Homeschool 2.0 » learning profile

Should We Tell Kids They are Smart?

lynn — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:35:24 +0000

Carol Dweck discusses this concept in her Scientific American article “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids.” We all want our kids to be bright and reach their greatest potential and she gives some practical direction for parents and teachers.

What’s your philosophy about intelligence? Does each person have a fixed intelligence or is our intellectual capacity malleable and growable? Dr. Dweck’s research shows that this philosophy is key to motivation and achievement.

Such divergent outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the start of junior high, the math achievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those of students who displayed a fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students with a growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of the other students by the end of the first semester-and the gap between the two groups continued to widen during the two years we followed them.

As a parent, I have to stop and think about this. My own personal attitude is a growth mind-set but am I communicating that to my kids? The cautionary tale in the article is one of a boy, Jonathan, who was told that he sailed through school without studying because he is special, gifted and smart.

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Accurate Self-Assessment of Learning Style

lynn — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:18:34 +0000

One of the many assessments in the Frontier Learning Profile is the Swassing-Barbe Modality Index. It’s the classic tool to determine cognitive input. It answers the question of how a person takes in information, visually, auditorially or kinesthetically and is an important element of the cognitive input portion of the Profile.

Tim Scott recommends a secondary tool that can be used to confirm the results. It is available from the University Learning Center at the University of Arizona (UA). Two self-assessment tools are provided on this site, a Learning Style Assessment and a Learning Style Profile Generator. The first will roughly identify learning modality while the latter gives valuable tips to develop habits and routines for effective study habits. Frontier’s staff has found this to be a great tool to confirm a learning style and especially to show parents and students how to develop teaching and study methods.

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How Do We Teach Digital Kids?

lynn — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 22:14:41 +0000

Part of the challenge of teaching older kids at home is staying digitally literate. At our house we joke about Planet 8-Track (where I was born and raised) and Planet iPod, a culural illustration from Earl Creps’ book Off-Road Disciplines. My kids are from Planet iPod. I try to keep up with what happens on Planet iPod. It is not easy but I’m responsible for their learning.

So, how do parents or for that matter classroom teachers from Planet 8-Track teach their iPod kids? Our culture and thus the labor market is hungry for digitally wired people. Our economy loves digital innovation. How do we make sure our kids are competitive in that market? Many thanks to mrmoses for pointing out these two videos that spotlight these issues.

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Do Schools Kill Creativity?

lynn — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:49:43 +0000

As homeschoolers we are really ‘innovators’ and ‘early adopters.’ I am convinced that the trend in mainstream education must move toward individualized education a la homeschooling. Each child is gifted and the goal of a parent or teacher is to equip a child to make the most of his or her gifts.

This video talk by Sir Ken Robinson is entitled Do Schools Kill Creativity? I wholeheartedly agree with his view on learning (sans the humanistic viewpoint). It’s about 20 minutes long so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy and be inspired.

[youtube iG9CE55wbtY]

I don’t advocate schools should build comprehensive education programs in all areas of the arts targeted at all children. Pinpointing a child’s gifts and interests and learning styles is the key. Tailor the learning plan and instruction to the child.

This video is also available on the TED website.

HT: Weblogg-ed

A Few Bazillion More Bucks or a New Way of Thinking?

lynn — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:11:04 +0000

Change the way we teach kids; don’t just throw more money at schools. That’s what David Reaume wrote in today’s Anchorage Daily News. What a breath of fresh air from a columnist I rarely agree with. He discusses the potential impact of a recent court decision, Moore vs. State of Alaska.

A few years back Moore vs. State of Alaska began working its way through the courts claiming that education here in the Greatland is underfunded. That’s right $10,114 per student is just not quite enough. NEA-Alaska enthusiastically supported the suit claiming that it is a natural historical progression in the spirit of Brown vs. Board of Education. Thankfully, Superior Court judge Sharon Gleason disagreed. She wrote that Alaska has “fully met its constitutional obligation to adequately fund education.” And also that the court will not determine educational programs and will leave education funding decisions to the legislature. How refreshing, how constitutional. One can only hope that the State Supreme Court will concur on appeal.

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