How do you find your child's "stretch level" or zone of proximal development?

[Miss Mousie]

This is our first year homeschooling, and DS13 is in 8th grade.  Generally, things are going very well, but I've been wondering (because of an old thread) how one goes about determining the "sweet spot" where one's child is stretched but not overwhelmed.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[SierraNevada]

A stretched child makes noticeable improvements. A under challenged or over challenged child makes no improvement.

That may seem like I'm just kind of restating the question, but when I realized how simple it was, it helped me tune into that zone. If they are ready to give up and bang their head against the wall, they won't be learning anything. If they are banging their head out of boredom there is no learning going on. I can almost see the brain growth going on when we are in that good zone, I notice improvements daily.

[ondreeuh]

I agree with SierraNevada. You want to work on skills that require some effort, but are not too far out of grasp. It is often possible to adjust expectations and pacing with an existing curriculum rather than searching for the "perfect" fit.

[Hunter]

I used to think stretching a student as far as they could be stretched was very important. Children are not balloons. I really doesn't matter if they are at ultimate stretch. Are they making progress? And are they mentally, physically and spiritually healthy? That is what I tend to be more concerned with.

 

Many students make steady progress without anyone knowing if they are at their ultimate stretch. There are children following rigid curricula, and children of radical unschooling families where adults have no idea what the child is capable of and don't care. Many of these children make considerable progress each year, anyway.

 

Do children need to learn work ethics while doing academics? I don't think that is the most efficient or kindest way to learn work ethics. Jobs, chores, and caring for younger children and animals works better. My oldest learned how to work out on the docks and my younger learned how to work by caring for a runt puppy that grew into a brain damaged and crippled dog. No amount of butt-in-chair time accomplished 1% of what they learned on the docks and taking care of the dog.

 

Children with limited screen time, an early bedtime, and sufficient water intake want to learn. They pretty much know what they need. It's pretty hard to know what stealth learning disabilities a child is compensating for at an easier level that become insurmountable when "stretched" or "working to potential". My belief is that if the environment is correct, we can trust the children to do the right thing. 

[8filltheheart]

At 13, I think seeing initiative toward wanting to learn more about specific topics is an indication that the academic mojo is heading in the right direction.  Somewhere in middle school  my kids have all started developing passions that they have turned into serious areas of interest that they have devoted hours to researching on their own .

 

If a child's time is so packed full and controlled that they don't have time to pursue interests, that is overload.

 

If a child's academic experience is so flat that nothing challenges them or peaks their interest, that is probably a sign that something should to be altered.

[Miss Mousie]

Thanks, all.

 

It seems my DS is somewhere between SierraNevada's "daily improvement" and 8FilltheHeart's "academic mojo" rising.  ;)  Much closer to the daily improvement end, now that I think about it, but I can see on the horizon the time when he steps up to ask for more of something that interests him.

 

(And if he doesn't step up by about January 3rd I'll start panicking.  ;) )