I watched a few of Sir Ken Robinson's YouTube clips this week and what he has to say on the topic of giving kids/teens/people the opportunity to find and follow their passions, was really interesting. You can check him out by searching 'Ken Robinson' in YouTube. How I managed to fall upon his clips, I have no idea. But it did fit in nicely with the topic of mentoring and educating our teens.
How did we all go educating here this week? I wont lie it had its moments, but over all I see the rewards. I have a boy who loves his books more than ever and wont get off the treadmill. He has gone from hating reading and always having his nose (preferably) in a game on the tablet, to reading and excising as his most preferred use of study time. One thing he isn't enjoying, is the amount of time allocated. Some days the work is still chugging along well into, and beyond, tea time. This is not always a choice. Well, on the other hand it is. They are given a 'time' to study. If they want to work through lunch break then that is their choice and they can finish early... I have some doing so. Then there are the days when every thing comes before study and the study is pushed back to their own time. There is a love-hate relationship going on with this concept but overall it is working out really well, and I recommend it. There is more learning going on at the moment and I am not stressed trying to time manage. They now time manage. Isn't that an important lesson for adulthood!
We are still having together time. They enjoy this time and we get to have a good laugh as we encourage each other. Grammar and reading time comes with loads of conversation opportunities, that are important for understanding and growth. This is a time that I will always keep up, for without it there would be less communication and connection. We have worked through Winston Grammar and now we are onto the advanced programme. For any of you that have not seen this programme it is worth the investment. I am of the opinion that grammar is important for understanding the written word and comprehension. I didn't do a lot of it with the children when they were younger, but then as comprehension became more difficult the implementation of a good grammar program became important.
We have continued to read and analyse "A wrinkle in time". Projects from last week have been completed and enjoyed. Where downloaded assignment pages were used, they became templates as they were encouraged to look beyond the downloads and research the answers instead. It made the work more personalised and enjoyable. One started reading 'Benjamin Franklin, an autobiography' It is set out in three columns and made for hard reading. She is continuing and enjoying the work that goes with it from "Excellence in American Literature". This is actually a really good resource! It has loads of added information and documents to look further into literacy eras and famous literature pieces.
So overall, letting the young adults have a little choice in their education is a good thing. They are no longer children and should not be treated as such, unless you want them to behave as such. That is my finding so far. I will continue just in case I change my mind, as teens are very good at making you do.
Happy reading
No comments:
Post a Comment