Interesting Articles

I have read the most interesting articles on home education this week that I wanted to share.

The first was written by a college professor.  He tells how having a home educated student in one of his classes changed how he thought about homeschooling.

The second article is about homeschooling and the Myers-Briggs.  If you are not familiar with the Myers-Briggs you can take the test here.  If you are familiar with personality tests then go to this post on What's Your Homeschool Personality.  I am an ESFJ.  I was taken aback by how much my personality reflected my ideas of home education. 

What homeschool personality are you?  

~Becky

Repost: Hands On Spelling Strategies

This was posted in 2013.  I was working with one of my kids this week on spelling, and it was a good reminder for me.  Enjoy your weekend. ~ Becky

Sometimes it helps kids if they can use some hands-on strategies to learn their spelling words.  There is something powerful about moving your hands, engaging your brain, and visually taking in a word.  Here are a couple of ideas I have had good luck with. 

Magnetic letters. They just work well.  You can have your kids spell the words on the refrigerator, a cookie sheet, or some other type of metal board.  

Stamping the words with alphabet stamps also works well.  I think it is powerful to see the word, find the letter stamp, stamp it, and then have to put the stamp back in the correct place.  

If you have Montessori letters they are a good resource.

Another fun way to learn is to use American Sign Language to spell out your spelling words. 

http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/fingerspelling/fingerspelling.htm

Some other ways:

writing them in shaving cream,

writing them in sand, or 

writing them 5 times each on paper. 

Happy spelling!

~Becky

Stating what you are going to learn!

It sounds so incredibly simple.  Tell students your learning objectives before you start a lesson.  Have them repeat it throughout the lesson, and then make sure they have learned this at the end.  Yet, for me it is something that gets lost in the shuffle.  So many times I launch into a lesson with my students as if they are coming in the middle of story.  I assume they know what we are doing, and just launch into an explanation.  That is far from helpful.  

I have been taking a technology class and one of the points in the book I am reading states that Providing Clear Learning Goals and Scales helps students to learn.  They recommend doing this at the beginning throughout and at the end of the lesson to check for understanding.  Having students rephrase the learning goal helps as well.

So my February goal is to remember to do this with my students.   Have you had any luck with this?  Do you clearly state learning goals?