Tomorrow my son has a difficult test about bridges. Usually we sit at the kitchen table and hammer the facts into his head. The technique usually works, but thrilling it isn’t. Teaching a child to find strategies for studying can be a trying task. We’ll do everything from singing silly songs to burping letters for spelling test. After all, learning should be fun. In an era when children are accustomed to being mesmerized by screens, learning in any traditional sense of the word can be a challenge. Tonight my son grabbed the Ipad from the shelf and downloaded text+. My husband had left the Iphone on the kitchen counter after dinner. As I washed the dishes, I heard a loud ping. Checking the Iphone, I saw Peter’s message. “Hi mom”, it said as I wiped the soap off my hands. Picking it up I texted back, “Are you studying?” He told me to ask him a question. 30 minutes later, I had texted him all the questions on his study guide and he had typed in all the replies. If only Einstein had Skype or texting! I was amazed at how excited he was to study this way. It achieved the same goals as our mundane kitchen table studying routine, but in the same breath, it was wildly exciting and effective for him. Not only was he conjuring up the answers, but also in typing them, he was supporting his ability to remember the facts. For myself, this moment would be earmarked as a future solution for studying in a way that enhances his learning style. I learned that for a child that can barely sit still, the act of typing engaged him and focused him in on the subject while calming his inevitable wiggles. Afterwards, I would go upstairs and find my daughter Skype studying for her science test with a good friend. This face-to-face studying helps her nail down the facts and engages her socially (Which I know she loves). We have entered a new era. While old-fashioned “hitting-the-books” will never fall by the wayside, there is merit here to what technology is offering these days. Even Steve Job’s Apple was heading that way before he passed to soon. He was determined to bring Apple to the forefront of education. Despite his loss, the kids are picking up his vibes and running with it. Parents, if you haven’t embraced technology, you may be missing on an integral style of learning that seems to work for this generation. I dare you to let your kids embrace this new and tech-driven ordinary miracle.
1 Comment
Julie A
5/8/2012 11:01:26 pm
This definitely works. My 8th grader has been "facetime studying" with her friends for a couple years now. I was skeptical at first thinking yeah, right you're "studying," but it really works for her.
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