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Teaching Tips January 1, 2009 |
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Random and global learners form their own little view of the world and what is worth paying attention to. Unfortunately, what they think is important and what curriculum publishers think is important are often two different things. These types of learners do not automatically think in terms of rules, lists, and definitions. Learning facts, dates, and formulas is hard for them. So it’s helpful to “pick your battles,” carefully choosing only those items that absolutely need to be memorized. Personalized Flip Charts can be used to aid memorization and provide a handy resource for all the other items that didn’t make the “must do” list. There are all sorts of Flip Charts available from publishers, and these can be a time-saver for standard items such as math formulas and spelling rules. Having the child make his/her own charts gives you an interactive hands-on activity to help cement learning, teaches organization skills (which these children always need!), and encourages the child to take some initiative in learning. Buy a 1-inch notebook binder with clear plastic cover that will allow the child to design his/her own cover art. Buy a packet of clear page protectors and five-tab colored dividers. Write the core subjects on the divider tabs (Science, Math, English, History), with the last one labeled Other (or Bible). Have the child record the material to be memorized on a sheet of paper in a way that is meaningful to him/her. It can be colorful, artistic, creative, or just a plain listing. The process of thinking up a design “forces” the child to pay attention to the material, which increases the chances of it being moved into long-term memory. Insert the finished page into a page protector and have the child file it under the correct subject heading. This works for spelling rules, history and science definitions, history dates, science and math formulas, grammar rules, and any other classification or listing. Then as the child needs that information, the Flip Chart can be consulted, which encourages the child to get in the habit of looking up information in a reference as needed. KEY WORDS: chart, rules, formulas, definitions, global, notebook |
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