LNC Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) When I read learning styles in homeschool books it is easy to pick up on my daughter. She's a "perfect Paula" or "actual-routine" learner. My son though eludes me. What would you say for these characteristics?: -5th grade -athletic and excellent fine motor from a very young age -excellent with spatial reasoning: puzzles, games, building toys -excellent with attention span with all of the above -excellent with schoolwork bc of his great attention span and fine motor skills - particularly excels in math but does well in all skill subjects (straight A student and 97-99% on Iowa categories) -excels in piano bc of the above spatial and fine motor gifting -is a good reader but must be FORCED to sit and read, it is becoming a battle this summer -progressing terribly with content subjects (like art and music appreciation or history - does better with science) because he won't read them on his own -his core knowledge, cultural literacy and vocabulary are far below what his sister had at his age bc of his lack of free time reading -how will he gain this core knowledge this without a love for reading? -Does a kid like him need textbooks to "get it over with" for content subjects??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Edited August 1, 2011 by LNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 First thing I would check is his vision. How does he do while being read aloud to? What about with material presented visually? I have never really been an avid reader, because I am slow (internally audiate every word I read). But that didn't mean I didn't get a good education or lacked a love of learning. I still would much rather talk/discuss or look at visual presentation than read to learn. Are there other ways for you to deliver content to him in those core subjects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Visual-Spatial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Robyn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Okay, well my first thought is that perhaps your expectations are too high. It sounds like you're comparing him to his sister. They're different children and are bound to have different strengths, weaknesses, and preferences academically. That's fine. If he's average or above in those areas, then there's nothing to worry about. I force my children to do their school work and I don't necessarily see that as a particularly bad thing. Yes, it would make life easier for me if they just jumped for joy every time I pulled out their spelling, but I don't need for that to be the case. Why would they choose school work over playing in the neighbor's pool? They are required to do their school work. Their free time is theirs to use as they wish (within reasonable limits). If they want to read more then great, but their time spent playing with the neighbor kids is not wasted time. They come home having dreamt up and planned out all kinds of things with them. It's not like they're just watching TV all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Visual-Spatial? This was my thought. Is this your 5th or 7th grader? If you read up on this and think it might fit him, how does he do with things like Mythbusters (both the shows and the kits), NOVA episodes, and other science and history documentaries? Many VSL kids soak up enormous amounts of content in this manner. What kinds of books is he balking at? Textbooks? Novels? Have you tried books that are friendlier to visually oriented kids -- books with lots of maps, diagrams, pictures, and relatively small amounts of text? Again, this is a way to load up on content through materials that he might process better and with higher engagement than others. Will he listen to audiobooks if he is doing something else with his hands or his body? Some kids will listen if they can play with Legos or clay or something like that; others like to bounce or balance on balls, or I've even read about one mom who let her kids scooter in circles around her on the driveway while she read to them. I'd also build on his strengths: does he do Lego Mindstorms, Alice or Scratch programing, anything like that? Whether or not he needs "get it over with" textbooks depends very much on him. If he likes information and finding things out but just doesn't like reading to get it, I'd try out other media. There is so much wonderful science and history stuff out there on DVD, at libraries, through Netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) Would visual spatial learners have excellent attention spans with seatwork and fine motor skills, including penmanship? He doesn't like reading only. He has his eyes checked every summer for type 1 diabetes. I need to get that appt for this year. Any other thoughts appreciated! Edited August 3, 2011 by LNC I had so many typos from my new touch screen phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Yes, he could be visual spatial. At fifth grade, my vsl dd has a pretty good attention span. Does he gravitate toward things that are full-color and pictures? Maybe he just doesn't want to read what you are providing him? Try educational graphic novels. Capstone Press makes great ones for history. Many companies put classic literature in graphic novel format. Check out Timberdoodle.com and check out Half Price Books in their comic book section (their graphic novels are nearby). What about magazines? Get him a subscription to a magazine that he wants that you approve of. Does he prefer to learn by watching videos? There are tons of interesting and educational videos out there. He could get a lot of core knowledge from that. Personally, I require my (currently 5th grade) dd to read 30 minutes a day (during the school year) to herself. I have a shelf of grade-level books (some graphic novels, some Illustrated Classics, some regular novels), and she gets to choose her books from that shelf for this reading time. It's been wonderfully beneficial. (We don't dissect them, by the way. She just reads them. If she feels like talking about them, she does but I don't make her.) Also, frankly, we still have tons of picture books and lower level books around the house, that my dd is always picking up and reading. If he's auditory, you might also consider audiobooks from the library. Just some thoughts. Hope they are helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelaNYC Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) Well he sounds exactly like my son who's also starting 5th grade. His learning style is Tactile-Kinesthetic with some Auditory thrown in. We've had a lot of success with a Charlotte-Mason-based curriculum. Everything about it fits him to a tee. We do a lot of readalouds, word-association, hands-on activities, science, field trips, short lessons, flash cards, etc. He "should" to be more of Visual-Spatial learner since he has mild dyslexia, but I don't see many of those listed traits in him. Edited August 3, 2011 by Abkjw01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 -how will he gain this core knowledge this without a love for reading? -Does a kid like him need textbooks to "get it over with" for content subjects??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I wanted to re-visit this with a few thoughts. This may have absolutely nothing to do with his learning style. This just may be his personality. I believe that not everyone has a love for reading. I'm not overly enthusiastic about it myself, especially if your speaking of non-fiction. Now fiction I love and have read a lot of historical fiction that has peaked my interest in history enough that I then go out and seek further information about it through documentaries, movies and the internet. Maybe you could start looking for some other resources for this knowledge you are wanting him to become familiar with. Movies, documentaries, lectures, magazines (information in smaller chunks with lots of visuals), museums, museum websites, the internet, audio books, dramatizations... Here is a history magazine site that I came across recently that he might find interesting. Perhaps he just needs a break from your pushing him so much to read. My dd reads far more now than she did a year ago when I was constantly hounding her to do so. I also allow her more input into what she is reading. It's just not a hill I'm willing to die on when there are so many other avenues of learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) I've been reading about visual spatial learners and I definately think this is something to strongly consider. I don't know how I would know for sure... The only thing that doesn't fit is his very strong handwriting at an early age, but that seems like a visual-spatial skill in some ways too. He has super strong abilities in "building". Every type of complicated engineering toy, he excels at. My husband and I can't even begin to do what he can do. He also is very gifted in piano and most athletics. When I read aloud it is like he tunes me out completely. I have a weakness following lectures too unless I take detailed outlines/notes. My daughter does too, but we aren't visual-spatial learners like he seems to be. I suppose our 'weakness' in auditory learning isn't quite as severe as his would be though. That is where it is confusing. How to teach content with a child who doesn't enjoy reading? I.e. I MAKE him read an hour a day every day. My daughter doesn't need that, she always has a book in her hand or gravitates to one (or a handicraft). He did finish A Pitch in Time last night, which was a longer book for him. He ended up loving it and asked to google a few things to learn more about some content. Yea! But, that is from being forced. During his silent reading he also reads Sugar Creek Gang - we have all of them and he's on book 20 out of 30something. He does describe that he sees all the book action in pictures in his head. After reading the visual-spatial websites I initiated watching the Blue Planet yesterday on Netflix. He LOVED it and asked to watch more documentaries. I have always minimized tv/dvd and computers in favor of a print based neo-classical education. But I can see for him that may not be best for certain content subjects. I'll look for more science and history dvds on Netflix or online for him. Thanks! And any other ideas would be great! Edited August 3, 2011 by LNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I don't think you should try so hard to put him in a box and explain him. He seems to be just a fine, normal boy. Who is, yes, more of a visual/spatial kid...with some other bits thrown in... but really, how many kids fit a "learning style" perfectly? I think they are tools, guides, and things to consider... but they should help open possibilities not limit abilities. JMHO. It is dangerous to compare siblings, boys vs. girls, kids by birth order, astrological signs, neighbor's kids, your parents, you, etc. etc. I think you get the picture. He is just different, and unique unto himself. Play to his strengths. His sisters strengths are played to, aren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 I don't think you should try so hard to put him in a box and explain him. He seems to be just a fine, normal boy. Who is, yes, more of a visual/spatial kid...with some other bits thrown in... but really, how many kids fit a "learning style" perfectly? I think they are tools, guides, and things to consider... but they should help open possibilities not limit abilities. JMHO. It is dangerous to compare siblings, boys vs. girls, kids by birth order, astrological signs, neighbor's kids, your parents, you, etc. etc. I think you get the picture. He is just different, and unique unto himself. Play to his strengths. His sisters strengths are played to, aren't they? Gotcha! I'm not going to "label" him, I have two very disabled older children with plenty of labels. I just want to understand his learning bent better. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 One other thought I had... since he's so engineer-minded... perhaps he would enjoy reading nonfiction books? Some kids just don't care for fiction, but eat nonfiction up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Have you considered reading to him? I loved reading from the beginning, my sister hated reading until she was out of high school, but my mom read aloud to her all the way through. I don't mean school stuff, I mean the books that were for pleasure reading. She got to the place where she became a voracious reader. One thing she would always read were non-fiction books about her area of interest. You might look into that. I wouldn't worry about the traits you have listed. I think that the learning styles idea has been pretty much debunked, anyway. Science Daily Education Week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Have you considered reading to him? I loved reading from the beginning, my sister hated reading until she was out of high school, but my mom read aloud to her all the way through. I don't mean school stuff, I mean the books that were for pleasure reading. She got to the place where she became a voracious reader. One thing she would always read were non-fiction books about her area of interest. You might look into that. I wouldn't worry about the traits you have listed. I think that the learning styles idea has been pretty much debunked, anyway. Science Daily Education Week As I'm reading and thinking through this thread, I'm leaning towards my original thinking. That my daughter is a humanities lover, and my son is a little engineer. That's all it is. And maybe for some content subjects I'll need to allow documentaries for him along with reading. Does that sound better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moniksca Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) I have a VSL going into 5th grade as well. If he's not interested in the book/subject he will drag out that book till who knows when, but if he's really into it, he'll devour a chapter book in a day. I still read aloud to him and I think that really helped him listen better ie SOTW narrations. He does like to follow along with me in the book as opposed to just listening to my voice so he can see the words himself. He likes nonfiction books but won't read through the whole thing on his own. If its something I want him to read I'll read it to him. He likes the DK eyewitness books. We do a lot of notebooking and lapbooking or else he won't do it because writing is such a chore. He detests workbooks. He also enjoys the Magic school bus and Bill Nye videos for science. Good luck with your ds, enjoy. Edited August 3, 2011 by Moniksca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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