customizing your child's education

CUSTOMIZING YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION

Thursday, May 29, 2014

2008 - KINDERGARTEN (PLUS NEWBORN): THEMATIC- SENSES

2009-2010 - 1ST-2ND GRADE: THEMATIC: MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (WORLD GEOGRAPHY/ LITERATURE)+ STANDARD MATH CURR.

2011 - 3RD: THEMATIC: TRAVELING ACROSS AMERICA (UNITED STATES GEOGRAPHY/ LITERATURE) + ALEKS

2012 - 4TH: THEMATIC: CALIFORNIA HISTORY + ALEKS

2013 - 5TH: THEMATIC: UNITED STATES HISTORY + ALEKS/MATH WHIZZ (+ ABC MOUSE FOR THE PRESCHOOLER)

2014 - 6TH + KINDERGARTEN: THEMATIC: ANCIENT HISTORY + GRID + ALEKS

Joanne WoolfVOCS Parent

2008-Present


*link provided


Step #1Acknowledge that there is

more than one way to educate a child


More than one way to educate a child...

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11u3vtcpaY

http://www.pinterest.com/medkharbach/the-best-of-ted-talks-for-teachers/








It all starts with your family’s

educational philosophy...


Educational Philosophyhttp://tlr.hccs.edu/facultyportal/tlp/seminars/pdf/comparison_edu_philo.pdf

http://powerhousehomeschooling.wordpress.com/discover-your-educational-approach/


http://tlr.hccs.edu/facultyportal/tlp/seminars/pdf/comparison_edu_philo.pdf






Traditional Contemporary

Perennialism Essentialism Progressivism Existentialism

Based on Universal Truths

Strong Core Curriculum, High

Academic Standards

Create Independent problem-solvers

Free Will, Individuals Shape

their Futures

Read the Great Books, Socratic

Method

Back to the Basics

Lessons are Relevant, Hands-on Learning, Critical

Thinking

Students control their own education

Teacher-Centered Active Self-Learning

UnschoolingClassical Education


This essay was previously published in Gary K. Clabaugh & Edward G. Rozycki Understanding Schools: the foundations of education Chapter 19, (New York: Harper Rowe, 1990) pp. 565 - 571. Retrieved from Web 2/6/2014 http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/ISMS.html

For Your

At-home

Philosophy

Studies


http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/ISMS.html

http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/ISMS.html

Retrieved from Web 2/6/2014 from: http://tlr.hccs.edu/facultyportal/tlp/seminars/pdf/comparison_edu_philo.pdf

*link provided




Step #2

Determine your educational philosophy & evaluate your curriculum to ensure that it

agrees.


*link provided


Summary of Methods... ! Traditional*(Read Textbooks and answer questions, etc)

! Classical (See Mrs. Hayes)

! Charlotte Mason (Classical Conversations. "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." ~Charlotte Mason)

! Waldorf (“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”William Butler Yeats)

! Montessori (One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.-Maria Montessori)

! Reggio Emilia ! Leadership Educational Method/Thomas Jefferson Ed. ! Literature-based*(incorporated into thematic/Whole Language Approach) ! Unit Studies*(often used interchangeably with thematic) ! Unschooling*(can be useful at various points in the year) ! Project Based Learning (PBL)*http://bie.org/(First Lego League/Lego Robotics)

! Differentiated Instruction* (can use with thematic, multiple grade levels) ! Thematic* (Linda Smith: Senses, Magic School Bus, Traveling Across America) ! Eclectic Method*(using what works for your family)


http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mariamonte385326.html




Step #3Make a list of

the most important things that you want your

child to learn this year(hint: Check out the common core standards,

school sponsored classes, clubs, and competitions)


Step #4Involve your child and

consider his/her interests, strengths, and weaknesses in your curriculum topics, “delivery” and evaluation.


Found on mrsestblog.blogspot.com

Talk to your resource teacher about other alternative ways to

“check for understanding”


What about adding “coding” to your list of important things?


Thematic Research• "Effective thematic instruction involves using a theme as 'conceptual glue' for learners, strengthening bonds to knowledge" (Northwest, 2005).

• Cognitive research shows that educational programs should challenge students to link, connect, and integrate ideas and to learn in authentic contexts, taking into account their perception of real-world problems. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; diSessa, 2000; Linn & Hsi, 2000)

• Themes are a way of understanding new concepts. They provide mental organizing schemes for students to approach new ideas (Caine & Caine, 1997; Kovalik, 1994).

• Research on brain-based teaching explains that the brain learns, and recalls learning, through nonlinear patterns that emphasize coherence rather than fragmentation. The more teachers make connecting patterns explicit and accessible for students, the easier the brain will integrate new information (Hart, 1983).

• Classrooms free of threat, students engaged in immersive learning experiences, and curriculum that connects to the community and the students' lives are all aspects of brain-compatible teaching (Caine & Caine, 1991, 1994, 1997a, b).

• Students learn through different modes, styles and multiple intelligences. Teachers should access and integrate these modes for increasing opportunities for students to access and retain new knowledge (Gardner, 1993).

• Student choice invokes critical thinking, decision making, and reflection. When students are asked to select from alternatives, they are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning process (Beane, 1997; Caine & Caine, 1994).

taken from: http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/them.php


http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/them.php


Thematic

...Allows you to Simplify

...is Literature Based

...Accommodates Differentiated Learning

...Can Easily Incorporate Hands-on Learning...is Flexible...Can adapt to student interests


Consider “moving topics around” even if you don’t want to do

all out “thematic”. ..

For example, spring is a great time to study metamorphosis

and butterflies. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great

language arts book to go along with it, and you could do a field trip to

Bugslore Museum to buy a caterpillar to watch it change at home.

For older kids, when they are studying explorers, it is a great time to study

magnets and how a compass works. They could make a compass using a

needle, a glass of water and a magnet.


What are we preparing our kids for?


For More InformationThematic

http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/vogt.html


http://nhprojectliteracy.blogspot.com/p/thematic-instruction.html

Top Education Blogs

http://teach.com/teach100

Reviews on Books/Apps/and other Media

http://www.graphite.org/

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Other

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107023/chapters/Using-Projects-and-Performances-to-Check-for-Understanding.aspx

http://www.personalizelearning.com/2013/03/new-personalization-vs-differentiation.html

http://www.scoop.it/t/personalized-learning-plearning?page=2












http://www.graphite.org

http://www.graphite.org

http://www.commonsensemedia.org

http://www.commonsensemedia.org









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