Article: Would You Hire Your Kids?

[Capt_Uhura]

Here is an interesting article which made me think, how can I instill these things in my kids? I think many of these are handled by using WTM methods.

 

http://www.thedailyriff.com/2010/06/would-you-hire-your-own-kids-7-skills-schools-should-be-teaching-them.php

 

If you feel these skills are important, how are you instilling these in your kids?

 

Capt_Uhura

[CamperMom]

Thanks for this article. It's got me thinking!

[creekmom]

:bigear:

[creekmom]

This quote got me thinking about the emphasis on memorization in a classical education... Although, to be fair, the emphasis is in the grammar stage- not logic or rhetoric.

 

 

Even in our best schools, we are teaching kids to memorize much more than to think. And in the 21st century, mere memorization won't get you very far. There's too much information, and it's changing and growing exponentially. Besides, most of the information we need is readily available on the nearest computer or PDA screen -- provided we know how to access and analyze it. Where in the 20th century, rigor meant mastering more -- and more complex -- academic content, 21st century rigor is about creating new knowledge and applying what you know to new problems and situations.

[Capt_Uhura]

Yes, I think the memorization he is speaking of his K-12, not just in grammar stage as in the classical method.

 

I was thinking about #2....Collaboration across networks. How can I instill that. We don't have a lot of HSers where I live and not a lot (well, hardly any) courses he can take. I am hoping to get DS on a FLL team which I think would be a wonderful venture for learning collaboration across networks.

 

As far as #5 Effective Oral and Written Communication....I think WTM methods of narration, copywork/dictation, summaries is an excellent foundation for effective oral and written communication.

 

They are unable to communicate their thoughts effectively. You're talking to an exec, and the first thing you'll get asked if you haven't made it perfectly clear in the first 60 seconds of your presentation is, 'What do you want me to take away from this meeting?' They don't know how to answer that question."

 

DH works in a company and works very long hours, with meetings upon meetings, upon teleconference, upon hundreds of emails. He says this is very critical skill.

 

#6 Accessing and Analyzing information....again I think a WTM-education lays a good foundation here.

 

#7 Curiosity and Imagination .... Here again I think WTM methods of having DC look up a topic of interest in their history or science reading to then narrate, outline, summarize promotes curiosity and this goes along w/ #6 above.

 

It is the beginning of the period, and the teacher is finishing up writing a problem on the board. He turns to the students, who are sitting in desk-chairs which are arranged in squares of four that face one another. "You haven't seen this kind of problem before," he explains. "And solving it will require you to use concepts from both geometry and algebra. Each group will try to develop at least two different ways of solving this problem. After all the groups have finished, I'll randomly choose someone from each group who will write one of your proofs on one of the boards around the room, and I'll ask that person to explain the process your group used. Are there any questions?"

 

I need to work on this more w/ my boys. I use Rightstart which emphasizes explaining how you got an answer as well as incorporating concepts learned previously in order to figure out the answer. It also has problems where you need to work them more than one way but I think using something like MOEMS Problem Solving book will be very helpful in incorporating more of this into our homeschool. Also, after always getting everything correct in math in PS (K-2), my DS will often shut down if he doesn't immediately know the answer to a question. Once I help him to order this thoughts by asking questions, he is oK.

 

Just some random thoughts.....

 

Capt_Uhura