Learning Is Contagious When We Honor Our Unique Learning Styles

Last night a collegue asked if my children's learning styles differ. I laughed because they are as different as night and day in the way they learn. Alexander is a visual and auditory learner while Sophia learns by touching and doing. Alexander tends to be a perfectionist while Sophia lives in the moment and likes taking risks. Sophia loves the language arts and taught herself to read. She can often be found buried in a book or writing. Reading hasn't come as easily for Alexander and he requires rules for spelling that Sophia never needed. Alexander loves history, science and problem solving. Sophia likes creating and imagining rather than always knowing the reasoning behind something. Just as they are unique human beings, their learning styles differ and what they require from me differs. I like the part I play in their learning and I like that the two of them seem to appreciate the other's unique style.

Although they each have their own unique way of learning, unschooling and family involvement often bring their love of learning together. Alexander loves history and last year we visited The Holocaust Museum in DC. Alexander and Steve went straight to the maps that gave information about the strategies used by Hitler in occupying most of Europe. Sophia and I had no interest in any of that and headed to the stories of a more personal nature - what happened to the families that were separated, how were Jews portrayed in textbooks, and more. Alexander had the interest in history and because as a family we do everything together, they both learned new information, only they learned it in a manner that fit their own unique personalities.

Last year when Sophia was in her "hippie" phase, we played songs from the 60's and early 70's, we looked at how people dressed, we learned about protests, etc. Of course this also brought up a lot of political events of this time period which Alexander loved. There have been multiple things just like this where one member of the family has an interest that soon becomes of interest of everyone only viewed in its unique way.

Right now, Alexander has decided he wants to learn math and he wants to learn it well. This is requiring that he go back and memorize his basic facts. He has always known how to get the answer, but has never memorized the facts. It is so fun. He writes out his facts and then tries to find patterns within the answers. We sat down the other day to do two digit multiplication and I showed him how I get the answer. He said, "Couldn't you just do it like this?" Then he went on to show me what he was thinking. It made so much sense. What is different from the way I learned two digit multiplication is that I learned the process to getting the answer without understanding what I was doing. Alexander understands what is going on enough that he can rationalize a way to answer the problem that makes sense to him. He is using his own unique way of learning. I love it! Also, last night Sophia who has absolutely no interest whatsoever with numbers, except when it comes to money, had the multiplication cards out and has decided that she is going to learn her facts also. How cool is that? Learning is contagious! Children do want to learn and when we honor their unique learning styles, it happens when it is time to happen.

Testing

I teach English to limited English proficient adults. What I have always liked about our program is that the students are allowed to take each level up to three times if needed. Of course most students want to complete the program in a timely manner but others have appreciated that if they don't understand the material in their current level they can repeat the level if their class performance is below 75%. It has always reminded me a little of unschooling in that the students could move forward at their own pace.

All of that changed this semester. For the first time ever our students are not guaranteed to go from level to level until they complete the program and graduate. If they test outside of the level they are currently in, they can be moved up one, two or more levels and the same can happen in the reverse. They can be placed in a level lower than where they are currently placed . Many of my students were very upset with this. This quad I had five students that moved from level six to level 10. Although they were happy that they did well, they had concerns that since writing is not included on the standardized test that they would be lacking the practice and instruction given in the levels they are missing. Writing is a concern that most of my students have even as they graduate from the program. They need writing skills for work and as parents more than the ability to complete multiple choice questions. One of my students said, "In high school I just wanted to hurry and graduate. Now, I am here to learn, not to hurry through a program." Another one of my students will be going from level six to level four. The tears formed as she learned she would be going backwards. She has one of the highest scores in my class. However, she is slow in completing her work and was only able to complete half the answers in the time allowed for the test. All incomplete answers were considered wrong. She said, "In Cameroon, I only went to school in first and second grade. But I came here and worked hard to learn English. I can't work faster because then I can't think." It broke my heart to talk with her and share that she was moving to a level where she knows the information but unfortunately doesn't move at a pace determined by someone else as acceptable.

The ESL program I teach for is grant funded and free to the students. They know they are fortunate to be able to participate in this program. However, these are students that work one or two other jobs, have families, and support extended family living in other countries. They want to learn English and they want to learn it well. When I taught fifth grade years ago I saw how testing was taking over educating our children and I am sad that it has finally arrived in the adult education world also.

Science Take Out....Just Add Students

A few months back Alexander and I purchased a couple of science kits from Science Take Out. They offer hands-on science kits at a reasonable cost that can be used by an individual child or in small groups. Yesterday we tried out the first one titled Kidney Donor. For less than $10 we received a kit with all the supplies needed to complete the experiment. No outside work needed by the facilitator. It took us about two hours to run through the experiment that is intended for middle school through junior college students. It was so fun!

We started out reading about the purpose of the kidney online and then got started. The kit first gives you THE CASE. Our case was a 20 year old woman that needed a kidney transplant. Three of her relatives were willing to donate one of their kidneys to her. Our task was to conduct laboratory tests and evaluate which relative (Donor X, Donor Y, or Donor Z) could safely donate a kidney to the woman.

In Test 1 we evaluated the patient's and the three donor's urine for ketones, blood, protein and glucose by dipping a test strip into a urine sample (sample not really urine but provided by kit). We then recorded the results, supported our conclusion of which relative should not be a donor and why it might be dangerous for this donor to provide a kidney.

In Test 2 we determined the blood type of the patient and donors and then determined which blood types would have reactions if mixed with patient's antibodies.

In Test 3 we evaluated the health of the donors based on weight, age and exercise and again determined which relative would not be a good donor. Then, based on all the information we had collected so far, we made a decision as to who would be the best donor. We (Alexander with me agreeing) decided that Donor Y was the best candidate because his/her age, weight, and exercise were all good, his/her blood type was going to work well with the patent's blood type, and his/her urinalysis was normal.

Today we need to finish up with Test 4 which is on Tissue Typing.

I would highly recommend these kits for other teens. They were fun and they lead to a lot of side discussion. Luckily we had the laptop close by to answer any additional questions but overall, everything you need to know is in the packet. We will definitely be ordering more.

Coconuts

Over the weekend Alexander and I experimented with young coconuts. I needed lots of coconut water to make coconut water kefir. We watched several YouTube videos to get an idea of what we were going to do and then went to work. Alexander did the cutting. We discovered it isn't quite as easy as the videos show, especially when you don't have a clever. Lucky me, my husband and son went out for a few errands and came home with a clever and we were able to not only drain the water from the coconut but also extract the meat to ferment. Alexander had a lot of fun and in his usual way he thought through how he wants to cut the coconuts next time.

The magic of unschooling, as I have mentioned here before, is including your children in your everyday life. By asking for Alexander's help we learned about coconuts together by shaking, cutting, draining and tasting. We shared in many conversations while working side by side, and best of all, he has taken an interest in everything I am doing with the Body Ecology Diet. He wants to know how fermented foods work and he wants to taste the foods I am preparing. It is fun to learn with your children, to incorporate them into the things that interest you.

*Sophia went to her gerbil proboard to ask if it is safe for gerbils to have the coconut shell for their home - it is. We felt good knowing we were able to use the coconut in its entirety.

Unschooling and Planning

At the end of each summer the kids and I discuss whether or not our style of homeschooling is working for us. Each year we decide it is but narrow in on the interests the kids want to pursue in more depth. Our conversation a few weeks ago lead us to decide we need a schedule for our days to make sure we are accomplishing all that we want to do.

Alexander decided he wants to work more on his reading and writing and with his own money purchased a very nice leather journal at Barnes & Noble to write about his days. He decided on his own that the more he writes, the better writer he will become. If he doesn't know how to spell a word, he underlines the word and goes back to it later. Isn't that wonderful? He came up with this on his own. That is why I love unschooling. When children are ready, they ask for help and take the initiative to reach their goals. They want to be successful!

Other interests we will be pursuing this fall:
Alexander -
~Woodcarving: We bought tools for him and visited his teacher's home. His work is AMAZING.
Alexander loved seeing all the potential projects he can do.
~Science kits : We ordered a few science kits intended for junior/high school students. If we like them, we will order more.
~Painting Alexander's room: He is in charge of budgeting and doing all the planning for this project. I will just be the helper
~Reading together daily
~Writing activities
~Clubs with our homeschooling group
~Physical activities: Alexander is feeling like his body needs to work hard and is running, biking and playing sports with friends.
~Weekly babysitting job: He will be watching a three year old and six year old.
~Dog sitting: Five days a week.
~Algebra: He talked to a friend on XBOX today about algebra and now wants to learn it too! Pretty cool.

Sophia -
~Writing: This is her passion. She loves writing stories, blogs, emails, etc.
~Reading: She has about three books she is reading and keeps requesting new ones from the library.
~Dancing/acting: She is taking a class on Mondays.
~Clubs and classes with homeschooling group
~Dog sitting

They both also want more time with friends so besides our two homeschooling groups, we have chosen Fridays as our friend days. We will either schedule individual play dates or larger group get togethers.

I love how the kids feel motivated to help in their learning journey. Together we are finding the things that click for them as individuals and makes them proud of the work they do.

Sicko Documentary

Last night Steve, Alexander and I watched the documentary Sicko by Michael Moore. Although I am not always sure how I feel about Michael Moore, the documentary had some interesting information and some things to think about. As homeschoolers that follow a philosophy known as unschooling (child led education) we are always happy when our children are inspired and want more information. Since Sicko focused a lot of the differences in health care between France and the United States, Alexander had some additional questions after the movie. (We paused the movie several times to discuss what we were hearing.)

Now that he knew some information about the health insurance in France, that college is free, and they have a great vacation plan, he wanted to know about the government in France. So, we looked it up, read together and went on to discuss the differences in the government of France compared to the United States building on some other issues we have been discussing lately. As soon as Alexander and I finished our discussion on the government similarities and differences, he ran downstairs to share his new knowledge with Steve. This then prompted them to do a comparison of the size of France compared to the United States. He then came to share his new knowledge (again) with me.

With an unschooling philosophy, we trust our children are naturally curious human beings and will want to know more. This is just one example of something that happens almost daily. A discussion we have, a TV show we watch, or a place we visit sparks new interests and natural learning. The difficult part for us is to make sure we act on that curiosity as it occurs so we can capture exactly what they want to know. It is fun too. I learn a lot in the process.

So, after flipping through channels and landing on the documentary Sicko, we were able to have an additional hour or so unplanned learning on government, health insurance, land size and much more.

Advantages of Homeschooling #3 - Sibling Closeness

As a storm is brewing outside, I am listening through an open window as Alexander and Sophia go back and forth on the swings laughing, singing and talking together. Lightening is there background music.

The rain comes down hard and they stay outside, enjoying the spring rain and each other.