Why Home Learning Should Be More Self-Directed and Less Structured?
Because of the coronavirus concern, pupils were forced to stay at home, and social media feeds were flooded with color-coded study regimens from well-meaning parents. However, they have failed to adopt those timetables, in part because traditional schools' strictly scheduled, time-in-seat strategy frequently has more to do with crowd management than optimizing learning.
The abrupt shift to work-from-home may be a good kind of disruption, opening up a golden opportunity for students to engage in authentic, deep learning that is more self-directed, more playful, more aligned with the development of young students—and much easier for parents to manage than stacks of worksheets.
Giving kids a say in their education fosters intrinsic drive, independence, and innovation. They can explore answers to real-world problems that interest them, construct models, or produce reports that empower them. While it may be challenging in a regular classroom of 20-30 students, parents may give their children far more freedom at home in terms of choosing things to study, books to read, and methods to spend their time.
Without the tight curricular constraints of most schools, which focus much too much on testing and standards, parents can provide time for thorough investigation, critical thinking skills development, and, perhaps most importantly, a genuine passion to learn that will transfer to related fields of study.
SCIENCE EXPLORATION
Play is scientific discovery for young children. Physics lessons can be learned by throwing toys, squeezing a sponge, or spinning in circles. Encourage free play by providing open-ended toys such as blocks, scarves, blanket forts, and cardboard boxes. Set up a science experiment using common household items. Older students can take charge of carrying out the experiment and documenting their findings in a lab report.
Nature is a gateway to scientific discovery. Students can spend time in a park or garden discussing what they see, such as water cycles, ecosystems, and food chains. Gather wildflowers and learn their names. Begin a birding diary or a garden.
COMPREHENDING SOCIAL STUDIES
Find books about history or cultures that your children are interested in. During the crisis, many local libraries have made digital catalogues available for free. After they've finished reading, challenge them to make a puppet performance, poster, or picture book that summarizes everything they've learned.
The approach can also be applied to films or television shows. Demonstrate curiosity and even skepticism, which are essential for developing critical thinking abilities. Talk while watching historical or international films with your children. Inquire about their perspectives on what's going on, point out historical inaccuracies or prejudices, and note similarities and differences between the culture in the film and your own.
MATH MASTERY
Keep arithmetic, like other disciplines, easy. Real objects such as buttons or coins can be used to practice counting or age-appropriate math topics with young children. Cooking is another excellent method for teaching real-world math. Learning fractions begins with internalizing what one and a half cups of flour looks like. By halving or doubling a recipe, you can practice multiplication and division. Board games provide an additional opportunity to practice math by counting money or moving a specific number of places.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS LEARNING
Allowing children to chose their own books encourages them to read. Making reading social is more beneficial than prescribing a certain amount of reading, so set aside some time to read as a family and then discuss what you've read. Talking to your children about anything is beneficial. It's how we're programmed to learn languages.
Consolidating learning, or reviewing knowledge to reinforce concepts so that they stick long term, does not have to be difficult. Discussing what you do every day can help to reinforce new information.
If your child is at least three years old, try Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons for some early reading instruction. This scripted curriculum of 15-minute daily lessons includes everything the teacher has to say or do, making it ideal for busy parents.
Another fundamental approach for increasing English comprehension is writing. Encourage older children to create their own picture books or short stories. The National Novel Writing Month Camp for Young Writers in April establishes goals for kids to achieve when writing their own novel. Using markers, crayons, or paint to teach handwriting, or tracing letters in trays of sand or rice, keeps young children involved.
APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTS
Music and visual arts promote memory and verbal intelligence, while music and visual arts improve brain function and well-being. All arts encourage the development of motor skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Encourage kids to paint, draw, sculpt with handmade play dough, or make friendship bracelets out of fiber. The ingredients don't have to be complicated; simple items like glue sticks, paper, scissors, and cardboard boxes will suffice.
Music is another important aspect of embracing the arts at home. Children can learn new songs, make up their own, or turn an everyday object, such as an old can, into a musical instrument. Share your favorite albums for a lesson in music history. Print out sheet music for beloved pop songs, video games, and animes for kids who play instruments, or give them an option by allowing them to choose a classical piece to study from over 150,000 compositions in the public domain. Start a family band if you have an old, dusty instrument in your closet. Encourage children to participate in the dramatic arts by preparing and performing a puppet show, play, or dance.
MAKE TIME FOR PLAY AND MOVEMENT
Very young children will remain active as long as screens are turned off, but older children who are used to "sit and get" learning may require some encouragement. To jump-start your metabolism and get those happy brain chemicals flowing, try an early family workout. Through video conferencing, children may meet up with pals to work out together. Allow each family member to choose from free online workouts in yoga, dance, or martial arts. Allow children to eventually lead the family in their own training program.
LIFE SKILLS LEARNING
With more people in the house, there is more cooking and cleaning to do. Chores improve problem-solving abilities, gross and fine motor skills, and work ethic. Make housework more enjoyable for children by using inventive storytelling. "We're pirates, and these toys are treasures—who can bring the most treasure back into the treasure chest the fastest?" or "A giant is on his way who despises unclean flooring." If we don't clean this up before he arrives, he'll eat us!" When older children are involved in the process, they are more likely to complete duties. Hold a family meeting to list all of the daily duties and decide how you'll handle them together.
CHECK OUT THE OPPORTUNITIES
Don't feel obligated to complete every subject every day. Children may devote an entire day to one or two activities. Authentic learning occurs in real-world, meaningful circumstances. Kids are learning as long as they are moving, producing, or playing. Allow curiosity and fun to guide you.
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