Have you seen your kid unwilling to write from time to time? Maybe, you have ignored it thinking that it is just a phase, or he or she might just be slacking off. In reality, things could be much worse! Have you heard about dysgraphia before? It’s quite common to know about dyslexia, but not a lot of people are familiar with disorders like dysgraphia or dyscalculia.

In simple words, dysgraphia is a form of the disorder that hinders a person from writing fluently. Some may call it the “writing related dyslexia.” However, that would be a wrong definition. 

Of course, there are links and connections between dysgraphia and dyslexia, but they are completely different disorders.

So, today we shall try to discuss this disorder, how can you identify someone with dysgraphia, and what should be your roles as a parent or a teacher.

What is Dysgraphia: The Basic Fundamentals

If you dismantle the word “Dysgraphia,” you can understand the core nature of the disorder quite easily. The word is derived from two Greek words – Dys and Graphia. Dys means to “have any difficulty” and Graphia means “forming letters.” 

So, it is pretty clear that dysgraphia definition has to do something with “having difficulties forming letters.”

In no way, you should think that a child with dysgraphia is less intelligent or lacks motivation. They are not even trying to waste time by procrastinating. It is a condition that makes the process of transcription hard for a person.

There are different forms of transcription – handwriting, spelling, and typing. It takes a lot of focus and concentration for a patient to convey their messages in written form.

Though it may seem that is relatively slower than the peer in terms of thinking or being creative, the main problem lies within written expression and letter forming and nothing else.

Here is a list of activities that a child with dysgraphia would find hard doing –

• Arranging and forming letters to create words
• Deciding the proper amount to the spacing between the words in a page
• Maintaining a straight line while writing in a clean sheet
• Keeping the size of the letters uniform
• Difficulty to maintain a proper grip of the pen or the pencil
• Putting too much pressure on the paper while writing
• Maintaining a proper posture while writing
• Connection to other disorders like DCD or ADHD 

These can be said to be some of the basic signs that a person has dysgraphia. However, there are clearer symptoms and signs that we would discuss now.

Five Group of Dysgraphia Symptoms

Over the years, experts have identified five vital group symptoms that almost every child with dysgraphia has. It is not mandatory to have all the symptoms present in someone. Even one or two symptoms can be a crucial determinant. You could think of them as dysgraphia examples. 

Lack of Sense of Spatial and Visual Abilities

• Trouble finding distinction among shapes
• Cannot decide the proper amount of spacing between words
• Difficulty writing in the proper direction, i.e., left to right
• Cannot maintain writing within margins or boxes
• The inability of reading maps
• Difficulty in drawing shapes and images
• Slower writing

Inferior Motor Functions

• Cannot hold writing tools (pens or pencil) properly
• Holds different parts of the pen in an awkward manner

Difficulty Expressing Thoughts

• Slower typing and writing speed as they cannot arrange ideas and thoughts properly
• Difficulty understanding and following rules in a game
• Constantly getting lost in the train of thoughts
• Cannot remember what he or she was going to write in the middle of writing

Spelling Seems Too Hard

• Has a hard time understanding the rules of spelling
• Speaks the spelling perfectly but makes mistakes while writing it
• Might misspell the same word over and over again
• Cannot differentiate between right and wrong spelling
• Mixes up uppercase and lowercase letters
• Mixing of printing fonts and cursive fonts while writing
• Has a hard time reading the text he or she has written

Constant Grammatical Mistakes

• Misusing or not using punctuations at all
• Improper subject-verb agreement in the sentences
• Has an inferior or no sense of correct tense of the verbs
• Not finishing sentences like a list format

How Parents and Teachers Can Help?

There is a lot of modern solution that can help a child with dysgraphia these days. The first thing should be doing dysgraphia test to be sure. Then, you could think of different learning approaches. For example, traditional schooling might be not the best option for such cases.

Finding an Individualized Education Program (IEP) could be a great way to go for. If such programs are not available in your locality, going for the homeschooling is great too.

We, SpellQuiz have a great collection of homeschooling guide and personalized learning guide that would help you get started right away.

Even some schools allow oral examinations for special cases. In no way, you should think that your kid cannot get the benefit of higher education as there are numerous examples of people getting college and university education despite having dysgraphia or dyslexia.

The best suggestion for the parents would be motivating and encouraging their children so that they never feel that they are less than any other human. It is very crucial.

As a parent, you should keep a notebook to keep track of every notable incident so that doctors or experts can have a better insight while treating your child.

You can even try helping your child with different types of hand exercises such as finger stretching, squishing sponge balls, etc. before starting to write anything.

Lastly, never push them in any competitive situation where they feel weaker. Such activities can shatter their mental strength, and the mental strength is the biggest asset a child with dysgraphia can have.

Lastly, start focusing on other skills that your child shine in and love doing. If you can find any other talent, that should his or her primary target.

Final Words

Dysgraphia is a life-long disorder, and no one has found any cure to it. We know it would feel really tough seeing your child struggling with something as simple as writing. However, if you keep being sad, your child would get hurt even more. Try to be as compassionate and supportive as possible.

If you have any further question about the disorder and want to know more, let us know. We will definitely try to answer all of your questions and even can create an advanced guide on it. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! Also, try this vocabulary tester to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling!

SpellQuiz now has a wide collection of idioms and quizzes too. Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of spelling words.  

Being clumsy could be one of the most common human nature. Getting hit in the toe, tripping over, knocking over objects from a table are some of the things we all do. However, there is a fine line between being clumsy in general and having a disorder called Developmental Coordination Disorder or DCD in short.

As a human, we learn from our experience. For example, if we burn our hand once, our brains will try to estimate the safest distance from naked fire afterward.

It has a strong tie to the learning curve. However, a person with DCD doesn’t function in the same way. In most cases, they don’t learn from past mistakes or experiences.

So, if you see your child making the same mistake over and over again, there is a big chance that he or she is a victim of DCD.

We will try to get you familiarized with DCD in this blog, tell you the common symptoms, suggest you some ways to deal with it.

What is Developmental Coordination Disorder or DCD?

Let’s clear something first. Developmental Coordination Disorder is not something like the other learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. Technically it is more the like a neurodevelopmental disorder. If you want to compare it, you can consider ADHD.

Developmental Coordination Disorder or DCD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition where the patient struggles to maintain physical coordination and lacks proper motor planning skills.

As we have said, kids cannot outgrow this condition. However, with better treatment and physical therapies, patients can certainly improve the situation.

However, you shouldn’t think that a child with DCD cannot move their body parts; they can. The problem is mostly linked to improper coordination of the movement.

Among the motor skill related issues, a DCD patient might face four kinds of problems –

• Fine motor skills – movements of the smaller part of the body like the movement of the thumb.
• Overall motor skills – movements of the larger muscles like the movement of arms or legs.
• Motor planning – remembering which muscle to move while walking
• Lack of coordination between the muscles

So, how do these issues impact the life of the patient?

We can see significant impacts of DCD in the regular life of the affected person. Some of the problems might be as follows –

• Trouble keeping balance
• Cannot change the movements as a normal human being in a new situation
• Instant movement of the body part
• Has a hard time learning new body movement
• Cannot assess the outcome of a particular movement
• Having a hard time coming up with a solution to the movement related problems

What are Common Developmental Coordination Disorder Symptoms?

It is quite clear that regular clumsiness and DCD are two completely different stories. As a parent how can you determine whether your child is casually clumsy or has DCD?

There are some specific symptoms a child with DCD might show age-wise.

Check them out –

A Preschooler

• Cannot hold plates, glass or other utensils properly
• Shows awkward movement while playing
• Bumps into objects constantly and getting hurt too often
• Cannot maintain a straight posture

A Kindergartener

• Holds a pencil, pen, or crayon in an odd way
• Messy handwriting, cannot keep the sentences aligned
• Has a hard time using the stairs or might trip too often
• Cannot button up a shirt or brash properly

A Middle-schooler

• Takes much longer to write something
• Cannot cut foods simply
• A messy eater
• Cannot draw basic geometrical shapes properly
• Problems with writing persist
• The constant bumps and trips continue

Although the experts aren’t sure of the true nature of the condition, they believe it could be genetical, premature birth, maternal alcohol or drug abuse. According to some recent studies, experts even guess that the condition is more common among male children.

Can Therapy Help?

The simplest answer would be – YES!

In fact, the best and primary Developmental Coordination Disorder treatment is occupational therapy. You cannot expect a DCD patient to cure like magic, but it can certainly improve the situations.

You should consult with the therapist about how should schedule the sessions. As the disorder is a lifelong condition, you should stick to the therapies as long as possible or act as the therapist suggests.

With proper therapy, your child can lead a normal life too. There are several examples of people with Developmental Coordination Disorder leading a quite normal life.

For example, pioneer scientist Einstein film star Daniel Radcliffe, business magnet Sir Richard Branson had DCD.

So, there is no way that Developmental Coordination Disorder can ruin the future of a person. You or your child should never feel shallow because of having DCD. With proper treatment, you can lead a very common life.

You can even enroll your child Individualized Education Program (IEP) as they have free occupational therapy sessions and have a much friendlier environment that helps a patient mentally. 

What Should be Your Role as a Parent?

You can be your child’s biggest support and strength in these hard conditions. The first thing you should do is to diagnose him or her as soon as possible.

You should never let them feel inferior or less than any other human being. Such an attitude might create a negative impact.

If possible, try to enroll your child in the IEP program. They have a great environment where your child can be stress-free.

We have some great guides on homeschooling and personalized learning. If you are a parent or teacher of such a poor child, you should go through these guides. 

Yes, you could choose the regular school for your child too. There is nothing wrong with it. However, your child could feel bullied in the regular ones, and that would damage his or her morale even more badly.

Always indulge yourself and your kids in such activities where his or her self esteem can get a positive boost.

A spark of confidence and self-esteem make all the differences while dealing with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! Also, try this vocabulary tester to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of spelling words.  

The English Language is hard, period! So, it is no wonder that when an adult is trying to either overcome illiteracy or trying their hand at English as a Second Language (ESL), they can become frustrated at any attempts they have in reading and abandon their goal at learning to read.

It is considered by many experts to be a hard language to master.  Many words can have multiple meanings. Some words are spelled the same yet pronounced differently. The fact that verb and noun order can be the exact opposite of Latin languages (Spanish, French, Italian, etc.) will baffle quite a few learners.

Even put up against the other Germanic languages like German and Dutch,  English can confuse even the most intelligent of adults.

And do not get me started on regional dialects and words.

We, at SpellQuiz, thrive to promote better English language learning environment. That’s why we present you the ultimate masterclass on English as a Second Language (ESL) so that you can learn English better and faster.   

English Illiteracy: Understanding the Current Situation

As I said in a previous article, there are many reasons that an adult is having trouble reading English, learning to read English or other difficulties with the English Language. 

For some, it is for the tragic reason that they slipped through the cracks of the US Educational system. They never learned more than the most basic reading skills. 

And for others, it could just be that they are learning the English language for the first time.  Learning to read, and applying that reading ability can be a long, arduous task.

That in no way suggests that it is impossible.

It merely means that how you approach improving your reading in the English Language will be different than a juvenile does.

So let’s cover some areas and ideas in conquering adult illiteracy!

 

Why is Learning English as a Second Language (ESL) Important?

Proficiency in English is a requirement to become a citizen of the United States.  Many people can be granted visas and begin the citizenship process with a less than firm grasp of reading the English Language. 

The problem with adults in any learning environment, especially one as fundamental as communication. Cultural backgrounds, pride, age, and a host of other issues come into play for the adult learner.

Kids love to learn most of the time.  The thought of learning new things are considered exciting to young learners. Being surprised thrills almost any kid.

Adults usually do not like surprises. Life has taught them that surprises are not always for good. For English as a Second Language (ESL) students, there are many roadblocks that adult learning to read the English language faces.

Some problems to consider are:

• being made to look stupid or foolish in front of others
• “losing face.” This can easily derail many trying to learn
• to appear “undignified.”
• failing, possibly again.

We can tackle each one either in a group setting or one on one environment. Just like child learners, there will never exist a “one size fits all” solution. Each student learning to read will offer different challenges and opportunities. This helps the new students learn languages easily. 

Depending on culture and circumstances, the learning environment and setting will have to be adjusted accordingly. Remember that the person you are helping may be a loved one; you might be researching for new tips in an English as a Second Language class you run; the possibilities are endless.

A hard Road Ahead

But remember this, to you, it is something you are helping with a problem. When you finish, you will go on to your next task. The next project.

To the person struggling with illiteracy and English as a Second Language, this is their life.

Learning to read will open up doors to their lives that you cannot even fathom or visualize.

Put yourself in their shoes.

I know that sounds condescending, but it is an excellent piece of advice.

Picture yourself learning a challenging new task. Picture how you mastered it, or how you would master it,

Try and remember all the frustration you faced. Think about how you overcame it. What tasks or shortcuts did you use or undertake?

Far too many times we try and be the teacher without having first looked at the world through the eyes of the student.

Use that insight to help others master reading the English Language.

This is the card that opens many doors

Learning the English Language: Tips and Tricks

Well, you have decided to help someone overcome their struggles with the English Language.

At this time, it is too early to say congratulations, or ask God to have mercy on your soul.

All joking aside, it is a little of both.

If you are a teacher of Adult Illiteracy or English as a Second Language, it stands to reason that either you are looking at new ideas and materials for your class; or, you have reached a brick wall with a student or a class.

Don’t fret; it happens to all or us. I taught High School in an Alternative Education Setting for a decade and there where many times that I became frustrated with the trials and tribulations of many students.

But do you know what I found out during those years?

Many discipline problems that had students sent to my class all had one or two things in common. 

They were reading and working on an elementary school level and were frustrated, or they were operating above a high school level and were bored.

Their level of education determined their participation in the classroom.

The ones reading and functioning on lower levels would act out to take the focus off the fact that they were not getting it. They felt if their peers did not see that they could not read, they would be faced with the embarrassment of being seen as stupid.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, students that think and act on levels above the class acted out for boredom.

Read More: A Comprehensive Guide to ESL Activities for Adults

So how does that help you?

Easy, you need to know what level of understanding that the person or persons you are helping are on. It is particularly true for learning English as a Second Language.

Now, you could bore the living heck out of them and give them a test to determine their level. At best here you stand the risk of frustrating your students and yourself.

So, the solution is to make it fun, make it challenging.

But most of all, make the person understand that this is not pass or fail. Make sure they know that this assessment will only help them.

Even better, do not let them find out they are being tested.

How do you master that, you ask?

That is a great question.

The answer is found with this simple question…

Would you like to play a game?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Fighting off English Illiteracy

Yes, I meant to leave you hanging after that revelation,

Its a bit cruel, but think about it; I am giving you just enough information to keep you interested. 

I am keeping the words I use and the phrases I use short and on a varying level. 

That way you are hanging on my words. Will my next sentence answer your questions? Will it push to the edge of revelation, and leave you hanging?

Or will you get frustrated and read something else?

That is the joys of language and the key to your teaching adults.

But, where were we, oh yes, playing a game.

On the main page here on SpellQuiz, there are several levels of spelling challenges. This is the perfect chance to not only have a little fun with the learner but to gauge where they are. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! This fun game is perfect for those aiming to participate in a spelling bee competition. 

Also, you should ask your kids to have a better grasp at these spelling words as these are the most commonly seen words in the English language. 

Start at the very beginning of the modules in Grade One, and go on until the student is unable to go any further. Very soon, you’ll realize that you are capable of solving the harder spelling quiz for grade 9, or even the spelling quiz for grade 12. 

However, if you feel confident enough you can try the spelling quiz for adults. 

This does two things, one it gives you an idea of where the student is at in performance.

Second, the student will have a little bit of confidence-building.

Think about most games; they go from easy to hard. It is by design. If the games started out difficult, most people would not play them.  So the designers purposefully make them start off easy and progressively get harder.

Once the student cannot go on, that is the level you work on.

Just remember to avoid making the learner think that learning English as a Second Language is impossible. Otherwise, they won’t feel competent enough for the spelling words for adults. 

Once they think they cannot do it, they never will.

Image by Johann Lavandier from Pixabay

Reading and keeping it interesting

As I child, I was raised to love reading. To the point that I read just for the sake of reading. It has been unnatural to try and relate to someone who struggles with reading.

But that love was instilled as a child. While a child, most people are trusting and did things because a person of authority said it was needed.

Unlike children, adults need to know why they are learning something. 

What is the point of this?

Why do I need to know this?

How will I use it?

So your educational techniques for learning English as a Second Language should be centred around answering those questions. How do you show an adult that reading is necessary for their job?

What tools could you use?

To answer that question, you only need to think of one subject,

What everyday tasks or things benefit the adult?

Once you have the answer to that, you have the teaching methods for English as a Second Language.

Image by Johann Lavandier from Pixabay

Learning to Read

The actual act of learning to read by the adult will happen at different paces and with different tools for every adult.

An adult that is already literate in one language, but trying to master English as a Second Language will face different obstacles that a person that English is their first language and they cannot read at all.

Believe it or not, the one that cannot read at all will learn faster than the one learning English as a second language.

That is simply because the person learning for the first time will not have to unlearn grammar rules that exist in one language but is different in another.

So this presents several opportunities.

Show and Tell

Yeah, I know, show and tell is a cute game for Kindergarteners. 

But it can help adults too.

Picture this, every week, the person or people you are helping picks an article about a topic they read and discusses what is in the article. 

In this way, they have shared information about a subject that they find interesting. Nothing helps the self-confidence factor better than sharing wisdom.

Alternatively, they can share a book that they are reading. Now, this is something that the adult learner should be doing, reading.  The brain is a muscle and only improves as they use it. So ask that your students pick a book from their reading level and read it.

Once again, the idea of being able to share new found wisdom will only spur the learner to keep going.

Resumes, help wanted ads and tax returns. Oh My!

As I stated earlier, an adult wants to know what they are studying, why they need to know it, and how they can use it.

They will scoff at information that they feel they do not need or cannot use.

So this tactic shows them how they can apply their new knowledge. Bring in want ads, show them how to write resumes and fill out applications with the words and grammar that they are learning.

When they see how the words they learn advance their place in life and they will become dedicated students.

My dad as he learned to read, looked over automotive repair books. Remember this was the 80s and 90s when you did not need a degree in engineering to change the oil. He realized pretty quickly that he was lacking in his vocabulary and pushed himself to understand the words he was unfamiliar with. Try this vocabulary tester to understand your current skill level!

Mastering this, he saw how his ability to repair cars with greater ease helped him.

He could apply his new found knowledge to other fields and interests.

By the time he passed away in 2007, he had started reading for fun.

So, find what they want to get out of learning and show them how they master it.

Bring on the games

Like I stated earlier, games are a great way to improve vocabulary and literacy. The spirit of competition, whether against a computer opponent or another human, can force a person to improve their game. Word games would be one of the smartest ways to learn a language. 

Currently, on my phone, I have a crossword puzzle app and a word search app. I spend hours of free time pushing myself to beat the computer. I have even noticed that even as well read as I like to think I am, I have learned some new words.

In adult literacy classes and even some of the classes that I taught, Scrabble is a favourite. Not only is spelling a must, you sometimes will have to have an idea of the word meaning.

Even better, you can limit the game to using vocabulary terms that the class has already covered. This might be a great stress breaker or study session before a quiz or review.

Make the student keep a journal. This by far is one of my favorites.

The student will misspell practically every word in the beginning. They know they will and you will too. Here they can record their fears and their hopes on learning and life. Without realizing it their spelling will improve, their vocabulary will improve and one day they will thumb through the journal and realize that they have come a long way in their abilities.

I would highly recommend coming back to the SpellQuiz periodically. Especially when you think that the learner is starting to doubt themselves or hit a brick wall.

Once they start playing and go even further than they did before, it will pump up their self-confidence and push them to apply themselves even more.

These might seem like trivial things, but to a person thirsting for knowledge and skill, it is these little things that make the difference between success and failure.

Bringing it all together

Hopefully, you can take from this, a few ideas on how to help at least one person learn English as a Second Language (ESL). This simple knowledge will inspire a person to become bigger than they are. They will be able to read thoughts and observations from people hundreds of miles away and centuries in the past.

When you are helping someone to overcome a deficit that separates them from the rest of humanity. By giving them this gift, you also enrich humanity as a whole, you connect to the greater knowledge another voice that will add their voice to the cosmic fugue, and we all will be better for it.

We aren’t exaggerating at all when admitting that technology has become an inseparable part of our daily lives. We cannot (or don’t want to!) escape from it, no matter how desperate we are. Technology has affected how we live, work, play, communicate, network, and most importantly how we learn. So, why are we being too afraid to add more convenient technology in the classroom?

Without a doubt, smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices increasingly being used for better productivity and communication purposes.  Slowly but gradually, schools across the world are also effectively deploying mobile technology for delivering lessons.

It’s quite normal for the parents being skeptical as they think it would cause more procrastination among the students. The truth is – they are not entirely wrong! However, the ‘proper’ implementation can change the scenario. 

Main Issues with Implementation of Technology In the School

However, it appears that many schools aren’t fully onboard with the idea of implementing the latest technology for education. Also, technology can’t be fully implemented for home tuition.

Main reasons for the reluctance of using technology in the classroom include – 

• Many educators think using certain mobile devices in the classes is more of a burden than a strategic learning tool.
• Most schools don’t have capable Wi-Fi/wireless networks to properly support the technology.

Both of these concerns are easy to address, otherwise, it will be a huge loss for everyone involved in education, especially the students.

Nonetheless, below, we have compiled ten reasons for the benefits of using technology in the classroom. 

Let’s get started!

10 Reasons Why Students Need Technology in the Classroom

1.  Getting Ready for the Future

Technology has changed how we work today. It’s only normal that we would use technology even more in the coming years.

It would be a great strategy if today’s students learn and try adapting the situations. Being comfortable with gadgets and techs will surely pave the way. 

2.  Better Teacher-Student Relationship

Every student has a unique learning style. Some are slow and some are fast. Not every finger in the hand is equal. Integrating technology into the classroom, if used effectively, will help teachers to connect with their students. You can find terrific tutors online too.

Teachers can try different learning approaches and techniques. It can even create a personalized learning environment in schools.

3.  An Effective Learning Environment

Collaboration and interaction are two key pillars of an effective learning environment in the classroom. The more a student interacts with his/her teachers, the more they can learn.

Using technology (think of instant messengers like WhatsApp or Viber) in the classroom gives the students a better option to communicate with their teachers. It develops a better learning ecosystem in the schools.

4.  Learning Digital Responsibility

Technology can be compared to a double-edged sword. It is the main reason why the policymakers are afraid of implementation of technology in the classroom.

Using mobile devices is one thing; knowing how to use them for education purposes correctly and responsibly is entirely a different thing. If the students are taught how to use the technology by teachers, they could educate them better. It would create a better sense of right and wrong among the kids.

5.  Closing the Gap Between Students and Studies

Almost not a single child feel excited when they hear the word “Study!” Students don’t believe that studying can be a fun activity. A lot of students even feel forced!

Keeping the students engaged in studies in the era of smartphones and the internet is probably one of the biggest challenges facing today’s teachers. Integrating technology in the classroom will help students to stay engaged.

Studies revealed that the students were more productive when mobile devices like smartphones and tablets were used as learning tools.

So, it only makes sense that teachers should use technology in the classroom to increase student engagement. Because that’s what today’s students want and use for learning.

6.  Creating New Opportunities

We already mentioned using technology to increase student engagement, but that’s not sufficient. Educators need to enhance their students learning experiences and create new opportunities.

One great way to do that is by combining newer technological innovations like VR (virtual reality) with traditional classroom lessons.

7. The Key to Success – Staying Updated!

Let’s be honest, the information in textbooks isn’t up to date. Using mobile technology in classes will enable students to access up-to-date information about their subject areas quicker and easier.

Otherwise, the students will lag behind. Furthermore, the ones who can adapt to the changing scenario can have a better future. 

8.  Teachers Playing More Important Roles

This one is a no-brainer—the traditional system of teaching no longer work like it used to. The old teaching model is passive and broken. The teacher has to perform multiple roles such as a coach, an encourager, and an adviser.

Yes, we need the teachers to be the new Superhero! And, better technology in the classroom may help a teacher to be one.

9.  Growing as Better Individuals

It may sound a little far-fetched to some teachers. But technology helps students to become more responsible individuals.  Using the school’s devices or using their own devices for education makes students improve their decision-making skills.

Taking ownership of often expensive devices and using them correctly and properly makes them more responsible.

10. More Creativity

Using technology in education increases future career opportunities for students. Students can learn anything. from learning technical skills like programming to humane skills like leadership.

Of course, the technology harnesses the students’ ability to be more connected and be more creative.

Final Thoughts

We think you are now well aware of how technology can be the biggest player in education. It increases the overall engagement, productivity, and creativity of a student. Besides, it would prepare them for future career opportunities at the same time. 

If the teachers and educators still debate about introducing technology in the classroom, it’s unfortunate!

SpellQuiz thrives to promote a better learning environment, especially for English spelling and vocabulary build-up. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! This game works like a charm for those who are looking for a great way to practice 9th grade vocabulary words or 10th grade vocabulary words. 

Also, try this online vocabulary test to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, we have a complete list of the common list of spelling words that occur most frequently. 

Hey!

Want to know a secret?

It’s about spelling, vocabulary, and reading.

You are not born with an impressive English vocabulary.  No one is more disposed to developing an impressive vocabulary than anyone else.

And why wouldn’t anyone want an impressive vocabulary? A person that is well versed in the English language can command a better salary in the world. They are looked at with respect and admiration or their peers.

The question is not “why,” but how to improve English vocabulary!

Doors closed for other people are opened for those who grasp the English language.

But it is not an elite club that is destined to command the language. Euclid, the Greek philosopher that founded Geometry said this to a young pupil that was struggling with math,

“There is no royal road to Geometry.”

The same thing applies to learning the English language.

“There is no royal road to English.”

You too can have an impressive vocabulary.

All it needs is practice.

I can hear you yawning already, more flashcards, more boring spelling exercises, more silly and time-wasting tools.

No, there is none of that here. 

You see, the brain is a muscle. And to improve the brain’s functions, you need to work it like you would deltoids or biceps.

You must use your mind to expand it.

So, it stands to reason that you must use your vocabulary to expand it.

And it doesn’t have to be boring things; it can just as easily be the fun things, the exciting things.

It can be ALL the things!

So, here are Twenty-Five everyday things that you can do to build your reading and spelling skills to master the spelling test words. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! This real-time game is great for practicing the 9th grade spelling bee words or the 11th grade spelling bee words. 

How Many Words Should You Know? The Average English Vocabulary

Before I give you some tips on how to improve vocabulary, let me ask you something, how many words do you know?

Do you think you have an extensive vocabulary? First, you need to know your current vocabulary level with an English vocabulary quiz!

Where would you rate your vocabulary? Extensive? Fair? Building? Lacking? There are fine quality tests that can help you to find the answer.

Before you answer that, you should probably look at some of the statistics that would help you assume the average vocabulary of a common native English speaker. 

The Economist, the famous UK-magazine tried to figure out the average vocabulary of a regular native English. So, does the research suggest?

An adult native speaker typically has a word-collection of 20,000 to somewhere around 35,000 words. 

Yes, that’s a lot!

Even the number is surprisingly high for the kids. The report suggests that an 8-year-old has a vocabulary of 10,000 words while for kids of 4-years-old, the number is about 5,000 words. 

On the other hand, adult foreigners have an English vocabulary of about 4,500 words. If a foreigner starts living in an English speaking country, the vocabulary could reach somewhere above the 10,000 words mark. 

So, where do you think you are based on that?

Amazing, no matter how many words you know, it is only a fraction of the words that exist in the English language, so do not feel bad. 

So, you should ask your kids to have a better grasp at the sight words as these are the most commonly seen words in the English language. Plus, it would help the students with spelling test words too. 

Think fast!

How many words do you think there are in the English language? 

How Many Words are in the English Language?

Well, the answer depends on who you ask.

A good way to find the answer would be looking at the famous dictionaries. After all, they should contain all the words of the English language, shouldn’t they?

Dictionary Name	Word Collection
The Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary	171,476
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1993)	470,000
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary	500,000
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 6th Edition	230,000

You then have to figure in words that are considered regional dialect and slang. Estimates put that at around another 75,000 to 100,000 words.

That means that altogether, depending on how and who you count, there are between a quarter-million and six-hundred thousand words in the English language.

The above-average English speaker at 30,000 words has, at best, a little over ten percent of the English language in their vocabulary. When you figure out that their active vocabulary is about a third of that, there is a lot of room to learn more.

So, let’s go with the number that the average, everyday person has about 10,000 words in their active vocabulary and there are certain great answers for how to improve vocabulary.

Now you are wondering, what is the difference between active vocabulary and vocabulary?

Active vocabulary is the words that a person uses on a daily basis. Vocabulary itself are words a person recognizes without relying on context clues or running for a dictionary.

You are probably thinking 10,000? That’s it? I have to know more than that!

Wait. I am not even sure I know that many!

Learning with Games

I can not hammer this one home enough. 

Learning should be fun. And it can be.

Think about kids and how fast they adjust to new technology.  They are not born with a tech gene that goes away when we become adults.

They learn by having fun.

When it involves competition. When enjoyment and gaming come into play, we learn without realizing it.

So, that would be my first suggestion. 

Play games, have fun.

If you have the ability, play games with friends, with family. Not only will you build your spelling and your vocabulary, but you can also use the time to bond and just have a good time in general. Now, you can learn idioms examples, and fun quizzes at SpellQuiz too!

Anyone up for a good game of scrabble? Password anyone? How about some hangman to pass the time?

Any word game can become a party with the right people.

All alone? Want some games to play during the downtimes at work or to relax during the day?

Try SpellQuiz! 

Or go to your Android or Apple store for your phone and look for all sorts of crossword puzzles (if you are really adventurous, buy crossword puzzle books and have at it!), word search, or any number of app games to play.

Play games and win knowledge as a valuable prize!

Use College Preparation Tests

You are probably thinking that I have lost my mind,

College Prep tests?

Those are way above my level.

Are they?

Hear me out. One, you really do not know what level you are capable of reaching until you push yourself way beyond your comfort zone. Two, what better way to learn an impressive new vocabulary, a broad and rich lexicon of words than to force yourself to work and think on a much higher plane of thought.

So, do this. Grab the SAT and ACT practice tests. You can find them online, you can buy them in bookstores (there are even college-level vocabulary and spelling quizzes here at SpellQuiz!).

Take them.

There is a good chance that you will bomb them on your first few tries. You might surprise yourself as well.

But, learn the words you do not know. Study them. Use them.

Keep taking the tests until you can pass them with ease.

Most of all, that dedication to leaving your comfort zone will pay off eventually.

Carry a Dictionary and Thesaurus with You

No, really.

Now before you go out and buy an Oxford Dictionary and a cart to wheel it around on, hear me out.

You can do this two ways. One, you can buy a pocket dictionary or thesaurus; or, you can download a dictionary/thesaurus app on your smartphone.

Either one will work.

What I want you to do is this. Next time you are bored and need something to do, read a page or two and absorb the new words. Or, if you happen to see a word that you don’t recognize..look it up.

You will be amazed at how fast you will build your vocabulary.

And later on, you will see another use for this on how to improve vocabulary.

Read Every Day: A Trick that Never Fails!

Practice makes perfect.

If you are like me, you read novels and stories and wish that you could have the same command of the English language as those writers.

The way that they use words like artists uses colors and a brush to paint a picture in your mind.

And you find yourself wishing that you too could speak, or write as passionately as they do.

Heck, maybe not even that far. You would just like to be able to have their vocabulary.

So, the best way to how to improve vocabulary to the level of your favorite author is to read. 

Read a lot. Read every day. Make it a point to have read a dozen pages or more.  Make it your goal to sit, uninterrupted for so many minutes each day.

Read the newspaper, the Harry Potter book series, or maybe one or two weekly magazines.

Heck, read your daily horoscope.

But read something.

Before too long you will start to see your vocabulary expand and grow. Words you never dreamed would be in your lexicon will become second nature.

So, crack open a new book and get to it!

Mix Things Up: Diversify the Reading List

Above I talked about the importance of reading every day.

But there is one more piece to that advice.

Diversify.

Don’t be satisfied with sticking to one genre of writing. Don’t be satisfied with one grade level of a book. If today you can read a sixth-grade (after mastering spelling for grade 6) book with relative ease, then next week read a book suitable for a seventh-grader. of course, you need to master spelling for grade 7 first. 

Don’t stay in a comfort zone. By constantly increasing the difficulty of your writing, you are going to learn new words. You are going to expand your lexicon.

You are going to improve your reading and writing ability.

So, try War and Peace instead of Dick and Jane

Practice New Words in Different Ways

If you are planning to add a new word into your vocabulary, you will have to use it 25 to 20 times at least before you can actually grasp it fully.

So that said, write down whatever new word you come across. Memorize its definition. commit it to memory. Use it every chance you can. 

Emails, texts, casual conversations, anything.

The more you use the word, the more it will become common to your vocabulary.

After all, you will not build up your brain muscle unless you work out.

Think of this as pushups for your mind.

Take a Writing Course

I know what you are thinking.

Why? I don’t have what it takes to be a writer. Why take a class on being one?

Quite the opposite, for someone who looking for how to improve vocabulary, there is nothing better to try.

Think about it. Today, I bet if I asked you to write a short story, maybe a paragraph at most, you would probably write this:

See Dick, Jane, and Spot as they go to the park. Dick, Jane, and Spot are going to play.

About right?

Well, imagine what that sentence would look after some writing classes?

It was a sunny, blustery day when Dick, Jane, and their loyal dog spot were seen headed to the park. Though no one was certain, it was believed that they were headed there to play and enjoy the weather. 

Both sentences said roughly the same thing. Yet you can see the difference.

The writing classes may never turn you into Ernest Hemmingway, but it may very well improve your vocabulary.

How to Improve Vocabulary with Mnemonics?

Remembering new words can be a tricky challenge. Basically, you can call them different memory techniques.

These techniques can come in handy while you are trying to add new words gradually in your vocabulary. 

For example, you can think of funny sentences to remember new words – Island is land surrounded by water. 

Have fun with it. You might even increase your vocabulary just by creating the mnemonics!

Makeup Associations

You see it in interviews, or visits to therapists.

They say, I will say a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind.

Its called word association. If someone says, big, in my mind the word huge comes to mind.

But this can be a practiced exercise as well.

For instance, when I say the word “far,” what comes to mind?

away? distant? 

Well, what other words also mean far? Find it in the thesaurus you have now and find a word that you can associate with far. 

After a while, you will automatically see the word “far” and your mind will substitute the new word or words.

Make Your Own Vocabulary Tests

Yes, make your own vocabulary tests.

Keep track of all the new words you encounter in a week. All the ones that you encounter through word of the day, having to look them up, or just in reading.

Then at the end of the week, quiz yourself.

Write the words down and see how many of them you can write the definition down to without having to look it up. Do not worry if you have to check the dictionary on some of them. This is not a do or die test.

It is just checking for mastery.

Maybe even keep the words that you missed one week, and add it to your next quiz.

As an added bonus, maybe give yourself a reward for mastering the test.

Nothing like an ice cream sundae after a particular challenging English vocabulary test.

I think “victory” is also a sort of cherry on top!

Keep a Journal

Dear Diary, today I learned 5 new words and that I do not like Brussel sprouts.

It sounds kind of weird, but keeping a journal will help you build your vocabulary quite nicely. The reasons for that will shock English teachers but build your English Vocabulary.

You see, when you are not focused on doing anything other than write, you are not so concerned with grammar, or even making sense as much as you are interested in conveying your thoughts to paper.

So, when you are not concentrating on the other aspects of the written language, your mind becomes free to explore newer words.

After all, you are not impressing anyone other than yourself. Let the new words bounce off the walls. Take your English vocabulary for a spin!

Write!

Think back to the list about vocabulary and those that read. They learn far more words each day than those that only read occasionally or rarely. So, think about how many words you can add to your vocabulary by writing.

Now, no one is expecting you to be a J.K. Rowling or a Stephen King. 

Pick a story that you would like to write, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, general fiction. The pages are blank and you can fill them however you wish.

The true exercise here is to push your vocabulary and the words that you are adding to your vocabulary to the limit. Then pushing past that limit.

Do not go off expecting to write a bestseller, that is not the point. Though if you can, kudos! And send me an autographed copy!

Social Media: It Can be Blessing Too!

I know what you are thinking, have you seen how horrible spelling and grammar is on Facebook? And the text speak?

Surely, you must be joking!

No, I am definitely serious.

And do not call me Shirley.

All joking aside, remember we are trying to expand your active English vocabulary. Yes, it is important to be able to spell it correctly, but that is what a dictionary is for.

You will encounter new words, and by being introduced to them, expand and grow.

Plus, the Grammar police will give you feedback on any and all of your mistakes.

Believe me. English Teachers are tame and polite in comparison.

Additionally, it gives you the opportunity to use the words you are already adding to your vocabulary by other means. That usage reinforces the new words.

Hold Conversations!

There is another way that can expand your English vocabulary.

It is an archaic practice called holding a conversation with someone.

Yeah, sounds scary, sitting down with no smart device, face to face with another living being and talking to that person.

No filters, no messenger to hide behind.

Just you and a living, breathing person.

In real time.

Well, after you are over your social butterflies, know this, there is really no substitute for human interaction.

Sitting and talking with someone else gives you the ability to try out new words, learn words from other people.

And get instant feedback.

Have coffee, share an evening. Have lunch. Anything in a setting that allows you to soak up new words and to try out the words that you are learning.

Watch Television

Go from couch potato to eloquent speaker during one binge watch.

A billion channels, nothing may be on, but there are a lot of conversations going on. And chances are that you will encounter words in a thirty minute broadcast of Crossfire or Friends that you have never encountered before.

Channel surf, I find that watching documentaries, and more educational based programming introduces me to new words all the time, but you can find and enrich your English vocabulary on sitcoms and game shows just as easily.

Remember, adding to your vocabulary does not necessarily mean adding college-level polysyllable words.

It means expanding your horizons and adding new words to your English vocabulary.

Slang, buzz words, and even the simple words count. If not more so.

English is constantly evolving and absorbing new words, you should too.

Listen to the Radio

Next to conversations with other human beings, this is probably another example of tech history still being relevant.

Just joking.

How many hours a day do you spend on the bus? In a car? Traveling? 

Or maybe just sitting around the house relaxing.

We live about a twenty-minute drive from the High School that my wife works at. We live in Texas, so we judge everything distance-related in time to get there, not miles. For instance, Houston is an hour and a half West of us; Austin and Dallas are about an eight-hour drive. 

El Paso is over a day,

You get the idea. It is a long time to be sitting in a car.

Invariably, one of us has the radio on. When I drop my wife off, or pick her up, depending on the time of day, it is either NPR or a classic rock station. 

I still encounter new words all the time. 

Listen to the radio, grab an audiobook or two, CDs, Mp3, whatever. 

Turn your commute time, your travel time into a productive English vocabulary builder.

Sing Along!

“Born in the U-S-A! I was BOORN in the U-S-A!”

Okay, I will never be Bruce Springsteen, but I love to sing in the shower and will sing along with songs I like (I admit that I do not particularly know all the words correctly.  Or maybe I do, and the singer gets it wrong!)

In the car, at home, sometimes with friends if I feel comfortable enough. I have even bravely downloaded TikTok and play around with it.

The point is not being the next American Idol. the point is learning new words, and reinforcing the ones you know.

As I said much earlier, increasing your English vocabulary usage and size is the overall goal.

No one said that it did not have to be fun.

Belt out a tune or two!

“Stoooop in the name of love, before you break my heart!”

Make Synonym Word Lists

What is the difference between ill and sick?

On the surface, really nothing. We call those words synonyms. Basically, words that are interchangeable without changing the meaning of the sentence.

How many words in your English vocabulary do you think are synonyms of other words?

Ever thought about making a list of them?

Turn it into a challenge. 

I did this once, I wrote the first one hundred words that came to mind.

I then went back to that list and tried to think of a synonym for each and every word. A few words had its synonym already on the list, and quite a few stumped me.

I then went to my trusty thesaurus and found synonyms for those words.

I now had a handy list of new words to absorb.

Try it yourself, maybe challenge friends to a duel to see who can find the most synonyms of particular words.

Have fun. Learn. Repeat.

Look up Words You Don’t Know

Every day we encounter more than a  few words that we have no idea what they mean or are not sure.

Most of the time, we just move on. After all, what is one word?

Now multiply that by every time that you do that in a week or a month.

How many words are you missing out on?

Take that couple of minutes to look them up and use them.

You would be surprised at how fast you add words to your English vocabulary.

Learn New Words Every Day

I have said this over and over, the mind is a muscle and needs to be exercised regularly.

You do not build biceps or legs by staying at the same weight level on your dumbbells. Only by increasing your load do you grow.

It is the same with your vocabulary unless you increase your load, you will not grow your English vocabulary.

Remember above we pointed out that well-read people add about 4 new words a day to their vocabulary.  Flex your brain muscle, add a few pounds to the weights, do a couple more reps and sets.

The guys that girls ogle at the beach did not get buff by doing one rep a day. They did it by committing to a long term, disciplined regimen. You have to expect to do the same if you want to have an English vocabulary that has the librarians drooling.

Develop Practical English Vocabulary

What is the difference between ornamental and practical?

When you are learning our new words, are you able to use these words often, or even at all?

Do you know what a hoarder is?

Learning words that you cannot use every day or more than occasional usage, is word hoarding. It is taking up valuable brain space for words that would be more effective.

Instead of hundreds of Beanie Babies, you are hoarding words.

The words that you use should serve one purpose, to allow you to communicate effectively.

So, ditch the balderdash and go for simple, practical English Vocabulary. You can certainly try different vocabulary apps for students. 

Move Words from Comprehensive to Expressive English Vocabulary

As I state before, you want an effective English vocabulary, something that you can use.

So, when you are picking the new words, ask yourself, can I use this word?

Words are used to express ideas. They are used to convey thought and emotion.

So ask yourself, can I used these words in a professional or personal setting?

When I write an article about homeschool, or about education, I aim to be comprehensive. That is for the simple fact that it is necessary for me to address a wide variety of situations and cases.

I do not know if the person is having their questions in Texas, England, or even Australia, so I have to write a broad and comprehensive guide.

That does not mean that I focus on having a broad or comprehensive vocabulary. I do not have extensive knowledge of medical, engineering or legal terms. When those words present themselves, I am quick to run for the dictionary.

And that is how it should be. Concentrate on building a vocabulary that you can use. Any item that you can not make use of, no matter how impressive, is practically useless.

As a friend of mine who designs cars said, it doesn’t matter how impressive the sport luxury car engine is, if it is too expensive to be used in a car, what use is it?

Visualize New Words

What image comes to mind when I say lightbulb?

Of course, most everyone can draw that mental picture of that.

And that is good, when you can automatically see an image when you see the word, you are well on your way to learning the word.

That way when you see the word on the page, you can picture it in your mind. It will help in placing the word in its proper context.

One of my passions for fiction books is about the 18th and 19th century Royal Navy.  I love immersing myself in the Horatio Hornblower and Bolitho novels.

So, when I am reading about objects on the sailing ships, I often come across nautical terms and such that I am not too familiar with. Once I am able to define the word, I picture it in my head.

That helps me to orient myself and learn the word. After a while, I automatically can picture what I am reading about. It makes the narrative far more enjoyable than if I could not.

Not meaning to brag, but this landlubber can find his way around one of the King’s Ships.

Ask for Feedback

No one learns in a vacuum.

And you should not even try.  The best way NOT to learn something is to assume that you will perfect it and there is no need for outside advice or help.

We all need to get feedback of some kind.

So, why would be building your English Vocabulary be any different?

Often times, we do not see our mistakes in usage or form. That is the time that we are the most arrogant about our abilities and skills.

It is also the time that we need that feedback most of all.

Do not be afraid to ask for it. Do not be leery of seeking out a second set of ears and eyes.

When I write, I can guarantee that before I finish that I will find at least a dozen errors in usage and spelling.  And I will wager you anything that if I hand it off to someone, they will find a few more.

Not that I chose not to correct it, but because the human mind has a tendency to overlook little mistakes if it can understand what was trying to be spelled or said.

We do not grow unless we can see our mistakes and correct them.

Be Your Own Editor

This might sound a bit contradictory to the last one, but it is an important habit to get into.

Look over your own stuff.  Double check your work.

It will help you catch usage problems, it will make you reach deep and find new and better English vocabulary words.

I have a bit of a confession to make, there are times that I will be typing an article and will not be able to spell a word right. Now, I use Grammarly to help me, but there are times that even Grammarly is lost at what I am trying to write.

I have rewritten entire sentences to accommodate the word I use instead. Now, if my English vocabulary was not deep enough, if I did not have a grasp on synonyms, then it would be impossible.

But editing my own work and looking over it has allowed me to grow my English vocabulary significantly.

Try it for yourself, see if you can use stronger words. See if you can improve the work you are doing by bringing together everything you have learned.

Final thoughts on How to Improve English Vocabulary

Communication is one of the things that make humans great.

We can express thoughts and ideas and vocalize needs, wants, fears, and hopes.

Language is a wonderful thing.

The English Language and its vocabulary can be a work of art.

Authors like Shakespeare, Chaucer, Rowling, Asimov have by using their vocabulary painted a picture in words that delights readers the world over.

Statesmen and politicians have uttered phrases and said great things that have impassioned men and women to rise above being ordinary and reach for greatness.

The good thing about a command of the English language and vocabulary is one simple fact.

You do not have to be Thomas Jefferson, You do not need to be Maya Angelou. No one is expecting you to be Winston Churchill or Miles Kohl. We will forgive you if you are not as articulate as John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King.

You do not need to be any of those people to have an extensive and excellent vocabulary.

Well-spoken people also have ways to express themselves is poignant and powerful ways.

That can be you.

The great thing as that no one expects you to know every word in the English language. No one is even suggesting that you know most of it.

A respectable twenty to thirty thousand words still puts you well above the curve.

 

An average modern speaker has a much more diverse and rich vocabulary. Think of what you can accomplish with push the envelope just a little.

You have it in you to reach new heights. You can expand your English vocabulary.

 

Tests can be a bit challenging. There are a lot of consequences that come into failing them. Some major tests like the SATs or your final exams are life-changing, which means that a pass, a fail, or a high score can mean different results that will obviously affect your future. But it doesn’t end there, some are desperately trying to find effective study tips in college too! It’s not rocket science that you need some effective study tips to ace those crucial exams that have been bothering you.

Obviously, before you take a test, you should make sure that you prepare sufficiently. Consider that the study tip no.1!

Is There any Bullet-Proof Method for Preparing for Exams?

Studying is something that should be considered as a habit for students. Each one of us has different study methods, though, which is unfortunate. This means that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning your lessons. In other words, some study tips might work for you but may not work for someone else. There are lots of study methods that you can try and experiment with.

We thrive in different environments, and it is quite hard to learn in a setting where you are not comfortable. You need to find out whether you are in an optimal condition to learn or not. It is also quite difficult to stay motivated during Exams week, given that there is too much stress involved together with being tired of other daily activities.

We all thrive in different environments, and that’s the reason why students use different methods when it comes to studying for exams. It’s also hard to stay motivated during Finals week comes, especially when we are all tired and sleepy from the daily grind.

To help you, here are some study tips for finals that might help you score higher on your exams.

8 Effective Study Tips that You Can Count On!

1. Ease Up: Take Breaks Periodically

Your brain needs some tender loving care. The more exhausted it is the day of your exam, the poorer it will function. Make sure that you take regular breaks as this will ensure that your brain is at its tip-top shape. For every hour of intense studying, do a 5-minute walk. Anything that will get you out of your study corner.

Some students might ignore it but this is the most important study tips of all. 

2. Form Up Study Groups

Have you ever felt overwhelmed while completing the whole syllabus? Don’t worry that is quite common!

So, what should you do?

A group environment has been found to help students get into a great studying groove. Set up a study group with your classmates and a group of friends. Your friends may also have notes that you do not have. Being in a group setting will help you trade notes and lectures so you all can be prepared. Skipping class is unavoidable, and during your absence, you will most likely miss out on a few key points.

Just be warned that you might get too comfortable with your friends and just hang out instead of study. I recommend going to a study place like a library so you can focus.

Another fun idea you can do with your friend is to quiz each other and hold word games, for example. This helps you learn while also allowing you to spend quality time with your friends.

3. Take Help from the Internet

As a student, you should know that the internet is your friend. It is filled with information. If there is a lesson or a subject that you did not understand, it takes only a fraction of a second to search for it with Google.

There are also a lot of free online resources available for you, such as online courses and video documentaries which you can use to learn more about your subject.

4. Charge Up Your Brain: Drink Caffeine!

Coffee is a student’s best friend. When you are studying, you would need some coffee to wake up, especially on late nights when you’re up spending hours on a project or a paper.

Aside from waking you up, the research found that drinks rich in caffeine such as coffee and tea help keep your mind alert and susceptible to receive information.

5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Your Brain Booster!

Your anxiety levels during exams are sky-high. By ingesting food that is rich with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids will help reduce your anxiety and help you answer the exams perfectly.

Fish, Nuts, and Olive Oil are rich with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are known for their brain-boosting potential.

6. Use Visual Aids for Better Concentration

When you make visual aids like charts and diagrams to help you learn, you are also going through your coursework and learning whatever lesson you need to learn. You can consolidate all your notes into outlines so you can revise them regularly. It would help you concentrate better.

Images are much easier to recall than just plain words. This way, you can recall everything you need to know during the exam.

7. Take a Step Back: Practice Previous Questions

Practicing on previous exams given out by the same professor would be beneficial for you as it would give you some insights on what your professor tends to favor in terms of questioning methods and important lessons.

Make the best of being friends with your seniors and ask them for tips on how to ace your exams. Practice makes perfect, and this holds true with tests. When you answer exams, you also go through the process of answering. You can even make it much better by adding time pressure so you can get used to it.

It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for study tips for college or study tips for high school, or even middle school. This approach will give you an immense advantage.

8. Discover New Learning Styles

Okay, time for the last study tips. There are many ways that you can learn. Your brain receives information through different means, which means that there are many ways that you can learn. Some find auditory learning effective while others work better with visual learning. Others even find kinesthetic learning as the most effective study method for them.

If you are a homeschooler, trying out new methods will help you diversify your learning approach.

Auditory learning is processing information quickly through their hearing. Reading notes aloud and discussing them with a group of friends is one of the best ways to go through with auditory education. Everyone’s phonemic awareness, for example, is learned through auditory learning.

On the other hand, visual learners are people who learn faster with visual aids and reading. Recording your lectures will also help you learn. Reading your notes and creating visual graphs and charts will help you retain all the information you need to ace your test.

Drawing diagrams of your lessons will aid you in remembering key points that are important to get the highest mark possible. This works like charm if you are looking for best study tips for visual learners.

Kinesthetic learning is a new method. Role-playing or building models is one way to retain the course lessons that you need to learn.

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! This game features words coming from the spelling bee list!

Also, try this english vocabulary quiz to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of sight words for mastering spelling words by grade. 

Are you constantly worried about your kids being indoors too much? Well, not all kids enjoy the outdoors like everyone else. So, why is it? Maybe, they are not having the fun or yet to be introduced to the fun outdoorsy activities. Well, this summer you can work on DIY projects with your kids. This will enhance your bonding and help your child to enjoy things more.

We know that we are an educational blog mostly related to spelling, but education and learning has a strong connection with fun activities. Different games can help them in their cognitive development and balanced emotional intelligence development. Moreover, your kids can learn a lot more with different DIY projects too. 

Not only that but also he or she will be more familiar with making things or doing experiments. Such good practice will give a positive boost for the upcoming science projects he or she will be given as school projects. 

Today, we have some great DIY projects for kids that you can enjoy together. So, let’s start, shall we?

1. DIY Projects on Kite Making

We are pretty sure that you have quite some fun in your childhood days with kite flying. While the smartphones are being the best friend and only gaming device kids these days have, we think it is vitally important for the kids to take part in the genuine activity-based fun sessions.

You can be certain about one thing – kids will love the colorful kites. As you are making a kite, you will have an immense amount of fun. When you are flying it after crafting, it would be even more fun.

Kites can be of any kind of shape as long as the aerodynamics of the design is okay. The easiest option would be to choose a diamond-shaped kite, but we urge you to be more creative and come up with more intriguing designs. For example, the shape can be of fish, a bird, an airplane, different animals.

You can get inspiration from the world-famous Japanese kite festivals. They have the most beautiful kite festival in the world. However, those could be a little too difficult for you and your child. All we are saying is to take inspiration only.

When you are making a kite, you need to make a skeleton from thin sticks. If you can find some bamboo sticks, it would be perfect. Some stores even have the pre-made kite skeleton structure. Then you will have to use some paper glue and thin paper to develop the structure. Finally, you will have to give the finishing touch by coloring it.

And, you are all set from flying. Now, you will have to pick a fine windy afternoon and start flying. The glow of achievement and joy in your kid’s face will be nothing short of one of the happiest moments in your life.

2. DIY Projects on Sponge and Duct Tape Boats for Your Outdoor Pool

Kids just love being in a pool in the summer. Well, who doesn’t? So, this summer, you can make some boats to give your pool a more fun look.

But how can you do DIY projects on boats?

It’s quite simple. All you need is – some sponges, duct tapes, some popsicle sticks, and super glue (if you want to make them super strong!).

You will start by cutting the sponges in boat-like shapes. The sponge would be the base of the boats. Then, you will work on the sail part. Use the duct tapes (preferably colorful ones) to make sails and stick it the popsicle stick. Now, you will have to insert the popsicle sticks in the sponges. Finally, you can give it additional strength by using super glue to the base and the popsicle joint.

Voila, your boats are ready to sail. It is really a simple DIY project, yet you will have so much fun doing it with your kids.

3. Summer Snowball Fight Sessions

Yes, you have read it right, we are going to tell you about making DIY summer snowballs. Kids just cannot get enough of the snowball fight in the winter. Well, admit it when the sun is burning the world in the summer a snowball fight session could one of the most thing you can do.

Making the snowballs is ridiculously easy. You will need only two things – corn starch and shaving foam. So, what will have to do is to mix the corn starch and the shaving foam together until it has a snow-like consistency.

That’s it, you and your child are ready to have some snowball fight in the summer! Such a session in your backyard would be a great thing too. Very few indoor games can beat the summer snow-ball mania!

4. Let’s Make a Sprinkler

As the sun is brightest during the peak summer time, you might be thinking of buying a garden sprinkler. We have a better idea. Why don’t you make a sprinkler with a little bit of smartness and some recycling?

We are quite kids love making such small things and seeing things at the action. So, how do you make one?

You need a water pipe, a plastic bottle, a sharp metal object. Heat up the sharp metal object (i.e., an icepick or a screwdriver) and use it to make small holes in the plastic bottle. Be creative about the pattern of the holes.

Once you are finished with it, attach the bottle with the water pipe. You are all set to go – you have a DIY sprinkler.

5. DIY Bird Feeders

No matter what, the birds are the life of a yard or a garden. They just make the place livelier and more natural. So, why don’t you make some bird feeders this summer?

Kids tend t love animals and birds. So, we are pretty sure your kids will love it too. There are plenty of ways you can make a bird feeder. We will talk about the simplest design so that you can enjoy doing rather than making things too complicated.

You will need some empty cans, color, sticks, glue, and some laces. First, you will paint the empty cans. Then, you need to attach the sticks with the cans so that birds can sit on it. Finally, you will hang the cans by the tree branches or any support. You can use the laces to hang them like that.

In this way, you can make beautiful bird feeders. If your kids love the nature and the animals, we are quite sure that they would love making it.

Final Words

So, these were some of the simple yet fun DIY projects you can make this summer with your kids. Such activities will make your child fall in love with the outdoors. Moreover, making DIY projects will spark some creativity in your kids. We have a lot of similar ideas that we can share with you. So, if you want us to make a more illustrated blog on DIY projects for kids, let us know in the comment section. 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today! This game is perfect for a fifth-grader looking for 5th grade spelling bee words for his/her upcoming Spelling Bee competition. 

Also, try this vocabulary test to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of sight words and common spelling words so that you don’t make silly mistakes while studying 4th grade spelling words or 5th grade spelling words.

Education is the most important civic right of a human being. We have no doubt about it. But throughout the last few decades, we have seen a lot of questions regarding the way we receive the education. Currently, we have a system that tries to educate all children uniformly. Though, we know that every single human mind is different and unique, we use the same pattern to educate all and expect things to change. It’s time we used a different approach – personalized learning!

Have you heard of the example of the fish? It goes like this – our education system tries to educate and assess a fish, then judges its capability of flying! Everybody has to read the same book and cover the same curriculum. But is it fair to the students?

It is quite normal for the kids to have a potential for a particular thing or topic. What our system does is shave out the potentials and make them general pawns in the skill game.

It’s time we put some deep thought to our education system and make a custom solution to the problem. The future is going to be very different. The only thing that will matter will be skill – nothing else!

Most of the jobs we think to be glorifying today might go extinct tomorrow. You might say that the education system depends on the qualification of the teachers and my children don’t have the best teachers in the world. One of the biggest boons that technology has blessed us with is seamless communication. That means we could use this very technology to learn from the best of the best teachers around the world.

That was a big opening speech! The point I am trying to make for so long is – we have the option open now finally. We can give our child the quality of education that we dreamt of all our life long.

Today, I am going to tell you about this alternative way of learning and how your child might get started.

Brace yourselves; this is going to be a long read! But let me assure you, the personalized learning approach might change the future of your child and might make him or her perfectly ready for the future coming ahead.

So, let’s get started, shall we?

Table of Contents

The Skill Game: What Tomorrow Offers?

What is Personalized Learning? The Detailed Version

Why Consider Personalized Learning?

Steps to Implement Personalized Learning

Can Personalized Learning Meet Traditional Educational Goals?

A Technology-based Model to Improve Teaching Quality

Personalized Learning in the Classroom

Technological Tools Suitable for Personalized Learning

Helping the Struggling Students: How Can Personalized Learning Help?

Revolutionizing Teaching Models with Personalized Learning

Devices and Services to Accompany Personalized Learning

Final Thoughts

The Skill Game: What Tomorrow Offers?

Are We Skilled Enough?

Have you ever thought- How good our current education system is? Or is a university degree the only parameter to have a successful career?

First things first, education and career are completely two different concepts. But these two concepts are strongly co-related. Even in some point of views, you might say that a good educational background is a prerequisite to a good career.

For example, if someone wants to be a doctor or an engineer, he or she has to complete at least an MBBS or Bachelors’ degree in Engineering. Or maybe someone wants to be a lawyer; it is mandatory to complete at least the LLB degree. So, you see, education is very important to have a sound career plan.

But we have forgotten an important parameter – this example is true for this era only. Such degrees were invalid in 300-400 years ago. So, will it be important in the future?

The Professions of the Future!

Researchers think the future will be very different from now and technology will play a big role to change it. If you are well aware of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning, then you will know that Artificial Intelligence or in simple words robots will do most of the jobs humans do now.

A well-made robot could perform even more precise operation than most qualified doctor now. A robot can make more logical reasoning to win you a lawsuit. The same kind of example can be said for most of the prestigious professions too.

So, it is obvious that humans need to harness more skills and on more unique fields that can be done by a human only.

It’s needless to say that mere cramming, doing repeated tasks, and performing petty jobs will not be enough to cope up with the future.

We need to harness skills like communication excellence, team-playing, critical problem solving, creative thinking, innovation, digital excellence, and adaptability.

Such skills cannot be taught using the education system we already have. We need to evolve, and our education system has to evolve as well.

Personalized Learning: The Kind of Learning We Deserve!

Now imagine an education system where the learners take complete ownership of what they want to learn, where they want, and when they want! We might not realize this – but we are actually practicing personalized learning every day in our life now.

Don’t you believe me? Tell me the exact height of the Eiffel Tower. Some of you can tell me right away that the height is 324 meters. But others need to look at a search engine to answer my question, right?

That means, you faced a situation and decided to learn the answer on your own using your smartphone or a computer, from wherever you are, whenever you want.

Personalized learning is almost the same, well, at least it has the same basic concept. There are so many resources available online now that anyone with a suitable device and an internet connection can learn anything.

In this system, a learner takes complete ownership of his or her education making their skills more diverse and unique – more human!

So, doesn’t this system have teachers? Well, of course, there are teachers. You cannot expect to learn if you don’t have someone to teach you. But the system is diverse, and teachers create different learning environments and path to learning new things.

You seem too worried! Don’t worry; I am here. I will guide you to adopt a systematic way to educate your child using personalized learning.

What is Personalized Learning? The Detailed Version

So, I have told you guys already about the future and how to dominate it with differential skillsets. But the big question is how your child can harness the skillsets?

From centuries on we have been educated with the method “one size fits all.” But does actually one size fits all?

One of the best weapons to break the stereotypical ideology is Personalized Learning. So, what kind of education or learning process can be characterized as it?

Many educators and organizations have tried to define the system lately. I think the US Department of Education has come closest to define the system properly. According to them, the Personalized Learning definition would be –

“Personalized learning refers to instruction in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner. Learning objectives, instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may all vary based on learner needs. In addition, learning activities are made available that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests and often self-initiated.”

Modern Approaches to Learning

Although, we think that the system has a close tie to these three terms – personalization, differentiation, and individualization. One might easily confuse these three.

In simple words, personalization is a tailored system where learning needs and preferences tailored to different learners. A learner has a complete independence over what topics or skills he or she wants to harness. You could call it a self-directing learning approach.

In the differentiation approach, a teacher provides differentiated instruction to the different groups of students. Here, a teacher has the authority to teach a different group of learners that suits the need of the group. In short, it’s a group approach.

And lastly, in individualization, a teacher tries to educate an individual student so that his or her skills can thrive. The teacher sets the pace, goals, and curriculum for the individual learner. Still, the teacher is at the seat of the key driver in this method.

So, I think you can easily assess how personalization is different from the other two. If you want to be even clearer, in personalization, the learner has the complete authority over what he or she wants to learn about. Other methods have the teachers to do that for the learners.

Personalized vs. Adaptive vs. Competency-based Learning

There is another popular method of learning emerging these days – adaptive learning. Adaptive learning is a completely technology-driven method to assign a human being based on their needs.

Are you getting more confused? Yes, adaptive learning is almost similar to personalized learning. But there is a key difference between them. In adaptive learning, the technology is the driver whereas in personalized learning technology plays the role of the support.

On the other hand, the competency-based learning method tries to figure out the learning path based on the learner’s capability to demonstrate the skills and proper competence. Here, the learner will apply the adopted knowledge learned along to practical fields. This activity bolsters creativity in a learner.

All of these methods are some of the modern approaches that can change the way we have been educated, or our ancestors have gone through. It is time we used the technology to shape up the education system that flourishes our inner potentials.

Why Consider Personalized Learning?

Three things were always constant in traditional classrooms –

• The fixed syllabus
• Fixed duration of the semesters, classes and exams.
• Limited and predetermined resources, i.e. books, notes, etc.

All of the above elements try to equalize the students. There is very little or no room for creativity. Think of a kid who has the potential to be a magnificent poet or a writer. There is a possibility that he or she might not be good with math or physics. But our education system will label the student as a failure.

I have listed out some of the critical reasons that should make the parents rethink about their kids’ education method. Check them out –

A Dynamic Learning Environment

Every student has a different knowledge base or learning rate – you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know this simple truth. Typical old generation educators just didn’t agree to give different time to teach each student.

Luckily the modern educators strongly disagree with the traditional classroom model. They believe one-to-one or 1:1 teaching strategy is much more practical and effective for a student to truly grow.

Not only that but also this begets dynamic environment in the classroom. With just a little help from the technological tools, we can empower the students and make them their own driver of their education and future.

Settling off Competitions

This approach could also settle off the unhealthy competition among the pupils and diminish the difference between them as they would dwell in and competition-free environment.

I think you can relate to this fact you might have been pushed by your parents too for a better grade. We have also seen countless examples of a child committing suicide as he or she cannot take the pressure anymore.

Academic pressure is one of the main reasons for suicides and attempted suicide among teens. This is a crisis especially in Asian countries like in India, Korea, Japan, etc.

So, why should we make the lives of our kids miserable and make their life a living hell?

Suitable for Gifted Children

Weaker or the gifted children will stop feeling shallow as they don’t have to match the standard and have ample time to learn what actually want to learn.

For example, a dyslexic child faces a lot of problems in reading texts. So, it’s only natural that they would need more time than an average child to learn or master a topic. With personalized learning, they can learn without any pressure at their own speed.

Collaborative Learning Environment

As I have said earlier, team-playing is a vital skill for a person in this and the upcoming era. Technology can help one to collaborate with another person breaking the boundary of a classroom. Personalized learning encourages an individual to work with another. So, we can easily conclude that this method will cultivate collaboration among learners.

Real Lessons Rather than Cramming

Naturally, a learner will choose the topics that interests him or her that have a direct or indirect impact in the real world. Moreover, we can assume that the learning activities will be authentic and connected to real-world activities.

On the other hand, the traditional learning approach covers up a common curriculum. So, we have seen them learning a lot of lessons that has zero or little impact in real life. Cramming up answers of the some “important” questions before the exam day is a common scenario.

So, we can say that personalized learning can make studies more important and effective.

Coaches Rather than Teachers

In the personalized learning approach, a teacher plays the role of the facilitators or coaches. Actually, they don’t directly teach them things rather guides the learners to achieve their personal goals.

So, you see, a learner can learn way more and better and have an open view towards the world as the learning process will be so diverse.

More Independence!

A learner has complete control over their syllabus or curriculum, whichever you prefer to call it. Such independence cultivates some of the important traits in a learner. For example, a learner practices critical thinking, creativity, and self-efficiency while selecting the topics and he or she might not even notice it!

Such independence makes a person stronger and helps him or her to make real-life decisions more efficiently and effectively.

On the Driver’s Seat!

A student has to take some of the critical decisions like – what to study, how to study, and how to study. Such activities make them more pro-active about decision making. When someone feels that he or she has total control over their life they tend to put more effort into a task.

It would most certainly motivate them to study. We know that a child has little attention to their studies as they don’t feel like reading the topics that don’t attract them. If we can change the situation and let them choose the topic that interests them, they will most likely study them wholeheartedly.

The good news is the personalized learning will allow them to do so.

Better Assessment

Teachers and parents sometimes find it really hard to identify the reason behind a child to fail or get bad grades. Finding the core reason such issues is really a tough nut to crack.

Personalized learning embodies technological help. With various progress report and analyzing study patterns of a learner, the teachers and parents can address the weakness and the strengths effectively.

Such reports could help a teacher to re-shape the study pattern of a particular learner. Such assessments are way more effective than the exams we have now.

Moreover, the demonstration of skills could have various forms than some written exams. Not only it opens the door for a better assessment, but it will replace the obsolete exam methods.

I am calling the exams obsolete as it creates unnecessary pressure on a learner that hinders the process of learning!

So, I think we are now on the page that personalized learning can eradicate all the negativity that our traditional education system had! But is our current world ready for the change? I am going to answer all of the questions, hold your horses!

Steps to Implement Personalized Learning

So, now you know what personalized learning is and why should one consider it. But how can a student get into the ecosystem of personalized learning? Over the years, researchers have tried to find a proper guideline that would help a student to get into the system of personalized learning.

Well, the transition will not be a simple one as a student will have forfeit the traditional approach and adapt to the newer method. So, rather than jumping into the new approach it better to adjust to the system step-by-step.

So, now I will discuss the six-stage inauguration approach to personalized learning.

Stage 1: Identify the Learners and Assess Their Capabilities

Before jumping into the practice to personalized learning, the teacher or the mentor should understand the learners and their capabilities well. This stage is crucial as this assessment will allow the mentor to come up with a personalized learning plan and execute the approaches better.

So how could the mentor know the learners and their abilities? There is a method to identify the learners, and it is widely accepted – Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. The UDL principles try to understand the inner strengths, weaknesses, challenges, aptitudes, talents, and interests. You could call it a SWOT analysis for the students.

The initial goal of UDL principles was to provide a better learning experience for gifted children. But the method is really effective in more cases.

In this method, the mentor will create profiles for individual learners. The mention will try to find out three answers in the following terms –

• Access – How the learner accesses information or how to make him or her understand a topic?
• Engage – How the learner engages with the learning materials?
• Express – How the learner expresses the learned materials?

Based on the answers, the mentor will create a chart where he or she will try to identify these parameters –

• Strengths
• Interests
• Challenges
• Talents
• Aptitude
• Aspirations

Stage 2: Creating Custom Learning Environments

After identifying the needs of the learners, the mentor will try to create a learning environment. The learning environment will be suitable for each individual student but there will some form of scope for collaboration and team-playing.

The mentor could change the arrangement of the classroom. A good way could be the removal of the desks and chairs and creating different zones. There could zones for boosting creativity, thinking and self-exploration, experiment conducting zone, presentation zone, and so on.

My suggestion for the teachers would be to be creative and design the personalized learning classroom in a way that inspires the learners to learn new things every moment.

There can be posters that motivate and a wall for showcasing creating through painting. The bottom line is that the environment should be vibrant and lively. Of course, there should be a Wi-Fi connection so that students can connect to the internet whenever they wish. The door to knowledge should always be open.

Stage 3: Develop Individual Goals and Lesson Plans

Now, the students are ready to learn as they have a suitable personalized learning environment. But should the mentor choose a learning method that is more “one-size-fits-all?” Of course not! The primary assessment will come handy now. The teacher will try to work on the weaknesses as well as on the strengths of the students.

The mentor can choose different practical tasks (individual and group) that will try to help the students to overcome the weaknesses and improve the strengths. But at the same time, the mentor should keep in mind that at the end of a certain time frame, the whole class should achieve the benchmark of knowledge that makes them qualified to go through the next class or phase.

Moreover, the learning material should be relevant to the age of the learners. The mentor cannot expect a third grader to excel topics that are suitable for a tenth grader. I have discussed a model, SAMR in the later part of this article. A mentor can follow that strategy. It would be really effective. 

Stage 4: Ask the Students to Drive Deeper and Create a Strong Sense of Humanity

Throughout the whole lesson, the mentor should teach them to think more humanely. As the students are going deeper into the world of infinite knowledge, they should build a strong sense of right and wrong.

This is very crucial. Knowledge is a powerful tool. If one uses the knowledge for the good of humanity, it’s a boon. On the other hand, if a student uses this knowledge for destruction, chaos would destroy everything.

So, it is mandatory to teach them about wrong and right and make them more humane.

Moreover, the mentor should ask the students to go even deeper and seek more knowledge. Knowledge is like the infinite ocean. There is no end to it. It is the responsibility of the teachers to make them ever-thirsty for knowledge.

Stage 5:  Help the Students to Choose Proper Learning Tools and Strategies

Students are like unmolded clay; you can shape them into anything! It is quite normal for the kids to be unfamiliar with the technological tools and proper personalized learning strategies. The mentor should help them follow a path that would bring better results. For example, the mentor would suggest which websites to follow, which device to use, how to create a project, answer the relevant question, and so on.

This stage requires a lot from the mentors. The learners have all the power, but the mentor will teach them to wield power. Moreover, the mentor should be updated with newer technologies and tools at the same time. The whole system is advanced and updated; there is no scope for the mentor to be backdated in any way.

Stage 6: Assessment as Learning

I have always believed that exams are the most demoralizing aspect of traditional learning. There is no way that some exams for a few hours can determine the excellence of a student.

The ability of a student depends on how fast he or she can fill up some circle of MCQs – this is funny and quite sad at the same time!

Personalized learning enables a student to choose the topics that interests him or her. It is a more self-directed approach. So, the assessments should be different from the traditional written exams. Rather, the mentors should see if a student is actually learning.

How could they do it? They can check the progress or track the students using various tracking tools. The student can be asked to create a film on a topic with his or her peer. The mentor should be creative about it.

After the mentors have assessed the learners, the learners can use the assessment to know the sectors they are lacking. They can work in the sectors they are weak or learn the things they loved. That’s the beauty of personalized learning.

 

So, this is a step-by-step approach to how a student could get familiar with this format of learning. There are other great methods too.

Can Personalized Learning Meet Traditional Educational Goals?

No matter how obsolete or backdated we call our traditional education system, it had some effective goals too. If we want to create a better educational system, we must pay heed to the former goals as well. Otherwise, we have to call the personalized learning approach to be obsolete as well in the near future.

If we want to impose this new education system, it would most likely cost a lot of money. The reasons are quite simple. Reshaping the classrooms, purchasing the technological tools, training the teachers are not just a few dollars more, it’s a gigantic costing!

But the schools are constantly facing pressure to meet the standards. Maybe that’s why the US Department of Education came up with a new plan in 2010. They are calling it the National Educational Technology Plan 2010 under the title of “Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology.”

The plan suggests implementing technology to teach and assess the students. In their words, it would be “pivotal in improving student learning and generating data.”

Apart from the governmental approach, three organizations – Greaves Group, Hayes Connection, and One-to-One Institute initiated a program naming Project RED. Project RED stands for Revolutionizing Education.

Their study and analysis concluded that the kind of investment that I have talked earlier about has a significant ROI rate if implemented effectively.

You must have noticed that I have used the term “if implemented effectively.” So, how can we make sure of it?

Well, the following model could come in handy!

A Technology-based Model to Improve Teaching Quality

There is no doubt that the teachers have changed their way of teaching the students if they want to impose this technology-based one-to-one learning approach. Not only it will change the quality of the system but also the teachers can help to implement the system more effectively.

Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura suggested a brilliant personalized learning model that could change the way the teachers have been teaching the students from the beginning of the education system. The model is better known as SAMR.

SAMR model has four stages –

• Substitution
• Augmentation
• Modification
• Redefinition

The SAMR model works like a ladder to teaching quality improvement. What this model tries to accomplish is to implement technologies in the traditional approach. This is a step by step process, and at the highest level in the Redefinition stage, the students will eventually see drastic changes in how they are learning a new thing more efficiently.

This will change the overall result of the teaching quality, and the teachers will soon notice the change in the grades of the students than before.

So, let’s dive deeper into the model, shall we?

Substitution

At the first stage of SAMR, the teachers will use the technologies to do the same tasks they used to do before using the traditional system. For example, if a history teacher is teaching about World War I or II, instead of just telling the students about the incidents, they would show them videos. A student could use word processors to do homework rather than handwriting them. Apart from reading the textbooks, the student would research on the internet about a particular mathematical problem.

The idea is to do the same tasks with just some minor use of technological tools. You could think of it as a blending process of the traditional system and the modern approach that teachers are planning to impose eventually.

Augmentation

After the successful implementation of the Substitution, the teachers will slowly introduce Augmentation. In this stage, the students will enhance or improvise the traditional activities. You could call it a continuation of the previous method.

In this phase, a student would take part in online quizzes, rather than giving them in the earlier fashion. They can receive immediate results of such quizzes and check the mistakes and reflect immediately.

In the previous stage, the teachers used to show them videos on a giant screen in the classroom, and now they would watch that video on their mobile phones. The teacher can later check that is a student has actually seen the video or not or even skipped it!

In the substitution stage they used word processors only, they can be introduced to spell checkers and how they can use the graphical tools as well.

As I have said earlier, Augmentation is a continual process of the Substitution process.

Modification

 At the Modification stage, things will change drastically. By this time the students are now comfortable using various technologies for their studies. Now, the teacher will try to introduce personalized learning in a tiny bit.

The teacher can hand over project-based tasks to the students. A student will be asked to work on his or her particular project. But they will not do them as a solo project! They will team up some of the peers across the country who are interested in doing the same project.

Instead of working face-to-face, they would use various communication tools such as Skype, e-mails, Facebook, or any other instant messenger of their own choice.

This will bolster their communication skills and group performance even if their team member lives a thousand miles away!

Redefinition

Redefinition is the final stage of SAMR. In this stage, the various learning experience will become impossible to perform without technological tools.

For example, a student will create videos or podcasts on a local historic area and share the video live using YouTube or Facebook to other students living in different cities. The students from other schools can interact live with him or her.

This is just a simple example. A teacher can guide the student to perform various other tasks that would be impossible to perform without a mobile device. Moreover, all the tasks will differ from student to student as each student has different strengths, weaknesses, and personal preferences.

A teacher can help a student to collaborate with other students having a similar mentality. This will also create a scope for peer mentorship as a student learn so much from other students.

Personalized Learning in the Classroom

Some of you might think that personalized learning will eventually eradicate the classrooms. But actually, no, personalized learning will just improve the quality of learning and change the classroom environment.

Changing the classroom environment doesn’t necessarily mean that it would remove the classrooms from the system. As you have seen in the previous section, the SAMR model embodies the teachers and classrooms. The teachers will not be the same kind of teachers as before; they will become guides or mentors.

Technology will play a big role to create an atmosphere where the students will collaborate with others, use software every now and then, and start to learn through experiences. You could think of the new format of education as more interactive and content based.

Think of this example for a second, in the traditional classrooms; there are two sources of knowledge – the teachers and the textbooks. These are the only two sources of knowledge. You could easily say that the sources of the knowledge are too narrow and adverse to the broader perspective.

So, how the scene changes now? Think of a classroom where the teachers teach the students showing vlogs or other videos found online. The main source of the educational videos could be YouTube or some other profound educational websites. Or take a moment and think of the students learning from the various blogs rather than only depending on the textbooks they were provided.  

Wait, let me give out some points that would clarify the situation –

• The Blog Publishing Platforms

In the traditional style, students would use notebooks to take down the notes. Well, a human brain can only perform one task at a time. If someone says that they are very good at multitasking, they are just doing one task at a time but very quickly rotating between the tasks. So, it is quite impossible to pay heed to the lecture or understand a topic and take down notes at the same time.

A student can make a video of the lecture, make illustrations of the lectures and add notes. This could be a perfect note to clear a topic. The students could use blog publishing tools like WordPress to create such notes. Moreover, other students can follow the contents and learn even effectively. Other tools like NoteStar could do the same too.

• Surveys Made Easier

A student is asked many times to work on surveys. A survey helps a student to understand what common people think on various issues. It enables the students to understand the varying opinions of the population. The traditional method suggests a student roam door to door asking people to fill out a survey form. This could be tiring and time-consuming at the same time.

But if a student uses online survey forms, he or she easily get the same result spending a lot less time. Online tools like SurveyMonkey could be a useful tool here in this scenario.

• Tracking the Progress

What if a teacher could create online lessons and keep track of the students’ progress using simple tools. Well, there are a number of tools available online for the teachers to do so now. For example, TrackStar is an online tool where teachers could create interactive study materials and online lessons. The tool also enables the teachers to track the progress a student makes.

What if we use such progress tracking tools rather than making the students go through the fearsome exams? Food for people, food for thought!

• Tools to Brainstorm

Brainstorming is considered one of the most critical skills that the skill-hunters seek these days. Brainstorming also has a close tie to other useful skill such as critical thinking, pressure handling, quick decision making, and creativity.

Now students can use online tools like ThinkTank to brainstorm and organize their research ideas.

When students are allowed to use online tools, a boundary breaks – the boundary of limitations. We have asked the students for too long to limit their imagination and thoughts. I believe this is the most destructive limitation we have set for the youngsters. Imagination is the most important skill a student needs and with the more modern tools they can truly dive into their world of imagination.

The best thing about personalized learning is the customization. Students can decide what they want to study and the teachers can set up different approaches for different students. The monotonous classrooms will shed off the gloomy colors if we could introduce technology in the classrooms rather than prohibiting the usage.

Technological Tools Suitable for Personalized Learning

By this time a common question should pop into your minds – “How various technological tools help personalized learning?” Well, I have decided to divide all the technological tools into five major categories –

1. Literacy Resources
2. Digital Information Resources
3. Web Tools
4. Social Networking Websites
5. Learning Management Systems

Now, let me explain how these five types of technological tools will help the students to meet up all the necessities.

Literacy Resources

Examples: e-books, blogs, forums, and journals.

You could say this is the oldest method of learning any new topic. The reason is quite simple, here, a student will read about various topics. The main difference is that compared to the traditional style, a student will have much wider resources. Earlier, a student had only one source for learning new material – their textbooks. Now, a student could read opinions from real people from all over the world.

There are two main impacts – one, a student can study newer material and choose which writer soothe their taste. Two, the versatile opinions from people all around the world will broaden their mind.

Certain other technological tools will come to play at the same time – text-to-speech or virtual assistants will become tools that a student will use more frequently.

Consider this example to analyze the impact of wider literacy resources. Suppose, a teacher asked his or her students to complete an essay on “Impact of Globalization on International Trading.”

As you can see that the topic is quite broad and writing an essay on this topic could have multiple angles. The growth of knowledge would be much more diverse than the typical approach.

When the world of free knowledge is open to the students, they can delve into knowing new things every day and enrich their minds to newer possibilities.

Digital Information Resources

Examples: Encyclopedia websites, search engines, podcasts, expert websites, and media websites.

With search engines being sophisticated, we can know a new topic just with a single click. Suppose, someone asked the meaning of the word “Trypophobia.” It is quite common for a person not to know the meaning of the word. So, what is a quick solution? “Just Google it!” Yes, this is one of the most common phrases one hears after asking a difficult question.

As I have said, one can know the meaning of the word Trypophobia just by searching the meaning.

Similarly, various other digital information resources can answer any question that might be bothering you. Acquiring knowledge is easier than ever with the blessing of technology. Web research is one of the most sought-after skill these days on various freelance platforms as well.

With these tools becoming handy, the teachers could try teaching the students how to use them even more efficiently.

Web Tools

Examples: YouTube videos, podcasts, wikis, media creators, and aggregators.

The demonstration of the learning is a crucial factor. Nowadays, only learning a new thing is as important as showing that someone knows it. Being proactive is not just another option now, people who want to excel in their career path has to be proactive.

Using these tools will enable a student to show or demonstrate their knowledge to others. Skills like content creation and creativity get a positive boost. Motivating the audience and presentation skills also get positive feedback. Students can learn about these technologies in a more practical way.

Let me tell you a case study. A class in Duane Webb was asked to complete a project on the Cold War. The teacher told the class that they can use any media that they wish to use. Moreover, there were instructions suggesting the student to be creative with their presentation – display of collaboration, self-direction, and creativity were highly encouraged.

Trang, a Vietnamese student, created a self-directed video. He was still learning English and interviewed his neighbors, family members, and fellow students. Finally, he presented the video in English and made the class stunned.

Not only he created a creative video on the Cold War but also improved his English speaking.

This could be a perfect example of a student using the technology and newer techniques of study improve themselves and having fun at the same time.

Social Networking Websites

Examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber.

Communication is a basic human need. The human race lives in communities, and there are pretty rational reasons behind it – together we are stronger. Schools and educators often consider social media platforms to be a pure time killer.

Well, apparently, the impact is closely tied to the intention of the use. If one wishes to use the technology for the good, they can go beyond the limits. For example, consider Nas Daily. He is a Harvard graduate who instead of following the common path wanted to bring positive changes in his lives and all lives in this world.

If someone has a positive attitude and mindset, wonders can be created. The social networks can the students to cultivate co-operation among themselves and bolster team-playing characteristics.

Again, I am going to use a practical case study here. Donald is a high school student suffering from autism. He used Edmodo which is a social networking platform to connect with other students breaking the boundary of distance. Being an autistic child, he had problems communicating with others in the real world. But with the help of Edmodo, he overcame his fears and showed excellent socialization skills.

I can go pages after pages giving examples like Donald’s. But I think you get the gist.

Learning Management Systems

Examples: Limos LMS, TalentLMS, Docebo, eFront, eCoach, Canvas, etc.

Learning Management Systems or LMSs are helpful for both the teachers and the students. The teachers can make learning programs, communicate with the students, monitor their progress, and communicate with the parents all at the same time.

Such management platforms are like a one-stop solution to a lot of problems. Students could use such LMS platforms to educate themselves and be more organized about their studies. One thing for sure, learning in an organized manner helps a student to reach his or her goal more than choosing a random fashion.

Helping Struggling Students: How Can Personalized Learning Help?

I have been discussing the impact of personalized learning on the students who comparatively are more active in the classes from the very beginning. It’s time I discuss the students who struggle to manage good grades or may be gifted.

Personalized learning is not just suitable for those who are proactive in school o wishes to do well in the class. There are students who find it a bit hard to keep up with pace like their peer.

So, I will divide these students into two groups –

• At-Risk Students
• Children with Learning Disabilities

 At-Risk Students

One thing is for sure, the students who lag behind their peer finds the school or study as the most frustrating or spirit-killing place on the earth. Who is to blame for this? I think, all the kids are born talented, but the education system labeled them as failures!

It’s quite normal that not all the students will learn at the same pace. Some will fall behind. So, what do we do with them? We give a tag of failure. How demoralizing!? When a student fails a couple of times in the initial phase, he or she gets for demoralized that they start to believe that they are not capable!

Personalized learning focuses on creating newer ways of learning, customized for individuals.

So, how does it help an at-risk student?

First of all, a student is learning using different methods, not with chalks and dusters anymore. They are assessed by creating films, or blogs or any other media oriented presentation. Students will not just pass the exams based on the black and white written exams. So, a different approach of showing competency might increase the interest in them.

Second of all, a teacher can monitor the progress of each student using various tracking tools. So, if a student is falling behind, the teacher could set different method to educate the child.

Third of all, the assessment of the learning progress depends on multiple factors. You can consider, team-work, creativity, leadership to be even more important skills than before. 

Children with Learning Disabilities

Let’s start with a statistical fact, roughly, 186 million students cannot complete their primary school as they suffer from disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or DCD. This huge number of special children cannot continue their education as the current system doesn’t seem as fit as the others. This is really shameful as students with disabilities have an equal right to educate themselves.

One of the man reasons behind such occasion is that the students don’t feel emotionally weak as they think that everyone is judging them. The sad truth is – others do judge them.

In some cases, they are badly bullied while in other cases, they are heavily mocked by their peer as well as their teacher. Such demotivating acts make them feel shallow, and eventually, they drop out.

With the new technology-driven personalized learning they can keep on moving in their own pace and never feel competitive. The last thing you want to put a gifted child to go through is competition. To more competition they feel the lesser they feel about themselves.

With personalized learning, the gifted child can learn about the things that make them interested. The special teachers can guide them in a better way. Moreover, they can finally live in the education world where they don’t feel like being in a race.

They can also enroll in the special study courses that are designed differently from ordinary ones. Finally, we can educate them by only teaching them and not by judging their capability to compete with others.

Revolutionizing Teaching Models with Personalized Learning

For years, we have been educating our young generation is a “one-size-fits-all” way. There are a lot of newer models of teaching invented in the past couple of years. Such new models could impact the way we have been educating the children.

For years, we have prohibited the students from using technological tools in the classroom. The reason is quite simple; we thought that these technological devices would be “distracting.” Or maybe we haven’t understood that a mobile device could be much more than a child’s plaything.

I would say that it was our lack of knowledge and failure to seek the bigger picture. Technology could be our best friend when comes to educating while we thought it would be the thing hindering the progress.

Don Knezek, the CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) told us differently ten years ago in 2008. He said that integration and implementation of technology in education would beget positive impact on student achievement. 

If we can collaborate with the technology and tweak our teaching approaches, wonders can happen. It will not only make the students more skillful but also can enhance the bonding between the teachers and the students. Rather than being specialized mentors on a particular subject, the teachers can truly play the character of an advisor, guide, content expert, life coach.

So, now I am going to discuss four technology-based teaching model that can revolutionize the teaching –

• Blended Learning
• Flipped Learning
• Online Learning and
• Mobile Learning

Blended Learning

Blended learning is an approach where the online learning and traditional face-to-face learning reside side by side. For example, a teacher would teach the class about a particular topic in the classroom. This part of education would act as an initiation. After students have learned the basics, they would research the topic online and explore on their own.

This approach is more controlled than a completely technology depended on learning method. At the same time, it is much faster paced than the traditional approach.

The blended learning approach is quite effective as the face-to-face learning approach bolsters the brainstorming skills and idea-sharing. Moreover, the online learning section helps a student to be more thoughtful and exploration.

The online learning part is not dependent on being in a classroom. Students could do such online learning even on the go. Only a good internet connection and a device to connect to the internet is enough to indulge in such activity.

The “blended” approach helps both the teachers and the students. Each student can move in their own speed and work on their individual strengths and weaknesses. Crucial skills like deep-thinking, communication, collaboration, and exploration get cultivated.

On the other hand, the teachers can plenty of time to plan ahead and monitor the progress of the students with proper care. A teacher can assess the learning approaches and tweak it according to the demand of the pupils.

Flipped Learning

Flipped learning, as the name suggests is quite the opposite to the traditional method of learning. In a more common scenario, a student comes unprepared in the class, and the teacher teaches them about unknown topics.

In the flipped learning environment, each student is expected to have personal computers in their home. All the students join a personalized learning network where they can find the study materials needed to complete the syllabus – a video, e-books, or other media contents. They go through these study materials before attending the class.

In the classroom, the teacher answers the questions the students have in their mind. You could call it a reactive method. A teacher’s role is to guide the students only and help them to overcome the confusions they have in their mind.

So, why is this method effective? Well, students can save their time taking notes and don’t have to keep up with group pace. Instead, they can take their time and learn about the topics when they please and explore the ideas according to their wish. And if they have confusions and questions about the topics, the teachers will be there to solve the issues.

The brighter side of this method is a student has more independence and freedom. This method is not a modern one but an ancient one. Socrates, the famous philosopher, used this method to educate his followers. He only asked questions and told his followers to find the answers themselves.

Online Learning

You should have a clear idea about online learning at this time. Online learning completely ignores the necessity of physical classrooms. There are already a lot of online programs available. Even the mighty universities like Harvard and Yale have online courses offered to the students all over the world. The location of a student doesn’t matter in the case of online learning.

The study materials are available online – online lectures, tutorials, books, relevant videos, and everything you can imagine. With online learning, education becomes truly global and within everyone’s reach as it should be.

As time passes, the idea of complete online learning is getting more and more popular. A 2013 study, “Survey of Online Learning” discovered that about 7.1 million US students took online courses in fall 2012 alone. It is also a result of the blended learning environment. Students learned about a particular topic in the classroom and then decided to look even further and ended up taking online courses.

This also indicates that students are considering online learning more effective than learning in the classroom.

With proper guidance, the online learning approach might overthrow the traditional learning method in the coming years.

Mobile Learning

Mobile phones were considered the enemy of the students not so long ago. Teachers and parents saw these devices as the killer of their kids’ future and education. Well, every device has its own good and bad impacts. The effect depends on how people use it.

Today, almost every human being has a smartphone. It’s a necessity now, not a luxury anymore. Studies show that about 80% of teens all over the world own a smartphone. It’s the fastest moving technology the world has ever seen in terms of usage.

So, how can this device become the primary tool for education? It creates an opportunity for the students to learn on a new topic even on the go. Suppose, a student is taking a bus to the school and the way to the class they can check on the topics they are about to learn in the class that day. As I have said before, everything depends on the perspective on the user.

Mobile learning opens the door to newer possibilities. For example, a student can get study materials on his phone via the cloud service, take photos of the notes, share the notes to his or her peers, get reminders, skype with other classmates, join a webinar, get lessons, and many more.

The only limit to hold a student back is the imagination. Who said we need implanted technologies to become androids, we are already one!

Devices and Services to Accompany Personalized Learning

Which tools come to your mind when you are imagining the word – education? Pen and paper will obviously come to the mind, next come whiteboard, markers, chalks, and blackboards maybe. But these days we see devices to take the positions of the educational tools.

I have been saying in the whole article that technology is the main driver of personalized learning. But which of the technological tools come to play along with this learning approach? Moreover, are there any good services that can help the students?

Well, in this section I will try to list out all the possible devices and services that can help a student to learn on their own terms. Moreover, I shall try to describe how these devices can be of the use of the students.

Mobile Phones or Smartphones

Smartphones are now the most widely used electronic device in the world. At present, there are about 2.5 billion smartphone users that are about 36% of the total population. With this many people depending on these devices, can we call them a device of luxury? Moreover, people don’t only use the smartphones for convenience or communication – it has become a lifestyle.

Students can connect, surf websites, use educational apps, play constructive games, watch videos, read books, and what not? I believe, smartphones can be the strongest electronic device that can help flourish personalized learning. But one must remember, only the use of smartphones cannot be sufficient to meet all the needs of the students.

Pros: Handy, easier communication, simple, has a camera and video recording options, GPS and internet functionality.

Cons: Smaller display, can be distracting and out of control quite easily.

Laptops

Laptop PC is one of the most useful devices for the students. You can take these handy devices anywhere you want. Unlike smartphones and tablets, they can get works done! They have a much bigger screen than the other portable devices. The physical keyboard works perfectly when it comes to word processing. It obviously has more computational power than the others.

Students can plug it to the projectors instantly to showcase the projects and presentations. Laptops were born way earlier than smartphones, Chromebooks, tablets. That makes them more dependable. And to be frank, they are much sturdier than then newborn devices.

Overall, laptops are more essential mainly because of the wider functionality and offering diverse usage.

Pros: Bigger display, physical keyboard and touchpad, portability, more computational power, and diverse usage.

Cons: Heavier and bulkier compared to the newborn devices.

Tablet PC with Keyboard and Pen

Some of you might think that a tablet and a tablet PC is the same thing. Well, they look really similar but has some distinctive differences. For example, a tablet is run by mobile operating systems like Android or iOS. On the other hand, tablet PCs have desktop-based operating systems like Windows, Linux, or Mac. Moreover, a tablet PC comes with a keyboard and digital pen by default (in most cases). So, they are just PCs but has the portability of a tablet.

Considering the positive application, some of the schools have already decided to buy a tablet PC to enrich the multimedia system of the classrooms. I think the tablet PCs are the perfect companion for the younger children who don’t need an awful lot of computation power. Although, a college or a university student might need a laptop or a desktop to handle the heavier load.

Moreover, a tablet PC comes with a keyboard and a digital pen. So, it eradicated the cons of an app-based tablet in many ways. A student can take notes using the word processors, even with their digital pens. The digital pens are very handy when it comes to editing or taking notes.

Google, the tech giant, has launched their own laptop PCs designed to serve the students naming Chromebook.

Pros: Video and still camera, internet surfability, physical keyboard and a digital pen, larger display, more sophisticated OS.

Cons: Not as powerful as the laptops.

App-Based Tablets

Tablets and smartphones are almost similar. Well, with a few minor differences. First of all, tablets have a slightly larger screen than smartphones but not as big as the laptops. So, tablets with various apps can be something that classrooms can use quite efficiently.

Recently, the app stores of the mobile OS platforms have a huge collection of educational apps that students on K-12 can use on various purposes. Even our website have different games that help the children to learn with fun.

As for functionality, an app-based tablet can is pretty much a smartphone without the ability to make phone calls and sending text messages.

So, it is easier to control in a classroom environment without being distracted.

Pros: Larger display than the smartphones, comes with a video and still camera, has an internet connection, a wide collection of apps available on the app stores, and less distracting compared to the smartphones. 

Cons: Doesn’t have a physical keyboard or mouse, no support for digital pens, and has less computational power compared to the laptops.

So that was the discussion about the devices that can help the community to create the environment for personalized learning. There are some great services available today that also play vital roles to promote personalized learning.

Cloud Computing

When we want to store any piece of data in any device, we need digital storage spaces. Have you ever imagined where are the millions of videos of YouTube is stored? We are not talking about only terabytes. YouTube needs about 7.7 Petabytes of storage space per year to store the videos constantly uploaded by people all over the world.

Most of the online services store their data on the clouds. This means there are huge warehouses with millions of storage units and internet users can access them via an internet connection.

This a great technology where learners can find the educational materials easily. We don’t need to rely on the papers anymore; the human race has found a better way to store the infinite knowledge that is open for everyone.

The only downside is if by any issue the data centers shut down, we might lose the data stored on the cloud. But that is like imagining the complete apocalypse.

Social Media Platforms

I have already discussed about the social media platforms and their valuable role in personalized learning. They are the ultimate tool for communication, collaboration, and innovation.  

It is because of these social media platforms that we feel that the whole world is a global village where anyone can communicate with anyone.

Final Thoughts

Personalized learning is now getting more and more accepted by organizations all over the world. We are living in the pinnacle of the technological era. Smartphones are now our companions. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and bio-engineering have reached newer heights. It’s high time we took a step and upgrade ourselves and most importantly our education system.

Education is now a thing that is open to all. Knowledge is easier to achieve. Everyone can be everyone now. With just sheer will, people can educate themselves and be whoever they want to be.

If you look around yourself, you will see massive changes that were simply unimaginable just a few decades ago. So, keep faith in yourself and be positive. You have the power to change the world for a better tomorrow!

So, what do you think of the guide? If you have any question, shoot it down on the comment section below, and I will try to answer them all! 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today which is great for 5th grade vocabulary words or 6th grade vocabulary words! Also, try this vocabulary test to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of sight words and common spelling words.  

In this world of open education and the availability of online educational resources, kids don’t necessarily need to go to schools to get a quality education. Traditional schooling is poisoned with flaws that might impose a negative impact on your child. Rather than going into the typical path, you could always go for homeschooling for the betterment of your kids.

Homeschooling which is also known as home education is a popular form of education nowadays. North Americans call it ‘Homeschool’ where Europeans call it ‘Home Education’.

Rather going to a formal school, homeschooled students are taught at home in a less formal way. Mostly, their parents, house tutor or online teachers play the role of teachers in this case.

Now, more than ever, parents are choosing homeschool and teaching them at home instead of sending their children to a formal public or private schools.

Table of Contents

Why Should You Prefer Homeschooling?

How Homeschooling Came into Being?

How Can Homeschooling Benefit Your Child?

Some Success Stories that will Motivate You

What do You Require to Homeschool Your Child?

Some Important Tips for Parents to Start Homeschooling

How Can Parents Start Homeschooling Their Kids?

What Types of Curriculums are Followed While Homeschooling Kids?

How do You Maintain Homeschool Schedule?

Are Homeschooled Kids More Advanced than Public School’s Kids?

What are Some Best Homeschooling Methods?

Best Homeschooling Resources Available Online

Best Websites That Will Answer All Your Questions

Some of the Best Online Learning Platforms

Best Blogs for Homeschoolers

9 Facts about Homeschooling You need to Know

How to Overcome Homeschool Related Burnout?

The Future of Homeschooling

 

Why Should You Prefer Homeschooling?

The United States National Center for Education Statistics shows that about three percent of all the students in the US were homeschooled in 2011-2012.

There is no clear evidence of exactly how many students are being homeschooled nowadays. But as of 2016 record, there are almost 2.3 million students who were homeschooled in the United States.

This clearly illustrates that homeschooling is getting more and more popular and now parents are interested in teaching their children at home.

The motivation behind choosing homeschool varies from parents to parents. But there are mainly two reasons –

First, many parents are not satisfied with the way traditional schools teach. Second, parents want to be more involved in their children learning process and they want to spend more time with their children.

That was also the case for Helen Clark, a mother from Iowa who homeschools her only elementary-aged son. Homeschooling allowed her son to learn things at the natural pace which is pacier than traditional schools.

She likes the flexibility of homeschooling and the extra time she can spend with her child. It allows her to take decisions on the direction of education.

She tells that, she is not the best teacher her child may have, but homeschooling allows her to spend more time with her son and she actually knows what her son is learning.

A World full of Possibilities

There are some legal requirements for homeschooling and they vary from place to place. But some universal rules are practiced.

Parents certainly need some preparation to homeschool their children. They have to maintain a schedule so that they get the best result out of it.

The beauty of homeschooling is its flexibility. There is no hard and fast schedule for homeschool. Parents can customize the homeschooling schedule with their preferable time.

There are also many methods to homeschool children. It depends on parents which method to follow.

Parents will find many resources nowadays to homeschool their children. They will find these resources online.

However, homeschooling has many criticisms as well. Many commoners think that homeschooled students are not socialized enough.

But there are many success stories at the same time.

The school shooting has created huge tension in the US. Many students are bullied in the schools as well. Many of them feel inferior.

These are the reason homeschooling is becoming popular in the US and around the world.

Homeschooling is getting popular day by day. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you as well.

Would it work for you and your children? Well, you’re the one to decide that.

How Homeschooling Came into Being?

Teaching children at home is probably the most common thing in all different cultures for most of history. It was a common practice before formal education was started.

Professional tutors were expensive and commoners had no access to it. This option was only available to rich people.

Eventually, the system declined with the activation of compulsory attendance law in the 19th and 20th century. Though many isolated communities kept practicing this form of education. 

Homeschooling became resurrection in the 1960s and 1970s as many educational reformists were dissatisfied with the traditional schooling system. And from then on, it’s getting more and more popular.

A New Trend in the Town!

The first public schools were established in 1524 and 1527 in Gotha and Thuringia, two German states. The literacy rate increased from the 1500s to the 1800s.

Although, the public school increased the literacy rate, the development in literacy rate started before implementing the compulsory attendance or universal education.

In fact, home education or homeschooling was the main form of education until the 1830s. Many people in Europe did not have access to informal education in the 18th century.

However, formal schooling became popular and the most common means of education system across the developed countries since the early 19th century.   

Back in 1647, compulsory elementary education was provided in New England. Although, the educational situation was different between New England and New York.

There were regional differences in colonial America as well. Education was more compact in the north than that of the south.

Native Americans used to pass their knowledge to their children through home education. They resisted compulsory education in the United States for a long time.

The Advocates Who Gave Life to It  

Rousas John Rushdoony started advocating homeschooling in the 1960s. He wanted to combat the secular public schools in the United States.

During this time, a research came out that showed how harmful formal school can be for a child before 8-12 years of age.

With this research result, the Moores started publishing their view against public schools. They presented evidence on how formal schooling was damaging children mentally, academically and socially.

They claimed that the bonds and emotional attachment between children and parents evolve during these years. But enrollment in schools cut short this development.

They stated that children are better suited at home. They will get exact treatment at home rather than in schools.

A book named ‘Better Late Than Early’ was published in 1975 that paved the way for homeschooling. The Moores embraced homeschooling and started advocating for it.

With the publication of other books like ‘Home Grown Kids’ and ‘Homeschool Burnout’ many authors published books questioning the necessity of compulsory schools.

With the publishing of many more books advocating for homeschooling, people in the United States and around the world became interested in homeschooling again.

And now, parents are more concerned about their children’s mental health and academic performance. And that is why hundreds of parents are homeschooling their children.

This is how an age-old system of learning became not only a popular form of education but also an alternative to formal education in the 21st century.  

How Can Homeschooling Benefit Your Child?

Homeschooling is a popular movement around the world. More parents are choosing to homeschool nowadays for a variety of reasons.

This includes dissatisfaction with the quality of education in schools, religious beliefs, etc. Many parents think that traditional schools are not progressive enough for children.

The movement for homeschooling started growing in the 1970s when some authors and researchers started writing for reform in education by raising questions against traditional schools.

They started advocating for homeschooling because they believed that homeschooling does not affect the physical and emotional development of a child.

Parents are very concerned about their children nowadays. They want to know everything that is happening around their child.

They choose to homeschool because of many reasons. Homeschooling isn’t what many commoners think it is.

Homeschooled kids have the same access to learning, socialization and extracurricular activities.

This creates a debate on homeschooling vs public schooling. 

Let’s see some of the reasons why homeschooling is better than traditional schools, shall we?

Customized Learning

In traditional schools, kids may not be able to cope up with the pace or the pace is simply not enough for all the students.

The main idea of homeschooling is that the kids need to learn at a pace that is perfect for them. Every individual kid has a different ability.

Traditional schools do not have the luxury to take care of every individual student separately. They use a common system for all the students.

Here, homeschooling makes the difference. It customizes everything with the need of the students.

This approach is called ‘personalized learning’ in academia and it is very popular among parents and students. This guide should help you to get started with Personalized Learning.

Personalized learning uses technology to make lesson plans for students. And probably that is the reason why people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are big fans of this approach.

Homeschooling parents are the only people on earth who know what their kids need. And that is why they can bring the best result out of this method.

The Freedom to Learn What You Love

Informal school, the school authority or some third party decides the curriculum of the students. They create this curriculum for every student.

As a result, many students are deprived of what they really need. Not all the students have the same pace or ability.

Also, not all students are interested in the same topic. Each student may have his or her own preference.

Homeschoolers get the chance to tailor their curriculum and focus on what they really want to learn. They can learn about their favorite topic more intensely.

Not only can they explore many more topics that are usually not offered in traditional schools, but also they can learn those that are not usually offered before college or university.

For example, they can learn Anthropology in fifth grade and Finance in eighth grade. This allows them an intensive learning opportunity. 

Many parents are well equipped to teach their children, many rely on the resources and platforms that are available to them.

Again, many parents take their child to formal schools or colleges after a certain period of time.

But no homeschooling parents limit the subjects only to Math, Science, English or history. They try to make sure that their children are learning a variety of topics.

Make Friends in a Better Way

The biggest misconception about homeschooled kids is that they lack social skills. Sometimes misleading that the kid has lower emotional intelligence than average. They become introvert and do not interact with people.

Well, this stereotypical conception probably had some truth before the internet thing happen. There was not much opportunity for kids to interact with a lot of other kids.

But now, homeschooling kids have the same opportunity to interact with other kids and actually make friends like those in traditional schools.

And with the help of the internet, they do it without zero distraction.

Apps like Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook may become an addiction for homeschoolers, nonetheless, they get to meet other homeschooling kids or even kids of their own age from traditional schools. The more we move towards technological advancement, the more we would witness the presence of technologies even in the traditional schooling system. So, they are actually ahead of their time. 

Homeschooling kids spend most of their times with their parents. This allows them to learn the values of different relationships.

They value their friendship. They do well, if not better in their own life and their social life.

So, the stereotype misconception that homeschooled kids are not social enough or they cannot interact with people, is no longer a truth.

Rather, homeschooling kids are now making friends, hanging out with them and doing all the things like normal traditional school going kids.

Free from Bullying

Homeschooling kids do not have to face the toxic environment like other school going kids. They do not have to face all those bullying that frequently happens at schools.

Though many argue that these downsides are good for students as they make them tough but kids who are frequently bullied may face depression and anxiety.

Eventually, they lose their confidence, their academic performance gets lower in the class and they attend school less frequently.

But homeschooling kids get better opportunities. They are already familiar with the environment and that is why they are always confident. 

As a result, they are able to learn their lessons in a more harmonic environment.

Connected to the Real World

Though homeschooling is called homeschooling but students spend a great deal of time at community colleges, libraries, and museums.

They gather knowledge and experiences from these places. The knowledge and experiences they cultivate from these places actually makes them open-minded.

And as homeschooled kids spend most of their times around adults, they are always in the ‘real world’ mode.

A Better Result in the Long Run

There is a high chance that homeschooled kids will do better in their life. The entire system makes sense if we see it from an achievement point of view.

Many researchers suggest that homeschooled kids do better in given tasks. They have more patience and they do very well in colleges once they are enrolled.

A record shows that 67% of all the enrolled homeschoolers graduated from college in 2009 where only 59% traditional school going students graduated from college in the same year. 

A Community Only for Homeschoolers

Hundreds of thousands of parents made homeschooling work properly. And other parents are now inspired by them.

And that is why it has become extremely popular nowadays. More and more parents are choosing to homeschool their child in recent time.

They are choosing to homeschool because of the success stories of the homeschooled kids. After all, homeschooled kids have achieved much success in the last few years.

They have won the spelling bee, published books at an early age, got into Harvard and what not! 

Now you can take part in online Spelling Bee too! Check out the SBO section on Spellquiz today which is great for 6th grade spelling words or 7th grade spelling words. 

Because of these outstanding achievements, they have been featured in newspaper and national magazines several times in the last few years.

Now parents homeschool their children more than ever. The simple reason behind this is homeschooling is now easier than once it used to be.

The main factor of the boom is the availability of the resources. The internet is helping homeschooling parents incredibly.

You are Not Alone Anymore!

Parents felt very alone who homeschooled their kids in the beginning years. But now there is a strong and huge community for homeschoolers.

They can post about any problem at any time in their community platform using the internet. And there is always somebody to help out.

In the local homeschooling community, parents often share the teaching of certain subjects like math or science or history with each other. So, everybody does not have to be a master in all the necessary subjects.

Homeschooling parents also conduct physical-education classes and field trips to museums or historical sites.

Full of Resources

There are tons of academic learning materials available for homeschoolers. These resources are available in the form of books or online.

Many communities offer internet classes for homeschooled kids. Many have opened a resource center to help them out.

Communities are strong now. There is a platform where parents, as well as kids, discuss the betterment of the learning mechanism in the community. 

Check out this ultimate list of homeschooling resources. 

Some Success Stories that will Motivate You

How do you measure the success of homeschooled kids?

Well, there is some evidence that shows that homeschooling kids are doing tremendously well everywhere nowadays.

They typically score 70 to 80 percent marks on all the national standardized tests. That makes them well ahead of their counterparts from traditional public or private schools. 

A Maryland University professor conducted a study that shows that on average, a homeschooled kid in the primary grade is actually one grade level ahead of the kids from traditional schools.

By the time they are in the eighth grade, they are fourth grade-level beyond their friends from public or private schools.

They are Well-Accepted!

The most amazing thing about homeschooled kids is that hundreds of universities and colleges are enrolling them.

For example, in their last enrollment, Stanford University has 65 incoming freshmen who are actually homeschooled.

You will find the evidence that kids actually grow well if they are taught at home when you look at the first generation of the homeschoolers. They are doing well with their life.

These success stories are motivating hundreds of parents every day to homeschool their children rather sending them off to the schools.

What do You Require to Homeschool Your Child?

The Qualification You Need to Homeschool Your Kids

Is there any legal requirement for you to homeschool your kids? Well, actually there is.

The requirements vary from place to place in the United States. Some states have a little or no requirements and some have very standardized requirements, portfolio reviews, etc. for parents.

Holt, author of the bestselling book named ‘Teach Your Own’ says about the most important thing parents should consider to homeschool their children is that they have to like the physical presence and their company.

They have to take their energy positively and try to answer all of their questions patiently. They have to listen to what they have to say.

This clearly indicates that homeschooling requires equal interest and enthusiasm of both parents and kids.

Parents have to provide enough time for their kids to teach them at home. They need patience as well.

Apart from time, patience and interest, parents need some academic qualification as well.

The Requirements in the Different States of the USA

Let’s see what academic requirements are needed in different states across the United States.

Eleven states in the United States require either a high school diploma or GED of parents in order to teach their kids at home.

These eleven states are Washington, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, North Dakota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Washington state requires further qualification. Parents have to have college credits or home-based study completion certificate.

The rest of the 39 states does not require any kind of qualification of parents and allows any parent to homeschool kids.

Well, there are loops in six states that allows avoiding the required qualification. Parents can bypass their high school diploma or GED as followed

These three states allow parents to teach their children at home without a high school diploma or GED considering religion exemption. Virginia allows parents without qualification through an umbrella school.

These three states allow unqualified parents to teach their kids at home under the supervision of a qualified teacher. Most of the time it has to be a teacher. In Ohio, the teacher must have a bachelor degree.

These three states waive parents’ educational qualification at their discretion and allow them to homeschool their children.

The remaining five states Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina do not actually waive any requirements for any consideration. Parents must fulfill all the requirements to teach their kids at home. 

What About the Rest?

Apart from these 11 states, there are three states that have a set of standard for parents to homeschool their kids.

These three states are California, Kansas, and New York.

To teach students at home in these three states the parents have to be competent and capable of teaching.

However, they do not require any compulsory qualification. Nobody has any official authority to determine who is qualified and who is not.

In the rest of 36 states, no educational qualification is required whatsoever. These states allow many parents to homeschool their children regardless of any standard qualification.

Check out this comprehensive guideline on the rules about homeschooling in all the states in the US.

Some Important Tips for Parents to Start Homeschooling

Homeschooling is definitely a hard task for parents. They have to make sure that their kids are learning what is best for them.

When it comes to homeschooling, some common questions pop up in the mind. How the kids are learning and what they are learning are some of those questions?

In homeschooling, kids learn the majority of their lessons from their parents, especially during the early years. But teaching kids at home and parenting them at the same time is a tough job.

If you think of homeschooling and if don’t know where to start, here are some important tips for you which may come handy for you.

Find Out the Legal Boundaries

Public school rules and curriculums vary from state to state so does the homeschooling rules and regulations.

There are fifty different states law for fifty states in the United States and parents have to be clear on what their state requires for homeschooling.

Moreover, parents need to be always prepared when they think about homeschool their children.

Every state in the United States allows parents to homeschool their kids but some states ask them to register as a private school. Some states ask the homeschooled child to sit for the standardized test.

If you do not know what your states require, you better visit your state’s homeschool association to be sure.

Select a Proper Approach

The amazing thing about homeschooling is it has flexibility. You have the freedom to choose what your kids learn and how they learn it.

If you want a traditional school environment in your home you have to follow the traditional curriculum approach which is also known as a structured curriculum approach.

This structured traditional education at formal schools greatly focuses on the greatest works of Western literature of all time.

Where homeschooling parents allow their kids to select courses they like most and that are most effective for them.

You can, of course, take formula from other homeschooling parents and take your decision from it.

Join the Local Homeschooling Communities

As you can already guess, homeschooling can be lonely if you do not get yourself introduced to other homeschooling parents in your community.

With its growing popularity, you will find many homeschooling parents nearby. And there are many homeschool communities nowadays.

Tap yourself into your local homeschool community, cause without an outsider’s help homeschooling can become a tough job.

In your community, you can actually share your experiences, ask for suggestions from other homeschooling parents.

Most importantly, your kids will see other homeschooled kids and can make friends from this type of community.

Moreover, many zoos and museums are now creating events for homeschooled kids and parents. 

Have Patience!

A study shows that it takes almost a year for parents to blend in the homeschooling system.

So, you have to be patient with yourself and with your kids. Don’t lose your temper or patience.

At first, you may find it super exhausting, but once you get into the system, you will start enjoying it.  Knowing other homeschooling parents will help a lot.

Now that you know some important tips, it will be easier for you to start homeschooling. Best of luck!

How Can Parents Start Homeschooling Their Kids?

Homeschooling is a big decision for parents. They need prior preparation for homeschooling their children.

The thought of homeschooling kids does not just come out suddenly. Most of the parents take their decision after necessary researches and preparation for a long time to homeschool their kids.

And when its time, they know what to do. But how do parents start homeschooling their kids?

Well, there are many ways to homeschool kids. But most parents have some common questions in their mind. 

When they know the answers to these common but confusing questions, it gets easier for them to take their decision.

Let’s see some of these common questions and their answers.

Do Parents Require a Formal Education Degree or Any Special Educational Certificate?

When it comes to homeschooling, the first thing that appears in the parents’ mind is that if they need any kind of educational background or any special certificate to homeschool their kids.

In the US, all the states allow homeschooling and most of them require no educational background of parents.

But some states have some specific requirements for parents which parents have to ensure to homeschool their kids.

In some states, parents need a high school degree, in some states parents have to have college credits to teach their kids at home.

But no special certificate or training is needed for parents to homeschool their kids.

How to Start Homeschooling?

Kids who have never been to any formal school will start homeschooling as soon as they enter the age of going to school.

And then some requirements pop up in some particular states and parents have to adhere to these requirements.

But kids who have been to formal school before but want to start homeschooling, they have a different process to follow.

They have to write a letter of withdrawal to the school principal or the local superintendent who is in charge of the school.

The letter will be about the parents’ intention to remove their kids from school and start teaching them at home.

Now that parents notified the school, now they have to follow their district’s given guideline.

Is There Any State Funding for Homeschool Programs?

In some states in the USA, there are fundings for homeschool programs. These optional state-run programs or funds, the states provide for some resources for free to meet some necessary requirements for homeschool program.

But these government-funding homeschool programs vary from state to state. Different state has a different scheme for homeschoolers.

However, in most of the cases, parents and families fun their child’s education of their own.

Is There Any Community for Homeschooling Parents and Kids?

With the increasing popularity, many families have decided to teach their kids at home rather sending them to formal schools.

And with this, there is actually a large number of people who homeschool their kids nowadays.

There are local communities for people who homeschool their kids and these communities are very active.

Homeschooling kids have access to an arrangement of resources and social networks in almost all the states in the US.

And these communities, families get together for shared classes, they organize social events and they discuss together on the betterment of their kids.

Ways to Follow (for Parents)

Many parents seek the answer to this question.  What are the ways that all the parents follow to homeschool their kids?

Well, there are no such formal ways to homeschool kids but some universal practice is there that most of the parents follow.

We can learn how parents homeschool their kids if we know the answers to some questions. Many parents have these questions in their mind before they start homeschooling.

Once parents know the answers to these questions, it will be easier for them to homeschool their kids.

Let’s see these questions and their answers.

How Could Kids of Different Ages Homeschool Together?

This is an important question almost all the parents have in their mind before starting homeschooling.

There may be kids of different ages in a family and how they are taught together? Because we know there are many subjects which are age and grade specific. Arts, History, and Literature are such subjects.

Well, parents may teach history for example at the same time to all their kids and then give an assignment in accordance with their age and grade. It will reflect their ability according to their age.

In other subjects like Math and Reading, parents may teach each child once at a time so that they get the necessary attention and their individual needs are fulfilled.

Other children can do their individual homework in the meantime or can play in another room.

What Happens When Parents are Sick?

Like I said earlier, the most amazing thing about homeschooling is the flexibility it offers. Parents can make the curriculum and teaching schedule at a time which is convenient for all.

Even if the parents are sick, the important aspects of the day are not hampered. They can ensure their necessary works are done. They can give instruction from bed if needed. 

Parents may have to cancel the group works that need direct supervision from them, but they can focus on the need of the individual kids.

And most importantly, if one parent is sick, another parent can carry on the extra load if that if that is a two-parent family and if that option is available. So, both the parents can contribute to the schedule. 

What Types of Curriculums are Followed While Homeschooling Kids?

Since the number of homeschooled kids have increased, so does the variety of curriculum and resources that are available today.

The catalogs are full of different available options based on different educational philosopher and learning approaches.

 The curriculum also depends on the time and effort that parents or homeschool tutor can put every day and their method of instruction and so on so forth.

In homeschool, kids are usually taught typical subjects which are also taught in different formal school programs. The kids are also taught those subjects they are especially interested in.

In his bestselling book, ‘The Element’, Ken Robison has said that the key to educational transformation is not to standardize education but to personalize it, discover the individual talents of each student, put them in such environment where they want to learn things and where they will discover their true passions.

Homeschooled kids get a natural environment with their parents where parents can ensure a personalized curriculum or an instruction for every kid. 

How Do You Maintain Homeschool Schedule?

Homeschool has its necessary flexibility. It does not have any hard and fast rules like a normal traditional school does.

Flexibility is the key feature of homeschooling. Everything depends on the parents and the kids when they schedule for study.

If we want to know how homeschool schedules are maintained, we have to see some questions and their and their answers.

Every parent who wants to homeschool their kids have these questions in their mind. When they come to know the answers, it will be much easier for them to teach their kids at home.

Let’s see some widely asked questions and answers and it will be all clear to us. 

Do Homeschooling Parents Follow Traditional Structural School Hours?

Homeschooling parents organized their days in a way that is best for them and their kids. Many parents love to teach early in the morning as every school does.

Some of the parents want to make homeschool less different from traditional schools. They create a school-like environment.

Some parents follow their kid’s enthusiasm and make a routine according to it. They ensure flexibility in learning. They allow their child whatever they want to learn and whenever it is.

There are some educational philosophies that influence the structure of the homeschooling parents’ today.

Most of the families follow only one system – the traditional school like style with textbooks, desks are arranged in rows and a standardized evaluation system.

But there are many more arrangements of educational philosophies that exist. They are very effective and can be beneficial as well.

Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Leadership Education, Montessori, Interest-led Learning, Unit Study are some of those educational philosophies.

Most importantly, homeschooling parents have the freedom and the necessary instruments to blend different ideas and make such a system that best meets their children’s interest.

Do You Have to Follow Traditional Public School Calendar Year?

Like I said hundreds of time, homeschoolers have a flexible curriculum. They have complete freedom on how the structure of their school year would be.

Many parents teach their kids following the formal school calendar. Some parents school their kids all year round.

A lot of parents teach their kids whenever it is suitable for both kids and parents and take off whenever they feel they need breaks.

Are Homeschooled Kids More Advanced than Public School’s Kids?

Homeschooled kids can study and make progress in accordance with their timetable and temperament.

A study conducted by the National Home Education Research Institute shows that kids who are homeschooled have a higher average in standardized test compare to the kids in public schools.

Homeschooled kids score 87 percent where traditional public school going kids score only 50 percent in these standardized tests.

But it has both sides like a coin. Homeschooled kids are ahead of several grades in some subjects and behind in other subjects than school going kids.

The Way Your Homeschooled Kids Move Forward

Homeschooled kids are sometimes ahead of traditional public school going kids. They get a proper environment which allows them to grow well.

But homeschool has many similarities with the public school curriculum and the way of teaching. Parents sometimes follow the traditional school approach at home to teach their kids.

When you homeschool your kids, their learning will depend on the measures you have taken to teach them.

Here we will answer of some of the frequently asked questions. It will allow you to know how homeschooled kids are moving forward and preparing themselves for the future.

Do Homeschooled Kids Receive Homework?

Homework in the homeschool system is not very important. Often homeschool lessens the need for traditional homework, unlike public schools.

In public schools, there are many students attend the same class. It gets harder to teach them and assess them.

But in homeschool, only students are your kids. So, classwork is complete within a short period of time during the school hour and it eliminates an extra load of work after class time.

Homeschool allows parents to teach one-on-one. As a tutor, parents are able to observe their kids constantly as they learn.

This observation helps parents to make sure that their kids’ have proficiency and struggle. Parents tailor assignments for their kids in accordance with their need.  

With the flow of time, homeschooled kids grow old and they attend more traditional classes.

As they get older, they may get into the community colleges and begin their college studies early than other public school students.

How Homeschooled Kids Receive Grades?

Grading is not very important to all the people. It varies from person to person. These grading systems in some subjects are not very significant nowadays.

But some parents asses their kids’ and administer grade test. They do it with the help of computer programs.

It allows students freedom and they allow kids to grow up at their own pace as long as they master the necessary materials.

Do Homeschooled Kids are obliged to Take Standardized Tests in Order to Move to the Next Grade?

Some states require standardized testing at some specific circumstances. It differs from state to state.

Some families or parents want to have their kids tested for clarification and to ensure that their kids are making progress academically.

But some homeschooling parents think that there is no need for standardized tests until a certain period of time.

How Long Should You Continue Homeschooling?

It entirely depends on parents on how long they would continue to homeschool their kids.

Homeschooling can be continued up until a student gets into a college or he or she graduates.

Families or parents may choose to homeschool throughout their child’s complete education period.

Again many parents homeschool their kids for a few years and then again send their kids to the mainstream formal schools.

Most of the colleges now are taking note of homeschooling’s popularity and every Ivy League universities have recruited and accepted students who are actually homeschooled.

Homeschooled kids enjoy a flexible study schedule and they move forward with what they are learning from their parents or homeschool tutor.

What Are Some Best Homeschooling Methods?

Homeschooling has become widely mainstream. As a result, a wide range of teaching method is available nowadays.

Most of the homeschooling parents are liberal when it comes to choosing a method for teaching their kids.

No family generally wants to make a boundary by following only one philosophy. Because homeschool is all about flexibility and freedom.

And that is why parents blend different philosophies and methods and make such a method that serves the best interest of their child. 

Parents usually consider their children’s individual needs, their age and grade and their stage of development to choose an effective learning method for their children.

Here are eight common methods which are widely used by homeschooling parents. These eight methods will give you an overview of how parents teach their child effectively at home.

You can choose a method which best fits for you and your children or you can combine different methods together to make an effective method for your family.

Traditional Homeschooling Method

This traditional homeschooling method is like traditional school teaching system. It mirrors the typical classroom approach to learning.

In this method, parents generally use textbooks, workbooks, boards, etc. to teach their child. They conduct tests to keep track of their kids’ performance and progress.

In this method, parents can have a separate room in their house for teaching their kids at school hours.

Some kids love to learn from wall-mounted boards, do worksheets, this method is best suited for them.

But as a parent when you choose to homeschool, you may want to experiment with other methods and philosophies first as the main focus of homeschooling is the flexibility it offers.

So, many families think out of the box about teaching their kids at home and follow other approaches rather than the traditional ones. 

Classical Education Homeschooling Method

Parents who choose the classical education method to homeschool their kids usually base their kids’ education on the trivium.

Trivium is a method of learning that has three distinct stages. Each stage has its own focus and specialties.

The framework of this method includes language learning such as Greeks and Latin, the study of the classical work of the literature and philosophy, etc.

The first stage starts with grammar learning. Kids start learning grammar at a young age in this method. The main aspect of this stage is to memorize facts and figures.

The second stage starts at around fifth grade. This is called the logic stage. This stage begins when children are able to understand the relationship between different events and their causes and effects.

Students progress towards the final stage when they enter in their teenage. This phase is called the rhetoric stage.

This stage focuses on the ability of students to express themselves in both writings and speeches. They are able to express their thoughts about what they are learning at this stage.

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Method

This is a different kind of approach which was developed by Charlotte Mason a teacher from Britain. She developed this method in the late 1800s.

In this approach she had her students read original works by noted authors instead of giving them textbooks.

She wanted them to be familiar with great thoughts. She believed that this is how students will think naturally for themselves and their well-nourished body will grow physically, intellectually, morally and spiritually which is the sole focus of education.

This approach has been revived among the homeschooling parents where they teach nature study, short academic lessons, art and music, narration, etc.

Waldorf Education Method

This approach was developed by an Australian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner, in the late 1800s. This is a holistic approach to education.

This method focuses not only on the education and development of the children’s mind but also on their character, compassion, and creativity.

Subjects like math and reading come with drawing and teachers incorporate storytelling, the study of nature and different craftworks in their curriculum.

Though this educational philosophy led to a popular private school movement, the homeschooling parents embraced this method of education. 

Interest-led Learning Approach

This learning approach solely focuses on children’s personal goals and interests. Their individual interest is the basis of their education according to this method.

The movement took into place when a classroom teacher named John Holt found himself frustrated with the flaws of the traditional school system.

He was a pioneer to advocate homeschooling in the early 70s. He wrote a book named How Children Fail.

In this book, he wrote that children should not be made to learn to be better and they should not be told what to do and how to do. Rather they should have enough access to see the world. They will find out what is best for them and they will find a better path for themselves.

Leadership Education Model

This model is also known as the Thomas Jefferson Education model. The followers of this philosophy believe that kids learn in different ways at the different stages of their development.

This approach takes students through three different stages. Core, love of learning and scholar are the three stages.

In this method of education, classical books, inspiration from the parent-teacher play a vital role in the homeschooling.

The core phase mainly focuses on the family relationship development, the love of learning allows kids to learn things of their own interest and the scholar phase makes student study traditional books and learn academic stuff.

Unit-study Homeschooling Method

This method allows students to select a subject that they feel most interested in. Parents who enjoy hands-on work can incorporate this method.

This method of teaching takes more time to make preparation than other methods.

Students are given the opportunity to learn intensively and inclusively on the subject or topic they feel interested in.

Different art, handwriting and craftwork assignments can be included in the unit’s topic so that kids grow interested in these subjects.

Montessori Homeschooling Method

An Italian physician named Maria Montessori developed this philosophy in the early 1990s.

This philosophy focuses on the hands-on experience, freedom, flexibility in choosing subjects and the study environment which led to a popular private school movement.

Homeschooling parents who follow the Montessori Method, observe the development of their kids and what they are ready to learn and provide guideline according to that.

 

Best Homeschooling Resources Available Online

Have you seriously considered homeschooling? While you make your decision let’s see some of the best homeschooling resources that are available all over the internet.

The president of the National Research Institute has declared homeschool as the fastest-growing form of education nowadays.

And this huge popularity resulted in a huge number of homeschooling online resources than ever before.

This large number of resources can be very helpful to the new parents and students who start homeschooling programs. It makes the process easy to get started.

We have a list of available online tools which will assist parents to get started and to figure out if this educational form will work for your family. Let’s see the list.

Get the New Educational Philosophy

Many homeschooling kids become surprised at the beginning to see a verity of educational methods and philosophies.

It has the opportunity and freedom to blend these styles and make a better mix which serves the best purpose of your children. It is your duty to find out a solution that fits best in your children.

Charlotte Mason

This 19th-century British educational reformer and philosopher who put her importance on qualitative literature, studies of nature, narration, etc.

 

Classical Education Method

It shows that there are three stages of children’s education. These stages are grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Together these three stages are called trivium.

Leadership Education Method

This is also known as Thomas Jefferson Educational Method or TJEd in short. This method allows students to focus on how to think and what to think. It gives importance to reading classical writings and discussing them with a mentor.

Interest-led Learning Method

This method was given by the educational reformist and pioneer John Holt. Homeschooling parents who follow this method usually allow their children’s interest to make the base of their study.

 This method believes that children are by nature curious and they have their own desire to learn different things.

Montessori Homeschooling Method

Italian physicist Maria Montessori developed this method in the early 1900s. This method solely focuses on the hands-on experiences, choice, and order in the learning environment.

Best Websites That Will Answer All Your Questions

It is okay if you are confused about the legal boundaries of homeschooling. You already know that homeschooling is legal in every state in the US and many foreign countries.

There are some websites which are always ready to answer all your legal questions. All you just need is ask them. 

Here, I’m giving some website where you can ask all your queries.

Home School Legal Defense Association

This is a non-profit organization. A bunch of lawyers started this in 1983. Their main goal is to provide information about the current law regarding homeschooling.

The other responsibility of them is to provide legal support to those homeschooling parents who face legal challenges.

In its international section, you will find the homeschooling rules and regulations of another country. It will give you an overview of the recent policies around the globe.

Home School Legal

This website allows visitors to search for information state by state. You have to select a state to know all about homeschooling in that particular state.

This website contains law summaries, downloadable e-books, forms, and checklists, etc.

Check Out the Best Homeschool Curriculums Available Online

Whenever you are ready to homeschool your kids, the first question that will pop up into your mind is which curriculum to follow.

Out of many curriculums, it is not very easy to find out the best one or you. But there’s nothing to worry about.

I’ve made a list of best online curriculums for you. You can explore them and will be able to find out which one best fits for you.

Oak Meadow

This child-centered approach gives importance on delivering knowledge for preschool kids through high school and uses their imagination power emphasizing on creative arts, literature, drawings, music, painting etc.

 Moving Beyond the Page 

This curriculum comes in a package which focuses on the critical thinking and comprehension for kids how are 5 to 12 years old.

This curriculum observes students’ learning style, their strength and gives project-oriented instruction.

K12 

This curriculum is fully integrated and complete and it offers online support and solution and assessment tools.

Through this curriculum, kids will meet their standard of education in homeschools.

Homeschool Reviews

It is foolish to spend money on a curriculum you have no idea about. If you hear from other homeschooling parents it will be easier for you to make decisions.

In these websites, parents give an extensive and unbiased review of hundreds of different homeschooling curriculum.

Some of the Best Online Learning Platforms

The Internet has given homeschooling students access to a lot of online resources and learning tools. It has brought a positive change in educational possibilities.

Here are some best online learning websites that have enough resources to help out homeschoolers in need.

Khan Academy 

This is free for all online learning platform on the internet where students can actually learn things free of cost. Yes, you will get the helps on the homeschooling online for free!

It has a large number of subjects for students to choose from. Subjects include math, biology, physics, chemistry, finance, history, etc.

The website contains short video clips on each subject. It has inclusive video clips for interactive practice as well so that students can assess them of their own.

Starfall 

This website contains video games, short videos and phonetics reading materials and e-books. And all of them are completely free of cost.

Kids can play video games, start learning readings using phonetics and watch videos to learn sounds from this website.

Clickschooling

The main feature of this website is that you get free email on web-oriented curriculum that is free directly in your address and this service is available 6 days a week.

And another amazing feature is students can take virtual field trip and tours in many places like the London Museum or Kentucky Farm etc.

Time4Learning 

This can be a good resource for you if your kid is a gaming enthusiastic. Your children get access to learn games in order to improve their math, science, social science studies and reading for a certain amount of fee.

Reading Eggs 

If you are looking for a platform for teaching your children to read, this website is for you. Your kids make progress through fun lessons.

This website provides your kids with reading learning materials and gives online rewards based on their performance.

Academic Earth

Time magazine listed this website as one of the top 50 websites in 2009. It contains intensive and advanced lectures in a variety of subjects at completely free of cost.

Best Blogs for Homeschoolers

You will be a better homeschooling mentor when you surround yourself with parents who are already doing it.

Blogs provide you with this opportunity. These homeschooling blogs are full of contents that show the lifestyle of the homeschooling parents and homeschooled kids.

Let’s see some of the best homeschooling blogs.

Simple Homeschool 

This blog has nine writers who contribute lessons for a variety of age group kids from preschool to high school.

It helps parents by providing direction and encourages them to consider homeschooling for their kids. It also gives practical advice and reviews on different curriculums.

Special Needs Homeschooling 

Some parents consider homeschooling who have kids with disabilities because they want to provide some extra care for their child’s special needs.

In this blog, a mother of five kids who need special care writes about her experiences and give suggestion so that other parents might find some sort of support.

 

9 Facts about Homeschooling You need to Know

There are hundreds of thousands of parents who are homeschooling their kids nowadays. They have their own different experiences and stories.

Homeschooling parents do everything public or private school teacher does. They give homework, taking students to field trips, do science experiments and take vacations.

But still, they are a minority in their society. And their neighbor may think if they are really learning anything or parents just spoiling them with tons of freedoms.

Many of them think that these homeschooling kids are isolated from others and their socialization is not good enough.

With these different situations, many homeschooling parents have shared their experience and their views on those who think that homeschooling has just come out of a nasty Pandora’s Box.

Here I’m sharing some of the thoughts homeschooling parents want you to know about their lifestyle.

Homeschooled Kids are Not Isolated

Many commoners think that homeschooled kids are isolated. But they do not live in a bubble. If anyone thinks that they are some lonely bunch of people, they are completely wrong.

Many common parents wonder how homeschooled kids are socialized. But they should know these kids have a huge community. They make friends and hang out like a school going kid does.

Surrounding with people of different age in different stages of life reflects real life. And it helps.

On the other hand, school going kids spend the majority of their time in a day with kids of their own age. It does not allow them to learn many things homeschooled kids are learning at their home and their communities.

Being Judgemental is a Problem

Judging homeschooling parents and kids is a problem and it doesn’t help in any way.

Homeschooling parents have to face judging from both their community and outside of their community. It is a serious problem.

As a result, most of the time homeschooling parents gave to explain themselves and justify their decisions.

The criticism and sometimes daunting they get from neighbor and relatives is heartbreaking.

Many people think that homeschooling parents are just lazy and that is why they let their kids stay at home and don’t let them go to school.

It Takes a Lot to Homeschool A Kid!

Teaching kids at home is a huge process and it requires a lot of things to be done. It has to be inclusive and interactive.

Teacher in traditional schools do not always have access to all the resources and they cannot afford to take care of every student equally in the class.

But in homeschools, parents have access to a vast number of resources that are available online, libraries and in their own communities.  

Parents can provide a mentor for a better result. Even there are freelance writers who teach writings to the homeschoolers.

And most importantly, parents can take care of all their kids equally.

Homeschooling Mostly Mirrors Schools

A common scenario of homeschooling is mom teaching her kids sitting at a kitchen table. But it does not have to be like this always.

There are many communities and co-operative organizations of homeschoolers where you will find classrooms, periods, lunch break just like a traditional school. But of course with necessary flexibility and freedom unlike traditional schools.

To teach kids at home, all you have to know where to make the boundary between being a parent and being their mentor.

Parents Have the Control Over Speed

The greatest thing about homeschooling is, it gives necessary flexibility and freedom a kid requires for his development in every stage of life.

Here in homeschooling, parents have control over everything. They can craft the curriculum and make syllabus in a way their kids can cope up with.

Every homeschooling parent gets into details when their kids need help. And they can, of course, speed up where their kids are up for it.

They can control the speed of learning. They have this freedom to teach fast sometimes and then slow whenever they feel like.

Sometimes Life Gets In

Life doesn’t work in the same way all the time. It has ups and downs. Sometimes inevitable issues come up.

Kids get sick, parents get sick, the dishwasher stops working these everyday distractions can hamper a lesson plan.

Again, it is a tough job to homeschool a young kid and an older kid together. They need individual attention.

Sometimes, kids, as well as parents, can take an off day. These issues are all there and parents have to deal with them.

Homeschooling Could Become Exhausting at Times

Homeschooling parents have to be with their kids 24/7 and it is indeed very pressure.

The workload for homeschooling is very high. Parents have to do research, make a syllabus for their kids, plan time for teaching and finally teach them.

And homeschooling parents sometimes wish they could take a coffee break.

As a result, homeschooling requires self-discipline. Moreover, parents have to make sure the separation between the home and the environment where they are taught.

It Makes Family Bonding Strong

The blessing thing in homeschooling is that kids get to spend all their time with people they love and really care about.

Homeschooling makes parents and kids closer. This creates an understanding between them.

As a result, they can spend more time with each other unlike a regular school going kids. It allows them to have an emotional attachment between parents and kids.

And interestingly, parents and kids can enjoy their evening without any tension of completing the homework given by the school.

Homeschoolers Have a Great Community

Another good thing about homeschooling is that they stick together, help each other when needed and of course give support and encouragement.

These communities arrange different events throughout the year and showcase family projects. It encourages other parents to participate in these events.

In communities, kids and parents get to know other kids and parents, share their experiences, and of course, they befriend each other.

Together, they are strong enough to fight any odd.

How to Overcome Homeschool Related Burnout?

As we have discussed earlier, homeschooling can be an amazing experience and a road full of excitement. Or it can be a stressful journey with an overwhelming level of stress and anxiety.

Many parents stop homeschooling kids and send their kids to traditional schools out of frustration and stress.

Burnout is a very common thing in homeschooling. Almost every parent burns out because of stress but many do not admit it.

Burnout has many forms. Depression, exhaustion are two of the causes. At a certain point, homeschooling might not feel enjoyable.

You have to learn how to control stress and anxiety and stay cool even in the worst situation. Does it sound fancy?

Well, it won’t when you read our homeschooling burnout combatting formulas. All you have to do is read it carefully.

Do Not Compare Yourself With Other

Comparing yourself to everybody else only results in worse. So, stop doing this. It won’t give you any solution rather the opposite. It is one of the main reasons for students to get afraid of the tests in the first place. 

This is a piece of good advice for all the parents. But it results worse for homeschooling parents.

Homeschooling parents always feel that they have to prove themselves to others that their kids need to be better than others who go to public schools.

Homeschool parents who fall into this trap are always restless and they are always doubtful about if they are doing everything enough for their kids.

And this inevitably results in overburden and makes the parents burnout.

But this comparing game is bad for you as well as your kid. Your energy will be better used when you focus on the betterment of your child rather than comparing them with others.

Get Support From Others

Being a parent is already a tough job but when you have a double role combining of parents and teacher, it can be very stressful.

They have to express the attitude of both parent and teacher at the same time. And they have to play the role of both parent and teacher.

As you can understand, it can be a stressful job. You have to be extra careful about this.

Getting helps from others help. Ask help from others when any subject or topic creates tension between you and your kid.

But this is not always about a specific subject. This is sometimes about blending in the community with other people.

It is very important to get into the homeschooling community. Other parents are there who have faced some adversity and they are there to help you out.

Try to Accept Your Limitations

It is completely okay that you have some limitations. Everyone does. Accept your limitations.

After a certain period of time if your burnout doesn’t go away, maybe it is time for you to stop homeschooling and enroll your child in a traditional school.  Many parents did that.

But homeschooling parents do not take this decision very easily. They sometimes feel terrible to let their child go to public schools.

But homeschooling is all about providing a better learning opportunity for your kids, and if you think you are unable to provide that, you should give up. And you should not feel bad about it.

This is how you will be able to combat burnout.

The Future of Homeschooling

Recently homeschooling has become very mainstream. The number of students choosing to homeschool over traditional institutional education doubled over the last few decades. 

The use of internet has brought a huge revolution in the method of study. Now endless information is available all over the internet. 

Homeschool is already very popular and most probably it will be the future of education. The formal education system can break down, who knows!

The advocates of homeschooling give importance to the freedom and flexibility it offers, the family time they get together and customized learning opportunity.

They give their focus on the overcrowded public schools, rigid rules, and super stressed teacher when they oppose the traditional school system.  

 On the contrary, critics claim that homeschooling lacks in socialization and the power oversight. They think that homeschoolers cannot easily mix with people and they are unable to take things in the way it is. 

Well, you can see both homeschooling pros and cons from different perspectives. But the interesting thing is, people are accepting this system more than ever before.

Technology has grown tremendously in the recent few years. Education systems have also been blessed with technology. 

A new term ‘EdTech’ has arrived which means education technology. Though many technologies have been invented, the development process is going on. Still, there are unlimited areas of education where technology can grow in the future.

Let’s see what changes technology can bring in the future.

Education Through Augmented Reality

We have all heard about augmented reality. In the future, students can learn through this augmented reality.

They can virtually visit an art gallery when they learn the art or a biology student can see through an animal or plant through this technology.

Even more, students can go on a field trip with the help of this tech.

Things have changed, classrooms are no longer the mecca of learning neither books are not the best resource for learning anymore.

Education Through Games

Now, kids have less attention span than before. And today’s kids love video games.

In the future, students may learn through video games. Video games will incorporate learning tools. This gamification learning will be a cool thing in the future.

Computer Programming

Programming languages and coding has become a mainstream subject to study on these days. Students don’t need to go to traditional schools to learn and practice coding in programming languages.

What next is coming to the education sector? Well, nobody knows. We will have to wait and see what changes technology brings for us. 

Also, try this vocabulary test to understand your current skill level! Try these spelling tests to master English spelling! Also, don’t forget to check the complete list of spelling words.  

Children are naturally explorative and instinctive. Entertaining activities always attract them more than homework or any other tedious task. However, if a child is taking a longer than expected time to complete an assigned task, or is simply distracted during any activity, he or she is having problems concentrating on one thing at a time. So, how should you increase their attention span?

Your child did not hear something you said, because he had gotten distracted for a moment. Or, your kid is too slow to finish his or her meal. Maybe that your kid leaves a job incomplete to play games or watch TV. Doesn’t seem much of a problem, right?

Such a lack of concentration and having attention span short can affect children’s academic performance because they might often miss out parts of a lecture or be late to submit classwork and homework. Consequentially, they may have many other problems as kids or grownups throughout their lives if they do not improve their concentration.

It is absolutely necessary to identify a child’s trouble with single-mindedness and to provide all the support needed in order to increase his or her attentiveness.

What can cause inattentiveness?

Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be generalized that all children who are lacking concentration are facing the same problem. Inattentiveness in different kids may be caused by different reasons.

Lack of understanding

Lack of concentration can be often positively correlated to a lack of understanding. When a child does not understand a particular thing well, he or she will tend to avoid any work related to that. For instance, for a kid who is bad at maths, doing just about anything else is more interesting than finishing a maths assignment. Chances are they’ll be falling behind even if they try to focus.

Poor routine

It is not uncommon for the kids of the current generation to stay up all night playing mobile games on their parents’ phone. Does your child have a disrupted sleep cycle and odd timings to do homework? Then it is most likely that they have a shortened attention span due to their poor daily routine.

An improper order of everyday activities can heavily impact the functions of a child’s brain, especially concentration level. Lack of sleep hinders children’s ability to pay attention to. It is indispensable to build a habit of doing everything at the right hour of the day in your children.

Unhealthy diet

However silly it may sound, but maintaining a diet is all about balancing nutrients in your child’s body. For infants, brain development is dependent on nutrition. Intake of proteins, good fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, water, and minerals- all should be as required. Lack of nutrients may lead to tiredness, attention deficiency and an overall incurious attitude in youngsters.

On the other hand, diet is also important because to some extent it controls the daily activity pattern. High caffeine, e.g., coffee and cola, can lead to sleep deprivation. Thus, it is important to make sure your kid is not skipping meals and also eating the right food.

Absence of practice

If a child is good at doing something, it is obvious they can do it swiftly. In fact, they enjoy doing what they’re great at and tend to pay their full attention to it. Sometimes, they simply find a task hard to concentrate on because they’ve never practiced it.

Their attention span may be decreased when they lack the practice of a specific topic, work or just being in a particular environment. The more they practice something, the better they will get at it, and they will develop enthusiasm.

Shaping your child’s routine in such a way that he or she has the habit of irregularity, and is not used to doing certain tasks, he or she will be drawn to becoming indifferent and distracted.

Unmotivated

Especially when it comes to studies, not finding the motivation to do well or to achieve something is often responsible for a distraction. Staring at the window in the middle of reading comprehension or a book, singing a line or two of a song while saying the table of a number- these can be signs that they are just not inspired to study.

Difficult tasks

Often when a child is given a task which he or she finds hard, they will have trouble focusing on that task. Even before beginning to work on that, children may get scared thinking it is too tough for them.

Difficult tasks may also refer to something too lengthy for engagement. If you expect your child to concentrate on work which is going to take 3 hours straight, it is probably just not possible. During school hours as well, longer periods tend to bore children, and they stop paying attention to the lectures and procrastinate.

Stress or trauma

The attention span of a kid can be largely affected by stress. Children who either feel pressure or are mentally disturbed regarding something in their environment may have trouble focusing on studies or anything else.

For example, a child facing problems at home such as frequent fights in the family will tend to be more lost and distracted. Also, if a child is unable to make friends at the school or is bullied, he or she will develop a general dislike for school and thus will not concentrate in school activities.

Being anxious about something such as grades, overall performance or something in the family can also have an impact on a child’s concentration levels. In addition to these, another possible reason is some sort of trauma, such as losing someone or something cherished by them — such loss results in trouble concentrating on anything.

Lack of surveillance

To learn anything, supervision is something of vital importance for children. They need to be observed and guided. However, if you are not paying enough attention when your child is completing a task, chances are they will not develop the habit of putting their concentration into that.

Indifferent attitude from parents diminishes children’s attention span. Kids do not value the assigned tasks for them, and some may also start to feel insignificant if parents are not conscious enough.

Disorganization

If a child fails to organize how he or she will accomplish a task, they will not be able to pay attention and focus even if they try hard. It could lead them to have an attention span of a goldfish!

Organization of not only homework and other activities, but also everything in the surrounding is very important to create an environment where one can direct all of his or her concentration on something in particular.

A messy room, untidy workspace or inorganized notebook- can be signs that your child is inadequate in sorting things out. Imagine how much effort does that child have to put in order to do an assignment? Finding all the materials and finally starting the job can take pretty long and be quite tiring to draw the focus into the actual work then.

Handling every task in a disciplined manner benefits a child in so many ways, including its influence on their attention span.

Common distractions

One of the ultimate reasons for a child getting distracted is nothing but his or her greater attraction towards something else. For any parent, it is not unfamiliar that their child either loves sports, or games or watching TV and so on.

It is normal and in fact, necessary for everyone to have a favorite pass time or hobby. Nevertheless, it is troublesome when the hobby becomes a priority. This comes as a tremendous responsibility for parents as for children it is a major diversion from assignments or other work.

Kids end up thinking about how they will pass the current level on their favorite game, or what is the current situation in their favorite series, or maybe Ironman, Batman, and Superman- in the middle of carrying out an assignment.

Learning difficulties

Nonetheless, if your kid is having constant disruptions, persistent trouble in concentrating on studies, and poor grades, it could be time to consider and find out if your child has any sort of learning difficulties such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Dyslexia, or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Such conditions come with a high chance of weakening a kid’s attention span. In fact, in many cases, kids are entirely unable to pay attention to anything at all.

Expecting to improve your child’s concentration can only be turned into reality if you consider all his or her shortcomings and reasons of distraction to take necessary steps and to overcome the challenges.

 

Ways to increase attention span and concentration

When a child is unwilling to pay attention, it can get pretty hard to direct his or her concentration. Here are some strategies and tips to make children more attentive, so that parents do not have to invest all their energy in getting children back to the focus when they are trying to complete a task.

Motivate and Encourage children

Kids need direction and structure to guide them so that they can achieve what they deserve. Parents can inspire children so that they develop determination and resolution to focus and work hard. You can motivate your child in different ways, depending on his or her interests.

Setting goals are one of the primary steps. If you set certain goals, that is going to give children just the right amount of push to fulfill a task without feeling pressurized.

Rewarding children can also work wonders when it comes to building enthusiasm in youngsters. However, instead of bribing your kids, reward them with something meaningful — for instance, a day out with the family or some fun activities at home.

Children are good at imitating; thus, they pick up expressions, habits, and life skills from the people they spend time with. The behavior of parents’ and the example they lead can play a great role in improving a child’s attention span.

Ensure minimal distractions

Make sure your child is not spending more time watching TV, movies, cartoons, playing games on mobile or PlayStation than he or she should. Once they are addicted to any of it, they will always get distracted thinking about these even while doing other work.

More importantly, when your child is trying to do something, like homework or painting or any other task, you should keep the distractions as little as possible. For instance, do not leave the TV on when your child is trying to focus. It is definitely going to make them want to see what is going on in the TV or simply the sound can break their concentration. Similarly, do not talk loudly or play music, etc. Create an environment which promotes mindfulness.

Minimizing distractions also include keeping all the necessary materials at hand so that your child does not need to get up to get anything. Also, make a list of the little things that tend to distract your kid.

Set up a timetable

Balance is necessary. Build a timetable for children so that they can manage time between their assignments, hobbies, interests, etc. In that way, the will not be deprived of spending their time doing what they like. On the other hand, they will also have allocated time to work on their tasks. Chances of distraction are less as they will know they have a fixed time for all the activities. So, they can focus on one at a time.

Moreover, setting up a timetable also ensures a child is getting enough sleep in the night. As lack of sleep is one of the main causes of having a shorter attention span, this can largely benefit children. When a child is disciplined and maintains a proper lifestyle, concentrating on a particular thing becomes much easier for him or her.

One task at a time

Multitasking may be important at some point in one’s life. However, multitasking from a very young age may be one of the reasons that your child is unable to concentrate on any given task solely. After all, it can get pretty confusing for a kid to decide what to focus on when they have more than one missions to deal with.

Do not overwhelm children with a string of tasks. This causes them to struggle in organizing how they can complete all of it. Also, it may be responsible for creating anxiety in your child besides the problem in concentrating.

Breaks are important

You cannot expect a child to do the same work for long hours and not get bored. Make your child’s study times shorter. Even if there are a lot of tasks piled up, a break is still necessary between studying or working on something.

Taking small intervals while accomplishing a lengthy task works to refresh the mind. So that a kid can play games or do something they like to in the meantime. This helps to focus again on the task rather than being distracted thinking about what else could they be doing. It can work wonders in widening the attention span of children.

Although giving your children the break is essential, the organization of these breaks should be proper. For example, if your child is taking a break in between doing math assignment, he or she can be lost and get confused after getting back. They might even have to start reading the assignment from the beginning again to recall where they had paused.

Same goes for the length of the breaks. If a task is paused for too long, it is most likely that kids will not remember how far they were into the task previously.

Play focus games

Playing games is the primary activity from which children learn. Incorporating their lessons or life skills to be acquired in a fun activity is always going to make it easier for them. There are some games that require children to focus and help expand their attention span in general.

Jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, card games can actually develop a better attentiveness in kids towards words, numbers, and pictures. Finding hidden objects, or picture puzzles where they have to look for certain things aid in increasing concentration.

Simple games like red light – green light, freeze, Simon says, go bananas also help children practice self-regulation skills, including concentration.

A creative learning environment

Not too surprisingly, the same child who struggles to read a textbook for 20 minutes will have no problem being engaged for 30 minutes playing a game they enjoy. Then why not make learning more appealing to them?

In the classrooms, instead of simply asking to solve a math problem, teachers can make it a competitive math quiz where students will be divided into groups and the winning team gets a reward. This excites the children.

At home, a parent can make tasks more challenging and fun for the kids. For instance, incorporating study material into treasure hunts, teaching fractions through baking cookies, etc.

Split a task into sections

A task may often seem very difficult to accomplish, whereas if the same task is broken down into sections, it is much easier for the kids to complete it. This not minimizes the work pressure on them but also allows them to have the time to analyze and be creative about the task.

Dividing a single larger task into smaller chunks can utilize any time of the day without having the child to commit to a job for a long period. One section can be done in the morning, one in the afternoon and one before bed — quite a simple way to improve your kids’ attention span and to also to not get them bored.

Adjust tasks

A parent must understand that different children learn at different rates. Attention span also varies from child to child. Before expecting your child to do any task, see if the task is too hard for him or her. If the task seems hard enough to cause your child trouble to focus on it, then you may modify the task to make it easier for them.

If the task is too complicated, guide your child to focus on any one component at a time. For example, if they have to draw a map and also remember the names of the places, ask them to focus and memorize only the names of the places. Once they are confident about knowing the names, only then let them learn the map. Even though it may take longer, it is effective in making your child attentive.

Ensure a healthy diet and exercise

Make sure your child takes enough protein-rich foods such as almonds, eggs, lean meat, etc. Green fruits, vegetables, and spinach, etc. are also very important to establish a good attention span in your little one.

On the other hand, cut off junk food and caffeine as much as possible.

Physical activity is also crucial to secure proper brain activity. A child’s mind is also like a muscle; physical exercise does ensure not only control over the body but also the mind. When a kid has a fit body and mind, he or she will tend to pay better attention and concentration.

Power naps

A power nap for 20 minutes or so after school or any tiring activity can boost the energy of children, and help them focus more.

Know your child

As mentioned before, all children learn in different ways. You must understand the needs of your child before you can take the necessary steps to help increase their attention span.

Some kids process information better when they can visualize it, or have practical knowledge about it. They learn what they see. For these children, doodling, drawing concepts of what they are learning can help to improve focus and understanding. Making flash cards can also help. Also, they will concentrate more if they’re given the demonstration of a learning material practically. Watching YouTube videos can be an option.

Some kids are better at grasping what they hear. These children will concentrate better if you use methods that involve hearing activities. Ask these children to read out loud. You could even use dictation to help them memorize spellings.

Children can often have some sort of trigger. It can be very unusual, such as some people may actually find it easier to handle a task while listening to music. Some may want their room to be in a particular ambiance to concentrate on studies. Get to know what works for your child.

Besides, be aware of your kid’s likes and dislikes. This information comes very handy in fixing your child’s timetable, organizing tasks, giving them the breaks, as well as in building up a reward system.

Appreciate and Embrace

If children feel that what they are doing is not appreciated by anyone, they may find that task insignificant. This leads them to lose interest, and stop concentrating. Therefore, appreciate your child for even the little things they do. A little drawing, or completing a math problem on their own, or finishing homework- acknowledging these little things have a positive effect on your child’s attention span.

Kids like to get compliments. When they get compliments, they enthusiastically focus on that task more and more in order to be cherished.

In addition to that, embrace their flaws. Do not be harsh on them for not being able to concentrate. In fact, allow for distractions sometimes. Being too strict is not going to help them.

Children are naturally energetic. Sitting and doing homework for hours is definitely holding them back from venting out the energy- which is not a pleasant feeling. Letting a kid run or skate around the house for some time in the middle of lessons is not going to cause any harm. In actuality, it can even help them focus better on the next task.

Don’t nag or pressurize

Parents commonly tend to nag asking their kids to study or focus. However, this generally has an adverse effect on children’s attention span.

Nagging causes children to become uninterested. They do not like to be forced to do something. Instead of repeatedly asking them to do something, it is better to keep them motivated so that they can sort things out on their own.

School anxiety and pressure created by parents can lead to a lot of frustration in little children. Instead of actually concentrating more, they stress out and get distracted more. Pressurizing children to pay attention to something must be avoided.

Concentration is not an inherited quality. It is a skill that can be molded into children by taking the right measures based on their personality, interests, and the trouble they are dealing with.

 

Dealing with Learning Difficulties

If your child has a condition like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, DCD, or ADHD, it is not going to be easy to make them concentrate on learning or other activities. To deal with these conditions and still increase your child’s attention span, a set of rules must be followed.

An affirmative perspective:

It is not easy to accept that something about your child is not quite normal. Nevertheless, if your children see this reflected in your attitude, they will never be able to develop strong self-esteem or be confident in themselves. In fact, they may feel very low and be unwilling to do any task given to them. Thus, always maintain a positive outlook. There is nothing wrong with your child. With some extra care from the parents, they can be whatever they want!

Know the difference between training and punishing:

Children with learning disabilities are very sensitive. It is okay to make them learn discipline. However, when they cannot reach an expectation of yours, do not punish them. Making them realize they did something wrong is necessary, but not by yelling or threatening. Instead, you should deal it with a more friendly discussion.

Influence matters:

Your child will follow your lead. Make sure you influence them in a positive way. Inspire them to achieve their goals.

Establish eye contact:

Children with ADD or ADHD often feel uncomfortable under any To create an environment where they can focus, be sure you are making eye contact with them. Let them have your care and support expressed.

Modify the tasks:

Know your child’s limitations and organize tasks in a way that does not let them feel their shortcomings. Give them easier tasks, break down the task into smaller than usual chunks.

Step by step:

Increase children’s attention span by giving them directions step by step. First, only let them perform a one-step activity. Once they nail it, make it a two-step activity. They will learn to focus, and the span will improve slowly.

Frequent breaks:

We have seen suffering from boredom more in children with ADHD. Thus, let them take breaks more frequently.

Talk to their teachers:

It is very important to be aware of your child’s activity at school. Always keep in contact with their teachers to ensure they are in the right environment and not struggling to cope up with school. Also find out about specific troubles they face in learning from the teacher, as they can know it from their class activities.

Therapists:

Therapists and developmental specialists can help tailor learning plans and goals to improve your child’s concentration. The therapists also have a better idea about the patterns of the difficulty children face. So, they can suggest a solution to every situation in a professional way.

Don’t underestimate or overestimate medication:

If your child’s concentration requires prescribed medicines, make sure you maintain the right dose. Do not think medication can be harmful or think that taking more medicines can improve the condition.

Other than following these rules, maintain all the criteria mentioned to increase attention span and concentration among kids.

Exercises to improve concentration

Regular small focusing exercises can help children improve their concentration.

• Counting backward from 100-1. Other exercises related to numbers can also be given to children, for instance counting words in a paragraph. These exercises help children to draw their focus down to one thing at a time.
• Keep an object in a room, allow your child to enter the room and observe the object only for a limited time. After that, ask them questions about the object. This can be a very exciting game for children, also developing the quality in them to focus.
• Try storytelling your children, but with a twist. Tell them you are going to ask them questions after telling them stories. The kids will learn to concentrate on what they hear.
• Instruct your children to draw something from the surrounding — for example, his or her study table. This will require them to engage themselves in focusing on a particular area for a long time.
• From a set of noises, ask your child to identify any specific noise. This requires them to direct their entire focus.
• Mannequin challenge! Ask your child to hold a position for a long time. This may sound vague, but in fact, it requires quite a lot of attention. You can also make use of similar things like staring competition.

These are a few warm-up exercises which can actually improve to what extent a child can concentrate. If a child can concentrate well, his or her attention span will be better too.

Closure

Starting from a good performance in the classroom to proper social development, a longer attention span is vital for a child’s development. Only getting good grades is not the goal, listening to teacher’s lectures at school also affects how much the child will take from the lesson to utilize in the long run of life.

Concentration and self-control are essential life skills that stay with the kids forever. To avoid frustration, to maintain social, academic, and family life, to ensure a good career in the future, it is a must that children know how to keep their focus on something.

It is the responsibility of parents to guide their children in the right direction. Apart from various activities at school, only good parenting can establish attentiveness in kids. Using the tips mentioned here, you can fight attention problems in your child as well as increase the concentration level. 

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