Transcript PARENTING FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE

Presented by Susan Winebrenner
www.susanwinebrenner.com
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Auditory learners are more successful
because most teachers use strategies with
which they are comfortable.
Visual/kinesthetic learners are generally less
successful in school because most teachers
use strategies with which they are not
comfortable.
To increase learning success, teach students
the way they learn!
Prefers visual and t/k learning input
 Quickly loses interests in verbal interchange
 Must see the whole picture before learning
the parts; graphic organizers help
 Appreciates colors, manipulatives, and
active learning
 Handwriting may be a problem; learn
keyboarding and word processing
 Usually learns academics better later in
the day; movement before tasks may help.
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Bright Child
Gifted Learner
Knows answers
Is interested
Has good ideas
In top groups
Learns with ease
Understands
Absorbs information
Pleased with own learning
Asks questions
Is highly curious
Wild and “crazy” ideas
Beyond group levels
Already knows
Draws inferences
Manipulates info
Highly self critical
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Give them full credit “up front” for grade level
standards they already know.
Facilitate their learning of new content more
quickly than age peers
Do not expect them to consistently get the
highest grade with little or no effort
Offer specific praise for effort and hard work
Encourage in-depth study, over time, of
topics of deep personal interest.
Students who are gifted in some areas of learning
and “remedial” in others.
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Let them experience compacting and differentiation in
their areas of learning strength.
Provide compensation strategies in their areas of
weakness.
Connect their personal and passionate interests to their
curriculum.
Teach them and allow them to demonstrate what they
have learned in their preferred learning style.
The surest path to high self esteem for all learners is to
continuously be successful at learning tasks
they perceived would be difficult!
Each time we “steal a student’s struggle”, we steal the opportunity
for an esteem building experience to take place.
•Dr.Sylvia Rimm, clinical psychologist
The longer students proceed through school thinking that “gifted” means
“easy”, the more likely they will be to resist challenge when it comes.
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Praising innate intelligence produces fear of risk taking.
AVOID: “You are so smart! You are so wonderful! You are the
smartest kid I know!” Children perceive the outcome is
removed from their control
Praising effort and hard work produces attitude of capability
and willingness to take risks.
CHOOSE INSTEAD “I have noticed how carefully you thought
through the problems. You obviously worked very hard to get
the outcome you wanted.” Children perceive that hard work
and effort can bring a learning goal closer to realization.
From “Nurture Shock” by Bronson and Merryman
Or “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” www.nymag.com
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This makes kids adopt lower standards and
self-expectations and work hard to avoid
using effort to make all appear effortless
When caring adults praise outcomes that
were created by little or no effort, children try
to maintain that situation for its praise.
Giving kids the “smart” label may actually be
causing their underachievement; if not
presently, then later in life.
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In order for praise to be effective in leading
to better learning outcomes, it must be
specific and personal. Generalized praise is
not only useless, it may be harmful.
When children observe other children being
given generalized praise, they conclude that
those receiving the praise is a sign that one is
not doing well and therefore needs additional
praise from the teacher or parent. (Wulf-Uwe Meyer)
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Spend 10 minutes each day, one on one with
each child.
Have nothing in your hands or line of vision
but the child.
Do not ask questions or give advice
Use active or reflective listening: repeat what
child said in your own words
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To each other
To yourself or other family members
Do not talk about them where you can be
overheard
Recognize and nurture each child for his or
her individual talents and gifts.
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Use the 8 hour rule
If there are two parents, both must agree on a
decision before it is announced to the child
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A single parent must be confident that his or her
“8 hour” decision is final and will not be changed
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Try to be consistent from one decision to another.
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In elementary and middle school, students
must learn the value of hard work and not be
satisfied with high grades that come easily.
No college asks for elementary or middle
school transcripts.
Students who have never learned the benefits
of struggle do not reach their achievement
potential.
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Work with your child to establish a homework schedule and do
your part to honor it. Don’t allow any distractions during that
time. Let child move on to other activities between time slots for
various tasks.
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Teach youngster to set personal goals for what will be
completed in each time period.
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Support teachers who assign homework by amount of timeto
work rather than on an assigned amount of material.
If they are not learning the
way we are teaching them,
we have to teach them the
way they learn!
Dr. Kenneth Dunn
If the right side of the brain
controls the left side of the body,
is it then true that
only left-handed people are in their
right minds?