Our Thoughts are with the People of Christchurch

On 22 February 2011 at 12.51PM, a shallow 6/3 earchquake hit the beautiful city of Christchurch, New Zealand, claiming many, many lives. The city centre is devastated and the more than half the dwellers are left without basics like clean water, flushing toilets and electricity. Days later, the nation is still sufferign post-trauma. Our thanks go to the emergency services and the brave people who started helping while the earth still shook. Air space over Christchurch is restricted to aid searchers in finding signs of life in the CBD. We pray for news of more survivors.

Learning Styles - Sound, Temperature, Work Area

 

In last week's blog, we explored the effect light  has on the quality of homeschooling. Today, we will look at the remaining 3 elements of the LSA Pyramid that deal with the learning environment: sound, temperature, work area.

As parents, we are so used to making decisions for our children and so used to knowing what's best for them, we sometimes tend to forget to consult them about the choices we make. If the light in the learning room in too dim for us, we turn it up. If it's too hot, we open the window.

As teachers, however, we must remember the children's learning preferences come first. They are the ones who need to concentrate on new and difficult concepts. And the good news is that, just like with the lights, it's super easy to ensure all the children have the learning environment they need, even if they have to share the room.

Some ideas for children who need silence include:

• ear plugs
• ear phones (if they are also auditory learners)
• indoor tents or caves made from old towels (if they also need dim lighting).

Ideas for learners who need an informal work area:

• bean bags
• cushions
• sofas and armchairs
• floor nests made from cardboard boxes and blankets.

Only one question left now. What is your child's Learning Style?

(Please note: Although these posts deal chiefly with homeschooling, the same principles apply in the conventional classroom.)

Learning Styles and Home Schooling

Home schooling your child may well be one of the most difficult decisions you've ever made. It is also probably the most fun, rewarding... and, yes, difficult... tasks you've ever undertaken. Hopefully you live in an area where you have access to materials, learning tools, government support and other home-schooling families.

We, at Creative Learning, would like to support your endeavor by telling you about Learning Styles. Every one of your children, as we're sure you've noticed, learns in his or her unique way. Perhaps one of them likes to sit still in a brightly lit room and do the project on her own, while the other craves your constant input and prefers to memorize his times-tables while jumping up and down across the room.

Neither learning style is wrong, neither is better. They are both perfect for that specific child. However, as a parent, you may feel rather overwhelmed by the wealth of information included in your child's Learning Style Assessment.

So many elements to consider! Light, noise levels, time of day, visual input, tactile input, intake, perseverance... What is a parent to do?

Consider satisfying one element at a time. Let's take light as an example. Light is an important element of the LSA Pyramid and it can be a powerful irritant or a powerful sedative if used incorrectly.

If you discover that all three of your children concentrate well in bright light, for example, no problem! Make sure they always do their work in a well-lit room (daylight or bright bulbs, but never fluorescent - the constant flickering of fluorescent light is often stressful to the body on a subconscious level), or take them outside whenever the weather permits.

But let's say only one of your children likes bright light, while others do better in dimly lit rooms. Consider utilizing two rooms (one bright, one with diffused light), or create areas of bright as well as dimmer light in your home "classroom". On field trips, make sure the children who prefer darker learning environments wear sunglasses and/or front-facing peaked caps.

Once you've nailed the light aspect, move onto the next element in the pyramid. Tip: The environment elements will probably be the easiest to satisfy. Good luck!

If you're a home-schooling parent, please write to us at yvonne@clc.co.nz and the first 3 emails will win a free Learning Style Assessment.

February 2011 - Schools Around The Globe And Responsibility

As students in Europe and North America return to school from their winter break, most school children in the Southern Hemisphere start a brand new year at school. Most, but not all. Queensland, Australia, is still recovering from a flood, and is now bracing to withstand one of the biggest storms in the land's history: Cyclone Yasi. Schools are closed this week, people are in shelters with emergency supplies and no electricity, and the damage from both wind and surging surf is predicted to be monstrous.


USA weather reports are hardly better. "East Cost Walloped By Snow", "Winter Storms Paralyze Air Travel", "17 inches of snow in Chicago "



It is usually in the times of disaster that people's thoughts turn to the important aspect of responsibility. Not who's to blame for the inclement weather, but rather your own personal attitude towards your chores and duties.


If you look at the Learning Style Pyramid, you will observe that Responsibility lies in the Attitude Layer and is a learned element (as opposed to, say, global or linear thinking which are biological elements).

So how do you teach responsibility to children? According to Dr. Kevin Leman, a renowned author of parenting books, you can't achieve it by being too liberal, nor by being too authoritarian. Not with a set of strict rules, rewards or punishments.


You teach responsibility by making children accountable for their actions in a loving, secure environment. If a child fails to put their laundry in the basket, they will have nothing clean to wear. If they forget to do their homework, they themselves have to explain it to the teacher - you as a parent will not rush in to do the homework for them, nor will you write a letter excusing your child's lapse.


Easier said than done? You bet! If a parent's working style means giving the child constant guidance and structure, it'll be difficult to back off, particularly if the child's learning style calls for parental supervision. The good news is you can still provide guidance and supervision while letting the child get on with their work: "Tidy up the left hand side of your room, then come and get me," or "Start with maths before you move onto writing the essay. I see you have ten sums to do. Do the first three, then we'll check them together."


What is your child's learning style? Find out today.