Getting Started with Homeschooling
Practical Considerations for Parents of School-Aged Children
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Identifying Factors that Induce Peak Learning Experiences
In trying to determine the particular way your children prefer to think, it is useful to ask some questions relating to how they feel and what the environment around them looks like when they believe they are learning best. In this way you can discover some of the very practical tips for optimizing learning conditions for each or your children that you can put to immediate use. Everyone has experienced an occasion when learning is happening optimally, when new understandings and insights came thick and fast, or when the 'aha' moment descents with its accompanying feeling of joy and excitement. Think back to a time when you were learning something new and were enjoying the experience.
First of all consider the place this was happening. Often we learn better in particular places. The room may have spacious, with sparse furniture or it may have been small or cluttered. They may be shelves and shelves of books or personal artifacts, or simple, austere decoration. You may feel most productive working outside, surrounded by plants or your may find having plants inside helps to relax you. Did you enjoy cool fresh air, a good view, and lots of room to move? Maybe you work better in confined spaces. What was the immediate environment like, and how did you feel about it? Consider other times and places you were learning new things. Can you see a pattern emerging?
Another aspect to consider is your posture. Did you learn more when lying down, pacing, sitting comfortable in a large lounge chair or upright at a desk? Do you prefer a straight chair or an ergonomic one? Perhaps you think better when standing. Many people like to be able to move around freely, and to keep busy with their hands. Do you prefer your feet up, or to sit on the floor? A comfortable body is paramount to optimizing learning experiences.
Consider the environment around you - the activities going on around you as you were learning something new. Was it busy, with lots of other people moving through or by your immediate space, or was it quiet and still, a place of solitude? Could you look out onto a spacious, empty view or a busy, noisy scene? Is it a brightly coloured scene, or coloured in soft, pastel tones? The level of light available is also a critical factor. Some people like bright light; others prefer much dimmer shades, or soft coloured light. You may prefer natural light. The positioning of light sources may also be a consideration.
Sound is also very important. Some people prefer total quiet when learning new skills or knowledge; others need a steady rhythm of background noise. Consider what kind of music helps your learning along. Alternatively recognize which music impedes smooth learning, and generally irritates you. Perhaps you like to keep up a soft monologue as you learn, talking very quietly to yourself. Most people learn best when they can hear natural background noises, the sound of leaves, beach, birds and small fountain in a garden pond. Others prefer the comforting sound of urban life; distant traffic, chatter of other people, radio or television.
Most people have an optimum temperature they like their bodies and surroundings to be when engaged in intense learning activity. What about you? Do you like it hot and stuffy, or cool with fresh air? Do you work best when your body is warm or cool? What about your feet, head or hands? What kind of heating or cooling appliances do you work best with?
Learning often occurs in social situations, with many new insights arising from cooperative activities. Do you learn better in the company of peers, or different age others? Is it important to know these people intimately or otherwise? Do you need to be able to make contact or conversation regularly, to obtain feedback from others, or do you like to learn along? Understanding your social needs when you are learning is a key to understanding your learning style.
Something that is often overlooked but has an important role to play in learning is the level of intake of food and water into the body. Some people like to munch or nibble on something all the time, whilst others will often abstain from even regular meals during periods of intense learning activity. Drinking water regularly throughout the day is important for optimal brain functioning. Do you find yourself loosing the plot if you are hungry or thirsty? Do you work better with many breaks for drinks or food? Satisfying your bodily urges will stop them from becoming distracting.
Learning doesn't occur in an emotional vacuum. How you feel when you learn best is important, and if those same conditions can be emulated again you will engage in many more successful learning experiences. Does learning excite you; do you feel motivated, independent, encouraged, expectant or happy? Do you need to state or list your goals, post them where you can regularly be reminded or them? Perhaps you work better for reward fro others, rather than the intrinsic value learning brings to any activity. Does concentration come easy for you, or are you easily distracted, and does this even matter?
Many people resent deadlines, and often leave work to the last minute, cramming learning into a tight schedule. Sometimes this is very effective, for others it can be disastrous. How do you organize your time when learning experiences are peaking? What works best for you? Can you work for long periods undisturbed, or do you prefer short bursts of intense activities with periods of rest and relaxation punctuating the activity? And what about your attention span? Do you work best to rigid timetables, or are flexibility and spontaneity very important?
All of these factors are very important in getting to know what kind of learning are, how you learn best and under what conditions. Once you get to know your own preferred learning style and behaviours you can begin t observer your children, and answer a similar set of questions for them. From your answers you are able to simply rearrange their environment to orchestrate the optimum learning conditions for any kind of activity.
Whenever you are planning educational activities or learning programs for your children keep the answers to these questions in mind. It is also good to remember them as you evaluate, as any of the above factors can have a dramatic effect on how your children learn in any given situation. Staying tuned in to your children's learning needs and styles helps to build successful learning outcomes.
It is a good idea to constantly ask what type of learning is involved in planned activities. All too often we focus on 'book' or 'school' type learning. Traditional education has always tended to value analytical and memorization (left brain functioning), over visualization and intuitive problem solving (right brain functioning). Most of the research on 'gifted', 'disabled learners' and 'accelerated learning' appears to offer information that can help to correct this imbalance.
In the home school you have a unique ability to offer a balanced and holistic education, catering to the individual needs of your children. Offering a wide range of activities will ensure your children will develop all of their talents and abilities, in every area of their lives.
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Excerpt from Getting Started with Homeschooling, Practical Considerations
© Beverley Paine, 1997
