How does your Child learn?

Listen to this story of four kids in a classroom whose names are Tyler Talk, Barbie Book, Danny Do, and Isabel Idea.  These four children learn in four different ways.  Tyler Talk goes to the teacher and hugs him, and is always wanting to have conversations.  Tyler Talk loves to talk on and on and on.  In fact, this is how he learns.  Barbie Book learns how teachers teach.  Barbie Book likes books, and she takes pride in getting her spelling papers right, and thrives on the teacher giving information to the students.  Most schools were designed for Barbie Book.  Danny Do wants to do something or make something, and cannot sit still. That is what the teacher always says –“Danny Do, you cannot sit still.”  Danny Do does not learn by sitting still.  He learns by doing.  Isabel Idea has 231 ideas every day, and is crazy enough to try them.  She likes change, and is ready to start change.  Isabel Idea had an idea to rearrange the chairs to make the class more homey, but the teacher did not like the new arrangement.  Isabel got in trouble.  Isabel has lots of ideas, and needs options to learn.

I got the ideas of these four students from a book called Learning Styles by Marlene LeFever.  She talks about these four ways of learning, the Imaginitive Learner (Tyler Talk), the Analytical Learner (Barbie Book), the Hands On Learner (Danny Do), and the Dynamic Learner (Isabel Idea).  She talks about a way of teaching to all four Learning Styles.  She herself got her ideas from Dr. Bernice McCarthy, designer of the 4MAT System. 

For information on the 4MAT Learning Styles, click http://www.aboutlearning.com/what-is-4mat/what-is-4mat?start=3

For Marlene LeFever’s book, click http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Styles-Marlene-LeFever/dp/B004IEA2VG

Just because your child doesn’t do well in school does not mean they are not smart.  If you think of your child as a type of tree, ask yourself what kind of soil would be best for your child to grow and bear fruit.  Does your child need lots of watering?  Does your child need acidic soil?  Does your child need plenty of room for roots to grow?  Does your child need extra sunlight?  In a Christian family we are always learning, and even in a hundred lifetimes, there would always be something new to learn about our own family.