Lifelong Learners

Ted.com is one of the most exciting sites devoted to ideas capable of changing the world. And one of the most highly-rated of the 450+ talks on the site comes from Sir Ken Robinson, whose talk focuses on nurturing the individual talents of students.

Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children and champions a radical rethink of our school systems, focusing on cultivating creativity and acknowledging multiple types of intelligence. Robinson argues that our education system has created a hierarchy that fails to nurture the skills and talents of many of our most gifted students.

Robinson contends that students with restless minds and bodies — far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity — are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” he says.

Robinson led the British government’s 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His latest book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, was published in January 2009.

In today’s public schools, standardized tests are given annually. All of the children in the same grade are expected to perform well. To make sure they do, teachers are focusing more and more on teaching to those tests. The goal is to spend the most time possible focused on the topics that are addressed in these tests.

Increasingly, brain research is showing that this approach is misguided. Take, for example, the National Institutes of Health study published in Neuroimage in 2007. This study found that boys’ and girls’ brain structures develop in different sequences. Specifically, these researchers found that while areas of the brain involved in language mature about six years earlier in girls, areas involved in spatial memory mature about four years earlier in boys. Could this be why we hear teen-aged girls (by and large) complain about math being so hard? And teen-aged boys (by and large)complaining that poetry is girls’ stuff?

We are not likely to see public schools separate students into classes by gender. Then again, there are many kinds of learning differences in any given classroom — not just gender. We have many children who have been identified as having learning disabilities, and more who seem to be significantly challenged, although we’re not sure why. Even in the same child, we may find giftedness in regard to math and difficulty keeping up with reading. We have children who do well as long as everything is presented in an auditory fashion, or with opportunity for hands-on exploration. Children who seem to need to move, and children who need quiet to think. Children who want to be left alone and children who need to talk it through. The variety of unique needs to be met in each classroom is fairly astounding.

It’s a shame that our public schools are so bent on standardized testing, and tailoring everything to those measures. We can only imagine what heights our children might reach if, rather than teaching to the test, we presented our lessons, classrooms, methods, and content in the ways that are best suited each child’s unique profile of interests, strengths and challenges.

Just a couple of months ago, my daughter, Annie opted out of traditional high school to attend a charter school. It’s a great local charter school through which students learn at home: a sort of public school and homeschooling hybrid. Today she and I both have far more control over what, how, when and where she learns.

Annie’s advanced algebra class is based on a rigorous online system. She accesses it by sitting on her futon, keyboard in lap, facing the large-screen television that we have adapted for use as an oversized computer monitor. She can read her English assignments in book form or on her new e-reading device. She keeps up with her Spanish by reading the AP (Advanced Placement) recommended Spanish reading list, and she takes courses in history, anthropology, and PE.

Annie is considering a local college course in biology next semester. And she’ll take some classes at the local art center as well. But for most of her work, her classroom is now anywhere and everywhere: the local Starbucks, public library, living room couch, a nearby park. She is reading more and learning more than she was when she was attending the local, traditional high school, and yet she has more free time now. (Annie enjoys playing club waterpolo, volunteering, cooking, playing flute, and knitting.)

At first glance, it doesn’t add up. How can Annie be getting more learning done in less time? The biggest change seems to be the reduction in time spent on testing. We don’t focus on getting her ready for the next state-mandated standardized test. Instead, we follow her interests as much as the state standards. And this makes her a very happy student – happier than I have seen her since elementary school.

Annie has always been a straight-A student, and she was paying an increasingly large price. The higher grades seemed to be increasingly focused on testing, to the point that Annie spent most of her time getting ready for the next one. She was constantly “studying,” constantly anxious about multiple upcoming tests. And with college rapidly approaching, she felt the pressure of needing to get an A on every single test.

We’re done with all that now. Now, Annie is focused on learning. She has become excited about anthropology, and loved reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies. She is looking forward to more courses in the sciences, and she excels at math. She is fluent in Spanish and will soon be starting to learn German.

Her goal is Columbia University’s pre-med program, with Berkeley and Harvard as possible back-up plans.

I have no doubt that Annie will reach her goals because, in addition to learning all the subjects I’ve mentioned, she is learning to take control of her own education. Gone are the stresses of trying to guess what will be on tomorrow’s test. Instead, she has time to read more widely, write more frequently, and think more deeply. What’s more, she has a head start on choosing a college major because she’s already in the practice of asking herself what she’s interested in. She is becoming increasingly self-directed.  She sits in on lectures at a local college and listens to Harvard and UC Berkeley lectures online.

While Annie’s new school is extraordinary, the situation that led us here is common. Today’s college-bound students are experiencing unparalleled pressures as the emphasis on testing in traditional public schools continues to grow. This pattern has been so gradual that I think most parents haven’t noticed. However, the radical change that Annie has experienced these last few months has made it crystal clear to me: too much testing gets in the way of learning. It takes up our students’ time – not just the time it takes to actually take the tests, but all the time that students spend preparing for the next one.

Too much testing does not serve anyone. In addition to the direct effect this has on students, it forces teachers to focus on test prep, administering tests, and grading, instead of actually teaching. Teachers are increasingly pushed to narrow their instruction – reaching the most extreme position possible when test preparation becomes the instruction, with instructional materials mimicking the formats and exercises that appear on the tests.  This isn’t teaching. It isn’t learning. It’s madness!

I don’t know exactly how much of my own daughter’s time had previously been taken over by tests. But I can tell you that removing those artificial pressures, and replacing them with a program focused on her learning experience, has been nothing short of life-changing.

The time has never been better for adults who want to expand their horizons. For just about anything you’d want to study, you can get a good start by going online. There’s something out there for everyone. Really! Read on.

• Is travelling the world your idea of lifelong learning? Wouldn’t it be more fun if you could learn a bit of the language before you go? How about learning it at from home, for free?  Live Mocha provides a great new way to go about it. Instead of taking a pre-packaged language course, you join a language-learning community that spans 35 languages, 6 million people, and over 200 countries. Prefer another approach to language learning? Check out this article from ReadWriteWeb on “20+ Ways to Learn a Language Online.”

• Have you considered earning a degree through an online program, but not sure where to start? Take a look at the Online Education Database for a list of online programs. Search by degree level and subject.  Get rankings info. There’s even some financial aid help.

• Want to dive in to an academic subject on your own? Take a look at the Kahn Academy’s free online courses. UC Berkeley, Yale, MIT and other universities also make whole courses available online. Get more information from individual university web sites or at Open Culture , youtube EDU , or itunesU.

• History buffs: check out SmartHistory and Footnote, two beautiful, content-rich sites guaranteed to provide hours of educational enjoyment.

• Love great literature? If you haven’t discovered it already, you’ll want to check out Project Gutenberg , a great source for free e-book that you can download to your computer, smart phone, Kindle, or other e-reader. While you’re at it, take a look at Goodreads , a social media tool that gives you a way to share book recommendations with people you know.

• Looking for a creative outlet? How about learning to play the guitar? Get free online lessons at justinguitar.com , guitarmasterpro.net and guitarnoise.com. Or learn to draw at drawspace.com .

• Looking for a real, live teacher to guide you through the learning process? Check out TeachStreet,  an online directory for local classes, workshops, and special events – and the teachers and coaches behind them. Or, if you are looking for a teacher for free, check out Teachmate.org is a site where you may be able to find someone willing to trade teaching / learning experiences with you. Search locally or globally.

• Just wish you could learn faster and better? Take a look at this great article on how to do just that. While you’re at it, get access to the ultimate flashcard maker at Quizlet.   And get answers to one question at a time at WolframAlpha . And what if your computer, or the web, throws you a curve? Learn the basics you’ve somehow missed from the Tech Support Care Package at www.teachparentstech.org/.

Most parents are familiar with the saying that “parents are a child’s first teachers.” But what about being your child’s primary teacher – not just for life skills and values, but academics as well – at age 8, 12, and 16? That’s a different idea completely. And it’s catching on.

I often hear from many parents who either homeschool or participate in an independent study charter school where they serve as their child’s primary teacher. More and more, I’m also hearing from parents who are considering these options.

These parents have very different needs and questions from those who are trying to make traditional public school work for their children. Parents-as-teachers are asking for curricula advice, learning resources, pacing guides, and information on the wide variety of educational approaches out there.

A good place to begin is with educational philosophy. And the good news is that there is a wide range of educational philosophies and approaches to choose from.  These include:

Montessori
The three Montessori principles are Observation, Individual Liberty, and Preparation of the Environment to “control the environment, not the child.” Montessori methods include the provision of appropriate materials and tools for children to use in mastering age and state-appropriate skills.

Unit Study
The Unit Study approach integrates the typical school subjects into units based on themes, and are useful for multi-level teaching.  There are many unit study curricula available, but you can also create your own. Themes might focus on character building studies, history based studies, literature based studies, or science based studies.

Unschooling
Unschooling is focused on following the interests of the child, and allowing learning to occur in a natural way.  Parents facilitate rather than “educate” their children. Academic subjects are incorporated into everyday life.

Waldorf
The aim of Waldorf schooling is to educated the whole child; head, heart and hands. There is a strong focus on imagination and fantasy play. Competition is discouraged, and reading is not taught until much later than it is in traditional public schools. Students are encouraged to follow their own interests, and the unit study approach is often utilized as well.

Charlotte Mason
The Charlotte Mason philosophy encourages reading good books from original sources as well as the incorporation of nature study and enjoyment. Music, books, and art are emphasized.

Classical / Trivium
This model is often (but not always) tied to Christian content, and it is based on elements drawn from ancient Roman teaching methods. The Trivium contained three areas; Grammar (factual knowledge), Dialectic (reasoning), and Rhetoric (expression and application). This approach often connects these three areas of the Trivium to different stages of cognitive development.

Eclectic
Most homeschooling and parent-led learning takes an eclectic approach that may borrow elements from one or more of the approaches above. Methods and curricula are most often chosen to meet the particular needs, strengths, and desires of the individual child.

Of course, we all know that actual learning doesn’t cost money. Time: maybe. Energy: definitely. But the sad fact is that conventional learning paths often also cost so much money that many of us just won’t avail ourselves of the offerings. And this creates artificial barriers to learning that are bad for both society and individuals.

Colleges are out of reach for many people. In many cities, private schools offer children better alternatives to public schools, but they are most often incredibly expensive. Even books cost, and DVDs and CDs can be pricey.

But all of that is beginning to change. It’s becoming more and more possible to find great educational alternatives that won’t break the bank. For young ones, independent study public charter schools are one great, growing alternative. Homeschooling is another. And web-based education is a third. For the rest of us, all kinds of new lifelong learning opportunities are opening up through the Internet.

Below is a list of my favorite free learning resources for all ages. Enjoy! (And if you know of other great resources, please comment to add to the list too!)

Teens / Adults

Have you always wanted to attend a top-notch university? How about for free? And while you’re wishing, how about making it so easy that you can attend from the comfort of your couch, while you’re in the car, or while you go for a jog? The University of California at Berkeley makes many of their regular course offerings available for free over the Internet. Log on at http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php.

You can attend Yale lectures from your armchair as well. That’s right – Yale! Check it out at http://oyc.yale.edu/.

Open Culture is a great web site for free high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. Not only do they offer online courses from 350 universities, they provide free movies, audio books, and other resources too.

The Free University of San Francisco aims to make the highest level of education available, completely free, to any individual who wants it, regardless of color, creed, age, gender, nationality, religion or immigration status—a university free of money, taught for free. The only requirement for membership is a desire to teach and/or a desire to learn. (Not web-based.)

TED Talks provide free educational experiences provided by the world’s most inspired thinkers — in the form of b18-minute talks. More than 700 TEDTalks are now available, with more added each week. All of the talks are subtitled, and can be freely shared and reposted.

WNYC Radiolab is a one-of-a-kind radio show, also archived as podcasts, that explores topics and issues that cross the lines between science, philosophy, and human experience. Topics titles are deceptively simple: Falling, Limits, Animal Minds, Cities, and more.

Academic Earth offers links to lectures from universities including Harvard, MIT, and Yale.

YouTube links to many different universities that offer educational videos. Find these at: http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400.

If you haven’t seen itunes U , check it out. You will first need to download itunes if you don’t already have it, but it’s well worth the extra step.

Backstory with the American History Guys provides a fun, quirky approach to history.

Grammar Girl makes an often-dry subject come to life. Webster’s Word of the Day [http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/] provides an interesting (really!) look at one word each day. You can have it delivered to your email inbox too.

The Stuff You Should Know podcasts, from howstuffworks.com, answers people’s real-life questions on a wide variety of topics – from Vikings to sharks.

Triple-Emmy awarding This American Life , NPR’s Fresh Air , and Story Corps provide entertaining, educational stories from and about real people.

Kids

Cosmos 4 Kids provides educational information on the universe, galaxies, stars, systems, solar system, and space exploration.

Biology 4 Kids provides detailed, interesting information on cells, microorganisms, plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and animal systems

Grammar Slammer provides  instruction and examples for practically every aspect  of grammar.

Check out these free weekly newsletter and “old time radio” adaptations of great books and historic stories chosen especially for homeschooling families.

This comprehensive mathematics website comes from Cynthia Lanius of Rice University and spans pre-k through 11th grade.

This site provides several student-friendly recipes that are accompanied by videos of students cooking the actual recipes and  explaining the process, step by step. This site specializes in practical money skills with lessons appropriate for every grade level. And here’s a site that offers free printable math worksheets organized by grade level, activity type, and theme.

The Educational Podcast Network offers podcasts on a wide range of subjects, geared for elementary, middle school, and high school.

Do you learn best by listening to someone talk or by reading printed materials? Or would you prefer to look at graphs and charts? Or even learning by doing – working with your hands, perhaps? The answers to these questions can help point you toward your preferred learning style (or modality). This, in turn, can help you optimize your learning experience. You’ll be able to lead with your strengths, perform better on tests, and make the best use of your time.

For those who have a very strong learning modality preference, understanding their unique learning needs can be transformative. Some parents are surprised to find out that when they focus on supporting their child’s learning style, their “learning disability” all but disappears!

Want to find out more about your learning style (or your child’s)? There are many free learning style assessments online, including this one. Once you know your learning style(s), you will be ready to begin structuring your environment, materials and activities to suit your needs. Here are some great ways to begin:

Visual Learner?
A visual learner learns best through watching demonstrations, reading, and looking at diagrams, maps, pictures and charts. The visual learner may not be able to fully comprehend information that is presented only verbally. For a visual learner, books with illustrations and photos are even better than books without. And sometimes the best thing you can do for a visual learner is give them a quiet space to be alone with their printed materials! Great learning activities for a visual learner include:

• writing in a journal
• rewriting difficult information in a simpler form such as an outline
• reading or writing poetry, stories, scripts and ideas
• utilizing a camera or video camera to create a pictorial report
• creating a Venn diagram or concept map to explain information to others
• developing color coding systems to categorize information
• taking notes during lectures or after reading assignments
• use workbooks and worksheets
• highlighting while reading
• creating a timeline of events

Auditory Learner?
An auditory learner learns best through the spoken word and through music. For the auditory learner, the lectures and discussions of a traditional classroom can be ideal. Don’t ask them to read silently. Read to them, or have them read aloud. Use videos, DVDs and online material to provide the appropriate sensory input for their style. For young auditory learners, verbal memorization and even song can be helpful. Great learning activities for an auditory learner include:

• performing a rap or song which summarizes information
• writing an original play, rap, jingle, cheer, or song
• composing music that conveys the theme of a lesson
• interviewing someone with knowledge of a topic
• inviting a guest speaker (real, historical, or literary), and planning appropriate questions
• studying or making oral histories
• participating in group (or partner) activities
• reading along with books-on-cd or mp3
• verbally repeating key points
• talking aloud while following a recipe, reading instructions for a literature assignment, memorizing states and capitals, working though an algebra problem, etc.
• using narration instead of written reports and essays

Kinesthetic Learner? A kinesthetic learner learns best through movement and tactile experiences. Young children who prefer this style of learning have difficulty sitting quietly in a chair to watch and listen. They want to move around the classroom, touching and feeling things. For young children, blocks, puzzles, and beads are useful learning tools.

At any age, kinesthetic learners learn better when allowed to move around the room, tap their feet, move their hands, trace letters in sand, and even walk while reading. Movement actually helps them to retain the information. A home school environment may be a great place for a kinesthetic learner because it can give them more freedom to move. Great learning activities for a kinesthetic learner include:

• molding or making a 3 dimensional model such as a physical map
• demonstrating a process by physically acting it out
• creating  board games that others can play
• developing crossword and other puzzles for others to solve
• constructing a time line and filling in details
• taking a “how-to” approach to writing assignments
• investigating authentic problems and developing possible solutions
• drawing or painting a picture, poster, diagram, chart, or graphic representation representing learned content
• going on field trips to appropriate sites
• touching and examining real objects (e.g., dissect a flower)
• working with manipulatives for math, spelling and writing
• moving while working on memorization
• playing educational games
• using interactive web sites
• taking frequent movement breaks

Child Hates School?
You Have More Choices than You May Realize

This time of year, as schools reopen their doors, many parents are hearing the same refrain: “I hate school!” While some families succeed by relocating their child to another classroom, hiring a tutor, coaching their child through the homework, or making other small adjustments, many children continue to struggle in our public school classrooms. And sadly, many parents do not realize that they have the power to opt out of the neighborhood school to find a situation that provides a better fit with their child’s needs.

In fact, the time has never been better for parents and children who discover that their local public schools are not working for them. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 provided new ways open for a variety of educational options. Since the passage of the act, many of these new and expanded options have become a reality in most communities.

This federal law allows parents to take advantage of free tutoring if their child attends a Title 1 school (a school that has been identified as needing improvement) for an extended period of time. And it provides some protections for homeschooling parents as well.

Thanks to this law, it is even possible to take children out of the local public school while keeping them within the public school system. The No Child Left Behind Act allows parents the option of choosing another public school if the school their child attends is unsafe. It allows for the development of diverse magnet schools within school districts; these schools pull students from a wider geographic area in order to focus on a particular educational focus. It even supports the growth of independent charter schools.

Charter schools are public schools that operate with freedom from many of the local and state regulations that apply to traditional public schools. Charter schools allow parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs, and others the flexibility to innovate and provide students with increased educational options while remaining connected to the public school system. Charter schools are sponsored by local, state, or other organizations that monitor their quality. For more on charter schools, see this informative US Charter Schools website .

The forms that charter schools take vary widely. Some emphasize technology, foreign language, or specific trade preparation. Others spring from a particular educational philosophy, like Waldorf or Montessori. Still others, like Innovative Education Management schools in California, provide families with a way to stay within the public school system while gaining the advantage of independent study at home.

There are other options outside the public school system as well. There are private schools, including church-related schools. And there is homeschooling, which today takes many forms.

If you are interested in learning more about your choices, call your local school district office. They are required by law to provide you with information on your local options. You can get more in-depth information directly from the www2.ed.gov/nclb/choice/schools/choicefacts.html US Department of Education as well.

So, if you are hearing “I hate school,” take heart. Today many parents are finding great new paths to help their child thrive, learn, and excel – and you can too!

Parent Driven Schools has long advocated for parents’ choice in the education of their children. After all, who is most motivated to make our educational systems the best they can possibly be? It’s not the educators, the administrators, or the politicians. It’s the parents!

Parents vote with their feet. They move their families to cities and neighborhoods where the schools are known to be good. They seek out charter schools that are a better for their child than the neighborhood schools. They home-school, too, in ever-increasing numbers.

Here at Parent Driven Schools, we are strong supporters of parent choice in the education of their children. We recognize that there’s no one right answer for all children, and we know from experience that parents are in the best position to make educational decisions. That’s why we want every family to be informed and empowered to make the best possible decisions. Following are a few tools and web sites that can help:

• Greatschools.org publishes annual School Chooser guides and distributes them at no cost to thousands of parents so they can make more informed choices about where to send their children to school.
• The US Department of Education provides a webcast called New Tools for Parents: Getting Informed & Getting Involved.  This webcast highlights the benefits of The No Child Left Behind Act, which provides parents with access to a greater range of educational options, including free tutoring programs, charter schools, and scholarships for low-income students. Another US Department of Education webcast, Charter Schools and School Choice, provides a more in-depth look at charter schools. The US Department of Education publicly states that “charter schools, in particular, have become increasingly appealing to parents, and for good reason—as laboratories for new educational strategies, these flexible schools improve education for everyone in the system and offer innovative places for children to achieve at their highest possible levels.”
• The homeschooling movement, while strong, is somewhat more diverse. Some resources for parents considering homeschooling include the Homeschooling section of About.com, Homeschool.com, and Classical Christian Homeschooling.
• Independent study charter schools are yet another option, offering benefits of both charter schools and homeschooling. For examples, see Innovative Education Management (IEM) Charter Schools, Sky Mountain Charter School  and Ocean Grove Charter School . IEM has been successfully developing and operating California charter schools for many years.
• Call our free HelpLine anytime during business hours. Our support specialists provide free information, ideas and resources for parents making educational decisions or experiencing difficulty working with their child’s school. The HelpLine phone number is (800) 893-6199.

Why is Individualizing Education So Important?

In today’s public schools, standardized tests are given annually. All of the children in the same grade are expected to perform well. To make sure they do, teachers are focusing more and more on teaching to those tests. The goal is to spend the most time possible focused on the topics that are addressed in these tests.

Increasingly, brain research is showing that this approach is misguided. Take, for example, the National Institutes of Health study published in Neuroimage in 2007. This study found that boys’ and girls’ brain structures develop in different sequences. Specifically, these researchers found that while areas of the brain involved in language mature about six years earlier in girls, areas involved in spatial memory mature about four years earlier in boys. Could this be why we hear teen-aged girls complain about math being so hard? And teen-aged boys complaining that poetry is girls’ stuff? It seems so.

However, we are not likely to see public schools separate students into classes by gender. But the more you look at the data, the more it really would make sense to do so. Then again, there are many more kinds of learning differences in any given classroom. For example, we have many  children who have been identified as having learning disabilities, and more who seem to be significantly challenged, although we’re not sure why. Even in the same child, we may find giftedness in regard to math and difficulty keeping up with reading, for example. We have children who do well as long as everything is presented in an auditory fashion, or with opportunity for hands-on exploration. Children who seem to need to move, and children who need quiet to think. The variety of unique needs to be met in each classroom is fairly astounding.

It’s a shame that our public schools are so bent on standardized testing. We can only imagine what heights our children might reach if, rather than teaching to the test, we pitched our lessons in the ways that are best suited each child’s unique profile of interests, strengths and challenges.