Book Review: The Way They Learn

Most have heard and / or read Cynthia Ulrich Tobias’ book, The Way They Learn: How to discover and teach to your child’s strengths. I have been a late comer to the party, allowing this gem of a book to sit on my bookshelf for several years.

As a Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House, I knew it would be good. Timing is everything and the time arrived last fall. Four children, four different learning styles, two of which include learning disabilities, this Momma needed insight.

Tobias delves into the variety of learning styles and helps parents and teachers discover consistent patterns. I appreciate her ability to highlight the myriad of styles and maintain the beauty of each. No style is a right or wrong style although most public school settings are better suited to one style over others. We are all created marvelously different. How one child learns and processes information is different from the next, but not wrong.

Not only was I able to see patterns in the learning styles of my children, but I recognized my own. This was an eye-opener as I realized why I do certain things the way I do. Maybe I’m not so crazy after all–and it explains some of my grades in high school too! The book also helped to explain the difficulty I was having teaching one child. It seems our learning styles are opposite, meaning the way I teach is not the way this child needs to learn. Adapting my teaching style to meet the needs of my children has benefited each of us. As Tobias says, “Learning how to recognize and appreciate learning styles can help you identify the natural strengths and tendencies each individual possesses.”

If you are struggling to figure out the learning style of a child and how to help them succeed on their educational journey, The Way They Learn is a marvelous starting point. Along the way you may learn a few things about yourself too.

 

We may be drawing to the end of a school year, but it is not too late to understand our children and our students. Did you know MMCW has an education section on our blog? Look for more upcoming educational posts over the summer.

Do you have suggestions regarding books dealing with the learning process?

The Way They LearnBy Cynthia Ulrich Tobias / Tyndale House Learning styles expert Cynthia Tobias gives parents a better understanding of the types of learning approaches that will help their children do better in school. Once these approaches are understood, any parent or teacher can become more effective in helping any child grasp confusing concepts, stay interested in lessons and utilize his or her greatest strengths. Focus on the Family Recommendation.

 

 

 

Aiming for God’s Standards in Education

As parents we want the best for our children. We want them to be able to go to university, eventually to get a job they love, and  to support their families and the growing of God’s Kingdom.

We have twelfth graders in our house this year, and so the questions are flying. 

Do they have enough science? Math? How are their essay writing skills? What about electives?

Then the comparing starts. We see what the kids in the local school are doing and evaluate where our kids stand in comparison to them. We buy SAT study books and have them take the exams to find out how they are doing compared to everyone else. As we compare, I find myself floundering. Will my kids have the education they need? Have they done enough?

When comparing our kids to children schooled differently than ours (public to homeschool, homeschool to private, etc.) we will find some who measure up much better than ours. We’ll also find those who make our kids look like geniuses!

Education standards are important, but we need to teach our children to do their best–not to do better than so and so or to get a certain grade on their SATs. The Bible says we need to do everything as if we’re doing it specifically for the Lord Jesus as a gift of worship. That includes math, science, writing, history, and physical education–every course our kids take.

The education standard we need to give our kids is higher than any school board can ever set. God’s standard is one that evaluates not just the marks, but also the heart and motives. If our kids have done their assignments the absolute best they can, with an attitude of worship toward Him, they have met His standard. Even if their marks fall much lower than those of their peers.

As a parent, are you letting your children settle for getting good grades, or even good-enough grades? Or are you training them to aim for God’s standard? How do you suggest we practically do that?

Carla Anne Coroy

Could My Child Be Dyslexic?

I always knew one of my children was a little different.  At age two, he could quickly complete complicated puzzles that his six-year-old brother struggled to put together.  His mind just saw the way it had to be!  He was incredibly smart and continually amazed us with his mechanical mind and ingenuity.

When I began teaching him to read, though, he struggled.  He changed b’s into d’s and 9′s into 6′s.  More telling, though, was the fact that he couldn’t remember little words.  If he was reading “Tim and Tom and Mary and Jan” he would have to sound out the word “and” every single time.  He could not remember it from one second to the next.  I had him informally tested, and he “passed.”  We were told he was not dyslexic.  That put my mind at ease for a short while, but not for long.  Signs which could not be explained any other way continued to crop up.

He skipped words or even lines while reading, as if they weren’t there.  He read words backwards.  He added letters that weren’t there or deleted ones that were.  He ignored punctuation marks.  Reading and spelling became a horrible chore.  We had him tested again by a trained psychiatrist and found out that he was, indeed, dyslexic.

At first I was stunned.  I had feared this was true.  I had known it somehow, deep down.  Yet the truth still felt like a punch in the gut.  How would this affect him?  What would this mean for his long-term future?  Could we handle this?

Although it did not feel like it at the time, receiving that diagnosis was a blessing.  We could finally begin to understand what we were dealing with and address it in ways that are making a difference.  My patience increased exponentially overnight, as I realized that he really was doing his very best, and as I began to see school through my son’s eyes.

I am grateful that I found some excellent programs for him, even before I knew for sure that he was dyslexic.  The psychiatrist was shocked that our son was less than a full grade level behind in his reading and spelling, and he attributed that to the strength of the programs we were using.

Dyslexia is not diagnosed only by a child being behind. It has to do with the discrepancy between the level he is working at when reading and writing versus the level he is able to work at when those components are removed and he is listening and speaking.  There were eight grade levels of discrepancy between those two points for our son, so although he wasn’t very far behind his grade level, he was miles away from living up to his potential academically.

It has been almost four years since he was diagnosed.  We’ve kept the good and improved on the rest, and each school year has been better and better.  Our son is thriving and is actually up to grade level now in his reading.  His spelling is coming right along, and he is achieving spelling success every week rather than constant failure.  Our family built the website My Audio School to address his core content needs through the auditory pathway.  My Audio School provides the auditory learner with access to hundreds of recorded classic books, educational old time radio theater and historic news broadcasts.  We are using Writing with Ease and Institutes for Excellence in Writing to help our son learn to communicate on paper.

If any of this rings a bell, I encourage you to check out this article from All About Spelling about Symptoms of Dyslexia and this one I wrote about Helping Dyslexics Help Themselves.  I didn’t want to face the truth, but it has truly set us free.  Now we are working with our son’s strengths and helping him learn how to accommodate for his weaknesses.

Don’t Despise the Small Things

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. More Reading.

The children sometimes find this work tedious and wonder why we have to do it. But this is the foundation that will enable them to achieve their goals later on. And it is good for them to learn to persevere cheerfully with work that must be done, even though it isn’t always enjoyable.

Some weeks it feels like we’re just spinning our wheels. Will we ever get off of this plateau and reach new heights? I have to remind myself that we’ve been in this situation before, and we did see progress. But rarely was it by leaps and bounds. Usually it was the result of faithfulness in the little things, over time.

When I get discouraged, I remember other times in my life when I despaired of ever making progress. I think of all the days spent teaching phonics to a child I was convinced would never learn to read, or the years spent coaxing a fearful child to learn to ride a bike. Often I felt discouraged, yet in both cases–and in many others–I eventually saw the fruit of my labors.

That’s why we keep on doing the same ‘ol, same ‘ol. Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. More Reading.

“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4: 9-10

Audio Books: Listening and Learning

For years I viewed audio books as a nice supplement, to be enjoyed only as a treat, when we had inclination or money to do so.  It wasn’t until I started regularly using audio books with our dyslexic son that I realized how their widespread, daily use could benefit all our children!  Here are some ways we’re using audio books in our home:

With our preschooler:

• Audio books develop a love of literature.  Our preschooler listens every day during his rest time.  Sometimes he listens to a special book again and again, while other days he discovers a new favorite.
• I love reading to my preschooler, but sometimes he wants to hear so many books that it is hard to satisfy his thirst!  Audio books give him some measure of control; he can listen when he wants to, rather than waiting until mom is available.

With our emerging reader:

• Our emerging reader likes listening to a book and then trying to read it.  Pre-listening before reading makes it easier for him to decipher names and tricky vocabulary.
• When the text is not too difficult, our emerging reader can read along while listening.  This develops reading fluency, and helps him progress through a book even when some words are beyond his reading level.  Bear in mind that it’s important to have access to the pause button for this activity, as sometimes the narrator gets ahead of the emerging reader and he may lose his place.
• I have spurred each of my three older boys to overcome a lack of reading confidence through the initial use of audio.  We start out listening to a book that is within their ability to read.  After a few chapters (when it starts to get really interesting!) I make the switch to text.  The boys are excited enough to see what happens that they are willing to take a stab at reading the text.  Excitement gives way to surprise as they see it isn’t as hard as they feared it would be.  Voila!  The gateway to chapter books has opened!

With our special needs child:

• Audio books have opened a whole new world for our dyslexic son.  Through the use of audio books, he can work independently, at or above grade level.  His interest in school has blossomed for the first time, and he is finally able to take personal responsibility for completing assignments, rather than waiting until mom can help him decipher his history book.
• Before we started regularly using audio books, our son thought that he hated books.  Now, he has discovered that he loves them!  He can finally sit down with a good book and actually enjoy “reading” it, an experience which many of us take for granted.
• Our dyslexic son’s reading level has grown over the years, but so has the difficulty of his schoolwork.  Audio books enable him to keep up with a rigorous load of assignments.

With our high school student:

• Our high school student listens to audio books over the summer to get a jump start on the new school year.  He enjoys listening, and the advance preparation lightens his load in the fall.
• Some high school level books are really long!  Audio books are a welcome break.
• Audio books help our busy high school son kill two birds with one stone.  He listens while cleaning his room, working in the yard, and exercising.

As a break from family read-aloud time:

• We enjoy listening as a family during meals or in the evening.  Everyone is gathered together and quiet.
• We “redeem the time” daily by listening while driving to and from sports practices as well as whenever we take long road trips.
• Our children often crawl into bed a half hour early so they can listen before falling asleep.

Show Me How: Starting a Homeschool Co-Op

Starting a homeschool co-op can be as simple as a few moms meeting together and teaching various skills to your own children.  Or, it can be as organized as meeting in a church on a certain day every week for an entire semester and having parent volunteers teach elective classes.  If you are thinking of starting a co-op, here are some things to consider.  Do you have enough parents willing to teach or serve as assistant teachers?  Do you have enough parents willing to serve as nursery workers for the younger siblings of the teachers?  Take it slow and you may be surprised at how your co-op begins to grow.  Our local co-op began with just a few classes and now offers classes for children aged 2 all the way through high school age.

The first step in deciding to start a homeschool co-op is to find a place to meet.  Many churches are happy to allow homeschoolers to use their Sunday School classrooms one day per week.  The next step would be to determine which day of the week your co-op will meet and the times you will arrive and dismiss.  A good place to start would be to have two classes back to back.  Our local co-op offers two, one-hours classes.  The first one begins at 9:45, and the second starts at 11:00.  There is a 15 minute break in between the two.  Some grade levels are combined and each group of students remain in the same classroom , whereas a new teacher comes into the room for the second class.  Larger co-ops offer a list of classes and allow parents to pick and choose which classes their children are interested in attending.

Often co-ops have a set fee for parents to pay which helps with the costs of snacks, insurance, t-shirts, and so forth.  Other co-ops simply have each student pay the individual teacher directly, much like you would pay a tutor.  This provides an extra income for the parent volunteer.  However you decide to set up your local co-op, please know that it is worth the effort and can be a blessing and joy for everyone involved.

Some of the classes that your co-op may choose to offer include electives such as Art, P.E., Typing, Manners, Character Education, Legos, Science Experiments, Geography, State Study,  First Aid, American Girls, Math Games, Astronomy, Excellence in Writing, Movie Making, etc.  There are so many possibilities.  The rewards far outreach simply the knowledge that your children will gain.  Giving your children the opportunity to be around like-minded children will facilitate the building of friendships that may continue for many years to come.

In addition, our homeschool co-op is equally beneficial for the parents whose children attend.  We have a parent break room set up for those who aren’t serving as teachers or assistants.  This adult fellowship time  is a great time for parents to encourage each other and even share prayer needs.  You will be surprised at how parents even continue to cultivate the relationships they have formed beyond the weekly co-op meeting.

If you are thinking of teaching classes for your local homeschool co-op, please check out these titles written specifically for the homeschool co-op setting:  Learning Across the USA, Science for Homeschool Co-op or for Fun at Home, Manners, and Movie Making Basics.

Kathy Hutto, is a certified educator with over 18 years of teaching experience both in public and private schools.  She currently homeschools her own children and teaches classes through her local homeschool co-op.   In addition, she has created several innovative children’s feeding products known as Toddler Bites, which are sold nationwide through Price Products, LLC. You can visit her blog at www.toddlerbitesblog.wordpress.com

Thanksgiving Sites to Visit

Adorable Thanksgiving crafts from Parents Magazine. There’s 15 adorable crafts including a pumpkin pie thankfulness spinner, 3-D Turkey bag, pumpkin photo holder and my favorite–a sticky note door hanger.

Free Printables… Thanksgiving coloring sheets and craft ideas for preschool/elementary age.  Great to keep some coloring sheets on hand.

Thanksgiving History…The History Channel has free videos and articles.

Mayflower Compact…Want to learn more about the Mayflower Compact?

Talk Like a Pilgrim…Fun site to learn how the Pilgrims talked. For example, did you know they would have said “Good morrow” instead of “Hi, how are you?”

You are the Historian… Enjoy investigating the first Thanksgiving with vivid pictures and audio.

Could My Child Be Dyslexic?

I always knew one of my children was a little different. At age two, he could quickly complete complicated puzzles that his six-year old brother struggled to put together. His mind just saw the way it had to be! He was incredibly smart and continually amazed us with his mechanical mind and ingenuity.

When I began teaching him to read, though, he struggled. He changed b’s into d’s and 9′s into 6′s. More telling, though, was the fact that he couldn’t remember little words. If he was reading “Tim and Tom and Mary and Jan” he would have to sound out the word “and” every single time. He could not remember it from one second to the next. I had him informally tested, and he “passed.” We were told he was not dyslexic. That put my mind at ease for a short while but not for long. Signs which could not be explained any other way continued to crop up.

He skipped words or even lines while reading, as if they weren’t there. He read words backwards. He added letters that weren’t there or deleted ones that were. He ignored punctuation marks. Reading and spelling became a horrible chore. We had him tested again by a trained psychiatrist and found out that he was, indeed, dyslexic.

At first I was stunned. I had feared this was true. I had known it somehow, deep down. Yet the truth still felt like a punch in the gut. How would this affect him? What would this mean for his long-term future? Could we handle this?

Although it did not feel like it at the time, receiving that diagnosis was a blessing. We could finally begin to understand what we were dealing with and address it in ways that are making a difference. My patience increased exponentially overnight, as I realized that he really was doing his very best, and as I began to see school through my son’s eyes.

I am grateful that I found some excellent programs for him, even before I knew for sure that he was dyslexic. The psychiatrist was shocked that our son was less than a full grade level behind in his reading and spelling, and he attributed that to the strength of the programs we were using.

Dyslexia is not diagnosed only by a child being behind; it has to do with the discrepancy between the level he is working at when reading and writing versus the level he is able to work at when those components are removed and he is listening and speaking. There were 8 grade levels of discrepancy between those two points for our son, so although he wasn’t very far behind his grade level, he was miles away from living up to his potential academically.

It has been a year since he was diagnosed. We’ve kept the good and improved on the rest, and this school year has been our best year by far. Our son is thriving and is actually up to grade level now in his reading. His spelling is coming right along, and he is achieving spelling success every week rather than constant failure. We are using things like My Audio School to address his core content needs and Writing with Ease to help him learn how to communicate on paper.

I thought there might be a post in here somewhere, but I can tell already that there is a series here. I’ll look forward to sharing more soon about what we’ve been doing with him to achieve encouraging results academically as well as a much happier school day for both mom and son.

In the meantime, if any of this rings a bell for you, check out this post on Symptoms of Dyslexia
on the All About Spelling website. Perhaps that nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach is a wake-up call. I didn’t want to face the truth, but it has truly set us free. Now we are working with our son’s strengths and helping him learn how to accommodate for his weaknesses.

Other articles I’ve written concerning dyslexia that could be of interest:

• Resources for the Dyslexic Child
• Helping Dyslexics Help Themselves
• Don’t fill up on Dessert
• Emerging Readers
• File Folder Spelling
• Spelling with Clay
• Another Way to Narrate
• My Audio School

Help! My Child is Dyslexic!

In this new podcast, I share about our challenges and victories as we work with our dyslexic son. Whether you are homeschooling or your child is in public / private school, you’ll find plenty of spiritual encouragement as well as tips and strategies for helping a child with learning disabilities. The material is divided into 8 episodes, each lasting about 10 to 20 minutes.

Topics include:
Could my child be dyslexic?
Making the decision whether or not to pursue formal testing
Coming to terms with the diagnosis
Finding more hours in the day
Managing my own emotions while teaching a child with special needs
Overcoming reading hurdles
Spelling, Writing, and Grammar
Yearly evaluations and other concerns

To listen to individual episodes, double click the arrow button where it says “select a past episode”. Choose the episode you would like to hear and click on it. You can click play right on the player widget to stream from your computer, or click “visit my call” and follow the prompts by each episode title if you prefer to download the episodes to your iPod, iPhone, or Mp3 player.

Click here to begin.

Charming Books for PreSchoolers

Here are some of my favorite books to read with my preschooler. If time would permit, I could list many more.

We love Hoot, by Jane Hissey. In fact, any book in Hissey’s Old Bear Stories series ranks as a favorite, and we have collected several. The charming artwork complements the funny tales about these stuffed animal friends. There are also some precious old British DVDs of the stuffed animals in these books. The books are getting easier to find!

Another one of our favorite books is The Paper Princess by Elisa Kleven. This seems like it would be a book for a girl, but all four of my boys have loved it. I still find that it chokes me up a bit when I read it, even after all these years.

We love anything by Robert McCloskey. My current preschooler is in love with Blueberries for Sal, but my other boys have, in turn, cherished Lentil and Make Way for Ducklings, while my oldest still enjoys McCloskey’s older fare, Homer Price and Centerburg Tales.

Another author we look for is Marjorie Flack. My boys have all loved Angus Lost, Angus and the Ducks, Ask Mr. Bear and The Story About Ping.

One of our bedtime favorites, which we’ve owned for ten years now, is Reeve Lindbergh’s The Midnight Farm. This peaceful counting rhyme is the perfect story before dropping off to sleep at night.

One thing I like about The Midnight Farm is the illustrations by Susan Jeffers. She is one of my favorites. I love her drawings in this copy of Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

I also like the illustrators Jan Brett, Paul Zelinski and Peter Spier.
We just discovered the Read Aloud Bible Series by Ella Lindvall this year, but it has become an instant favorite.

The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was In It by poet Carl Sandburg is a silly favorite. We love reading about the procession of the Chocolate Chins, the Spoonlickers and the Easy-ticklers.

What are some of your favorites? I would love to hear your comments on this topic.

Next Page »