Blending Your Own Educational Style
When it comes to educational styles there are never any two people that are exactly alike. We each teach and learn differently from each other. Your child may learn better one way while you find teaching easier in another. Maybe you have multiple children with multiple learning styles in your home like we do. When you find yourself in a diverse mix of learning styles you can use that to your advantage by blending your own educational style that plays to everyone strengths.
Exploring educational styles
When it comes to education if you as a thousand people how to teach you will get a thousand and one different answers. This is because there really is not a right or wrong way to learn. Let that sink in “There is NO right or WRONG way to learn.” If you study education you will find some amazing teachers with methods that have lasted the test of time like Montessori, Charlotte Mason, and Waldorf. These educational methods have stood the test of time because they blend education and learning in ways traditional classrooms can’t.
There are many learning styles. Auditory learning is where a child learns the best listening to others explains things. Some children learn best by actually doing things themselves. Others thrive by burying their face in a book. Some learn best by watching a video or demonstration. The majority of us learn best in a combination of ways instead of in one.
Blending your own learning style
Toss out the notion that a child must sit at a desk all day to learn and embrace the fact that life learning happens anywhere at any time. Embrace that some children learn better not at a dest but hanging off the couch upside down while doing math. Get used to finding children camped out in the middle of a floor… the dog will eventually learn to walk around them or just step over.
For younger children focus on learning through active play where they can use all of their senses to learn. Use all that you have available to you for helping your child learn in an active way. Get outside and use sticks for counting, sidewalk chalk for writing, create nature journals and learn about history hands on. Build up your child’s collection of quality educational toys.
As children age, their learning styles change and they can often transition to a heavier workload that will help prepare them for college or the workforce. By allowing them time to be kids and foster a love of learning while they are young they are more excited to add in stronger academics and will thrive when the time is right for them.
As time goes on offer your child a verity of learning opportunities that fit different styles. This will allow them to develop the ability to learn anything and allow them to seamlessly transition. Hitting the same subject from different angles is a great way to help a child gain a deep understanding this is why unit studies are so popular for homeschooling.
If something doesn’t work for you
Sometimes you find yourself with curriculum or lesson plans that are just not working for your family. Sometimes you may find yourself feeling the need to keep pushing on despite a feeling of dread settling in when it comes to school time. STOP don’t push on with a curriculum that does not make you happy. Post it for sale and walk away to find something different that fits your families needs. Your time you have to teach your child is better spent teaching them to love learning so they forever spend their life seeking knowledge.
