September 22, 2003
Secrets of Teaching
Below are some of my notes from a workshop at the Texas Home School Convention, 1998. The speaker was a woman by the name of Joyce Herzog. I hope these notes encourage you as much as they still encourage me!
Secrets of Teaching
1. Every fall, every teacher starts with 2-3 weeks of review before beginning new topics.
2. Realize some months are better than others. December and the last month of school are the worst months for teaching. Be creative. Focus on charity, stewardship, birth of Christ, crafts, cooking, etc.
3. Set a schedule that works for you. Realize 9 months on, 3 months off was established so the kids could help in the fields....
4. Even the "experts" try and fail, try and fail. Don't be intimidated by the experts. If you encounter a plateau or a learning problem, make a list of ways to get past it: Change gears, change subjects, change learning methods, take a break, try more/different creative ways of teaching.
5. Realize textbooks and workbooks are the least effective methods of teaching!
6. Kids learn best by doing:
draw
color
build
dramatize
etc.
7. Teach them what you want them to learn using things they enjoy. (e.g. using baseball to teach math, etc.)
8. Learning takes time to assimilate. Don't introduce a new topic every day. Give them "down time" to assimilate the information. ("Down time" = mindless play/entertainment.)
9. Use children's books for research. Progression of research. (With each deeper level, zero in on points to research more in-depth.):
Picture books
Juvenile books
Jr. high books
Adult books
11. Teach kids where/how to find answers and information.
12. The "One Paper" rule: one paper per subject per week per child. This paper can be done orally, written, through art, photography, game, etc.
13. Don't put your child in a 'grade' box.
14. Is your goal to finish the text or to teach the child? Be a mother hen raising her chicks, not a poultry keeper.
15. The school year ends when you decide....
16. For those "the natives are restless" days, take a break, do a picnic or something that takes less concentration.
17. Regarding atmosphere: No one can learn in an atmosphere of:
Anticipation
Anxiety
Tension
Fear
Depression
Hunger
Extreme hot or cold
18. Make the atmosphere of your school comfortable, relaxed and enjoyable.
19. Remember who determined what should be taught in schools, how, and when: secular humanist publishers. Use your head, not someone else’s. Use common sense.
20. When you've had one of those days, take a step back, win your children back. Have fun. Mend the broken places in your relationship(s).
Posted by at September 22, 2003 04:55 PM
| 
