As a child, I played eight years of youth soccer, and although I never improved in my limited ability, I enjoyed it immensely. I especially loved "subbing" for another (usually more qualified) player - switching places so that she could catch her breath and get a drink of water before changing places with me again. I never scored a single goal in my entire soccer career, but I'd like to think that I possibly gave someone else a second wind that, in turn, allowed her to make a point for our team.
Sometime during my adolescence, I learned that in hockey the phrase for "subbing" is "change it up!" The only real difference between subbing in soccer and changing it up in hockey is that with soccer, only a few players are exchanged, while in hockey, it's not uncommon for most or all of the team to trade places with a second string.*
I never really thought about applying sports strategies to education, but I recently learned that my friend routinely "changes it up" for her two home-schooled girls. Instead of doing their work at the kitchen table each day, they move around. One day they do school in the girls' bedroom; another day is at Barnes and Noble bookstore; another day they head to the library; and another is spent at the park. They repeat this change of scenery each week.
Personally, I found this to be a brilliant idea! I would have never occurred to me to change locations for study time. While this might not work for a child who is easily distracted and who needs consistency to stay focused, it can do wonders for wiggly children who need renewed freshness to keep the lessons interesting (such as hyperactive little boys).
Since we're car-less most days, we don't have the daily ability to head to a new location, but a few weeks ago we had the car and decided to spend the day at the local bookstore. It was fantastic! We read new story books; looked up random topics; and learned about new scientific discoveries. We also have our local club house and grounds to which we can walk when the weather permits.
For us, the "change it up" method might just be the best thing since donated curriculum, especially since it will be a rare (and therefore more treasured) treat. It's yet another example of how learning and working together with other families is so needed in the home school environment!
*My apologies to any hockey fans if I have improperly understood this aspect of the game. :)
This was a fun read! I agree about changing it up, and I think it's great to see that in homeschooling. For Naomi that would involve a change in what or how I'm teaching something, rather than changing the environment/location. I tried switching her around before, but she always does best sitting at the table. That's so strange considering she used to never sit still anywhere just a couple years ago and outside of school she has the attention span of an insect. I guess even our kids change, so we can adapt accordingly!
ReplyDeleteWell-written :) In keeping with the sports comparison, we've, at times, subbed teachers. When I've beat my head against a wall trying to explain a concept, sometimes all it takes is Daddy's approach. "Score!" Definitely not by me, but a scores's a score for the team. And it certainly lets me "catch my breath". :)
ReplyDeleteGreat points, all! I like the idea of changing approaches in teaching, which is what we'll be doing next year with our unit studies. And we often have Daddy review the boys' learning at the dinner table. I'm constantly in awe over his ability to quickly and clearly explain a concept with which we've been struggling - it's definitely a "team" effort. Thanks for this!
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