as visits to trade fairs, guided tours at museums, art galleries or other locations and learning by watching and taking advice from others. The IALSS found that approximately 72 percent of adults in the Prairie provinces engaged in passive modes of informal learning (Statistics Canada, 2005b). Passive informal learning includes activities such as using videos to learn, reading manuals and learning by trying new things.
The respondents in our study were involved in both active and passive informal learning modes. Almost all respondents said they had taken their children on cultural or educational outings such as going to the TELUS World of Science, art galleries, Royal Alberta Museum, Fort Edmonton Park, Valley Zoo, Citadel Theatre and Ukrainian Cultural Centre. Parents also took their children to festivals such as the Fringe Festival, Heritage Festival, Edmonton Folk Fest, Klondike Days and Taste of Edmonton. While IALSS referred to informal learning of adults, the effects of these activities also pertain to children as they are introduced to different forms of learning. Festivals and other attractions provide a fun way to learn.