Kids Talking About School

Perhaps you've seen the article recently posted on Huffington Post recommending 25 ways to ask your kids about their school day.  The premise is that, if you can somehow ask the right question, your child will share with you all of the things that happened to him during school.  Do you think the author ever considered that maybe kids say "nothing" happened at school because, as far as they are concerned, nothing happened?  

In most traditional classrooms, the child is intended to be a passive recipient, soaking up knowledge poured out by the teacher.  If he's not soaking, he's doing nothing, and it isn't much fun to tell your parent about nothing.

How excited would you be to talk about the time you spent standing in line at the bank, waiting in line at the drive through, or sitting on hold with the utility company?  Maybe the way to get your child to talk about school isn't to ask silly questions.  Maybe the way to get your child to talk about school is for him to actually do something at school.

When your child is engaged in deep learning about topics that truly interest him, he won't be able to help talking about his day.  His interests and the learning, building, and doing he has accomplished around those interests will be on his mind.  He'll want to tell you about the meaningful work he has done..  

You won't be the only one benefiting from that talking, either.  Clear verbal communication is one of the twenty first century skills that leaders in the worlds of business and government agree future workers will need.  Telling you about his interests will help your child strengthen his communication skills.

If you're new to Kids LOVE Learning, start here to see the BIG idea.
If you want to get involved, get in touch!

But what if he just wants to play Lego Batman all day?

Any interest can lead to real learning.  The key is to dig deeper: past the surface-level consumption of that interest, into the creative space of making and doing.  Maybe his interest is Lego Batman.  Learning visual spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination, and real-time problem solving by playing the game are good.  However, once he gets past the level of simply playing the game, what else might he do with that interest?

Maybe he'll create a youtube channel to review the game.  Then he'll learn to operate the camera, write the review copy, edit the videos, post the code online, embed the music, and animate the credits.  He'll learn to build an audience, interact with commenters, and network via social media platforms.  All of these things are transferable skills!  When he moves on to a new interest, and he will move on eventually, he can use these skills to support something else.  

There's something your child wants to learn because it's fun.  There's also something your child needs to learn because he is motivated to take his interest deeper.

Jump on over to Lori Pickert's blog to read more on wanting vs. needing to learn.  

If you're new to Kids LOVE Learning, start here to see the BIG idea.


If you want to get involved, get in touch!

How a Child-Led Education Might Look

Teacher Tom is a preschool teacher, but he paints a beautiful picture of child-led education here.  I'm excited for the future.  I'm eager for my children and yours to be part of this movement!

Are you new to Kids LOVE Learning?  Start here to see the BIG idea.
Want to get involved?  Get in touch!

Why Kids Need a Hands-On Approach

There are as many learning styles as there are children, but the one constant is that playing is the beginning of true understanding.  A baby playing with sounds learns to form meaningful words.  A child playing with blocks learns balance and proportion.  A cook playing with ingredients learns to create her own recipes.  A carpenter playing in the workshop learns to visually construct before committing his resources.  Our children need to play to understand.  They need to tinker to learn. 

Are you new to Kids LOVE Learning?  Start here to see the BIG idea.
Want to get involved?  Get in touch!

"How to Create Nonreaders"

Here's a wonderful article about the strategies at work in most classrooms today that kill the love of learning.  Reward programs, grades, tests, isolation, and lack of choice all damage the intrinsic motivation of children to deeply explore their world.  The solution is to go a different direction.  When children choose their own educational goals, work together meaningfully, and assess themselves, they develop autonomy, internal motivation, and real-world learning skills.

There's a better way forward!  Join the child-led, project-driven revolution.

Are you new to Kids LOVE Learning?  Start here to see the BIG idea.
Want to get involved?  Get in touch!

The Coming Revolution

This piece in The Atlantic speaks about the revolution coming over the horizon in public education.  We know that Common Core, high-stakes testing, deprofessionalizing teaching, and the other "reforms" being pushed by corporate interests are not sustainable.  The author sees the future of education in a dramatic shift, a revolution in public schools.

I am on the side of revolution.  I am on the side of my children.  Let's work together to reform public schools, and let's model a new way forward.  Let's give our children a high-quality, strength-based, child-led education.

Are you new to Kids LOVE Learning?  Start here to see the BIG idea.
Want to get involved?  Get in touch!