Learning modes
What does learning look like?
Is it sitting quietly at a table, composing a story? Watching a how-to video while trying to fix the kitchen sink? Participating in a spirited debate?
The answer, of course, is yes to all of these.
I like to talk with my students about how the work they do now will benefit them when they get older. Ideally, each aspect of their learning grows them in three areas: academic content, life skills, and moral character.
It’s easy to see examples of this in the home or classroom.
If students are frustrated when their idea isn’t used in a group project, they are learning to negotiate, compromise, and assert (life skills!). When something in their reading doesn’t mesh, they learn to ask deeper questions or conduct further research of their own for answers. And when a science experiment goes wrong, it’s time to laugh at our mistakes, clean up, and try again!
There is a beauty in the depth of learning that can come from something as simple as loading the dishwasher.
When planning activities for your kids, think about the how as much as the what.
Does your son thrive best when given a box of odds and ends and unlimited free time to create? Is your daughter a social learner, retaining new content best when she can tell you all about it on the drive home from school?
Take time to notice these particular strengths, and encourage them. But remember to provide opportunities for your kids to grow skills in modes of learning that come less naturally. Break things into bite-size chunks, and package them in content areas they enjoy. Maybe your introvert starts with reading one of her stories aloud to the family at dinner, or your son who “hates math” but loves basketball gets a lesson on statistics from tracking his favorite players. Play to their strengths while working on weaker areas.
We’ll look more in-depth at some of the modes of learning in future newsletters, but for now, enjoy studying this aspect of your children or students. I’d love to hear what you discover!
All the best,
Leah Deegear
Proverbs 22:6