Category: Learning Styles

The Parable of the Animal School

An old story tells of the creation of a school for the animals. In this school, everybody took the same four courses: flying, swimming, climbing, and running. Among the students were a duck, a flying squirrel, a fox, and an elephant. These four were highly motivated, and wanted to get good grades, so they all tried very hard. Continue reading

Read More

Using Songs to Reinforce Learning

Every Week(tune: Are you Sleeping) Every week has 7 days,See how many you can say.Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,Saturday. What’s today? Days of the Week(to the tune of Frere Jacques!) These are all theda-ays of the we-ek,Sing with me,Sing with me. Sunday, Monday, TuesdayWednesday, Thursday, FridaySaturdayA day to play.     Dates(To the tune of “Frere Jacques) Today is Monday(Today is Monday)April 12th(April 12th)1998(1998)That’s the date(That’s the date). Days of the Week (to the tune of Frere Jacques) Tuesday, Tuesday,Tuesday, Tuesday,All day long, all day long,Yesterday was Monday, tomorrow will be Wednesday,Oh, what fun! Oh, what fun! Sunday, Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday, Friday, Saturday Today is Song(To the tune of “Frere Jacques”) Today is _______.Today is _______.All day long, all day long.Yesterday was ______.Tomorrow will be _______.Oh what fun!Oh what fun! The Months of the Year(To the Tune of “Three Blind Mice”) January, February, March,April, May, June.July, August, September,October, November, December.These are the twelve months of the year.Now sing them together so we can all hear.How many months are there in a year?Twelve months in a year. Months of the Year (to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”) January, February, March, and April,May, June, July, August, and September,October, November, and December,These are the months of the year. Good Handwriting If you are wiseYou will organizeYou handwriting alwaysTo be the right size.The shape is importantRound and neatUsing your handsNot your...

Read More

What homeschoolers should know about learning styles

Learning styles researchers state there are 4 identifiable learners. The four-step lesson cycle is a way to teach to all four learning styles. It does not isolate one type of learning but, instead, teaches in all four ways so that students relate to the subject in the way that is the most comfortable for them, and improves their ability to learn in other ways as well. Continue reading

Read More

The Animal School (A parable)

The school for the animals An old story tells of the creation of a school for the animals. In this school, everybody took the same four courses: flying, swimming, climbing, and running. Among the students were a duck, a flying squirrel, a fox, and an elephant. These four were highly motivated, and wanted to get good grades, so they all tried very hard. The duck did fantastically well in swimming and flying, but he lagged behind his classmates in climbing and running, so focused special attention on those two subjects. However, his feet became so sore from trying to run and his wings were so bedraggled from trying to climb that by the end of the year he not only failed both those subjects, but made C’s in swimming and flying, which had once been his two best subjects. At the beginning of the school year, the squirrel was first in his class in climbing and running and was second only to the duck at flying. But as the months wore on, he missed so much school from catching pneumonia in his swimming class that he failed everything. To make matters even worse, because the squirrel constantly squirmed and chattered in class, and had difficulty paying attention, he was diagnosed with a learning disorder. The squirrel eventually was placed in remedial classes and had to be medicated in order...

Read More

Laid-back Learning for Non-Readers (3)

Most of the learning my children have acquired over the years has come from their own self-initiated, independent reading. But what do you do while you're waiting for that magic moment of independence to arrive? You plot. Set up an environment that invites inquiry and discovery — even if a child can't read the fine print. I think the Montessori model comes closest to what I imagine, but her theory incorporates neatly organized stations for exploration strategically located about the room. It's at the "neatly organized" level that my model falls apart. I'm more of a "randomly scattered" kind of mom. "Yes, that science microscope you just tripped over in the center of the living room could very well have been intentionally placed there for your discovery, but I doubt it." Anyway, do fill up the environment wherever possible with interesting bits and pieces for discovery: National Geographic maps taped to the walls; aquariums, terrariums, cocoons; seedbeds for the spring garden; postcard art prints; lots of music; lots of paints; clay; beads and buttons for counting and sorting; puppets; a makeshift theater from a refrigerator box found in an alley way, etc. All these were part of the daily environment my children explored freely when young. The Purpose of Structured Learning The first goal of structured learning should be to teach a child to read. But the purpose of...

Read More