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Teaching Tips May 2011 |
In one ear and out the other. Here today and gone tomorrow. Spinning wheels get you nowhere. Is there anything we can do to avoid these sayings when it
comes to our homeschooling and help learning stick? Yes, sticky thoughts.
Our brains work a lot like computers. The first step is data input. In a matter of seconds, your child’s brain must decide whether or not to process the information you are presenting, along with all the other stimuli happening around you and your child. Leaky spot number one. Fix: the more intriguing the material and the more personally relevant it is, the more likely it is to get past this initial filter. The information that is accepted then goes into a sort of zip drive that condenses it in order to make it easier to process. Leaky spot number two. Fix: by hooking the information to something the child already knows, the information is more likely to be recognized as useful. The next stop is the Active Working Memory, much like the active memory on your computer’s desktop. The information is held here for anywhere from two to five hours — long enough to finish whatever task is involved such as a worksheet, hands-on project, or reading assignment. The critical point here is that once the task is finished, the data is lost unless it is somehow saved to the hard-dive. In this case, your child’s long-term memory. Leaky spot number three. Fix: To save it, your child needs to interact with the material in a way that is meaningful — in a way that makes a lasting impression. The most effective way to do this is to take advantage of the child’s learning style, using the primary sense or modality as well as the natural expressions of the child. Here are a few examples I’ve used with my own children — one a hands-on learner, the other a visual/auditory learner. To reinforce the importance of words and watching what we say, I had the children squeeze a tube of toothpaste over some wax paper, explaining that this was like having a conversation with someone. Then I asked them to try to put the toothpaste back into the tube. Of course they couldn’t. Just like words — we can’t take them back once they’re out there. Memorizing lists and fact families always brought groans until I had my daughter (the dancer) tap out the list to the rhythm of the taps or music and I had my active son kick a soccer ball back and forth as he recited the list. When teaching the sound-letter connections in phonics, I flashed a large picture of the letter sound and then sent the children scrambling throughout the house looking for objects with that sound — sample: /f/ sound, sofa and frog (thankfully, the frog was a stuffed version!). The interaction is the key. It’s the glue that makes the information sticky. The more senses you can involve, the more the brain is engaged, and the greater the chances of moving the information into long-term memory. 509 Words To view more 'Teaching Tips' Articles please 'Log In' and visit the 'Achives' page. |
