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JennyMaine
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Location: Maine
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| Posted: March 07 2006 at 7:31am | IP Logged
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I've long felt that much of my curriculum choices are at odds with my daughter's learning style. This weekend I had her take the learning style assessment online through Mercy Academy. It confirmed what I already know. .. she's an auditory, global learner.
In looking through the recommendations generated by the assessment, some are not appropriate to her age level (apparently the list is meant to encompass K-12?). Some of the recommendations don't particularly seem to be in sync with her learning style, so I'm not sure why they were recommended.
I'm left wondering what programs across all subject areas would be good for a 5th grade global, auditory learner? How far do you go in your homeschool to teach to a particular learning style? What about combining different children when they have contrasting learning styles?
Any advice is appreciated!
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--JennyMaine, Mom to Catherine (17) and Sam (15) "The countenance is a reflection of the soul. You should always have a calm and serene countenance." -- Therese of Lisieux
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MichelleM
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Joined: Feb 12 2006
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| Posted: March 07 2006 at 10:44pm | IP Logged
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JennyMaine wrote:
I'm left wondering what programs across all subject areas would be good for a 5th grade global, auditory learner?
Any advice is appreciated! |
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I would highly recommend Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/index.html
It helps to assess what curriculum works well for different types of learners but it also identifies what curriculum works well for your teaching style. Cathy also addresses what sort of world view the curriculum is written from. I have found it very helpful.
FYI-Cathy came back to the Catholic Faith a few years ago! 
__________________
~Michelle
Mommy to 5 Blessings
Visit my blog: House of Grace
Our nature blog: All of Creation
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: March 08 2006 at 8:28am | IP Logged
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Hi Jenny,
I have found the book Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Mariaemma Willis and Victoria Kindle Hodson to be really helpful in determining my own children's learning styles. The book is written from secular point of view but one of the authors is in fact Catholic and it comes through clearly in the book's tone of love and support for children --without the sometimes overly permissive tone you see in other books. I also have a Learning Styles page on my website and there's a link at the bottom where you can take a learning styles assesment online. It isn't free but you get a $5 discount by clicking through my site. You can do the same assessment through the book too. It's very detailed but we didn't find it tedious and they do have some really helpful suggestions to offer in working with your child's individual stlye.
God bless!
__________________
Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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TracyQ
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 8:15am | IP Logged
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The book Michele recommended is the one we've used for years. I love it, and think it's the best one out there on this subject, which is near and dear to my heart, and which I've done many talks on.
I also think you have to remember to keep your teaching style in mind as well. It's hard to balance it all out, but if you re-evaluate, and keep praying about it, the Lord will lead you to what works best for each child, or all of them.
One thing I've learned is that ALL CURRICULUM is a TOOL. You can use it, change it, and tweak it to use it however it's best for your family.
One example of this in our family is that my dh asked me to choose one math curriculum for each child, and stick with it for the duration of their school years. He didn't care if I switch for everything else, but for math, wanted it to be consistant. I agreed with him, but wondered how I'd do this if their learning style didn't jive with what I'd chosen.
I chose Saxon for all three kids. It's our math curriculum, period. I wanted to abide by my dh's wishes, because he doesn't ask a lot in terms of how I educate our children.
When doing the learning styles from Discover Your Child's Learning Style, I found out all three of our kids are of course, three different styles. Our oldest is mainly visual, second is mainly auditory, and our youngest, kinesthetic. They have traces of others as secondary, etc. but this is their main style.
How do I use Saxon to work with their style?
Jake (visual)- uses it with DIVE CD ROM, which is taught on the screen
Zach (auditory)- uses it with DIVE CD Rom, but uses the headphones, so he can listen with no distraction. He still sees it visually, taking notes as his brother above, but gets it mainly auditory because the headphones are on
Sarah (kinesthetic)- uses it with ME, NO DIVE CD Rom (hates that thus far), and we bring in manipulatives, use a whiteboard with different colored markers, and sometimes have her move around on different answers on the floor,etc. (she's whole body kintesthetic). We use it as the spine, and bring other things in, and follow it but use it as a tool, and make it more kinesthetic for her.
This is just one example of how you can use one curriculum in three different ways, as per a child's learning style.
The other thing is that you can't stress about it. Use the information as an aid toward choosing and using curriuclum, but you can't stress so much that you're trying to meet every person's need fully through it. You'll drive yourself crazy that way. Just use it to help, and to help in the education, but you also have other factors to consider as well. 
Gotta run........kids need the computer for school. I hope this helped some.
__________________
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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MicheleQ
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| Posted: March 09 2006 at 12:08pm | IP Logged
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TracyQ wrote:
| One thing I've learned is that ALL CURRICULUM is a TOOL. You can use it, change it, and tweak it to use it however it's best for your family. |
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AMEN!!! I couldn't agree more!
Great post Tracy. Do you have any of your learning styles talks on tape? I'd love to hear them.
God bless!
__________________
Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Learning Styles
