The Importance of "Aha"--A Great Cue from Your Chilld
There is a new book in the long line of books aimed at explaining how great leaps or breakthroughs come about --whether they be the invention of the printing press, the development of radar, or the cracking of the DNA code. The title of this book, which is filled with wonderful tales, is Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas by Richard Ogle. The publisher, quite appropriately, is the Harvard Business School.
While few of us will ever get to play a role in truly revolutionary ideas, all of us throughout our lives are fortunate to experience some components of the breakthrough experience. The term commonly used to characterize this experience is the "aha" moment.
And children--who are in a much more active phase of learning than adults-generally experience it from more than we do. You can see it happening
when you are explaining something to your child and he or she suddenly looks up and with eyes bright with pleasure says something like "Oh, I got it."
When this happens, it is a sign that a real connection has been made. It means that whatever you have been discussing has really "clicked." It is a great marker to look for--since it both a delight to see and a sign to encourage you both to many more discussions that will lead to more "aha" experiences.
