Please Raise Your Hand...

[merry gardens]

...if you teach your children to raise their hands during group lessons within your own family.

 

It sounds very un-homeschool-y to make my children raise their hands in our own home, but I'm having a hard time this year with managing the increase in "class size". This year I'm homeschooling five, (plus my baby turned into a two year old.) One child has dyslexia. Another may have an undiagnosed learning disorder, or he might just have sanguine temperment, but whatever it is, he's very talkative and he wanders off-topic. All of my children seem to have the type of minds that connect what they are learning to prior knowlege. That's good, but when they start sharing outloud their own personal mental links to obscure information and random facts that are only mildly related, it makes covering the topic at hand much more difficult.

 

I already have a great deal of individualized instruction that goes far beyond "normal", so it's not like this would be all the time. It's just hard for me to get to every subject with five different children without combining some subjects. I combine history and science, adjusting expectations to age and ability. Group classes have worked fine for us in the past, but we haven't had to go to the formality of hand raising.

 

Today, one child suggested that they raise hands and I call on them. It seemed to work better this way.

[JudoMom]

...if you teach your children to raise their hands when during group lessons with your own family.

 

It sounds very un-homeschool-y to make my children raise their hands in our own home, but I'm having a hard time this year with managing the increase in "class size". This year I'm homeschooling five, (plus my baby turned into a two year old.) One child has dyslexia. Another may have an undiagnosed learning disorder, or he might just have sanguine temperment, but whatever it is, he's very talkative and he wanders off-topic. All of my children seem to have the type of minds that connect what they are learning to prior knowlege. That's good, but when they start sharing outloud their own personal mental links to obscure information and random facts that are only mildly related, it makes covering the topic at hand much more difficult.

 

I already have a great deal of individualized instruction that goes far beyond "normal", so it's not like this would be all the time. It's just hard for me to get to every subject with five different children without combining some subjects. I combine history and science, adjusting expectations to age and ability. Group classes have worked fine for us in the past, but we haven't had to go to the formality of hand raising.

 

Today, one child suggested that they raise hands and I call on them. It seemed to work better this way.

 

Yes, I do. It's the only way to keep us somewhat on track.

[TKDmom]

I don't usually ask dc to raise hands, but when we are having a lesson altogether and they can't seem to take turns talking, I do make them raise hands. It's not a foreign concept to them--they have to raise hands in Sunday School classes, so it's pretty easy to implement it with a few gentle reminders.

[Veritaserum]

Yes, I do. It's the only way to keep us somewhat on track.

 

:iagree: I've got five. If I am having a discussion or doing a lesson with more than one child, I will ask them to raise their hands or I will call on a particular child to comment or answer my question.

 

I also do SWB's trick for narrations of having non-answering students plug their ears and go la-la-la so that they don't hear the summaries other children gave. :)

 

When I am working one-on-one I don't have them raise hands.

[TracyP]

Yep, we do. It is not a normal occurrence, but when excitement gets the best of them and they start yelling over each other...absolutely.

[WeeBeaks]

I didn't teach them but they do it naturally, at least two of them. They learned it at the library story time and do it at home.

[Homeschooling6]

I do. I taught them to do this since they were toddlers because 6 under 6, well it can get a bit loud;). Especially when three or more are trying to talk to mama all at the sametime.

 

If we are all in the the supper table, they raise their hands, I nod (letting them know I saw them) and they wait their turn.

 

And when I teach as a group they raise their hand.

[Swimtaxi234]

I only have two children (ages 14 and 11), but they will still raise their hands to get my attention if I am leading a class.

[Mrs Twain]

When we do a combined lesson, I have them raise their hands if they want to comment or say an answer to a question. Otherwise, they often start talking at the same time, or even shouting to talk over the other children. Everyone talking at once is not efficient or polite, and besides it is annoying.

 

Also, there are times when my kids are in other settings where people expect them to raise their hands to answer. If they have never been taught to do this, they may appear to be rude or immature, or else be embarrassed that they are not fitting in.

[KarenNC]

I have one child, and she will occasionally raise her hand if she has a question while I'm reading. It's not something I've stressed, other than in terms of being polite if there's a need to interrupt.

[Farrar]

I didn't teach them but they do it naturally, at least two of them. They learned it at the library story time and do it at home.

 

Exactly. Teach? No. But do they do it? Yes - learning in other situations. It used to be bizarre because they did it at strange moments (like, in the middle of a conversation between me and just one other kid!!!), but now it's nice because they mostly use it during read alouds when they want me to stop so they can ask a question.

 

Now, if I could just get them to do it during co-op, where it would be even more appropriate!

[MeganW]

Definitely. My kids are working on the same material, but one is lightening fast to come up with any answer in any subject, one is normal, and one is slow as molasses. I think that if I didn't make them raise their hands before answering, only one kid would ever answer and the others would quit paying attention!

[MinivanMom]

I didn't teach them to, but they do it naturally. They picked it up at church.

[LittleIzumi]

I don't usually ask dc to raise hands, but when we are having a lesson altogether and they can't seem to take turns talking, I do make them raise hands. It's not a foreign concept to them--they have to raise hands in Sunday School classes, so it's pretty easy to implement it with a few gentle reminders.

 

:iagree: We do it when there's a rash of interruptions.

[3peasinapod]

I don't usually ask dc to raise hands, but when we are having a lesson altogether and they can't seem to take turns talking, I do make them raise hands. It's not a foreign concept to them--they have to raise hands in Sunday School classes, so it's pretty easy to implement it with a few gentle reminders.

 

This is what we do. We also take turns a lot.

[Amy Jo]

We do that for read-alouds. AND I require comments to be on topic.

[merry gardens]

(op here)

Thank you everyone for responding and sharing your experience! I'll make greater use of handraising and some of the other traditional classroom management skills. At this point in time, we need it. :)

[Marsha SC]

I noticed this morning, while my girls and I were grocery shopping, my youngest was walking down the aisle with her hand up. My oldest and I were talking, so I think she did not want to interrupt. I thought it was cute and very polite. Of course, probably, a little funny looking to on-lookers. :001_smile:

 

Marsha

[happycc]

But they have not raised their hands at home yet....interesting...I do hear the MOOOMMY I need help whine though and wish they would raise their hands. My girls are not much talkers. But it drives me crazy when I am giving them some kind of instruction that they start rolling over each other and wrestling...argh....

[GoVanGogh]

I have an only child and have never taught him to raise his hand, yet he does all.the.time.

Really, it is much better than blurting out something while I am trying to read... But it still makes me giggle when he does.

I actually taught him to tap me on the arm when he wanted to say something or ask a question. I don't know how/when he changed to raising his hand.

[Hedgehog]

I have a slight variation - if my dc want my attention, and I'm occupied with another child or talking to an adult, they just quietly put their hand on my arm and wait. I know they want to say something to me, but they haven't interrupted anyone. I'll give them my attention as soon as I can reasonably do so.