Love of Learning

While I agree with the statement that watching too much television is not good for you it does at times provide learning opportunities.

“They sit and stare and stare and sit until they’re hypnotised by it ……. “ ~ Roald Dahl “ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory “   

Watching detective programmes can also develop learning skills. My current favourite is Chicago pd, and I enjoy trying to work out the answers with the intelligence detectives. This week Mimi read me an article from her local newspaper about a policeman who was retiring. When I questioned her about what detectives did she said they looked for clues which they linked together to work out who had done the crime.

“In mystery books, clues come flying out of nowhere in every single chapter.” ~ Vila Gingerich

In the course of an investigation, the detectives find many clues. To solve the crime they need   decide which one’s are relevant and develop an appropriate strategy to identify the bad guys. To achieve success the detectives use a systematic approach to solving the problem. They create a timeline, and then working slowly and carefully, they connect objects, people and events according to relationships.

“Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool, the essence of human intelligence. “ ~ Marilyn Ferguson

At heart, we are all detectives and explorers. By helping your child to make connections and see how things are related to each other, you can help them to expand their thinking. Making connections will help your child to achieve success in academic subjects like English, mathematics and the sciences is an essential life skill as it allows us to understand and be successful in the world we live in.

  “When you have fun then you are more interested in learning. “ ~ Magnus Carlsen

In recent years more parents are choosing to home school their children. While in the past the parents would teach their own children, now there are a number of options available to them. You can have a tutor come to your house, use an online teacher like myself or join an online school programme.

While the online schools may seem like a good idea because they offer a teaching approach similar to the teaching that the child would have had at school prior to lockdown, finding the right fit for your child can be a case of hit and miss. Teaching online and in the classroom especially in the foundation phase is not the same and teachers have had to adapt their teaching methods to accommodate distance learning.  

A few months ago, I met with a teacher who was running an online school. One of the children I teach was joining the programme to prepare him to move on to a higher grade next year. One of her first comments was that her approach was serious not fun like mine. This made me think about the benefits of making learning fun.

Children do not all learn in the same way and at the same rate. When teaching children who still need to use concrete materials to develop understanding and are not engaged by traditional methods of learning, it is time to think outside of the box.

Working one on one with your children, learning about their interests and hobbies, has enabled me to create an individualised, creative teaching method for each of them, which makes learning fun. Incorporating your children’s interests in the lessons gets them excited about what they are learning. As the children are more enthusiastic and engaged, they absorb the new information more easily. During the hands-on-learning opportunities having their hands and their brains are simultaneously busy helps children to retain and understand the information better, and because the process is enjoyable they are willing to take risks which leads to success with application.

Please let me know if you have a friend who could benefit from one-on-one teaching.

Pleasing Project Ps

Problem Solving

However well you may have prepared for a project something may have been overlooked.         While you may need to go back to the shops, before you do so make use of the opportunity to help your child to develop problem solving skills.

“Every problem has a solution. You just have to be creative enough to find it.” ~ Travis Kalanick ~

 1.      Brainstorm ways to solve the problem.

2.      Come up with 5 possible solutions.

3.      Discuss the pros and cons of each solution.

4.      Pick a solution and test it out.

 Children face a various problems everyday day both academically and socially. By helping your child to think what they could use instead of a missing glue stick you are teaching them valuable problem solving skills which will help them as they make their way through school and beyond.

 Precision

Sometimes close enough is good enough but with projects like baking and woodwork that involve measuring precision is essential to achieve success. Working with accuracy is a skill, which needs to be developed in children. While it is disappointing when brownies flop and a model does not turn out the way your child thought it would, mistakes are learning opportunities. While your child may be upset and want to give up , explain why it’s important to slow down and work carefully and then help them to come up with a solution.

 Following an example develops many skills including accuracy, observation and comparison. I have found a lovely website called artforkids, which teaches children how draw through step-by-step videos. As the children follow the artist, being able to pause and go back will help them to copy his picture. While at first their pictures may not be exactly like his, as he says with practice they will become more accurate.

  Presentation

In a project, marks are also given for presentation and creativity. To assist your child with these areas start early so that they will have plenty of time to put into their work and discuss examples with them. A bold title, neat work and use of colour will all help your child to score a good mark. Illustrations and models are also assessed for creativity and originality. While some children prefer to use pictures that you have downloaded for them, encourage them to also include their own drawings and paintings. They may not be as accurate or detailed as the other pictures but they will be original and the teacher will be able to see that your child has put a real effort into their project.