Decoding Learning Differences with Kimberlynn Lavelle

Different Ways to Teach a Skill

There are a million ways to… (not going to finish this the usual way because that just disturbs me!)

 

I sometimes roll my eyes when I see Facebook posts asking for a particular recommendation without many specifics.  

 

What someone else finds successful is SO often not what you will find successful!

 

When it comes to teaching a particular skill, it can be taught SO many different ways.  For example, I have taught multiplication to probably hundreds of kids at this point and I’ve taught it a lot of different ways.  And different ways of teaching it work better for different kids.

 

In this week’s podcast, we discuss why we need to be open to a variety of strategies for teaching our kids because what worked for us or our friend’s kid might not work for our kid!

 

Check out the video and transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0136

 

And then let me know- What were your takeaways?

The Common Core Controversy: Old Fashioned Math V New Math

I have a bit of a pet peeve (or several, if we’re being honest)... I get rather tired of posts on Facebook saying that they will absolutely not use “Common Core” and they want a recommendation on a curriculum that doesn’t use Common Core. As you may recall from my previous episode on Common Core, there’s not much to really be against, if you really dig into it. Check out that episode (episode 5) to learn more about what Common Core is and what it isn’t and why I think it’s a good thing, overall. (Though not perfect, of course!) This week, I’m talking about Common Core again, this time with some examples of what actual Common Core curriculum looks like and why you might not be able to tell it apart from other math curriculums. We’re talking about “Old Math” v. “New Math” and what the problem around math instruction REALLY is!

Watch, Read, or Listen! Join the fun and read the transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0135

Unschooling Uncovered with Talia Tallman

How many times have you had the experience of going from “I would never!” to considering it, or actually doing it? I once thought that I would probably never homeschool! Now I’m a huge advocate of homeschooling (but I also still strongly support public schools). When I first heard about unschooling, though, I thought, “I would never!” and now I find myself constantly considering it. If you’re not familiar with the term “unschooling”, it’s essentially about not having a set curriculum or schedule and all about letting your child learn whatever they want to learn, when and how they want to learn it. Different families do it in different ways, but the kids have the reins on their own education. But I had some doubts and wondered- is it a good fit for kids with disabilities? I came across Talia Tallman who runs the Facebook Group: Unschooling Disabled Learners and I knew I just had to interview her to hear her insights. Watch the video and read the transcript and get in the know at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0134

The Importance of a Strong Foundation

When a toddler is first learning to stack blocks, what do they always do? One block on top of another, as high as it can go, right? And then it falls over. As they get older, they start to realize that if they build a larger base, they can get a taller and more stable tower. In this week’s podcast episode, I go deep into how to apply this same concept to your child’s education. Sometimes, we get so focused on our child’s progress, we push them further and further along, going as fast as possible to the next milestone, and we leave gaps in their foundation. We need to constantly be checking for gaps and not be afraid to backstep in order to build up that foundation to then move forward once again.

Watch the video, read the transcript, and join the fun at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0133

Setting Educational Goals

One of my friends (and a fabulous parent coach) is always talking about the importance of knowing where you’re going. If you ask for directions to “not here”, no one can help you. Your destination needs to be clear. She applies this to parenting, but this week, I’m applying it to education.

When educating our children, we COULD just put one foot in front of another and see where we end up. But if you’re looking for clear progress in your child’s education, you’re going to want to set some goals.

In this week’s podcast, we go through the steps of how to determine what your goals for your child’s education should be, including some to-do’s and some to-don’ts!

Read the transcript at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0132

Modeling a Love of Learning

Growing up, was there something you thought you were too bad at? That you’d never be able to do? I definitely had a “fixed mindset” around art, music, and sports. I was just not good at anything that required coordination. Others seemed to be naturally good. I was not. So I didn’t even bother trying most of the time. In May, we had a series: “Learning Should be Fun!” where I gave ways to make reading (ep. 20), writing (ep. 21), and math (ep. 22) fun! The first tip in all of those was to enjoy it yourself! When kids see us enjoying reading, writing, and math they know that it CAN be fun, even if they don’t yet find it fun themselves. This week, I’m inviting you to model a love of learning yourself. This isn’t just about loving it yourself, but about allowing yourself to make mistakes. When kids see us struggle and persevere, they learn to persevere in their own struggles. If we never mess up, our kids don’t know how to handle their own struggles.

Read the transcript and sign up to get the inside scoop at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0131

Optimizing Your Child's Education Through Getting to Know Your Kid: Learning Preferences

What are your child’s learning preferences?

All of my students have had extensive assessments that tell me whether they learn better with auditory or visual input. Some have more details than others and get even more specific about how they supposedly learn best. And yet, it rarely gives me what I most need to know.

Much like what we talked about previously in terms of all the different ways you might spark interest in a new topic, there are many different ways your child may learn the information provided to them.

Now, unlike many others, I’m not going to try to convince you to discover your child’s “learning style”. Usually, by this they mean is your child a kinesthetic, tactile, auditory, or visual learner.

The truth is: your child, like everyone, is a multimodal learner. They need all of these modalities to learn the best. However, they will get more out of different styles of teaching. They might get more out of what they see than what they hear, for example. Knowing this is helpful, but it’s not going to make or break your child’s learning. Further, what your child experiences will always teach more than what they simply hear, see, or read.

What I really want you to discover though, is what types of experiences your child will best learn from.

Do they prefer to learn from: Books, Videos, Dialogue, Field trips, experiments/ hands on discovery, Answering a question?

Pay attention to how your child responds to each of these. Sometimes what sparks the interest is different from what they learn the most from.

Read the transcript and join the fun at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0130

Optimizing Your Child's Education Through Getting to Know Your Kid: Scheduling

When you consider your own child’s day, what have you noticed?

Some people are naturally “morning people” (me!) and others are naturally “night owls” (my husband!)

Additionally, younger kids tend to do well in the mornings. Teenagers tend to become night owls. But even within those generalities, we have to always be mindful of exactly what is true for our children.

While you probably know instantly whether your child is a night owl or a morning person, or something in between, what about the rest of their day?

The middle school here uses a rotating schedule so that kids get to rotate through which class they are in during their most productive time.

You can analyze how your child does on math tasks at various times of the day. Reading tasks? Writing? Science? History?

What type of learning engages them the most first thing in the morning? Before lunch? After lunch? Are they able to do “schoolwork” in the evenings?

Read the transcript and watch the video at: www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0129

Optimizing Your Child’s Education Through Getting to Know Your Kid: Diet- Interview with Wendy Schofer, MD

Several years ago, I had a student, “Jake” with ADHD and anger/aggression problems.

We tried various things to help him and all did some good, but the thing I most wanted to change for him, I had zero control over.

Jake would come to school every day with snacks that contained at or near zero nutrition. But plenty of sugar and calories. One day it was an entire sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. Another day it was a massive bag of “Takis”. Other days he would actually only have money to buy a snack from the cafeteria, but he would spend $5 on $0.25 cookies. Yes, they actually let him buy 20 cookies! And he ate them all at snack time.

In case you were wondering, he was not even slightly overweight. He played hard as soon as he was done with his snack and seemed to have a naturally thin body type. However, I always wondered if some of his behavioral challenges would be alleviated if he had a healthier diet.

In this week’s podcast episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Wendy Schofer- a pediatrician who specializes in coaching families on improving the diets of their families. She’ll share something that surprised me a bit, and yet is completely in line with this entire series.

I would love to hear what diet changes you are considering or what is already working for your family!

Read the Transcript and Get on the list to be in the know at www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0128

Optimizing Your Child’s Education Through Getting to Know Your Kid: Environmental Considerations

Have you ever tried to study with the television on?

Believe it or not: some people study BETTER with something like the television on in the background!

Many do well with music playing in the background. And some of us do best with silence.

A kid will thrive in some environments, and become filled with anxiety and stress in others. All because of the sound, sights, lighting, seating, and even smells!

In this week’s podcast, we’re digging into environmental considerations!

Who selected where your child is expected to do whatever constitutes “schoolwork” in your house? How is that working? I am not judging AT ALL!

So many of us think about what will work best for us, and not what will work best for our children. 

But our children are unique and different from us.

Some kids will do really well at the kitchen table with a lot of bustle all around them. Others will need a silent space away from everyone. Some kids will do best sitting upright at a formal desk. Others will do best laying on the floor, papers spread all over (that would actually be me much of the time!). Some will do best indoors, and some outdoors.

Even the scents in the environment can have an impact on how they are learning! Essential Oils diffused in the air can be beneficial for some kids, but different kids will respond differently to different oils.

The amount of lighting and the type of lighting that is provided can have an impact, especially on those with some kind of visual processing disorder or light-sensitivity.

Another big aspect of considering the environment is considering how things are organized. We could spend a whole lot longer talking about all of the intricacies of organizational considerations!

Watch, Read, or Listen to this week’s podcast! Then, stop and take a moment to consider each of these. Which do you need to spend some more time considering and evaluating? Sound Smells Lighting Movement Seating Organization Read the Transcript and join the email list at www.YourParentHelp.com/podcast_0127