How To Help Your Child Learn
|
Just as every snowflake is unique, so is every child. The way that your child learns depends a number of different factors, which combined together, create his unique learning style. By helping your child discover how he learns the best, you will set him up for life time success in learning, and reduce the frustrations that come through trying to learn in a way that does not use his particular strengths and to him seems uncomfortable.
Every parent has been through the school system and hopefully discovered ways that facilitated a style of learning that worked for them. However it is a fallacy to presume that a parent's style is necessarily going to be the best way for their child, in fact it could have a detrimental effect to insist that they learn in that way.
For example the traditionally accepted environment to do homework is to sit at a desk in a quiet spot to help concentration. However this is only likely to help learning for a percentage of students. If this is not a comfortable way of learning for a child it can actually inhibit the flow of ideas and create a learning vacuum where the mind becomes a blank. Some may need to spread out on the floor, sit cross-legged on the bed or even in front of the TV to find an environment where their best learning can take place. Some students need music or background noise, food or drink and to feel comfortable before real learning can take place. Some remember best when they can move about or learn by doing, some need to visualize or see pictures, write or read the information for themselves, and others need to hear the information and speak it back in order to remember it. Using a combination of two of these modes may work best for some students.
Another important factor that comes in play is the way a child perceives and orders information in their mind. The conventional method is for information to be structured in a logical step by step process, which leads in a linear form from the beginning to its logical end. This method works for many students, however some may have learning styles which in take information and put it into meaningful bits or chunks, which are stored in the mind in a more random way. Such a student will reach the desired result, but will not use a sequential logical format in the learning process.
There are two main ways the brain makes sense of the information it receives, and although we all use both ways there will be a leaning towards one way or the other. The first way can be termed the 'analytical style'. The analytical style has a preference to focus on the details, and fit them together to make sense of information. The 'global style' however needs to see the bigger picture and fit in the information within it so it makes sense in the wider scope of things. A global style sees all the parts are related to each other to make up the big picture, but may have difficulty in separating the parts within the bigger picture. The analytical style has no problem focusing in on the parts, but may have difficulty seeing the bigger picture and how the details fit together in the wider sense. An example of this can be seen in the approach to doing a jigsaw. The analytical style preference will focus in the jigsaw pieces and how they fit together.
A person operating strongly in this style may fit together several sections before looking at the picture to see where they go. The global style, on the other hand will probably do the edges pieces first, and frequently refer to the picture to see where a piece would go.
By observing your child in natural normal situations you will be able to pick up clues as to the innate strategies he/she uses to understand the world, to concentrate, and remember. By giving your child opportunities to try a variety of methods of learning you can help them discover and encourage their unique style of learning. The earlier a child discovers what works best for them, the more success and self confidence will be attached to their learning experiences in life. As a parent you are in an ideal position to help them in the process of discovery.
Barbara White, a former Principal and teacher, is now president of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker and author, Barbara brings herexperience and expertise in personality and learningstyles to improve learning, communication skills and relationships.Subscribe to the complimentary GrowingBeyond Better newsletter
|
|
|
How To Teach Your Children Courage
Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard, even when it means being called a "chicken" by others.A person with courage dares to attempt difficult thin...(related: Parenting)
Being A Mum - It?s About Them And Not About You!
So you want to be a mum? Every time you see a little baby in a mother's arms you desire it even more. I am going to ask some hard questions here for those who want to be mums: Why do you want to be a mum? Is it because it will be fun? Is it because you can show your motherhood to others? Is it because you want to keep your partner?Is it because of your loneliness? Is it because you are curious? Is it because you can get so many benefits in this country? Is it because you want to leave your surname going after you die? If you had to go on an interview in order to be authorised to be ...(related: Parenting)
Surviving As A Single Parent
Emotional OverloadMany single parents say they deal with a variety of emotional issues that you might describe as "extra baggage." Some examples include:? Self-pity? Depression? Guilt? Anger? Envy? Fear? Severe money problems? Loneliness and isolation? Frustration? ExhaustionThese issues present such a challenge because they undermine your daily functioning and emotional well-being. But they can be managed successfully so that you manage your family in a positive way.10 Ways to Speed Your Recovery ProcessBecoming divorced or widowed and then facing years of single parenting is a shock to anyone who experie...(related: Parenting)
Life Lessons Learned In My Underwear
For several years now, I've told the following story as a keynote presentation when I do speaking engagements:When our oldest son was a toddler and teething heavily, he woke up one morning at 4 screaming and crying. My wife nudged me as a reminder that it was my turn to get up with him.All the regular attempts to get him back to sleep did not work, so I decided to take him for a drive, which had been working for about a month or so. The problem was I was wearing only a T-shirt and underwear. My ID and pants were in the bedroom where Lauren had already gone back to sleep.If I learned anything in that first year of parenthood, it was: Never wake a sleeping baby, and more important, never, ever wake a sleeping mom.So, in my early-morning logic, I thought no one would see us. Driving around to get him to slee...(related: Parenting)
Pipe Down!
Life is funny.My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new summer job as a nanny for three small children. She's an aspiring operatic soprano who was whisked off to a rich suburb near Manhattan the day after her finals had ended at the Eastman School of Music. Her mother and I miss her dreadfully. Thank God for our Family Talk Plan!Last night, she called home and as we discussed my upcoming book signing at Borders, she called out, "You two need to pipe down and go to sleep! I don't want to hear one more peep out of you!"I doubled over with laughter. The tears streamed down my cheeks. The tone and emphasis was identica...(related: Parenting)
Pregnancy And Excercising - 6 Reasons To Excercise During Pregnancy
Everyone knows that exercise is good for your health. Exercising during pregnancy can have additional benefits. Generally, exercise should be light, especially during the first few weeks of pregnancy while your body adjusts to the changes. Heavy exercise can divert blood flow from crucial areas and most women that exercise regularly should tone down their workouts during pregnancy.Walking, swimming, and yoga are two popular exercise activities suitable for pregnant women. Other forms of exercise like weight lifting are okay too as long as it is not too strenuous. Most experts recommend exercisi...(related: Parenting)
Uniforms
Direct Answers - Column for the week of May 31, 2004I am concerned about my daughter, "Julie." She is 16 and a junior in high school. She gets fair grades, doesn't get into a lot of trouble, and doesn't smoke or do drugs as far as I know. Why the concern, you ask? It's the way she dresses.Julie likes to wear baggy pants, T-shirts with rock band logos, skull and crossbones, or phrases such as "Psycho." She wears chains and studs on her pants, wrists, and neck. Ninety percent of her clothes are black. Just two weeks ago she cut her gorgeous, waist length white-blonde hair, dyed it black and pink, and now spikes it every day!I would like Julie to have her individual style, but I think sh...(related: Parenting)
Stress Is No Kiddy Matter
Kids today no longer live the kind of privileged lives that we used to live as kids. This, I am absolutely sure of?.if there's nothing else in this world that I am confident about. Kids live such stressed lifestyles now that I feel that it's not even worth being a kid anymore and in fact, I'd rather be an adult, if I had a choice. Kids between the ages babies to 4 years old and during the preadolescent ages are t...(related: Parenting)
Potty Training Caveats- Dont Start Too Soon
The First Reason: For one thing, child development experts are concerned that previous generations of parents were putting too much pressure on their children to potty train early. Children were often being punished for not learning to use the toilet.Another Reason: Behind the delayed...(related: Parenting)
Child Separation Anxiety: Does Your Child Have It?
If you are a parent, then more than likely you may face the common problem of separation anxiety in your child. What exactly is child separation anxiety? In a nutshell, this is the type of anxiety or stress your child may encounter when you leave him/her alone and they get upset or cry due to the separation involved. The reason they get upset or cry is because the child learns to remember objects or specific people, and when those objects or people become absent, anxiety sets in.
They Call It Puppy Love
My son is 6 yrs old.He came home the other day from school and stated that he had two girlfriends.I asked him who they were.And he said one was in his class and the other was in the other Kindergarten class.He said one of them asked him to be her boyfriend, and the other he just liked, so she was his girlfriend too.He liked her so he assumed she was his girlfriend too.That is pretty cute now that he is young, but I am not looking forward...(related: Parenting)
How To Stop Bad Behavior Before It Starts
Coping with a child's bad behavior, perhaps more than any other aspect of parenting, can cause stress, family disfunction, and a general loss of harmony in your home. Over time, negative behavior cycles can become ingrained in a family's way of interacting with each other
1. Be a Benevolent Dictator
In today's times it is tempting to think of our family as a small Democracy, giving equal weight to the wants and needs of every member. Families schedule meetings to discuss rules. Negotiation is a skill learned even before tying shoes. Rules apply only if children choose to obey them. Giving children l...(related: Parenting)
Working Moms: Too Busy For Your Children?
17 Quick Ways to Strengthen the Bonds of LoveOn Mother's Day, we celebrate the most important job on the planet.Most moms appreciate being acknowledged, but many still feel overwhelmed by the pressures of daily life. They would like to fit more time with their children into their busy sc...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting