Inspiring Intelligence
Archive for September, 2010
Cooperatives
Sep 30th
I am continually discouraged
by the programs available
to our children.
So often,
I hear people accept things.
Without question.
Most recently for me,
my husband was asked to be fingerprinted
because “he is not in the system.”
My husband volunteers with various emergency groups
and has served on the board on many of them.
He has been fingerprinted
so that he can receive security clearance for these organizations.
So, I called to ask why
he was being asked to be fingerprinted
again.
I was told that “it is in a different system.”
After asking for more information,
I was told that
“people who are applying for a gun license
must get fingerprinted,
but that does not clear them to work with children.”
I was a little shocked by this,
because I would expect these systems to be linked.
So, in my attempt to find out how I can change this,
I have been met with comments like,
“What do you expect?”
or
“That is the way things go.”
I do not know about you,
but I am not okay with that.
I believe we should not be passive.
When it comes to parenting,
it is even more vital
that we stand up for what is right.
Which is why I want to see
more programs where the teachers
and parents
play an active role
in the leadership,
management
and
instruction
of our children.
Kid WHYs is working
to develop a cooperative program
where the parents
and
teachers
are part owners
and are not
passive participants.
We will keep you posted as the details get ironed out….
In the meantime,
please contact us if you are interested in learning more.
Our learning adventure
Sep 28th
Our most recent interest has been airplanes.
(Not the project I would have selected, but it is not my project.)
We started this adventure with a trip to the library to check out books about airplanes.
Next, we went to the airport to watch the airplanes take off, watch the baggage terminal, and learn about the security process.
Then, we had a discussion about airplanes and airports. (Excuse the quality)
And, we turned the playroom into an airplane.
The ticket counter
First, we set up a ticket counter.
Then, we put the chairs in the airplane.
Airplane seats
The guests came to buy the tickets.
The first passenger
Then, the playroom was transformed to a plane.
We flew to Indiana and Florida.
The flight attendant served me some great food.
We spent the majority of the day flying around the country!
When Daddy came home, he was given a ticket to fly to Indiana, too.
(I’m not sure why Indiana. We do not know anyone in Indiana.)
And, as luck would have it,
our adventure did not end there.
A neighboring city was holding an Airfest this past weekend.
So, we attended.
We had a blast!
Their interests led us to explore the real world.
They learned a ton and I walked away confident that creativity and interest were not sacrificed in the process.
And, an event like the Airfest was so much more meaningful.
This is the type of learning Kid WHYs hopes to encourage.
Is there a formula for Greatness?
Sep 27th
We all want our children to achieve greatness.
The Rockefeller or Mozart kind of greatness.
Is there something we can do
to help them achieve it?
What would you say if I told you
the most amazing people in the world
were not really more amazing
than you or I?
From Mozart
to Bill Gates
to Michael Jordan.
Would you think I was crazy?
There seems to be
luck involved
in every case.
But, more importantly,
it seems that
interest
and
practice
seem to be the common factor
that sets them apart.
What are you doing
to spark your child’s interests?
Would that interest be enough
to sustain him/her
for 10,000 hours of practice?
Researchers believe
the Beatles
became so successful
because they played
for 8 hours straight
for most of the year
and reached
a magic number of 10,000 hours.
Bill Gates was fortunate enough
to access computers
starting in 8th grade.
He was so interested in computers
that he would go to a computer lab
from 3 am to 6 am
because he was so passionate.
In the end,
by the time he started Microsoft,
he had been learning and practicing for
10,000 hours.
That is a lot of time.
Greatness will not come
from memorizing
facts and figures.
Sparking an interest
is the most important factor.
When I am interested in something,
I do not mind spending time learning.
I enjoy the learning.
So will your children.
I would,
like Bill Gates,
get up at 3 am to learn more.
What are you doing to encourage
passion strong enough
that your child will WANT to practice
and learn?
A passion so strong
s/he will seek out opportunities
to practice?
I don’t have the formula yet,
but I know that I want to encourage
passion
and
interest
and I believe the rest will fall into place.
Got Community?
Sep 24th
I started another book.
(I find them very motivating.)
This one started with a story about a little town in Pennsylvania.
The whole town seems to have migrated from the same little town in Italy.
They keep to themselves.
This little city is nothing remarkable.
Except
that illness seems to be rare in this little city.
This got the attention of some researchers.
Could there be something in the water?
No, neighboring cities use the same water
and they get sick twice as often.
Could this little city be eating healthy?
No, they love their meat pizza and desserts.
The difference?
The community was a true community.
Residents talked to neighbors and people they passed on the street.
They supported each other.
Wealth was not displayed
and poverty was felt much less
because the community supported those who were struggling.
It seems that if we just spent more time with our friends and neighbors
our health would improve.
Do you have a community?
I know I would love to see a stronger one develop here.
What will it take?
I have an idea……
I can’t wait to share…..
I believe it will start with the kids.
I need a little time to develop it,
but I am excited!
Tools of the Mind
Sep 11th
I believe that intention makes all the difference.
Research supports this belief
as early as preschool.
There is a great article about the benefits of a program called “Tools of the Mind” here.
Important Parts of the Program Include:
- “Every moment of the day is devoted in some way to teaching the kids”
- “Before [the children] even think about picking up a toy, they sit down….[and] spell out their intentions.” (For example, “Today I am going to play store,” is written with the help of a teacher and then the child draws what s/he will be doing.
- Then they play. The play “help[s] build a critical cognitive skill called executive function.”
- “Executive function has a number of elements, such as working memory and cognitive flexibility. “
- “But perhaps the most important is self-regulation — the ability for kids to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.”
So, what is executive function and WHY is it so important?
Executive Function is the ability to override impulses.
Previously, it was assumed that executive function is something that just develops naturally over time.
And, it does.
But, we are learning that it does not have to be a waiting game.
Children can learn to control their impulses.
And research is demonstrating that it has a profound impact on intelligence.
In fact, researchers are having a hard time completing a study using these programs
because the impact is so great and happens so quickly
that principals and teachers think it is cruel to deprive the “control” classes of using the program.
(Every study needs a control group in the same setting who does not receive the program
just in case there was some other factor influencing the performance.)
So, how does “Tools of the Mind” work?
Children are asked to plan their play.
If they veer from their plan,
the teachers remind the children of the plan.
The result?
Conflicts during play decrease significantly.
Also
The play has more intention
and children can focus in their play longer.
Other things a Tools of the Mind program may have:
Children are asked to score their own work and the work of their classmates.
For example, when practicing their letters, the children could be asked to circle the one that looks the best.
Children may play a game of Freeze.
The game where children children dance until the music stops and they are asked to freeze.
Well, in a Tools of the Mind game of Freeze,
the children will be shown a pose WHILE the music is playing
and when the music stops,
the children must remember the card and strike the pose.
The children regulate their urges to strike the pose when the music is playing.
Neighborhood Walk Investigation
Sep 11th
We have been talking about maps and addresses lately.
I have suspected that our discussions have been missing something.
So today, after the horrible flooding has finally stopped,
we took a walk around the neighborhood.
My goal was to help the children better understand where our address comes from.
We took our notebooks and started to walk around the block.
I pointed to the numbers on our house.
Then we walked next door and pointed to those numbers.
And, without prompting, the notebook was opened.
This is from the girl who does not want to try writing numbers because she cannot do it perfectly.
As we walked on, we continued writing numbers, until a cat approached us.
I, for one, was surprised to meet the cat.
My dog was walking with us and was at my side.
The cat was very friendly and was crying.
I wondered if it was hungry and we began discussing the possibility of it being hungry.
And, since it was obvious
I was going to have trouble returning to my original goal of learning about house numbers and streets;
I thought of a new side project.
I asked if we should guess what the cat would like to eat.
The suggestions included goldfish crackers, raisins, dog food (since we do not have cat food)
and I threw in the suggestion of chicken.
Each of us predicted what the cat would do as we walked back to the house to gather our supplies.
And we walked back over to the house where we met the cat.
We each took the food we believed the cat would most enjoy
and we tried to force it on the poor cat.
While the cat ate up the attention
it did not show any interest in any of the food.
Not even the chicken.
I am not sure if it was the spices from the leftover chicken I made
or if it was really not hungry,
but even my prediction was wrong.
The kids did not mind,
because they were happy to eat the food that the cat did not want.
(Funny how each child wanted the food they predicted the cat would like.)
And, for a minute, I thought our lesson on addresses and streets was going to end,
but the notebooks were pulled back out as soon as we saw the numbers on the house.
We had a fun and easy walk around the block and we practiced writing numbers.
We learned about the street name signs.
We learned how to address letters to each of our neighbors.
And we had fun doing it!
What did you explore today?
Project Approach
Sep 8th
I have been reading an amazing book called
NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children
by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman
It has re-inspired me.
Then today, I read an article about study habits.
It reminded me why I reject the typical classroom approach to learning.
I became a big fan of the Project Approach a while ago.
Research supports this approach in most every way.
Brains do not retain information sitting in the same place everyday.
Brains do no retain information that has been taken out of context.
If we allow children to be the engineers of their learning, research shows that they will retain the information better.
I believe in the Project Approach.
So,
what is the project approach?
This website offers some information and great examples of the approach used in action.
I have not found any program that utillizes this approach locally, so I am hoping to start one.
I am just a little excited about it.
To get us started:
I will be reporting our our adventures.
Tomorrow my children and I begin planning our imaginary trip.
Check back to learn where our adventure takes us…
