Zinnia Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I'm not finding what I'm looking for with a quick google search, so I'm wondering if y'all could help me out. I'm looking for a book (or articles or videos or whatever; I just like books) about teaching methods. Like....how do I get this information into their heads...sort of thing. I don't think that I'm a very good teacher, and all I come across is just different curriculums and ideas of *what* to teach, but not really *how* to teach. I have a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. I also have a 4th grader that went to school this year after being homeschooled for 2nd and 3rd. As an aside, he's in a great high achiever magnet school which is a good fit for his personality. He says that my teaching was "fine, but we didn't do enough writing and big projects." (from my point of view, he fought the writing and projects that I did assign to the point that I assigned a minimum to reduce the fighting) But he didn't suffer with my schooling; I just don't think I'm as good as I want to be. This is my 3rd year homeschooling. My K and 2nd often complain that school is boring and not fun. They don't like *anything* that we do. And I think that me getting better at what I'm trying to do would help. I don't think it's the curriculum we use but that I'm not great at anything beyond reading and talking about what's in the book. Frankly, I'm bored, too, so what they are saying isn't that crazy. So. What has helped you become a better teacher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debi21 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I love this topic and hope to read other people's replies. Here's a list of things off the top of my head I'm trying to keep in mind from the world of educational pedagogy as I go. But I'm not an expert and my second grader has a bad attitude often too. 1. metacognition. am i teaching them about how they learn, and how to assess their own work. 2. less summative assessments (formal, like tests and projects) and more formative assessments (kind of checking their understanding as they go) 3. give students choice wherever possible for greater engagement. 4. improved memory and retention through retrieval practice - oral questions/quizzing 5. the person who is talking is the person who is learning - socratic questioning, how do you get kids to talk about the material more 6. when they teach the material equals better understanding - teach younger siblings, stuffed animals, pets 7. interleaving. mix up the topics. 8. distributed practice. kids need multiple times on the material for retention. 20 min 6 different days much better than 2 hour block. 9. bloom's taxonomy. are they thinking about deeper questions. 10. math. a lot of talk about strategies and getting them to voice their thoughts aloud. 11. Work in games and educational videos frequently. 12. Think about learning styles and how my kids learn best. 13. The big advantage for homeschooling to me is the ability to differentiate for your kids. Change output requirements, curriculum, level, environment to whatever suits their needs. 14. Recess or breaks or physical activity helps academic performance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) Search for "pedagogy methods" and/or "teaching strategies." A search for "learning styles" may also yield tips for teaching to different styles. https://www.google.com/search?q=pedagoguery&oq=pedagoguery&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.6436j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=pedagogy+methods Edited January 22, 2017 by MomatHWTK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 The best books I've picked up to help have been Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire and The One Minute Teacher. Both offer solid pointers and ideas on how to immerse kids in the academic material. Granted, they're written for classroom teachers, but quite a bit is adaptable for home. But I think just reading about different philosophies and watching teachers work (youtube!) helps quite a bit. It gives me the tools I need to not look at the curriculum, but look at the lesson and think "how can this be achieved in a hands on, full body experience?" And then I plan. And plan. And the child throws out the plans....lol. But I try to surround myself with open ended material - a lot of Montessori influence, for example, so one item can be used and have a plan of progression with it as the child ages. Like our x-ray set. The child first learns how to put the body together. Then we learn the names of the bones. Then the set is used in an intensive study of the human body between 4th and 6th grade. There is always building on old material and the ability to have independent work with it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjuliadc Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) Great responses. I'm not really qualified to answer because I don't exclusively homeschool and my oldest child is 5, however, I feel like what "I" have taught my kids has been phenomenally effective, at least so far. I put "I" in quotes because it isn't really me teaching them. As mentioned by a previous poster, I use games and videos a lot. I am also ridiculously enthusiastic about learning and about them learning stuff. That is just my personality, but I realized after I discovered how much my kids were learning that my intensity was probably a major factor. I feel like enthusiasm is in the category of "intensity" in the frequency, intensity and duration required for neuroplasticity and learning is a manifestation of neuroplasticity. I also realize that not being the main teacher, my 4 and 5 year old go to Montessori, leaves me with extra energy to be enthusiastic, but I tend to be enthusiastic even when I have no energy. I have twin 15 month olds and don't get a lot of sleep. Edited January 22, 2017 by drjuliadc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fralala Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Frankly, I'm bored, too, so what they are saying isn't that crazy. Yes! Do you notice that when you get the opportunity to introduce something to them that you're passionate about, they're more interested? I realize this so much with my own kids. My whole demeanor and tone changes when I'm enthusiastic about a subject, whether it's the Civil War or pizza. And if I've never much cared about something, it's hard to fake it. My kids know that fake-bright tone I adopt when trying to get them to eat their broccoli or practice their cursive. So, as a homeschooler, I've found self-education and becoming truly interested in the things I'm teaching (and really connecting with my kids) have been a lot more valuable than reading about educational theory, much of which is targeted toward teachers of groups of kids who don't have the same luxury-- of customizing teaching to the passions and motivations to a few-- as we do. With that said, sometimes reading up on how people learn can really jazz me up and inspire me to do better, so I'll be following along with the book recommendations. I'd chime in with Developing Minds ed. by Costa, and anything by Howard Gardner, esp. The Unschooled Mind. (Not an argument for unschooling, in case the title turns you off!) Good luck finding what works for you. I see my teaching as always a work in progress myself, and the first challenge is to find a way to make what I'm teaching interest me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I'm not sure you would call it a pedagogy, but at this stage (I also have a 2nd grader and a K'er) my goal is to keep lessons short and enjoyable. This might be working too well, because my boys beg me to do more school all day, every day. I find it is a fine line between subjects being exciting and engaging and being overly complicated, demanding and time-consuming. For example, my boys LOVE science experiments, but only for about 10 minutes. They LOVE the first 10 minutes of art, but after that it gets to be a chore. They LOVE listening to me read chapter after chapter of Story of the World, but they really have little interest in making their own compass with a sewing needle...I think it is because that is too goal-oriented with lots of instructions to follow and fiddly bits that have to be just so. In general, our school days involve read alouds (literature, science, history), a little bit of meaningful output and occasional short, interactive projects/activities. I avoid busy work at all costs, and I break school up into several periods throughout the day. I also try to vary the method/location/type of instruction every 15ish minutes...and move generally from least desirable to most. So, my K'er will spend 15 minutes reading to me, then 10 minutes of handwriting on the whiteboard, then 15 minutes listening to our science lesson, then 10 minutes doing a science activity and then he will finish up the morning session with 15 minutes of a Spanish app. After lunch he will do 10 minutes of Math Mammoth and then 15 minutes of Prodigy on the computer. After rest time he will sit semi- quiet and still for our read aloud and then we will all play a board game. As for a kid wanting more "writing and big projects", well, that is what free time is for. My kids have lots of time to do projects and writing that are meaningful to them. Last week my 7 year old sorted through his lego stash, gathered all the mini figures (about 50), and wrote down all their names and what accessories they came with. It was a much bigger project, with much more writing than I would have ever suggested.. Wendy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset I don't think you need to read the whole book if you are short on time. This article just about covers it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacbeaumont Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 When you say teaching methods do you mean teaching philosophy? Like classical vs Charlotte Mason vs. Unit study etc? Sent from my U9200 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) I think what I mean is educational pedagogy (I didn't know this term before, so thank you). My oldest son is in public school this year, for 4th grade in a high achievers magnet school. I just know that the teachers he has are VERY good. They are passionate, yes, which is part of it, but they have seriously good skills. I am realizing that in all the reading I do/have done for home schooling, that's not really something I have focused on....my skills as a teacher. I am not a teacher by training, and I feel like that subset is over represented in home schooling, which often translates into a conversation IRL going along the lines of, "you just teach them!" 😯 So I feel like I have muddled along with that. We read things and discuss. I try to ask questions to lead to their own discoveries (a big hot mess that leaves children frustrated and crying and miserably asking "if we knew the answers to these questions, we wouldn't want to know!") There has to be better. I know that there is better because of our experiences with school. That's the motivation here. Edited January 23, 2017 by Zinnia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Here are a few threads you might find useful: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/479214-becoming-a-better-teacher-vs-using-a-better-curriculum/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/536050-crash-course-on-being-a-better-teacher/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/527887-anyone-up-for-a-philosophical-discussion-about-teaching-from-a-state-of-rest-re-circe-discussion-and-how-it-is-interpretedapplied/ (Novel length) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/359457-how-does-one-provide-a-classical-education-circe-institute-lovers/page-1 Not a post, but a document on Jesuit pedagogy. I have adapted the prelection philosophy to apply to my being prepared bc I need to know the big picture in order to convey it to my children: http://web.archive.org/web/20100414225419/http://school.jhssac.org/faculty/cheneym/documents/Section_13__FOUR_HALLMARKS_OF_JESUIT_EDUCATION.pdfon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I think what I mean is educational pedagogy (I didn't know this term before, so thank you). My oldest son is in public school this year, for 4th grade in a high achievers magnet school. I just know that the teachers he has are VERY good. They are passionate, yes, which is part of it, but they have seriously good skills. I am realizing that in all the reading I do/have done for home schooling, that's not really something I have focused on....my skills as a teacher. I am not a teacher by training, and I feel like that subset is over represented in home schooling, which often translates into a conversation IRL going along the lines of, "you just teach them!" 😯 So I feel like I have muddled along with that. We read things and discuss. I try to ask questions to lead to their own discoveries (a big hot mess that leaves children frustrated and crying and miserably asking "if we knew the answers to these questions, we wouldn't want to know!") There has to be better. I know that there is better because of our experiences with school. That's the motivation here. You might want to listen to some of SWB's audio lectures. I have found her discussion about the different stages of education (grammar, logic, rhetoric) very helpful. For example, a lot of what she discusses is how grammar stage students are not ready to made intuitive leaps. They often don't have enough information or experience to make the connections that are required to "discover" something. Part of your struggle might be that you are treating your young, grammar stage, poll-parrot sponges too much like logic stage connection-making reasoners. I think it is one thing to offer young kids a chance to make a discovery, but quite another to expect them to do so. I encourage discoveries by 1) modeling, modeling, modeling higher order thinking, 2) giving kids a lot of time to think...like, ridiculously uncomfortable amounts of time to let thoughts percolate in their heads after l ask a question and 3) fostering a climate of educational safety, in which saying you don't know something or need help or don't understand is commonplace and expected of everyone, kids and adults alike. While I love Socratic dialog and asking leading questions, I only use those strategies with my grammar stage students as long as they are not feeling pressured by them. Their main job is to soak up information and solidify basic skills, and they won't be able to focus on those jobs if they are wary about having confusing questions sprung on them and braced for the disappointment of not being able to pull the "right" answer out of, what feels to them, like thin air. So, I guess, in general, my pedagogy is that I try to give my kids chances to practice making small discoveries for now instead of big ones. I ask a series of concrete questions which reminds them of some of the information they will need to use to make the discovery. I give them a long time to think before I step in. If necessary, I then provide further scaffolding by modeling how I organize and connect some of the ideas in my own head. And then, if I can see that the conditions are just not right for the spark to ignite right then, I move on before frustration sets in. Of course, that is only the part of my pedagogy that involves gradually moving the kids toward the logic stage. Most of our time is spent on firmly grammar stage teaching: lots of listening to read alouds and asking the children concrete questions about the characters and plot, lots of science that is based around concrete observation, lots of memorization and repetition and skill practice made into games. Wendy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I have relied on WTM and SWB a lot over the years. I also attend homeschool convention workshops. I know some think they are not educational, but I have found many to be very much so on many topics about how to teach different learners, different ages, specific subjects, etc. I get book recomendations from those workshops. There are certain speakers like Andrew Pudewa that I try to catch every time I can. I also second Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. That is a very inspiring book. I like the Memoria Press catalog articles to be on classical teaching. This year I am doing notebooking with the Thinking Tree Journals with my girls. We have always done notebooking ala WTM, but I am incorporating a bit more Charlotte Mason-y/even a bit of unschooling (an hour or so a day to follow their own topics might be more a rabbit trail inserted into our otherwise WTM classical style day, lol) but that has been a good fit for my artistic child. Learning how to teach with her has meant books on dyslexia and alternative teaching strategies and paying for a special ed teacher to help me learn new methods that fit her. So my learning takes many forms all of the time. I agree with others to maybe just learn more about the topics that interest them and you on top of some of your teaching books. If it is art, then go all out. Do a lot of projects and reading and outside classes and exhibits. I teach latin to my kids and others. I always have a full class load at co-op and now even teach levels that my kids aren't in anymore because I always have a new crop of kids coming up that want the class. Yes, as they go through Latin it is hard. My kids would love it if we quit. The day to day translating is tough. But I make the subject fun. I add to it. We learn history and culture and sing songs and chants and watch videos and learn mythology. My class has put on plays, made videos and games, done projects, etc. at co-op. I have another group that meets and extra time a week to study for the NLEs with my kids. That makes mine do better at it since they have a peer group for the subject. I have just really dived deep into this subject with mine to make it better. And yes, they would still love to quit it sometimes. :) But since I also go deep into art and use artistic ways to teach her wherever possible like with the notebooking journals, my artistic child gets through her academic day and still manages to do a serious study like Latin too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) nm Edited February 4, 2017 by .qp_ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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