Connections Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 How much time do you spend actively discussing coursework with your high schooler(s)? If you schedule discussion time do you schedule one longer block of time each day or a few smaller blocks of time during the day? Thanks for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I only have one student these days and we discuss when we need to per topic. Discussions have never been formal with this child.When he was little and there were other siblings doing school, he would often choose his ride to and from the pool for discussion times. He had my undivided attention. The history and literature that we do these days often inspires conversations outside of official school time. This is probably not helpful, because not everyone has the luxury of being home all day and only having one student, but I have always tried to make time to listen and to discuss if a particular topic seems to pique their interest. I am also notorious for suggesting to a child that we look something up if they have a question that is beyond my knowledge level- which is frequently these days. Discussions have long been a part of our daily interaction and after awhile I never thought of it as something on my to-do list. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I approach similarly to Lisa, we discuss throughout the day. However, ds up to now (next fall our schedule will be a bit different) has worked in the classroom and I'm in there as well. For the fall (when I will be on my college campus 2 days a week), I'm utilizing what I call Gi Suilon time. Gi Suilon is Elvish for "I greet thee" and it's 15-30 minutes in the morning where we chat. We started this the year we read Lord of the Rings and it stuck. I leave it open-ended and impromptu for the most part. We discuss the day, current events, upcoming plans, a wide range of off-the-cuff ideas. For next year we'll be doing that on Monday morning, Tuesday & Thursday evenings (when I get home). It will be more formally focused on academics this year I suspect. So that was the long version. Cliff notes version :lol: , schedule in open discussion time. Ours works best at the beginning of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connections Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Thanks, ladies! I like the idea of scheduling in open discussion time Elegentlion. Overall, I am worried about making time to have all the discussions that I want to have! I think Lisa's idea of listening when an interest is piqued is also going to be important for me. Of course, juggling the needs of three children studying very different things (including one that is starting K and needs to learn to read) is tricky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 For us, discussions tend to happen for coursework where the 'teacher' has to be involved...Eg British Lit...the book was so chaotic, that the only way dd could manage was with help...But it was a great base, not that I like the book but just the literature...Then economics, was another good one - where the book needed help.... Last year it was AP French that gave a base...with the cultural questions So it's good to have a course or two that 'require' mom.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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