“Kids Say the Darndest Things!”

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tutoring

By Renee Smith | J&R Tutoring Academy of Indiana

. . . with proper credit to Art Linkletter (and apologies to those who may not remember Art), but this comment and book by Linkletter are as true today as they were when Art first said them.

One of the more fun things we did when we created j&R Tutoring Academy was to hire a graphic designer (a great one!) to design a logo that reflected our business and philosophy. We have been using two variations of the logo. We finally decided that we needed to decide on one, and a few weeks ago we asked several of our friends to vote on their preference.

For those of you reading this who voted, we thank you! The seal version was the overwhelming winner.

What, you may be wondering, does this have to do with kids or tutoring?

As I shared with you in my last blog, most children have a preferred learning style. This style affects how they learn and can explain why children in the same family do not respond the same way to parents’ requests or comments.

Children also see the world differently.

The young son of one of our voters also offered his opinion. When he looked at the seal, he said, “That looks like the Wendy’s girl!!!” Now we do not plan to begin offering hamburgers, but we do hope to become a place where kids want to go! We have laughed and shared this story numerous times in the past couple of weeks.

The adults who looked at our two logo choices were considering the professionalism of them; how well our purpose was reflected; and which one best represented who we are. The child saw a girl who represented hamburgers! We had not given any directives to those who voted – just to let us know which one they liked the best. However, several people did explain why they liked one over the other.

The child reacted to what was familiar to him – a hamburger restaurant!

How many times has one of your children offered a perspective on an event or situation that never occurred to you? Do you stop to enjoy their view of the world? Do you allow yourself to appreciate a child’s perspective?  Have you asked any follow-up questions?

Ironically this is what a tutor does. A tutor asks the follow-up questions.  A tutor takes the time to probe, learns what the child is thinking, and helps the child understand the world around him – or her.

Next time your child says something witty, stop and find out what prompted that witticism.

Do You Know How Your Child Learns?

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auditory learner, Children and adults – learn differently, early childhood education, kinesthetic learner, learn, read/write preferential learner, teaching, visual learner

By Renee Smith | J&R Tutoring Academy of Indiana

As we watch our children grow, play, and learn, we realize that they are different. Why does one daughter love to help you bake cookies, but the other wants no part of that activity? How can your son spend hours creating with Legos© but cannot sit still long enough to eat dinner?

Parents likely attribute these differences to personality and move on; however, the real explanation is more complex.

Children – and adults – learn differently. There are four primary ways that a child learns: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.

The visual learner prefers to see and memorize the visual aspects. The auditory learner listens and follows instructions.  The reading/writing learner focuses on reading, referencing, and later writing down what they learn.  The kinesthetic learner views the world as a huge playground to explore.

The visual learner will be drawn to arts, paintings, and crafts and will be able to recall where items are, while the kinesthetic learner may leave a trail of toys, some in pieces!

The auditory learner may be the one who embarrasses you in front of the grandparents when s/he repeats verbatim some of your more colorful comments to the dinner guests! The read-write preferential learner likes to read and is drawn to detailed objects.

Obviously learning modalities will impact the way, the sequence, and the time necessary for a child to learn a skill or task. Why was it easier to teach your first born to put their toys away than the second? The first born is a verbal learner who follows directions and responds well to verbal commands.

The second child may be a read/write preferential learner who enjoys activities that require detailed attention. Putting toys away is boring. This child may enjoy a game that requires several steps in order to put the toys away. For example, buy this child two or three baskets of different shapes, and tell the child to put the round toys in the round basket, etc.

The result will be the same. One method will just take more time than the other.

The parent who can recognize these differences and interact with their children in each child’s preferred learning method will encourage positive behavior.

Children want to please. As parents and teachers we just need to learn how we can help them accomplish that.

http://www.jnrtutoring.com