Just a quick post about something fantastic that happened while driving with my daughter this week.
It was a great reminder of the learning process, especially in relation to young children.
We were driving along, she wanted to listen to her vacation bible school cd from a few years ago. She loves that cd; it is familiar, she can sing right along and enjoy the songs, completely on auto-pilot.
I suggested we pop in a new one, our upcoming summer VBS songs, so she could begin learning the lyrics.
To this, she was very, very opposed.
I said, "Honey, why don't you want to listen to this one?
She replied, "Well, I just don't know it like the other one, it is more fun to sing. It's no fun when you don't know the words."
We had a discussion about the new cd in relation to her beloved cd from a few years ago. We discussed how she felt when we first started listening to it, whether she could sing along right in the beginning, or did it take some time to learn the words and music?
A light bulb popped on inside her little head and she realized.....the same thing would happen with this new cd! She just had to try it out, then try it again, and again, each time in different ways. Sometimes in the car, sometimes while dancing, while coloring and drawing, etc. Her little brain was literally "bathed" in that music, just in different ways all the time. And, guess what, just a few short days later, she is singing away, several songs memorized, belting them out at the top of her lungs!
Maybe not the most exciting story to read (I apologize). However, it is a simple reminder of this...
We must always teach a concept more than once if we expect our learners to REALLY internalize the learning!! Also, we should always teach the concept by incorporating strategies that work with many learning styles.
I loved this story.....a simple reminder of learning.
Through perseverance (keep on trying, you will get it) and adaptability (learning in many different ways), learners will have ownership. Keep the activities spiraling; returning again and again, so students can feel successful and learn the same concept in many different ways.
.....Hopefully, they will be eager to come back for more!
Image taken from Flickr by Khwarlings
Wonderful blog! I think that this is wonderful and valuable reading for both educators AND parents. I'll definitely be passing this on.
Posted by: Paige | 04/16/2009 at 03:35 PM