Learning Differently

In all of my years of working with children, I know two things to be true: every child is different and not all children learn the same way. In understanding both of these truths, I learned rather quickly that when it came to teaching, I would need to be creative, innovative and enthusiastic.

I spent most of my academic years in a uniform, in a desk that faced the front of the classroom and in a row where we were seated boy, girl, boy, girl. The teacher lectured, wrote notes on the board, and we (as students) carefully copied down the notes and listened intently. Unfortunately, in this situation, not every child is actually learning the material. Some may be trying to listen, some may be writing notes down, but that does not mean that this information is getting stored in their brain in a way that they will be able to easily recall it or utilize it in the future. According to Tech News, 30% of students K-12 are considered visual learners, 25% are considered auditory, 15% are kinesthetic and 30% have a mixed learning style. What is even more interesting is when you consider a child’s type of intelligence and plan your lessons to reach their individual needs.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that there are many different types of intelligence: visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, interpersonal, linguistic and logical-mathematical. I am a believer that when you plan lessons to meet these various types of intelligence that your students will be more engaged and excited about learning. 

In my classrooms, it had become my mission to take the subjects that were the “least” favorites at the beginning of the year and show my students that those subjects were actually a great deal of fun! One of my students’ favorite parts of the day was “Muscle Math.” During this time of the day, my students would recite math facts while acting like a wrestler. They would scrunch up their faces, show off their muscles and in very silly voices find the answers to the random math facts that I would give them. They could not wait to present their math facts each day! When it came time to do math drills, my second graders were all able to do 100 mixed multiplication facts 0-12 in five minutes or less. My top three students were able to do them in less than three minutes. Of course we had more than “Muscle Math” to help us learn, I also did math art projects, rap battles, songs, and grade level competitions. I try to teach so that every child in my classroom looks forward to our next day together. 

My goal in teaching is not limited to teaching the content standards, but is in creating a lifelong learner. The students in my classes have grown with me. They are incredible young boys and girls and I am so fortunate to know them. My favorite part of teaching is learning. When I was completing my undergraduate degree, I had a professor pull me aside and ask, “If you could do anything, truly anything, and there were no limitations on money, what would you do?” I quickly responded that I would be a student. He looked at me dumbfounded, but it was true. I love learning. I have an insatiable sense of curiosity and sitting in a classroom brings me joy. After that conversation, I knew I was destined to teach. I realized in that moment that my excitement for learning could light a fire for the children I teach. That being said, I am not a perfect teacher. I have not always taught lessons that I am proud of, but I always challenge myself to learn more- learn about my students, about my profession and about the world we live in. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” and I truly believe it. It starts with a lesson and builds a lifelong commitment to learning. 

One of my hopes in creating this blog is that other’s can learn from my research. My plan is to post my reactions to interesting articles, research on popular consumer products like sippy cups, and what I have learned from my experience in working with children and what my own children have taught me. I hope that it speaks to you and that we can learn together.

Taking Compliments to the Next Level

Great job! You did it! That was so cool!

So often we offer up praise to our kiddos, but could praise be used as a method to help a child take their actions to the next level? In teaching and parenting, I like to utilize specific positive feedback and directive practice; a really great toolkit that came from my days of coaching gymnastics.

When you offer a child specific positive feedback, you say exactly what they did that was great. Something like, “I love how you knelt down to help your friend up when she fell down. That shows how kind of a heart you have!” You are helping your child to better understand exactly what they did. Simply saying, “Great job!” in that situation leaves a lot to be interpreted. Saying the words, “I love how you _________” sets you up for success in offering specific positive feedback. This works wonders in sports too! For example, “I love how you kicked the soccer ball with the top of your foot! That kick had so much power behind it!” Taking the extra breath and saying a few more words helps children to understand what action was the one that is worth repeating. It seems so simple sometimes and you may even think, “Of course, they knew I was talking about __________” but going the extra step makes a difference.

Not only will you start to see your child repeating the positive skills when you offer specific positive feedback, but you can also see behaviors change when you supply them with directive practice. Let’s go back to the example of soccer. When using specific positive feedback you said, “I love how you kicked the soccer ball with the top of your foot! That kick had so much power behind it!” If you were going to offer directive practice, it may sound like, “I love how you kicked the soccer ball with the top of your foot! That kick had so much power behind it! Next time, can you try passing the ball to Kelsey? When you pass, you want to use the inside of your foot. It’s tricky at first, but I just know you can do it!”

Specific positive feedback and directive practice are best used together because you are able to offer what part of the equation was done correctly and what part still needs work. By utilizing this method, you will find that your child has a better understanding of what behaviors or keepers and which ones might need to be altered.

Here’s a few phrases to get you going at home:

1- I love how you ______, next time can you ______________.

2- I am so excited that you _______________, what do you think about doing _____________ when we try it again?

3- Can you believe that you _____________ all by yourself! It wasn’t that long ago that you couldn’t do that! Look how much you’ve learned! What if we try to ___________ next time? I bet you could ___________ even better than you did this time!

It seems like a lot of words as you read it, but it starts to become second nature. When that first phrase rolls off your tongue, there’s really no stopping the train. You’ll find that you’ve committed yourself to specific positive feedback and directive practice.

Questioning to Learn

Tales from my Second Grade Classroom:

According to a study, approximately eighty percent of teacher interactions with students involve cueing and questioning (Dean, et al., 2012, p. 50). With so much time focused on these interactions, it is no wonder that there are many inferences as to the best possible method to use with students. In class with my Second Graders, I do a great deal of inferential questioning. I ask them to recall information that they may have previously learned and I ask them to build on it. This morning, in Language Arts, I wrote the word “adverb” I paused for just a moment, to allow them to concentrate on the term. I, then, asked the question, “who can raise their hand and tell us what an ADVERB is?” I usually pronounce terms that I want them to concentrate on in a slightly different manner. If it’s possible, I try to state those terms to mimic the word itself. In this case, my silly voices were not going to come in handy. A few student’s raised their hands to try to define the term, but it was new and tricky, so I tried again, “Let’s break apart our word. What about this word?” As I asked the question, I underlined the word “verb.” Suddenly, many hands shot up and everyone had an answer. “A verb,” they said, “is like an action.” They were right. A verb is an action. But, what does that mean to them? I then started jogging around the room and asked them to describe what I was doing. “Running!” one said. “Jumping!!” said someone else, but I was waiting for my magic words. “How am I running??” I asked. “Quickly!” one student shouted. “YES!” Adverbs, I said, are words we can use to describe a verb. They are words like “quickly, softly, and early. They often end in -ly and they answer specific questions.”

In teaching, much of what we do is ask questions. It is perhaps the easiest way to determine how much your students can recall about a topic or if your topic is entirely new to them. But, asking questions and cueing students seems to be an art; the more you develop as a teacher, the more in tune you become at asking the right questions. The cues I supply to my students extend beyond emphasizing important terms, it also comes with dissecting the terms to understand their meaning for the specific class. In English Language Arts (ELA), I like to incorporate various supplements to the curriculum to be sure that my students are able to develop their skills to the highest capacity. The school I work for is extremely focused on math, which is great, but I feel as though it needs to be more open to explore other, also valuable subject areas. So, I try to combine my Language Arts book with a component of art and specialized reading to ensure that my students are reaching the Common Core standards. For the lesson on adverbs, I used a graphic organizer to aid in the explanation of adverbs and adjectives. I enjoy using these tools because I believe it provides my students with an easier way to understand the skills.

After using a graphic organizer, I will take my students to the park where we will be using our graphic organizers to describe the actions that we see happening. Whether we see people laughing, jumping, playing, climbing, running or skipping, we will be capable of using our adverbs (and even our newly recalled adjectives) to describe what is happening. It is important to me that my students have a strong understanding of their terms, that they not only understand what an adverb is, but how it is properly used to describe something.

Many students struggle with giving details in their writing. In lower grades, many students will write sentences like, “My dog runs.” It is my hope that the couple of days spent highlighting information about ways that we can describe nouns and verbs will grow their understanding of writing. I have many challenges in store for this group of highly intelligent second graders. They will get there and when they do, they will be wonderful writers capable of impressing the upper-grade levels.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking… “How does this pertain to me- a parent?” Parents are a child’s first teacher. For some, you may fulfill the teaching role as a homeschooling parent. The important factor to consider is how we can deepen a child’s understanding of the material while simultaneously enhancing their curiosity about the subject. It isn’t always easy, but the very act of asking questions is a simple way to keep the ball rolling whether the questions are coming from you or from them.

I’ve had many parents tell me that the “why” stage is obnoxious. They feel like their kiddo isn’t going to understand complex concepts, so it isn’t worth explaining it. I, however, have a different take. By answering your child’s questions, you are engaging them in a new subject. If it is an old subject, then you are deepening their understanding of it. The beauty, in either case, is that they are learning. They may not be able to grasp advanced mathematics or scientific principles, but I implore you to utilize complicated jargon, their brains are soaking it up and creating new neuropathways as you speak!

So, don’t be afraid of the why stage. If your child asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, then look it up, watch a Youtube video and learn together! It’s acceptable to not be all-knowing, your child is bound to find out that you aren’t sooner or later anyway. But, offering an opportunity to learn something together is something that will last a lifetime.

References:

Dean, C.B., Hibbell, E.R., Putler, H. & Stone, B. (2012). Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement (2nd ed). McREL, Denver, CO

Sharing Does NOT Mean Caring

LET’S TAKE A MINUTE TO DISPEL THIS SILLY CLAIM THAT “SHARING IS CARING.” I HAVE HAD MANY PARENTS REACH OUT TO ME AND SAY, “I NEVER KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN ANOTHER KIDDO WALKS UP AND TAKES MY KID’S TOY.” THE ANSWER MIGHT NOT BE THE MOST CONVENTIONAL, BUT IT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE: TAKE THE TOY BACK AND TALK TO THE KIDS INVOLVED.

When working with kids, whether they are yours or someone else’s, it is important to offer boundaries and explanations. When a child comes up and takes a toy, offer an immediate response and give the toy back to the child who had it. The immediate response is what a child needs to help understand. When you think, “I will talk to my child about this when we leave,” you’re limiting the emphasis you can have over the situation. In the car or hours later, the quick talk about what happened earlier leaves your child in the “Okay, Mom” zone. A place where they recognize what you are saying, but may not be able to replicate the instructions. By offering immediate assistance, you’re letting all children involved have an understanding of what is appropriate and what is not.

The concept that “Sharing is caring” is flawed in that you are not obligated to share and it is possible to show that you care without sharing.

Example:

My daughter was playing playdoh. We have 3 sets of scissors, but each are a different color. If you have ever worked with a toddler, you can understand the dilemma here as a single color has the power to ruin an entire 10 minutes. My daughter’s friend wanted the red scissors that she was using. Instead of asking for them, the little one took them from her hands and proceeded to use them.

ENTER ME.

I quickly took back the scissors and gave them to my little girl. I looked at them both and said, “Let’s try that again.” I explained to our friend that taking the scissors was not kind and that there are better alternatives. You can say, “Can I have a turn when you are finished?” or “Amilia, can I play with those too?” The important part is that you are asking if it is okay to use them. Now, Amilia can say, “No, I want to use them now, but you can use them when I’m done” or “Sure, I can use the green ones.”

The other key component is being consistent. Don’t just go around taking toys from kids, but making sure that when the situation presents itself, that you do your due diligence and respond in the same way, each time. The consistency will give the kiddos the understanding of what they should do when presented with a child who is taking something from them. You’d be surprised how quickly this resolves.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION: HOW DO PARENTS RESPOND?

When you explain what you are doing and why you are doing it to the children involved, parents understand. It gives them an opportunity to learn a new way of handling a situation that EVERY CHILD EXPERIENCES. It also opens up dialogue around the topic of sharing. That quick conversation could have a lasting impact on what that parent does in future situations. So, I would say that it is worth it.

Remember:

1. Don’t go around taking toys without offering an explanation.

2. When you’re kiddo inevitably has a toy taken from them, do not go all Mama/Papa Bear, calmly discuss alternatives with all children involved.

3. Discuss your newfound method with parents involved.

Would You Like to Take a Break?

For those How I Met Your Mother fans out there, this post is going to seem all too familiar. You see, Lily and Marshall had a great idea (when you apply it to kids). Allow me to explain… when Lily and Marshall would get into a really heated argument one (or both) of them would say the word “Pause” and in that moment, the argument would cease until a later time. While the “Pause” did not give way to the “Break” it is a great example of how a break should function, the immediate response to a stressful situation. 

The thing about kids is that you can hear the warning signs of frustration, you can see it on their little faces, and you can try to do something about it. Adults are much more difficult, we carry stress in other ways, and it may be hard to decipher what we are feeling. Children, however, are much more honest. It’s in those moments when a child is visibly frustrated or becoming overstimulated that you can pop over and say, “Would you like to take a break?” Giving your child an option to step away from the situation can often help to curb a tantrum or a heated “discussion” with an older child.

Not only can offering a break be a great way to avoid a tantrum, but it also makes a good alternative to the infamous timeout. Instead of grabbing your kiddo and sticking them in a specific location for x amount of minutes, offer them the opportunity to take a break. The ability for the child to make the choice to leave the situation and consider their actions often diminishes the angry outbursts or tantrums that result because the word “Timeout” came into play.

Alright, so I’ve got your attention, and you’re wondering how to implement this, right?

Here’s the game plan:

1. When your child is visibly frustrated (maybe their tower was knocked over, maybe their shoe is not fitting their foot, maybe someone spoke poorly of Mickey Mouse…) say the words, “Would you like to take a break from this?”

2. When your child has overstepped a clear boundary, say the words, “Would you like to take a break?”

3. Give your child a chance to choose their own space for their break. Some kids like to just relax on the couch, others will retreat to their rooms, some will just walk into a neighboring space. Whatever that space is, it’s okay.

4. Offer for your child to take as much time as they need on their breaks. If it is 10 seconds, great! 10 minutes, sure! The ability for them to walk away from the difficult situation will help them to calm down so that you can talk. 

5. This is the most important aspect of a break: get involved! Do not just let your kiddo walk away from you. Talk to them about what happened. Ask if there was a method of approaching the situation that could have achieved a different result. If they can’t think of anything, then show them what you might have done! Work together to achieve a positive solution. If something happened that was dangerous, explain why it was dangerous. Whatever the issue was, the focus of this conversation should be to create a plan that yields different results.
   

So often we, as adults, can take for granted how much we know and understand. Even something like the action of listening. Well, unless you’ve ever explained what listening is, chances are that you and your child are speaking different languages with regards to both what it is and how it looks. Allow the break to be an opportunity to explain something new or the chance to talk to your little one about the challenges they were facing. Before you know it, your child will be asking you to take a break when things become overwhelming. Allow them to chat with you, share their feelings, and make plans for a brighter day.