Day 20 - The Safety Dance

I know I am dating myself here, but does anyone remember The Safety Dance? It was an 80s song that was awesome and had a catchy tune. Check it out on youtube.com. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7movKfyTBII

So, today, we're at Karate. While everybody is working on their karate techniques, my middle son is dancing. He seriously looks like he is doing the Safety Dance or some sort of new robotic move for 2012. He looks pretty good, the only problem is, we're in Karate class and he's not at home, in his room, practicing his dance moves in front of a mirror. Since we are new, the instructor is trying really hard not to laugh. I'm not so lucky. I have to cover my laughter because I haven't been formally trained in the martial arts of seriousness. Throughout the class, he is doing his robot moves and trying his best. He looks like he's having fun and getting a good work out too.

Finally, it's time for class to end. I'm thankful because at this time, my mouth has started twitching because of all the laughing. I'm also thankful that the instructor hasn't kicked me out the dojo yet. Anyway, the instructor asks the class to fold their belts. Everyone begins to fold their belts and my son rolls his. Yeah..he rolls his into a ball. Even though he's got a good view of the instructor..and his glasses work, he rolls the ball and looks at me with a big smile on his face. I start to cry. At this point, I'm laughing so hard that tears are coming out of my eyes. As I'm crying and laughing, I'm proud of my little boy. Not because he wasn't paying attention, but because he had the guts to think differently and roll his belt because it would take less space in his chest of drawers.

My RAK to you...Steven Ellair's Lecture from LA Congress - They don't all learn the same.

Until tomorrow, find joy in the uniqueness of your little one. God made him/her unique and special.

Christina :-)

Session #2 – Steven Ellair – You Mean They Don’t All Learn The Same Way?
Intro: Begins with Song: Deep and Wide – 1. Speed 2. Hand Motions 3. Both 4. Leave Out Key Words.
Learning Styles: Cycles around in Educational World.
Learning styles is essential to creating vibrant lessons. All about understanding the learner.
Exercise: Introduce yourself, to someone you don’t know. Tell them they look fabulous.
Answer the following questions and see if you get any of them right.
Where did they grow up?
In School what was their favorite subject?
What is their favorite kind of music?
Are they a morning or evening person?
Are they introvert or extroverted?
Start with that activity because we do this with the people we are working with. We make assumptions instead of trying to find out who they are. We are dealing with very unique individuals. We make assumptions based on behavior. Can’t do that in the classroom anymore. If we make presumptions about learning, we’re going to battle with what’s going on in the classroom.
So many different theories of how people learn.
Def. of Learning: Learning is three things: acquire knowledge, relate knowledge and choosing to do something with the knowledge. You haven’t really learned if you haven’t yet done.
How do you learn best? Book & Visual. How you learn best is about 95% style of teaching.
Exercise: Learning Styles Assessment:
1. I really like to listen to people talk.
2. I really like to watch TV.
3. I can sit in one place for a long time.
4. I really like people to talk to me.
5. The things I remember the best are those I see.
6. I can’t sit in one place for a long time.
7. I’d rather read than listen to a lecture.
8. I prefer to learn something new by having it told to me.
9. I find it hard to sit in one place a long time.
10. I find it easy to listen to people talk.
11. it’s easy for me to remember what I see.
12. I have to get up and move around when I study.
13. I enjoy learning by listening.
14. I like to learn by reading.
15. it’s easy for me to stay put when I study.
3 Major Learning Styles:
Auditory, Visual or Tactile/Kinesthetic. We have to challenge to other learning styles.
Visual learners:
Do they tell about colors, sizes, appearances?
Do they use their hands to draw pictures in the air as they talk?
Try to give you mental pictures?
Auditory learners:
Love to change their voice.
Do they use noises or voice inflections to help tell the story?
Tactile/Kinesthetic:
Do they relate the action in the story without much visual or auditory detail? Tell about feelings? Move around to act things. It is helping them to gather info.
Put visual learners in the front of the classroom. They need to see you. They watch people’s mouth. If put in back of the room, distracted by others.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners should be in the back of the room. Why? Because they are hyper. They need to move. You don’t want them to be distracting to the others in classroom. They don’t need to see or hear that well. They will be processing through movement.
Auditory learners do well in the middle of the classroom. Easier to hear well.
VAT learning styles = Classroom Management Issues go WAY DOWN.
People learn in these different ways.
Auditory learners don’t need to see you. Sometimes it’s distracting to the learner. May think there is a behavioral issue.
You can engage learning my using active learning.
Exercise: On a piece of paper.
Think of someone who means a lot to you:
Hubby.
Think of a special time or activity:
Wedding.
Come up with three words to describe the person:
Kind, Generous, Smart
What that person means to you (1 sentence):
I love my hubby.
If you ever said something that hurt that person, rip paper once.
If that person has ever said something hurtful to you, rip paper again.
If you have ever asked that person for forgiveness, rip paper again.
If that person has asked for forgiveness, rip paper again.
Now, tape pieces together. Lesson on Forgiveness. What do you notice about the ripped paper and where the tape is? (Great lesson about reconciliation.)
Exercise: 6 brave volunteers. Relay Race. Blow up balloon and let balloon go. Wherever it lands, that’s where you go. Pick up and blow it. Blow up balloon again and then let it go. First Balloon that touches screen is the winner.
How would you use that in your classroom. Teach about supporting each other. Cheering on everybody. The Holy Spirit. Can use it to teach the Holy Spirit. How we think there is one straight path. But if we’re open to the Holy Spirit, it may take us in different directions before getting to the destination.
Great exercises for all learning styles. Doesn’t mean that the entire class should be taught by using games. People remember 75% of what they teach other people. 95% of what they do. People remember by doing. Ex. Remember the activity of Holy Spirit when you see balloon. That’s just one example to make lessons come alive.
Be ready to add another dimension. What am I doing that is visual. What am I doing that is auditory and what am I doing that is movement.
Myer-Briggs Type Indicator:
ENERGY - Extrovert- Introvert (Either more introverted or extroverted) – Introverted, will go to their room. Extroverted, would be so excited they would want to go and have fun.
Introverts are great thinkers, but you have to get them involved.
Introverts will never ask to answer a question.
Where do you get your energy? Get energy from people when they are outside of themselves.
Most classrooms are set up for extroverts.
ACQUIRING INFO - Sensing – Intuition (Either Sensing or intuition) Through the 5 senses. It’s scientific. Intuitive people take info in a very different way.
MAKING DECISIONS - Thinking – Feeling
Where do you get your info?
This is an actual chemical reaction.
Impact that learning styles can have on the environment or teaching styles.
Another Theory:
Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner)
Linguistic (Language use or likes to use words. Very verbal person, can think on their feet.) English Teacher?
Logical-Mathematical (Acct.)
Musical (People are gifted in this way.)
Spatial
Bodily – Kinesthetic (Athletes)
Interpersonal (Psychology. People who relate to other people. People who like being with other people.)
Intrapersonal – Writers. Relate to Self. Love to Journal.
Naturalist – Someone who relates really well to nature.
We have to stay on top of these skills.
The #1 trait we value is the Logical-Mathematical.
Right Brain/Left Brian Theory
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Look at wholes
--------------------------
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Look at parts.

A lot of science is showing chemistry affects learning.
Learning Environment:
Need to be attentive.
Affect (Feeling..learners, learn when it’s positive. If Negative learning. No.
Acceptance & Affirmation – Celebrate Uniqueness.
Appropriate Boundaries (Sometimes you’re going to ask visual to be more auditory.
Attention to Learners – Teen attention span is 20 minutes.
Atmosphere
Attention Span
Active Learning.
We need to understand that we teach the way we want to learn. The ideal learning environment for students helps our own student understand, build and apply lesson. Engage in active learning