I Need as Many Moms as Possible to Give Me Their Opinion About Learning

kids learn by watching mostly. Constant repetition is always great. having kids do things over and over in a fun creative way sparks interest in other methods of doing things. Like build a house with blocks one way for awhile and then allow them to do it and see if it is the same. Switch it up and see if the creative has been challeged to do it another way. I love School House Rock videos. Kids love visual stimulations and you should encourage them to draw or take them to kids musuem and see how they perceive things on their level. If it is negative, ask them what they think would make it more interesting to them to get more involved with the subject. If you notice a child likes to draw and doesn't pay attention, then have the child draw pictures of the information or words being used to explain what they are doing or about the lesson. So kids are mental(words) and others are hands on(visual). But other are audio learners. If you have one of these then have the parent use a tape recorder and have them listen to it and then ask the child question later. Maybe add their favorit music to the recording to spark retention like stupid songs do. Sometimes it can be a retrival mechanism. Like Conjunction Juxtion, What's you Function? is a schoolhouserock melody that I stilll remember to this day about grammar. I works. I hope this will helpl you with your project.

What is the age of your students? Every person has different learning styles. The main ones are visual, auditory and kinesthetic (by seeing, hearing, and doing). If you are teaching something that is for a number of children, I would recommend teaching using all 3 approaches. If you've attended any informational seminars that are designed to teach, the good ones will have visuals as they speak. If possible, get the students involved in what you're teaching as well. Most students don't just have ONE learning style. They have one that is more dominant and help retain information better than the others, but they use more than just the one. If you have time to do any reading, I would recommend a book called "The Way They Learn," by Cynthia Tobias.

Hope that helps!

M.

Wow N., this was a loaded question! I think kids learn from all the ways you mentioned, and more! My kids, 9 and 6 years old, learn math best by repetition, reading by reinforcement, tying shoes by watching other, and social skills by their mistakes, just name a few. The style depends on the child and what is his/her best way and the situation. Some children are very auditory and have to hear something before its real to them, others are physical and must touch and manipulate something, some are real visual learners and can read about it or just watch someone and presto! My friend has a kinsetic learner, he learns his spelling words while jumping on the trampoline!

Good luck with your workshop, you'll do great.

Depending on the age, the more you involve the 5 senses the better they will learn. Also, they learn best by being curious and being stimulated that way. As a homeschooler with a degree and certification, I have taught in public schools, then became a stay-at-home mom. With 5 students ranging from 12 to 8 months old, it was challenging when we started. When teaching a 6th grader about ecosystems, we made one with a soda bottle, dirt, weeds, slugs and worms. My son was 4 at the time. He became the best lizard, frog catcher in the neighborhood. We built a pond, put in minnows the eat mosquito larvae, and proceeded with butterfly gardens from there. We stopped progress toward birding when my son observed that the birds were eating the Monarch caterpillars. I know, it is part of the ecosystem, but we valued the butterflies over the birds.

Last year in our coop I taught Biology straight from the book with the usual labs, dissections, etc. He aced the class with a perfect score of 100.

I'm sure there's some great ideas out there for all the manipulatives in math, etc.

Praise is a biggie for how well they try and achieve also, but I would consider the "carrot before the horse" discovery method as the best.

For my self, I must have ownership. I must be able to hold the book in my own hands and follow along and HIGHLIGHT significant facts. This has also shown to be extremely beneficial to my 5th grader who is dyslexic. Math, there is nothing better than one on one direction. I talk my son through each step, one by one, but I have him write the answers to each step. After he has completed the math problem, I ask him to explain/teach it to me. This way I am able to hear his strategies and see if there were any areas of communication break down, where he didn't understand and I need to re-teach (reword my reasoning or instructions etc.). Good Luck!

Good luck with your research :)
After 12 years of teaching I have a few insights to share. I believe children learn best
Children learn when they are intrinsically motivated
Children learn by "doing"
Children learn best when the teaching aligns with their predominent multilple intelligence(ie musical, auditory, tactile)
Children learn best when the instruction is brain based(ie short segments, plenty of water, movement breaks including crossing the midline etc.)
Children learn best when they are in a positive environment where they are comfortable and risk free
Children learn best when they have choices and are partners in decision making
I could go on and on but these are some thoughts to get you started :)

Hi, N.!

Remember to mention that some kids are auditory learners, some are visual learners, and some need to move around (kinesthetic). Most people are a combination of one or more of these. In younger children a didactic approach (one person up front teaching) is completely inappropriate. Kids aged 2 to 6 need to learn experientially (by doing).
Most of all, learning should be fun!
And, finally...evryone has their own unique learning style(which makes public school a real challenge for some kids)
Good luck with your workshop!