With there being several learning styles ranging from auditory or language learners, visual learners to kinaesthetic/tactile learners, you realise how stress free and fun learning can truly become.
It all began nearly 9 weeks ago, our journey to "home learning" and it has been interesting to say the least. Half of my misconceptions have been challenged & the other half, well, the other half has been tested. Nonetheless, I’m grateful for the opportunity that presented itself to me due to being lockdown. I have always been open to home education, yet torn as I'm a big believer of what main stream school can offer a child, not just from the educational stand point of view, rather from the social prospective it has to offer and also to really see what a child is also made of.
Even though your child may be able to count numbers, he or she might not understand the meaning of them or visually understand numbers. Understanding the meaning of the numbers is an essential part to learning maths and learning in general, believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be painful. (Trust me)
A big misconception is that a young child can often times count from 1 -10, sadly without understanding the meaning of the numbers they are counting.
Teaching Numbers Visually:
Visual learning is so powerful and is a super effective way of learning, the goal is for your child to understand that numbers equal quantities.
I have left a few ideas below of some of the things we used for trying to learn maths where ever we go.
1. Count Items At The Super Market
2. Counting slices of fruit
3. Counting with straws
Montessori Math:
Montessori math curriculum does a fantastic job at making numbers visually inciting and a great ton of fun in the process.
Montessori Resource:
The resource for montessori actives can be as expensive or as cost effect as you would like them to be. We have kept ourselves busy over the past two months making crafts from recycled items we have kept from home deliveries, the best part of it is that the kids get involved in all the creative fun & my oh my is it really exciting for them.
LEARNING STYLES
I went on a teaching assistant course last year & was enlightened on the various learning styles & their importance.
Have a look at the below learning style and let me know where you think you fit as a parent?
Auditory or language learners:
These types of learns, learn through listening to what others have to say and talking about what they’re learning. They’re also more likely to:
* remember information by talking aloud.
* need to have things explained orally.
* may have trouble with written instructions.
* talk to themselves while learning something new.
* enjoy discussion groups over working alone.
Visual learner:
As their name suggests, these people learn through watching. It’s believed to be the most dominant learning style and many traditional classrooms are geared towards the visual learner. For their learning to make sense they need to be able to see, visualise and illustrate their knowledge skills and concepts. Visual learning characteristics include:
* remembering visual details.
* preferring to see what they are learning.
* needing to have paper and pens handy.
* doodling while listening.
* liking to write down instructions or see them demonstrated.
Kinaesthetic/tactile learners
These learners like to be actively involved in the learning process, and learn best through hands-on activities and movement. Other kinaesthetic characteristics are they:
* want to actually do whatever is being talked about or learned.
* like to move around while listening or talking.
* often “talk” with their hands
* like to touch things in order to learn about them.
* remember events by recalling who did what rather than who said what.
Additional learning styles
In addition to the styles listed above, McCarthy (1980) also developed four additional learning styles: innovative, analytical, common sense learners and dynamic learners.
* Innovative learners have a strong sense of social justice and want their work to have meaning and reflect their values. They enjoy social interaction and like to cooperate with others.
* Analytical learners like learning activities that are based on facts and always take time to reflect on their learning activities. Children with this learning style also want the work they do to contribute to helping the world in some shape or form.
* Common sense learners are very practical and are eager to set things in motion. They enjoy activities or learning that has a practical application. These learners are also kinaesthetic.
* Dynamic learners: children whose predominant learning style is dynamic will use their gut instincts to guide their actions. They are also adept at bringing together information from a variety of sources. These learners are naturally inquisitive and curious and look for the hidden meaning behind concepts.
Next Time..
In my next blog, I’ll be covering basic DIY tutorials of how to make my montessori resources from scratch.
Happy counting!