VISUALIZATION is a powerful tool we all use. In work or school we are told to visualize data, information, concepts, and strategies to better understand, cope, set goals and motivate.
Here is a link and image of "A Periodic Table of Visualization" - click on each element and an image of that type of visualization will appear - very cool!
Because it is the season for holiday cheer and for many, finding that cheer can be difficult, The Wall Street Journal had an article this weekend about how visualizing can help us find holiday cheer. But before getting to that article, I am curious...
How do YOU find holiday Cheer?
In the past, we were advised to "think positive" by many including Norman Vincent Peale who in his book "The Power of Positive Thinking" suggested that we make a deliberate effort to speak hopefully. Studies suggest, however, that optimistic affirmations designed to lift one's mood, often achieve the opposite effect.
art by Alex Nabaum from The Wall Street Journal
In this weekend's Wall Street Journal (The Power of Negative Thinking essayist, Oliver Burkeman suggests that there is an alternative approach to help us find that sometimes ellusive (holiday) cheer:
"...both ancient philosophy and modern psychology suggest that darker thoughts can make us happier."
According to Burkeman, Albert Ellis (a New York psychotherapist) rediscovered this key insight of the Stoic philosophers of ancient Geece and Rome: "the best way to address an uncertain future is to focus not on the best-case scenario but on the worst."
Stoics called this worst-case scenario therapy "the premeditation of evils" and they believed that doing this would remove the anxiety "THE FUTURE" relayed.According to Burkeman, modern psychologist Julie Norem estimates that about one-third of Americans instinctively use this strategy which she terms "defensive pessimism."
Burkeman further posits that,
"The ultimate value of the 'negative path' may not be its role in facilitating upbeat emotions or even success. It is simply realism. The future really is uncertain, after all, and things really do go wrong as well as right. We are too often motivated by craving to put an end to the inevitable surprises in our lives."
While I believe the 'negative path' may be helpful in planning and organizing, it is not necessarily effective for me in building 'cheer'.
For me the cheer comes from being grateful for all the gifts I have. It comes from setting realistic goals, having a loving family, and from contributing to my community at large. Don't underestimate the power of giving.
HOW DO YOU FIND HOLIDAY CHEER? Please leave you visualizations and coping suggestions in the comments.
In the meantime, thank you for your visit. Have a JOYFUL holiday and all the very best!
"A 1990 survey of college seniors showed 42% couldn't name the dates of the War Between the States to within half a century." - Dumbing Down Our Kids by Charles Sykes
"A typical American school day finds some six million high school students and two million college freshmen struggling with algebra... Why do we subject American students to this ordeal? I've found myself moving toward the strong view that we shouldn't... " - Andrew Hacker, professor emeritus Queens College
DILEMA: Too many schools and educators are demanding less of our students.
Here are three current examples of the dumbing down of America- one in English, one in history, and one in math:
EXAMPLE #1: William Chase in The Decline of the English Department (2009) notes that many schools core requirements are neglecting critical reading and are taking the passion out of books and liberal arts. As a result the relevancy and pursuit of English writing and classical reading are quickly dropping. Hopefully the Common Core Standards across content areas will help.
***
EXAMPLE #2: In a Wall Street Journal Weekend Interview (6/18/11) Don't Know Much About History popular author and historian David McCullough responds to the Department of Educations release that week of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress which found that only 12% of high-school seniors had a firm grasp of American history:
"We're raising young people who are, by and large, historically illiterate...One problem is personnel...People who come out of college with a degree in education and not a degree in a subject are severely handicapped in their capacity to teach effectively...Another problem is method. History is often taught in categories - women's history, Africa American history, environmental history - so that many of the students have no sense of chronology...What's more, many textbooks have become so politically correct as to be comic. Very minor characters that are currently fashionable are given considerable space, whereas people of major consequence farther back [such as] Tomas Edison are given very little space or none at all...and they're so badly written. They're boring!
McCullough's solution:
...talk about history, talk about the books we love, the biographies and histories... take our children to historic places...and teach history with 'the lab technique'[giving] students a problem to work on. If I were teaching a class I would tell my students, 'I want you to do a documentary on the building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street [The New York Public Library]. Or I want you to interview Farmer Jones or a former sergeant Fred or whatever...I'd take one of the textbooks. I'd clip off all the numbers on the pages. I'd pull out three pages here, two pages there, five pages here - all the way through. I'd put them aside, mix them all up, and give them to you and three other students and say, 'Put it back in order and tell me what's missing.' You'd know that book inside out.
EXAMPLE #3: (7/29/12) New York Times Opinion piece (see quote above) Is Algebra Necessaryby Andrew Hacker (professor emeritus political science, Queens College, City University of New York) illustrates dumbing down all too clearly and painfully as he advocates removing algebra from the 'required' high school curriculum because
To our nation's shame, one in four ninth graders fail to finish high school... Most of the educators I've talked with cite algebra as the major academic reason.
His suggestion:
Instead of investing so much of our academic energy in a subject that blocks further attainment for much of our population, I propose that we start thinking about alternatives. Thus mathematics teachers at every level could create exciting courses in what I call 'citizen statistics'...it would familiarize students with the kinds of numbers that describe and delineate our personal and public lives.
***
How in good conscience can or should we dumb down the curriculum because students are failing? My suggestions:
Much like McCullough talks about teaching history in a 'lab technique' so too should math be taught as meaningful projects and 'thinking playgrounds' (see Lockhart's Lament ) and not as wrote formula memorizing. Algebra lends itself to this kind of study - even Hacker notes algebra is used in airline ticket pricing, animated movies and investment strategies - let's teach using these meaningful examples as algebraic 'labs'.
Many are failing high school algebra because they have not mastered long addition and multiplication. We must make sure our students have mastered the basics.
Eliminating algebra or making it optional will restrict math-phobics (who opt out of algebra) from many careers. It also models a 'cop-out' strategy - something we definitely do not want to teach or reinforce. High school students are not ready to make those decisions nor are they ready to be hindered from such consequences. Instead we must teach to various learning styles while raising (not lowering) demands and expectations.
Under no circumstance should we remove algebra because students fail. We need to raise not lower the bar and we must strive to meet expectations not eliminate them. Many are hopeful that the Common Core Standards will help.
The bottom line: Stop the dumbing down of our students. Raise the bar don't eliminate it because it's hard or because kids fail. Observe WHY they fail and address student needs (are they visual or verbal learners, do they have short attention spans - teach in shorter 'bits', use teaching multiple modes and examples of a particular content), but don't eliminate algebra or educational options because they're too challenging.
And while I mean no insult to Miss South Carolina Teen (who I am sure was incredibly nervous when responding to her question which probably effected her response), we certainly don't want to raise inarticulate students who can't locate US States, or recall when the War of the States occurred. And, if we were to follow Dr. Hacker's suggestions - would we make geography and map-reading optional?
What do you think?
Thanks for your visit and please share your perspectives in the comments.
Explaining abstract concepts can prove challenging to the best of educators for the best to the weakest of students/audiences.
Here's one wonderful example of the art and challenge of explaining. [My husband actually used this clip recently to describe the financial fiasco in Europe and Greece]. It's taken from Elaine May's movie A New Leaf in which she starred with Walter Matthau. In this YouTube clip Walter Matthau runs to his accountant after an important check of his bounced:
While entertaining in its own right, this use of the clip to explain Europe's financial fiasco brings up a few educational points:
The power of a visual image to explain something (in this case finances or the importance of"capital");
The power of learning life lessons from others' stories and experiences;
The challenge of making an explanation meaningful and understood;
The power of laughter and art in helping explain and retain information.
The challenge to explaining is that not only must you define a concept, you must somehow relate it to the audience/student.
They have to not only understand the words you use,
They have to understand the intent,
They must understand how various factors interact with each other to create the "whole" of what is being explained, and
They have to be able to understand WHY what it is your are explaining is so important to them.
Richard Feynman (Nobel Laureate in physics) in his book, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character (1985) talks about an experience he had as a visiting lecturer teaching a master class of graduate students:
"I was teaching a group of students who would ultimately become teachers...in science...in electricity and magnetism - Maxwell's equation...I discovered a very strange phenomenon: I could ask a question, which the students would answer immediately. But the next time I would ask the question - the same subject, and the same questions, as far as I could tell - they couldn't answer it at all....After a lot of investigation, I finally figured out that the students had memorized everything, but they didn't know what anything meant. When they heard 'light that is reflected from a medium with an index' they didn't know that it meant a material such as water....Everything was entirely memorized, yet nothing had been translated into meaningful words. [Bold was my emphasis.]
This happens all too often. Without a teacher's careful questioning and relating that topic to their lives, teachers often think their students have "learned" because they could shoot back 'facts' or jargon, and as a result missed the opportunity to EXPLAIN underlying meanings, concepts, application.
To best explain something:
The concepts must be related to ideas, names, places, things, students are already familiar with. [Fractions or proportion, for example, can be explained watching a football game and figuring out 'first downs' ONLY to students who understand the underlying game.]
The explanation must be broken down into simple, recognizable components;
The use of images, pictures, graphs, charts all paired with words and explanations help students 'visualize' what you are explaining and provide additional paired memory associations. This is where teaching with graphic novels and illustrated texts can be prove extremely beneficial. This is also where the use of clips from favorite movies, cartoon, shows, can become powerful tools.
"Play around" with the concept. Once something is explained,
ask your students/audience HOW THEY think other things in their lives might relate to the concept,
how they can USE what they just learned,
how it might be taken further and applied to something else...play around with it, take concepts for a walk, a swim, a jump.
You might, for example, ask them to write draw a cartoon or 'instructions' to explain the new concept to their friends or siblings.
Bring emotions into it. Ask how what was explained makes them 'feel' or ask for images what you just explained conjure up for them.
The more associations (visual, auditory, tactile, emotional, etc.) the greater the chance they will relate to it, understand it, and remember it.
What are some of the tricks and tools you use to help explain something?
Please leave your tricks, tools and impressions in the comments, and thank you for your visit.
Before you leave... one more thing to keep in mind:
Quick short-term memory quiz (for those who just watched the video above):
1. How many strike outs were there in the game?
2. How many requests did the yellow fish make for a hot dog?
While the fish above have no memory, they seem to survive just fine in school. Our kids, though, absolutely need memory to survive and succeed in and out of school. Today I look at memory demands kids face in a typical day, and then show and tell suggestions to help boost memory.
Part I. Basic school day demands:
Preparing for school our kids must remember what they have to take with them to school (homework, books, lunch, snacks, change of clothes for after school or for gym, the comic they promised to share with friends during recess, etc.). They must also remember their schedule before, during and after school each day, and how they are going to get to the required destinations.
Arriving in school they must remember what they need for each class for that particular morning or portion of the day before they can get back to their lockers or cubbies.
Regardless of subject matter, students must remember where the class is meeting, what the teacher just said or demonstrated as well as what was said a few minutes ago, last class, last week, and what was read for homework, all while remembering the strings of information they want to relay and how best to relay them. They also have to remember to take out and hand in any homework due. In addition, when giving directions, teachers typically give them verbally and students must remember each step of those directions.
Math class demands: Students must remember math facts and formulas (for geometry, converting fractions, etc.). Students also must remember sequences for solving problems (commutative principle, associative principle, when to add and multiply numbers in and out of parentheses, and when and how to do long hand subtraction, division and multiplication, etc.), computation short-cuts, as well as the prompts given in the examples to be solved.
Language arts class demands:
When reading students must remember sight vocabulary and phonics in order to recognize and decode the text in front of them. They must also remember the meaning of the words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters they just read - all while keeping track of the names, dates, and events, they just read.
When talking or writing students must remember what they want to write or say, in the order they want to say it, while remembering the words they need, their spelling and punctuation (when writing), and the best way to say or write it.
If responding to a question they also have to keep that question in mind checking and making sure they staying on topic as they answer it.
In science classes, not only do students have to remember all those items of a language arts class (if they are reading or writing anything in class), but they must also remember lab sequences and safety rules to follow.
In social studies classes, not only do students have to remember all those items of a language arts class, they also have to remember sequences of names, dates, and events and their significance to a particular time or times in history.
Then there are memory demands of gym, music, art, and after school programs, and remembering social conversations they had with friends, parents and other adults...but I am assuming you get my point and want to move on to constructive memory training suggestions.
Part II. WAYS TO HELP STUDENTS REMEMBER:
1. Repetitionand Rehearsal- teaching students to repeat strings of facts over and over - either chanting to themselves or through songs (my kids learned the state capitals in a song and years later, still remember them).
2. Visualization - sometimes visualizing directions and items helps us remember them and their required sequence.
Here is a video from Sesame Street demonstrating the power of repetition and visualization.
Sesame Street Animation: Repetition to help memory...visualizing to help memory
3. Rhyming - turning strings of information into rhymes helps kids remember. It does not work for Grover however in the following Sesame Street clip, but you and your child can watch this together and figure out why. Different types of strategies work for different types of kids and for different tasks. You will have to experiment which one works best for you.
Using rhyming to help boost memory.
4. Mnemonics- are finger / hand/ word games, tricks, or rhymes kids can use to help remember sequences or strings of words, numbers or events. I learned to remember which months of the year had 30 and which had 31 days by reciting the months across my knuckles. Roy-gee-biv or short sentences with ROYGBIV - represent the visual color spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo[thank you, Roger], violet). What are some of the mnemonics you used? What are some your child uses?
5. Build Associations. Teach kids to make associations and connections between what they know and have to remember. The more personal you can make something, the more one thing is associated with another, the more memory connections and channels there are to retrieve the information (see my blog on humor it discusses how humor connects various memory channels).
Let's continue the conversation. In the comments, please leave your favorite memory strategies or your child's favorite mnemonic device. Why constantly re-invent the wheel? Also, please watch these videos with your kids, talk about different strategies she or he can use to remember. Also talk about how different strategies may work for remembering different types of things. What works best for you? What works best for him or her? These should be ongoing conversations. Let's learn from each other.
In my last post, I discussed how reading and comprehending graphic novels demand large chunks of attention: attention to detail, attention to background, attention to language, and attention to art and lettering (size, font, and shape). This week I would like to focus on graphic novels and memory.
Prose vs. Graphic Novels and the demands reading them place on memory.
Prose Novels: When reading anything in print we have to remember:
The shapes and corresponding sounds of letters;
We have to remember the corresponding sounds of letter blends,
We have to remember vocabulary (recalling the spelling of words to more efficiently decode them as well as their defintions),
We have to remember what we just read and if it makes sense vis-a-vis what you read a few sentences ago (metacognition - keeping track of our comprehension),
We have to remember rules of grammar and punctuation, and
When reading we have to constantly keep track of plot, time, motives, names, places and events.
Reading places demands on short term memory, long term memory, and active working memory.
Graphic Novels: When reading graphic novels, we have to remember:
ALL the demands on memory listed above for prose novels PLUS:
We have to remember not only the words we read, but the sequence scenes we view in the panels.
We have to remember what occurred in the previous panel while constructing and inferring what was not included in the gutter.
We also have to remember the artist's different use of font and panel borders. (Sometimes, for example squiggly lines around a panel means someone is thinking, sometimes it can mean they are angry.
We have to keep track of the particular artists' intent in the choice of letter fonts and sizes, and panel divisions and borders. The art, while adding an emotional and very engaging component, also adds additional demands on memory.
When reading comics or a graphic novel series we also have to remember small sequences of the story over a long period of time. With comics, only a small segment of the story is printed at a time, with weeks between issues. The reader has to keep track of plot, motives, intents, etc. [And, while we do this as well with sequels for books, the stories in each prose novel book are complete and easier to remember than the small segments readers are given at each comic installment. The disjointed story makes it more difficult to remember.]
How to use graphic novels to build memory skills:
Read comic books in regular installments. Read them together with your kids and:
Talk about them.
Brainstorm where you think the author(s) will take the next installment.
Before reading the next installment, review what has happened so far.
Discuss how the art helps you remember certain aspects of the story.
Discuss how the art provides cues to help your mind read and not have to think or remember reading strategies. For example, different fonts and borders may help you realize this is a flash-back. Also, different art styles within a comic can cue your mind in terms of which sequence panels should be read in. Once you realize the artist's intent, it frees your mind to focus on other issues.
Whether reading these books together or individually, you may want to create story maps to visually "see" where the story is going (and help remember details).
There are now many kids non-fiction and historical fiction graphic novels. Pairing these graphic novels with science, social studies, history and language arts in the classroom will help provide graphic images as well as complementary content that will help make the educational content more meaningful and easier to recall. Here are a few young adult nonfiction and historical fiction graphic novel suggestions (recommended age ranges vary):
American Born Chinese (Yang, G.) a perspective of growing up as a multicutural minority student (recommeded for middles school and above);
Laika (Abadzis, N.)- provides a Russian perspective to the Space Race (third grade and above);
Mouse Guard (Petersen, D.) - perspective of life in the Middle Ages (fourth grade and above);
The Olympians (O'Connor, G.)- provides a wonderfully visual account of Greek myths (third grade and above);
Persepolis (Satrapi, M.) - the story of childhood in Iran (recommended for mature middle school - high school);
Kampung Boy (Lat) - about a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950's (middle school and above);
Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography (Helfer, R.D.) - critiques the Civil Rights Movement and Malcolm X's life (recommended for high school);
Campfire Graphic Novels have published re-tellings of classic stories such as Treasure Island and Moby Dick and some of Shakespeare's classics (Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, for example) that you may want to check out.
Most of all, you want to enjoy the reading experience! Let me know what your favorite non-fiction and historical fiction comics/graphic novels are.
Earlier today I wrote a blog about addressing diverse needs in the classroom and Dr. Mel Levine's theoretical contributions to education. I understandably received controversial comments. In my effort to more sensitively and more accurately express myself I was editing the post and accidentally wiped it out and cannot quickly replicate it, nor am I sure that now is the best time to do so.
My intention was to draw attention to parts of Levine's theory I found helpful, and not to eulogize the man as the accusations against him were and are inexcusable. I am sorry the post was erased and with time, I will post what I found intriguing about addressing all kinds of minds in a classroom again, in a more sensitive well written post. The post was not intended to be about the man but about his theories of looking at a learner's profile, to teach to strengths while boosting weaknesses, and to teaching kids, parents and students to advocate for student needs. His writings and the work done by Schools Attuned have helped many struggling students.
I was away on vacation for a week, and at lunch was talking to some lovely moms I met. They were telling me how their kids (from different states) have only 20 minutes for lunch and no recess at their schools. I have consulted with public and private schools in New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut all of whom provide for at least a 35 minute lunch (many had 45 minutes). I was somewhat taken aback.
I realize there are scheduling and fiscal issues that restrict free time and free play, but would like to discuss below why a 20-minute lunch is actually a horrible, detrimental solution to time and number crunching. Here's why:
Recess and lunch provide time to think about, absorb, sort and 'play' with material and information just learned in class. This manipulation of material is vital for learning. Without breaks, our kids are going from one subject to another with no time allotted to let what they just learned 'simmer'. This time to absorb, sort and relate information is essential for memory retention and for more effective cognitive functioning. This down time also insures greater ability to attend to new sources of information.
Recess and lunch provide opportunities for our kids to interact and develop, learn and sharpen their social skills. Outside of school kids do interact with others, but usually they interact with kids they like or with whom they share common interests. At lunch and recess there is a more diverse mixture of kids. It is essential that kids learn how to interact and structure social time with others. Cutting lunch down to 20 minutes only gives them time to eat.
Lunch and recess provide more opportunities for kids to use and further develop large muscle coordination. They physically engage larger muscle groups - something they cannot do in class.
Teachers need down time as well. We all want our kids' teachers refreshed and ready for the afternoon. The sharper, more refreshed they are, the higher the probability that they will be able to address diverse needs with greater patience and creativity.
Write to and/or petition your school board representatives;
Bring this up at school and PTA meetings;
Write letters to editors and local newspapers.
What we can do for our kids at home:
Schedule play dates and encourage free play time;
When kids get home, allow for 'down' time before they attack homework;
Allow for short breaks as they complete homework;
Ask kids to tell you what they covered in their various classes (maybe at supper or while commuting to after-school programs/sports). Try to help them integrate the material by asking questions or linking the material to books they've read or experiences they've encountered that relate to what they just covered in class.
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While there are often benefits to run schools more like independent businesses, we cannot lose track of the fact that school's role is to produce educated, socially adjusted young adults who will be effective problem solvers of the next generation. Our nation and local communities cannot afford to skimp on these commodities.
Tuesday's Wall Street "Personal" Journal (October 5, 2010 page D1) headline article ("How Handwriting Trains the Brain" by Gwendolyn Bounds) relates that writing by hand engages the brain in learning. What she does not address is how.
How Handwriting Engages the Brain: When writing by hand (with pen on paper or finger on an ipad), you are using more muscles and more memory pathways than when typing or keyboarding. As I wrote last week, writing involves many different brain activities and brain regions. It involves memory (remembering letters, words, and ideas), attention (making sure you are writing what you want to write, in the right format, spelling and grammar), sequencing (making sure letter, words thoughts are expressed and written in the proper order), cognition (making sure you are addressing what you want to address, and generating and synthesizing original thoughts).
Writing by hand provides additional brain channels and associations that trigger memory and cognition. Picture a file cabinet with a lot of cross-filing! By hand writing, your brain is involving more centers and more skills. There are more ways your brain is recognizing, associating, processing and storing the information.
The good news:
New software for touch screen devices enables old and young to practice handwriting on the screen.Hence practicing handwriting is a lot more fun.
Lower Schools still focus on handwriting.
Upper schools - I never thought I'd say this but there may be a silver lining to the SAT's as they require a handwritten essay. Many high schools and SAT tutoring services address this. Your child is practicing not only handwriting skills (so graders can actually decipher the gist of the essay), they are working on developing and maintaining multiple cognitive and memory pathways.
Boosting the skills, without the traditional drills:
No matter how old your child is, provide handwriting opportunities. Creating/writing birthday, anniversary, thank you cards, invitations, are easy ways to do this. Your kids can draw, write, create messages, pop-up art while communicating a message.
For middle and upper school kids - encourage taking/making study notes, summary sheets. The actual re-writing of the essential material is another way to involve and create memory and recall paths.
Leave notes for each other at home. Have a message center -maybe the refrigerator, a box on the kitchen counter. Leave notes for the Tooth Fairy and Santa. Write chalk messages in your driveway.
Get in the habit of making checklists. Write checklists for shopping, for remembering how to form an essay, for how to do long division, how to reboot the wireless router... (you get the idea).
Create and write up favorite recipes.
In case you want more structured, directed handwriting drills, here are some iPad and iPhone software products Gwendolyn Bounds suggests in her article:
"WritePad" - a $3.99 application for the iPhone that accepts handwriting input with a finger or stylus and then converts it to text (for email, documents, or Twitter updates).
"abc PocketPhonics" - a $1.99 app (again for the iPhone) that instructs kids how to draw letters with their fingers or stylus. Cheering pencils appear with correct movements.
Maybe you have other suggestions. I know we'd all like to read them, so please leave suggestions, further questions or comments!
Commenting on my last entry, AlwaysMomof4 asked a question that merits more than a cursory response:
I have a 6th grade daughter who struggles with spelling. She does well on spelling tests and well in reading. When she is writing, particularly longer pieces she has many spelling errors where she spells phonetically instead of remembering the rules. Any suggestions?
Writing's challenging is the simultaneous coordination andfeedback between:
higher order cognitive systems - analyzing, brainstorming and/or creating content ideas;
sequencing systems organizing what to say so it makes most sense;
memory - remembering what they are supposed to be writing about and how to do this while remembering the words they want to use, along with proper tense, spelling and grammar;
attention - continuous monitoring making sure they are responding accurately, appropriately, and with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation;
graphomotor coordination -coordinating muscle memory while entering the correct letters/words; and
language - recalling vocabulary and rules of grammar and syntax.
Spelling's challenge is having to learn and focus on graphic and language details while remembering letter sequences (their rules and their exceptions) and memorizing an infinite number of words and their correct spelling format, all while making sure they are written down correctly.
Analyzing spelling errors provides a window into your child's language, memory, attention, sequencing and cognitive skills.
What to look for in your child's spelling errors:
Phonetic accuracy. Words that sound 'right' but are misspelled show that your child can distinguish between letter sounds and knows the component sounds of the word she is trying to write. She just either didn't notice the error or could not recall the correct spelling. These types of errors often arise because of overloads or weaknesses in attention or memory - which are understandable given the incredible demands writing places on the brain.
Letter sequencing. Are letters reversed or a bit jumbled? If so, your child may have trouble remembering or attending to sequences.
Handwriting. Is it getting sloppier as he or she writes? IF so, her hands may be tiring. Check the grip ((where and how tightly the pencil is held) and how heavily she presses down. If her grip is too tight, too light, too heavy, this could tire her and drain attention.
Inconsistent, random errors. Your child could also have trouble focusing on small details. If this is the case, have her slow down when she works. Also, point out details and how they are so important when following instructions or directions. The focusing on details, however, should be done during edits and not necessarily on the first draft. [On the first draft, focus should be on generating and sequencing ideas.]
Suggestions:
Leave enough time between assignment and due date to write in stages. FIRST - make sure your child gets her ideas down on paper in some informal outline or draft. SECOND - review the outline/notes/draft making sure it responds to the writing prompt. THIRD - make sure what's written is presented in an organized, flowing manner. FOURTH - check spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation. You may also want to reread it a final time just 'to make sure' you got everything.
Edit. Depending on your child's ability to attend to detail and multiple facets at a time, this may have to be done in stages, much like those described in the item above. The first edit may be to simply focus on the flow of the paper. The next on spelling and or grammar.
To strengthen sequencing skills: help your child focus on patterns and sequences around her. Help her recognize the beginning, middle or end of a story; sing songs with multiple verses; have your child teach you or a sibling how to tie a shoe, cook a favorite dish, follow a familiar recipe.
Making Editing More Fun: I am still working on this. Part of the problem is that editing requires attending to detail. Those of us who prefer the forest from the trees find this hard to do. In my experience, the key is using reinforcements, prompts, and turning editing into a habit not a chore. Point out and reinforce better grades and better teacher comments and reinforce their editing more frequently (maybe prepare a favorite dinner or dessert because they worked so hard, or allow them an extra half hour of television/computer/game time). Some parents make charts of progress (in terms of frequency of editing or in writing/spelling grades). Praise goes a long way!
A final note on spelling tests vs. spelling in writing: As Alwaysmomof4 writes, there is a difference between our kids' spelling test scores and their applying their spelling prowess in their writing. Spelling tests simply demand remembering the spelling patterns and attending to the task, making sure they produced the right result. Writing demands much more. Keep reinforcing studying and memorizing spelling because it will free the mind to focus on other aspects of writing, and keep that editing alive!
Hopefully this helps. Let me know what works for you and what issues your child faces when writing or editing. Also, please let me know if you want more detail on writing, outlining, or editing.
Like it or not, summer is over and school is here. I always think of an old Staples commercial where you hear the song, "It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas" playing while Dad clicks his heels up as he merrily shops with his kids for school supplies.
Whether this is a happy, sad or anxious time of year for you and your child, here are some suggestions to help effectively deal with the summer/school transition:
1) Keep your child smiling. This may mean funky erasers, decorated notebooks, dividers, school bags or pencil holders. It may involve stickers or painting a smiley face in your child's homework pad or lunch bag.
2) Keep your child organized. When organized, your child can more efficiently tackle school's cognitive and social issues. Organization is a skill. For some of us it comes naturally, for others it must be painstakingly learned.
For your young child: model executive skills and set up their workspace and book bags, giving them some decision making power (color of notebook, pens, pen/pencil holders, folders, etc.) you can both live with.
For your older child: Brainstorm on materials needed given the subject requirements, the space available (in the desk, locker, book bag, at home), and the budget available. Consider weight and durability of materials along with prioritizing needs and likes. Tweak and compromise suggestions. By working together, you are teaching your child to recognize and weigh multiple aspects of a problem, you are teaching problem solving skills, budgeting and math skills and by involving them you are providing greater 'executive' experience.
3) Set up Routines keeping in mind what you can and cannot control.
Set up calendars so you and your child can keep track of what is happening that day / week. Set up homework and play schedules. This will help them develop a more effective and efficient sense of time.
Note that play/down time are as important as homework time. Some kids can sit for hours doing productive work (and have 'play' time before and/or after their homework time). Others have shorter spans of attention and 'productive' homework time. For these kids schedule many mini homework breaks (which can include snack time, dinner, a short game, sms'ing and/or television time).
4) Establish bedtimes and sleep routines making sure your child gets a good night's sleep. Set up 'going to sleep routines'- especially for the kids who resist going to sleep and/or who have trouble slowing down. Routines can include quiet music, quiet reading, washing up, reading aloud, bed tuck ins and saying prayers and/or thinking about wishes for what tomorrow may bring.
5) Set up play dates (especially for children beginning new schools). Ask the school for a list of kids near you or a list of other new kids entering your child's class. Set up play and/or homework dates with them. Help ease the 'feeling alone' jitters.
6) Review what your child did in school that day. This will help with memory and keep up the classroom excitement. Watch related movies together about those topics or go visit local historical and cultural sites that relate to the topic.
7) Preview what the next day will bring [before (not at) bedtime - no need to get them anxious before going to sleep]. Maybe during dinner talk about what your child may be doing the next day. You may want to do this again at breakfast. Get her mind and imagination going, get him thinking about what he will or might be learning. This will also gives your child more time to think about how he or she might contribute to class discussion or writing assignments and provides additional memory paths.
In short, keep school and learning alive and exciting. Empower your child to take command and assume growing responsibility for his and her space and domains.
I would love to hear what you are doing to help with your child's school transitions. We can all learn from each other.
In the meantime, may this be a happy, productive 2010-2011 academic year!
VISUALIZATION is a powerful tool we all use. In work or school we are told to visualize data, information, concepts, and strategies to better understand, cope, set goals and motivate.
