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Mary G
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| Posted: June 17 2009 at 8:11am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
Barbara C. wrote:
| I think the thing that helped me the most was looking at where we were different. I am SUCH a VISUAL learner and I was being very reluctant about doing things that were too far out of my comfort zone like spontaneous activities or hands-on projects, which appeal to her. I am also not good with creative things; I prefer to follow the directions. So I'm trying to find that balance between her needs and mine. |
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What she said!  |
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Exactly!
Another thing to remember is that the test should be given to the kids every few years ... my littles are VERY much tactile/kinesthetic learners right now but that will probably change a bit as they get more adept at reading and synthesizing. My 18yod is VERY auditory -- because she's been in "real" school more than homeschool?????
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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ALmom
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| Posted: June 17 2009 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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Ok, the two books that Jennifer recommended were the ones I found immensely helpful - and besides I borrowed them from her so no bill, yet (though I do plan to order them when the budget allows).
I think more than anything, it was an eye opener to MY learning style - and how different everyone else's is from mine. I have always hated group projects, I like lots of detail all lined up in a row to follow it down the logical path. I talk and talk and use lots of words in order to reflect. If I'm tackling something new or unfamiliar, I try to get all the depth of information I can, I begin to outline or jot notes and try to line things up. If this something new is my children's weak area, I will have lost them in about 2 seconds. Science has been such a chore for us - now I have an insight into what is losing them and some idea of how to help, even if it is to delegate this subject once we hit higher level. Now, it doesn't mean I hadn't noticed some things on my own about the children before reading this book - and made adjustments in schooling. I didn't understand how my science guy learned science, but whatever he was doing worked so I simply asked him what he needed, etc. Whatever I'd tried before hadn't worked with anyone else. I also found it fascinating to see one of my children do untold number of things that seemed to help her learn - so I didn't squelch it. I promise you, these are not things I would have thought of. It has enriched and stretched me though, as I bite my tongue and sit on my hands and let them spend extra time doing something that seems - well - so much more like play than learning to me (because for me these very things would be worthless as a means to learning). It has helped my confidence to have this instinctual way confirmed - and given me a little more insight into when and why it helps so I can distinguish the slipping out of what I don't like to play at what I do like from the this is essential to my learning kind of things. It also lets me know the things that I need to make sure happen for each child - not that they weren't already obvious, but it helps me remember to not neglect to work on weaknesses just because they're having so much fun in their strengths.
These books explained all kinds of things to me - from why I was a failure at trying to use certain things like unit studies with all that crafty stuff that I couldn't figure out and didn't like, to why some of my folks really don't like going to the Extraordinary form of the Mass (ie I really struggled getting lost and it took me way longer than any of my visual learners to be able to even follow. My auditory folks are still very lost in the Extraordinary form and my 6 yo auditory/kinesthetic guy is much better behaved at any other Mass - but even at this Mass, I notice him suddenly pop to attention as soon as Father begins the prayers after Low Mass. It also explains why I typically don't like music at the same time as prayers - I'm trying to follow both with the words running through my head even if it is instrumental - and this is true whether the music is high quality or not) to why I was having such a hard time teaching science in my house.
These books helped me in myriad of ways - beyond just schooling. It gave me a greater understanding of my dh (who is really a dear, immensely patient man) and I know how to communicate better (not that we weren't good communicators before just now it is even better and a bit more efficient) and how to give a heads up about when I want to talk over something. I have to hash out with lots of words, he likes a good visual picture and overview and lots of quiet time to sort through what he thinks - but I can drop a note to let him know in short form what I need to talk about soon. He then has time to ponder it before I have to talk through so much detail to figure it out - plus he is forwarned that these are all random attempts to sort through things and not my requests for materials or something.
Do I now teach everything according to each child's strengths - no way, I would be so outside my element that I'd be stressed beyond imagination. I have done a few easy things to help support their learning style - so for my visual learners, I've found charts or posters in weaker areas that can be up continually where they'll see it. Whereas before, some of these things might not have fit in the budget after books and such, I have a better sense of how important they may really be to a few children and particularly in challenging subject areas, these posters are investment worthy. They wouldn't have been if I had a housefull of auditory folks who wouldn't even notice.
I have also gotten very serious about clutter and talked to each child about what distracts. Something as simple as arrangement of tables or desks can make a difference. It explains why it is important for my very, very kinesthtetic learner to be up in room by herself - any motion is way more distracting than anything else and with 6 folks rotating in and out of the school room for discussion with mom - well no wonder she had a hard time concentrating. But she studies with headphones playing music - something I would be distracted by, but not her. Now if my auditory folks are wearing earphones, it might be that they are weasling out of something. My kinesthetic learner will now study some subjects in the middle of us all - but her really challenging subjects, she does in my room with the door closed. I have also found ways to provide the kinesthetic - letting them bounce on the tramp while studying math facts. I also found some silly putty or something very confined that my kinesthetic can subtley do while listening to oral discussion, read alouds, etc. It helps her stay focused - but things like kicking chairs would be distracting to the auditories, anything really obvious would distract the visuals and/or other kinesthetics in the house. Now, my visual learners might think that jumping on the tramp would be cool, and I'm not opposed to letting them try briefly to see if it helps, but the reality is that it does not and they have to find another way to do things. For that child we line up MUS blocks or use Al Abacus to get a visual picture in our mind of what the math fact looks like.
I do this with a realisitic notion that I will not be leading any of these projects/kinsethetic type learning things. Now, this isn't something new from the books, as I'd come to this conclusion prior to that - but it did help me get over my guilt in not and motivated me to find a mom-free way to do it. If pictures with the periodic elements help ds learn them, well it is worth an extra investment; just as having all kinds of project books and materials and time to do this are essential around here. It is not that I never stretch myself and join in on their kinesthetic led learning, I just don't lead it, at least not now. I am becoming more imaginative at providing opportunities and more appreciative of the real help it provides a number of my children.
It helps me be a better steward as I have a better idea upfront of what will help and what won't whereas before, I was simply trying different things until I found what worked - which is why I now have a library of every grammar and math program out there between certain years. I also, before I knew the learning styles, sometimes would miss that they were learning. I thought the kids were just playing with playdough - didn't have a clue that they were building the inside anatomy of the critters they were "hunting" and looking it up in references to be accurate, too.
I take more time to think about learning styles of a particular child when they are stumped. The natural instinct is to fall into your own style. I remember our agony with chemistry. I drew and drew diagrams of the atom, etc. and only got fuzzy looks. My dh came home, used probably 3 - 5 words and handed said child representative marbles. She got it in 2 seconds. My words lost her and the picture didn't help her - the marbles did. But once she'd had marbles in her hand, she could look at the picture and know what it was about. With a certain baseline to build from, she doesn't have to rely on just her own strongest learning style and uses the Kolbe textbook fine. Using the Kolbe textbook without a teacher to give the quick overview with some hands-on, real life connections, is like torture that leads to death of any interest in the subject.
I also, as Jennifer mentioned, follow my very strong instinct with the children, and I have a pretty good sense of which subjects they are fine to do the easy for me way or which subjects they are plain avoiding so I'd better find an easy for me to hold accountable way to do this. I use those as opportunities to help them learn or stretch themselves in weak areas. So my kinesthetic, experiential, big picture learner who would just as soon never write anything down, makes huge messes and has no sense of order (think mad scientist type) does actually do a Seton grammar (after having done and been successful with a more hands on Winston grammar course) and Seton reading course. He has learned to follow directions, write in complete sentences, etc. When the writing assignments suggest that they outline, I have allowed some of my more challenged writers who are strongly visual to use some sort of visual/graphic orgainizer instead - and printed a variety of these off the internet for free. Later, when they have a stronger sense of things, we can go back to a textbook and make an outline from it so they know how just in case.
Oh, and while having a bunch of learning styles in your house, at first seems like such a burden, especially when almost all of them are polar opposites to yours, with time and maturity of the children, I have found it is such an immense blessing. Someone in this house has a strength to do and lead in ways that I cannot and I increasingly lean on that support. Just like you delegate and mobilize your workforce in a large family, I have learned that the best way for my younger kinesthetics to learn science is to simply plan that they study whatever older sis is studying. And most really young children have a strong kinesthetic component which is why they're always into things  - now we have an older kinesthetic that has fun harnassing that in great ways. I have lots of books and words on the subject, but kinesthetic&sanguine sis will lead all the projects. This is especially true in history and science and has reduced my stress level tremendously while making those projects so much more fun for the rest of the kids and not being burdensome for the child who is doing it naturally anyways. You learn to rely on the strengths of each to help everyone grow in a number of ways. I can stretch myself to come up with projects or hands on things in areas of my own strength. I'm stressed to the max if I even try to think of doing this in an area of weakness of my own. Ie, I can pull out hands on ways to learn math and history without a lot of stress - but don't even think about it in science. The time and effort it would take to come up with first enough understanding on my part and then a hands on way to illustrate this would bascially mean my dc would never make it out of high school, we'd still be tackling our first science course. I've learned that this is one area I must delegate for now to allow myself to be the learner alongside my children. If dh has the time, he can lead, but if not, we have to invest is some outside help whether it is a great hands on program or a tutor. Science has been hard to find and the one area that still challenges us. But having the tutor this year has shown me that for our family, sacrificing, scrounging, begging, and saving to have a tutor and lots of kits is simply essential in our house.
This is longwinded  but really just saying you take into account learning styles of yourself and your children, but also time constraints and other factors like how easy a subject is for them and you and whether or not they are passionate about it or hate it (and also you as teacher, too). Whatever you do has to be something you can live happily with in your own home while still making good forward progress learning. It is one tool, among many. Having the info, cuts down on the time it takes to get to the way things will run smoothly and naturally in my home. I waste less time and money hunting and have more time to do. Of course, I'm a word reflector who needs things spelled out in writing that I can look at and study so these books were really helpful to me in my own style of learning.
My sis benefitted more from talking to me and getting me to give nitty gritty in real life examples of how we did it as I got all excited about the book, and not at all from reading it. Her learning style is different from mine. That is the beauty of different learning styles - we help each other.
Janet
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TracyQ
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| Posted: June 19 2009 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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I read it, loved it, and used it in my 14 years of homeschooling thus far. This is evidenced by the fact that by the time our kids (we have three) got to high school, EACH one of their high school programs at home were different, based on each unique learning style.
I believe it was God's way of showing me each of our children uniquely, AND also myself and my husband, and helping me to develop our relationship as well!!! What a BLESSING that has been!!!!
Don't be overwhelmed. Use the book through your journey, and gain what God gives you from it gradually. You don't have to apply all of it to every single subject, or everything you do. Use it to teach each child uniquely, but also create a BALANCE that works for your family. It takes some time, but it helps you to be more effective in your teaching, and allows THEM to learn and be educated in a way that they can't otherwise get. It's one of the incredible, awesome reasons we home educate our children! 
I've done workshops on Learning Styles using "Discover Your Child's Learning Style" as my guide, and have recommended it to hundreds of home educators across the country! I tell people that it is the one book I'd want if I had to get rid of all of my other homeschooling how to books I had. THIS is the ONE I would keep if I could only keep one. That's how important I think it is, and how much of a blessing it's been to our family. In fact, it's the only book I won't lend out to other homeschoolers, because I use it often, and can't be without it.
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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JennGM
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| Posted: June 19 2009 at 6:44pm | IP Logged
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Thank you all for the great insights on this. Definitely will add this to my summer reading list.
I was wondering if this goes hand-in-hand with understanding you children's temperament, like the Bennetts' book The Temperament God Gave You and love languages through The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman? Completely separate?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 19 2009 at 7:33pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
Thank you all for the great insights on this. Definitely will add this to my summer reading list.
I was wondering if this goes hand-in-hand with understanding you children's temperament, like the Bennetts' book The Temperament God Gave You and love languages through The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman? Completely separate? |
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Jenn - I almost mentioned Gary Chapman's LOVE LANGUAGES in my first post on this thread, but Viviane was asking for two books so I limited myself...LOVE LANGUAGES is HIGH on my list and is so connected with these two other books. They all worked together to help me understand a child's temperament - how they related to life in general, love language - how they most naturally gave and received love, and learning style - how they most naturally preferred or were inclined to learn. I read them all together one summer and it was eye opening for me. It was like unlocking the door to the whole of my children - heart, mind, soul. I'll never forget the breathtaking Aha I had after reading them.
If I'm not totally overwhelming I'll mention a 4th by Ross Campbell - How to Really Love Your Child. SO amazing! I'd love to say more, but I'm short on time. Just wanted to come plug these GREAT BOOKS!!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Discover Your Child's Learning Style
