Embassy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Have you determined your child's learning style? If so, please share your child's learning style and curricula that have worked well with that learning style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 There are lots of different schema for classifying learning style. Each is just one element of what an individual's style is. I really like the books "Every Child can Learn" and "Discovering Your Child's Learning Style" - both gave me insights into what my children's learning styles (and my own) are. I feel like my younger two (6, and 4) are still going through enough of the "spurts" of learning that I can't really classify them yet. By "spurts" I mean they may be very auditory one week, or kinesthetic the next - all a part of developing. Also, the inability to communicate effectively what's going on in their complex minds can hide what their learning style might be. Though I'm fairly certain my 6 yo DS is Concrete-Random, has high musical-rhytmic intelligence, almost equally prefers auditory and kinesthetic modalities, is a global thinker, and may be a visual-spatial learner. My 8 yo DD is Abstract-Random, very visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic intelligence, prefers visual modality (though possibly auditory too since noise is vERY distracting for her). I am currently preparing next year's HS curricula after two years in public Spanish Immersion school, so will be excited to see recommendations from other parents. What I can say is that Right Start math was great for DD in K-1, and son has done well with it after schooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 There are lots of different schema for classifying learning style. Each is just one element of what an individual's style is. I really like the books "Every Child can Learn" and "Discovering Your Child's Learning Style" - both gave me insights into what my children's learning styles (and my own) are. Thanks for the book references. I'll be checking them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I did the eye test and just observing my kids. My oldest is a visual learner-photographic memory, as well. My son is a kinetic learner. Let's just say sharing curriculum is difficult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Pip Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I just recently figured this out. Not sure how it will affect curric choices yet. 10yo dd is Concrete Sequential. This means "just give me the facts, just tell me what I need to know". This means that deep meaningful homeschool conversations are OUT (waaaah!) As soon as I try to have one, she butts in with "ok, I get it. stop." I have always suspected auditory, ever since she was a preschooler, but don't 100% know. She is extremely sensitive to sound and gets headaches easily. Out of all the maths, BJU seemed to work the best for her. She really wants to be independent, so I'm thinking of trying Math Mammoth again (tried it once, but I think we were missing something at the gr level I picked, so I quickly abandoned it). Her CS side seems to need something to build (hands-on), so with science, she does well with follow-the-directions experiments, and does not want to read science or fill in worksheets for science. Everything else, she just wants to get it done as quick as possible, so prefers workbooks because it seems the quickest way to get it all done. Loves checklists. Love of learning is a challenge, so is getting her motivation. She is not motivated by outward factors (no rewards!) She has to be internally motivated, and that doesn't come easily. If she can build something, she will dive into it (i.e, writing = a to-do list for mom, a blog, a newspaper - but only as long as she is interested in doing it). She is ssslllloooowww about everything, so our big task lately is working on quickly working math problems:) 8yo dd is very visual, Abstract-Random. This means she loves it if I delve in to long, emotionally driven stories:) She'll read a book about evolutionary creatures and she just *feeeeels* the love for the poor creatures, lol. She really connects to information in an emotional way - anything that is cute, poor, or pretty is something she connects to. She is speedy about everything (races through!) and randomly skips problems, pages. She says her work is done and she did extra - when I look, I see that she skipped 5 pages here, and 2 pages there, or a handful of problems. She cannot follow a to-do list to save her life. I have always used BJU for her math, but now am wondering if something like Horizons or CLP (spiral) might work better with her random little brain:) And I think the pages need to be torn out, lol. History and science are better read in books (not hands-on! do not give her a sci experiment, she'll cry). And if she can connect on some level to that historical figure, story, or sparkly rock, or cave creature with the big soulful eyes then all the better! SOTW works well for her history. Science - anything with great, lovely, colorful pictures and short words to grab her interest (she skims books and skips around, only reading the interesting bits, lol) Teaching both kids together is an utter nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Oldest--Visual spatial learner, visual/artistic programs generally work with her. In the early years we did quite a bit of Singapore but I have found that the Oak Meadow and Rod and Staff is working rather well for us now. Youngest--hands-on/stories, reading stories to her or doing hands-on activities really help her to "get" it. I use Oak Meadow and Rod and Staff with her. I find that the best thing to do is find something that suits your teaching style and adapt it to their learning styles. You may have to get really creative but that is part of the joys of teaching.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I don't know about 'types' I've just worked with them enough to know Ds9-has to hear the information. He can read it and have no idea what happened but if I read it to him or read the instructions aloud to him he's good to go. He also does much better if I let him fiddle/wiggle. Dd 7-She wants to be left alone to read the instructions and go by herself. She essentially taught herself to read with Starfall. She did NOT want help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Both my boys (ages 8 and 10) are at least somewhat visual spatial. I'm quite sure my oldest is only partially vs, though. Older ds loves being able to do hands on, but 3-d conceptually kind of work. I am quite sure he will love an architectural program. I am going to get him Complete a Sketch. He likes Build it cards, Tops Get a Grip, the sample we tried for Top Secret Adventures. He also does really well with auditory learning--can listen to and remember from books read aloud to him (for hours and hours). He was even this way at age 2 or 3. My younger ds I believe is more kinesthetic/visual spatial. He needs more pictures for learning history. He HATES SOTW. I use Usborne Encyclopedia, picture books, dvds. He also is big time into pioneers and the Civil War of late. So we do some reading of those subjects and tons of hands on--most of his projects are self driven. We also do some lap books. He loves picture study when he gets to take his own copies of the pictures and put them in his own book. He LOVES having his own timeline book. He likes notebooking, at times. Phonics is a big no for him. My older does Teaching Textbooks for math, but for both of them I approach math in many different ways--games, hands on, math journal, stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ariel is visual-spatial, "Sociable Sue" and I suspect abstract-random. (She sounds a LOT like Wee Pip's DD8, actually.) Anything she can connect with emotionally, or has an emotional reaction to, she will remember. She also does much better with programs that have interaction and visual input. Her attention wanders, big time, if she's just listening to a story if it's not read with lots of emotion. She's been pretty consistently like this her entire life, so I suspect this is how she will always be. Things that have worked for her: Right Start Math MEP Jolly Phonics SOTW, if she gets to do projects and act out the stories Atelier Art (though she tries to rush through the projects) La Clase Divertida GEMS teacher guides Not curricula, but have worked well: Horrible Histories and Histeria videos (I think she will like the books when she's older, too) BBC's The Life of Mammals (they're cute and furry!) and Planet Earth documentaries BBC's Shakespeare's Animated Tales Leap Frog videos Yoga Kids ABCs video Picture books of any kind We're about to try out Professor B math, which I think she will like, since it's interactive, but I can't say yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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