Understand how your child
best learns
Each person learns differently, and even the
same person might learn in different ways
depending on the topic at hand. Basic human
nature leads us to teach in the same manner
that we learn. Personally, I love a great
lecture. When my son indicated he wanted
to learn more about space and the planets,
I had to check myself. Wouldn’t a lecture at
the local space museum be awesome!?!?
Not for my kinesthetic learner; he wouldn’t
last a millisecond in that environment. It was
my job to find interactive museums, science
kits, workshops and more that we could use
to explore this topic. In the end, his favorite
project was the paper mache planets we made
together. I was bored to tears, but this isn’t
momschool, it’s his homeschool.
Build a Personalized Learning
Environment
The final and most crucial step I can offer in
the journey towards Personalized Learning is
to build for your child a Personalized Learning
Environment (PLE.) Effective PLEs give
support to learners in setting their goals, in
managing their goals, and in communicating
their goals with others . One person cannot be
all things to your child and deliver them in all
ways best suited to your child – especially if you
are homeschooling multiple children. Build for
them a network of learning tools that can help
them succeed.
Examples of digital resources for
homeschoolers might include YouTube,
Pinterest, Flickr, Netflix, Wiki, and more. It
might include Skyping with experts, taking
online classes, or chatting on email with a
pen-pal across country. Children might enjoy
blogging about their topics of interest, and
communicating their excitement to others.
While PLEs are more commonly considered
digital assets, they can also include tactile
support as well. Field trips to the zoo,
scavenger hunts in the park, play groups with
other homeschoolers, science clubs at the
local community center….there are boundless
contributors to your child’s Personalized
Learning Environment.
If you are interested in understanding more
about learning styles and modalities of
learning, I encourage you to read Rebecca
Kochenderfer’s book Homeschooling and
Loving It! She includes excellent tips for better
understanding learning types, and she includes
a worksheet to help you identify your child’s
learning style as well as your own.
Personalized Learning is more than modifying
your approach to a topic or the speed with
which you teach it. It is allowing the learner to
navigate his course, to explore his interests,
and to pursue what calls him. Take advantage
of the power that homeschool provides in
designing a personal learning experience for
your child. Homeschooling is like a cupcake.
Save that sheet pan for lasagna.