What workshops would YOU like to attend?

[Harriet Vane]

 

 

Oh - and one final thing. I've been to LOTS of conferences and have listened to LOTS of lectures. Plenty of folks are giving "encouragement" lectures - I personally am tired of them. I want a SKILLS-transfer experience! Lists! Goals! Advice that I can use! I'm so tired of hearing "about" homeschooling; I want data that I can use to TEACH these subjects.

 

 

I've gotta agree here. There is a conference near me that focuses heavily on encouragement, character training (which is often just MORE encouragement), and getting started if you're new to things. I am in my seventh year of homeschooling. I believe in my choice and I feel validated in it. I want more specific training. I have often wished for someone to model for me how to teach specific math skills, as I struggle so much in that area. Or how about a seminar on drawing techniques. There are tons of books out there on art instruction, but I would find it so helpful for someone to show me personally some basic sketching. (I know you don't personally have expertise in this, Susan--it's just an example for the sake of the point I am making.) At various points in our journey through science I have wished someone could give me some tips of effective science labs. Another one I think of is spotting constellations--I never can see anything but the Big Dipper. I would love for someone to show me how to use a star chart. (Again, just an example.)

 

Having said that, what would I like to hear from you specifically?

 

--Learning foreign language in a home setting. I have used a lot of tutors, but wonder what is an effective way to learn independently? Usually when I ask this question someone recommends a program to me like Rosetta Stone or whatever. I want more than that though. Each and every program comes with its limitations, and foreign language seems harder to learn independently than other subjects. What's the best way to sit down every day and do it? How to make up for the program's limitations? How much time to spend memorizing? Reading? Translating? Etc.

 

--I really like your seminar reflecting on your experiences. When you were at Cincinnati I came in woefully late and wished I could have heard the whole thing. I also loved hearing your mother's version of the same seminar last year. I would truly love to hear it again this year. Having just bashed the numerous encouragement seminars, it's a little odd for me to be asking you for this one again, but I appreciated how very specific both you and your mother were about what worked well and what didn't. I felt like there was some meat for me to chew over.

 

--Logic stage specifics. When my daughter hit this stage I was amazed at how very, very different the game became. I feel I am still groping my way with the best way to feed her need to be independent and more grown-up, yet still coach and train her as she is still so childlike. How much independence to offer in her daily work and how much hand-holding do I offer?

 

--A pet peeve of mine is religious instruction. Everyone is afraid to touch it. In one sense the fear is justified because there is such a diversity of denominational and philosophical perspectives. However, the Bible itself, independent of any viewpoint, can be studied, analyzed, dissected. There are seminars that are all about encouraging the parent to include Bible instruction but don't tell how. There are also seminars that tell how but the how is usually based on using a specific program, OR reading and memorizing without any how-to on in-depth analysis. (This is also a problem within churches in general, but that's another rant for another day.) I think Christian homeschool conventions NEED to offer a simple Bible study skills seminar, and how to apply those analysis skills to the different developmental stages of a child. This is not a need I feel personally (I teach such seminars myself, locally) but is a glaring need I have seen throughout the religious homeschooling community.

 

On a side note, another problem associated with this is that parents often think that if they have taught the Bible consistently, that they have given their children the equivalent of a private Christian school's instruction. However, I attended an excellent private high school. I remember classes such as Inductive Study, Church History, OT and NT Survey, etc. These classes were loaded with information and often very challenging. Teaching the Bible in a more devotional sense as homeschoolers often do, while personally valuable and totally worthwhile, is not the same as the academic Bible classes offered at a good private school.

 

--Your high school seminar is a combination of advocating for people to go ahead and home school through high school AND nuts and bolts for doing it AND a discussion on how to understand what is transcriptable. It was an excellent seminar, but I would like to see it be two seminars. There were many points on which I would have liked to hear more depth. I would especially like to hear more about the changes in a child from logic to rhetoric stage and how that translates into everyday schoolwork. On your blog you talked about this once, mentioning that your son's day looks much like yours--studying independently, taking the occasional walk to clear his head, etc. I latched right onto that, craving more details.

 

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I am looking forward to hearing you speak in Cincinnati in April. When I saw that you are coming I insisted that dh come to hear you as well. So much of what we do is based on TWTM--it will be good for him to hear all about it. He's never read TWTM or come with to a convention (though he is enthusiastic and supportive), so I am looking forward to this a great deal. Thanks for coming, and thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.

Edited January 11, 2009 by strider

[Blessedfamily]

[quote name=Janice in NJ;729568 Oh - and one final thing. I've been to LOTS of conferences and have listened to LOTS of lectures. Plenty of folks are giving "encouragement" lectures - I personally am tired of them. I want a SKILLS-transfer experience! Lists! Goals! Advice that I can use! I'm so tired of hearing "about" homeschooling; I want data that I can use to TEACH these subjects.

 

 

I've gotta agree here. There is a conference near me that focuses heavily on encouragement' date=' character training (which is often just MORE encouragement), and getting started if you're new to things. I am in my seventh year of homeschooling. I believe in my choice and I feel validated in it. I want more specific training. I have often wished for someone to model for me how to teach specific math skills, as I struggle so much in that area. Or how about a seminar on drawing techniques. There are tons of books out there on art instruction, but I would find it so helpful for someone to show me personally some basic sketching. (I know you don't personally have expertise in this, Susan--it's just an example for the sake of the point I am making.) At various points in our journey through science I have wished someone could give me some tips of effective science labs. Another one I think of is spotting constellations--I never can see anything but the Big Dipper. I would love for someone to show me how to use a star chart. (Again, just an example.)

 

 

 

I agree. Most conferences are heavy on "Why Homeschooling is Great for Your Kids" and light on specific skill areas.

[Janice in NJ]

For me character training is a parenting issue. It's important. And I believe that the hsing model makes it easier to do; I know that I would find parenting MORE difficult if we weren't homeschooling. (AND I know that our path is not the only good path for parenting!!:001_smile:)

 

But I see homeschooling as more than good parenting. For me my "school" hat is about educating. I try to use my parenting hat for parenting. (I've posted about this before. Learning to distinguish between the two was VERY important for me. Very often I've tried to address a parenting issue via a homeschooling solution. DOESN'T WORK!!!!! If my kids are not generally attentive, if their work ethic is terrible, if they refuse to do what I ask with at least an attempt toward willingness then we can not DO school. But those are parenting issues. Finding a new math curriculum isn't going to solve that problem. Sometimes it makes it easier to implement the parenting SOLUTION if we tweak the math curriculum, but the bedrock of the solution is found in parenting, not homeschooling (or math!).)

 

Rambling. Yes! I think that hsing conventions should give me tools to teach and administer this project more effectively. I have found great parenting solutions elsewhere. :001_smile: (There are PLENTY!!!! Every flavor imaginable!)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[Tammyla]

Yes...and a grading tools, tricks with a single student workshop would wonderful. My oldest student produces very large papers and evaluating them is time consuming and often leaves me looking to another unbiased source for feedback.

 

I'm working on my spring conference schedule. I'd like to offer some new workshops this year (especially at the Williamsburg conference we're hosting with Jim Weiss), and I'm wondering what you'd like to attend.

 

I've been thinking about a workshop addressing all the different types of writing your child will have to do that freshman year in college and how to prepare for it. Sound interesting? What else?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

SWB

Edited January 12, 2009 by Tammyla

[Peek a Boo]

That would be FUN. Would y'all bring your teenagers so we could have a seminar?? I could do assignments ahead of time...and read rough drafts...and then we could have a final seminar...

 

SWB

 

That has a lot of promise, but you'd have to decide how many rough drafts you could read and work on in the limited timeframe. And how many moms would be sending in their kids' papers to have them critiqued by The SWB? hee hee.....

if you could find ways to let kids who are just walking in participate, i think it would be even better ;)

 

I was thinking more along the lines of a group-created paper, where each student could contribute ideas, critiques/ criticisms about what each other comes up with, and you be there to pull it all together and offer whys and hows along the way. We do something similar w/ the practice paragraph from Writeshop in our co-op, but yours would be on a Much Bigger scale i'm thinking, w/ a few different tweaks to relate your own ideas of what's great in a paper. Definitely putting the WORK in workshop!

 

ETA! oh! oh! oh!! who was it that shared a several-part youtube on her teaching diagramming via....The Hobbit?.... a while back? something like that would be neat...

 

It might help to make sure there's a specific focus [type? topic?] for the paper and encourage the teens to sit up front- reserved seating for students 18 and under. You also have to watch for the kid that are wanting to dominate the workshop and write the whole darn thing. Institute a hand raising format and have an assistant to keep track of who's already raised their hand....:lol:

shoot, i might be willing to make the trip to a convention for something like this....if we're employed ;) And yeah, if you were in TX, I'd definitely attend.

 

I also agree about the 'encouragement' seminars. There's enough of those, lol.

skills, Skills, SKILLS!

 

i think the key word in your OP is WORKshop vs seminar. I prefer interactive meetings myself ;)

Edited January 11, 2009 by Peek a Boo

[ELaurie]

in addition to workshops about teaching writing int the logic and rhetoric stages, literary analysis, and preparing to write college level papers, I would be interested in workshops about teaching history in the logic and rhetoric stages, using the new WTM recs and the HOWW (History of the Whole World :001_smile:) series.

 

There was once a rumor circulating about a PHP series for teaching science; I would appreciate hearing your suggestions in this regard as well.

 

Thank you for asking!

 

I am looking forward to hearing you in OH in April, and hope to travel to VA for the conference there as well!

[Mom2boys]

in addition to workshops about teaching writing in the logic and rhetoric stages, literary analysis, and preparing to write college level papers, I would be interested in workshops about teaching history in the logic and rhetoric stages, using the new WTM recs and the HOWW (History of the Whole World :001_smile:) series.

 

:iagree:

 

And a big ditto to everything Strider and Janice in NJ said!

 

I'll see you in Cincinnati! :D

[Beth in SW WA]

That would be FUN. Would y'all bring your teenagers so we could have a seminar?? I could do assignments ahead of time...and read rough drafts...and then we could have a final seminar...

 

SWB

 

Waa! We fly to NY on the 7th! I wish I would have known about this and we would have done a side trip to VA.

 

Off to check how many ff miles I have....

[Colleen in NS]

ETA! oh! oh! oh!! who was it that shared a several-part youtube on her teaching diagramming via....The Hobbit?.... a while back? something like that would be neat...

 

I think that was Janice in NJ. I watched part of it and it was helpful to me. I like seeing how other people teach things, too.

 

--Learning foreign language in a home setting. I have used a lot of tutors, but wonder what is an effective way to learn independently? Usually when I ask this question someone recommends a program to me like Rosetta Stone or whatever. I want more than that though. Each and every program comes with its limitations, and foreign language seems harder to learn independently than other subjects. What's the best way to sit down every day and do it? How to make up for the program's limitations? How much time to spend memorizing? Reading? Translating? Etc.

 

(side note to strider) I wrote a post about a book I found in the library that addressed these things. Here's the post: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32188&highlight=language+logic

 

However, the Bible itself, independent of any viewpoint, can be studied, analyzed, dissected........how to apply those analysis skills to the different developmental stages of a child.......Teaching the Bible in a more devotional sense........is not the same as the academic Bible classes offered at a good private school.

 

YES!!!!!!! I would LOVE to hear a WTM/WEM style workshop on this!! For some reason, I haven't been able to figure out how to do this. Bible story narrations, OK. But later, nope. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the different types of literature included in the Bible, but figuring out how to teach Bible study to my kids in the way strider described (analytically, not just "devotionally") is a mystery to me.

 

I would especially like to hear more about the changes in a child from logic to rhetoric stage and how that translates into everyday schoolwork. On your blog you talked about this once, mentioning that your son's day looks much like yours--studying independently, taking the occasional walk to clear his head, etc. I latched right onto that, craving more details.

 

Kind of like your blog posts about a "Day in the Life" - I'd like to read more of those (or hear about them in a workshop) - they are very helpful, esp. details.

[Danestress]

So of course I think the entire conference should be designed to meet my needs:)

 

We need to make transitions to help them work more independently and it's hard for me - partly because I *like* learning right along side them. So I would enjoy a class on fostering independent learning and work.

 

I also would like a logic stage writing class.

 

I'm really thinking about coming!

[Colleen]

Whew! Janice! My blood pressure went up a notch just reading your post.;) And when I got to this part...

 

I've been to LOTS of conferences and have listened to LOTS of lectures

 

...I wondered if my (general) lack of anxiety over homeschooling may very well be related to the fact that I've never been to any conferences or listened to any lectures.

 

Hey, whatever you do, don't forget to enjoy your not-so-little-anymore people.:001_smile:

Edited January 12, 2009 by Colleen

[Colleen]

I tailored my oldest son's high school to his interests, and he has received elective credit for his apprenticeship work. But, I tend not to delve into it on these forums because most folk are obviously focused on academics and the college admissions process.

 

Please do share, Jennifer! I seriously doubt I'm the only one who would love to hear more about this.

 

I think many parents would benefit from a seminar on how to adapt a classical education for a non-traditional student, or how to combine classical education with vocational training. I know this is addressed in the book, and it could be expanded upon in a workshop.

 

Yes. Bingo. Imo, this topic is very, very important and receives far too little attention.

[laughing lioness]

I haven't read through the whole list but did anyone mention "getting it all done?" How do you run, write, homeschool, teach, bake, think, read and stay happily married? Maybe this is too pragmatic but I would love to hear how you manage your very full and busy life.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

OK, folks, I'm printing all these out. You'll see the debut of new workshops at the May Williamsburg conference (May 1-2). More shortly....

 

THANK YOU.

 

SWB

[Holly IN]

SWB:

 

Do you know what you will be speaking about at the Cincy convention?

 

HOlly