Welcome to another episode of K-12 Education Untangled . My name is Dr Kim Fields , former corporate manager turned educational researcher and advocate , and I'm the host of this podcast . I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators , as well as experiencing the micro discriminations that I faced .
As an African American mom raising my two kids , who were in the public school system , I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system .
Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed , I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their educational progress . If you're looking to find out more about current information and issues in education that could affect you or your children , then you're in the right place . Thanks for tuning in today .
I know that staying informed about K-12 education trends and topics is important to you , so keep listening . On today's episode , I'll be discussing how to deepen learning for your children . Every so often , I come across a resource that has great ideas that I feel would be beneficial for you .
As parents , you most likely have noticed certain shifts in the way that your children learn . Formal and informal learning options have exploded to the point where your children , as students , can now learn anything , anywhere and at any time . You often face unprecedented amounts of information and try to make the best education-related decisions that you can .
This leaves you to try to navigate a complex maze for new learning opportunities , new standards , new assessments and new technology , in spite of your limited access to education reports , papers and articles .
The resource that I will be sharing information , ideas and concepts from on this episode is from a book called Smart Parents Parenting for Powerful Learning by Bonnie Lathrom , tom Van Der Arc and Keri Snyder . I have highlighted the more salient points . Let's get started .
Several of the topics that I've discussed on previous episodes are actually answers to your questions about how best to advocate for your child's individual needs as a learner , how schools are changing to meet the needs of all learners , the impact of technology on your child's learning , and the new terms that are being bantered about , like makerspaces and flipped
classrooms . All of this with the understanding that every child has unique challenges and strengths . That's why the current focus on student-centric learning , where teachers and parents create and encourage learning experiences that leverage interest and cultivate critical thinking skills and mindsets .
These critical thinking skills are required in today's global learning environment , which is complex , connected but segmented into narrow channels , and is hyper-competitive , yet emphasizes collaboration .
After all , it is these learning experiences that shape your child's knowledge , skills and dispositions , and parents , who convey and model the enjoyment of learning for learning's sake , help to cultivate these mindset , skills and dispositions that are often a key differentiator in success , as measured by college graduation or subsequent career satisfaction .
The four keys to parenting deeper , more powerful learning for your children include 1 . Being involved in your children's lives . 2 . Being informed about and advocating for your children's learning . 3 . Being intentional about creating meaningful learning experiences . And 4 . Being inspirational learning guides and role models .
The focus here is on advocating for student-centered learning , which is also called personalized learning , a topic that I recently discussed in episode 77 . For purposes here , personalized learning engages students and their own success by incorporating their skills and interests in the learning process , with the teacher as facilitator in that process .
The skills developed in personalized learning include self-mastery , self-regulation , motivation and empathy toward others . The main tenets of personalized learning are that its competency-based , happens inside and outside of the classroom at any time , and encourages students to take ownership for their own learning .
You can create the conditions in which student-centered learning can thrive , whether that be at home , at school or anywhere else . There's a growing body of research now that indicates that a growth mindset is important for students . A growth mindset is the belief or the understanding that intelligence can be developed .
Students with a growth mindset focus on how they can improve instead of what their intelligence level is . They work hard to learn more and get smarter . They also persevere in the face of challenges and setbacks , as well as achieve higher competence .
Schools need to figure out how to help each child use his or her innate abilities to live a happy life and to achieve the highest levels possible . That's what the growth mindset system is all about focusing on strengths , aptitudes and individual differences in children .
Parents , as advocates for their children , are critical for ensuring that their children's individualized needs are met . This includes advocating for your child in his or her school , as well as getting involved at the policy level .
Working at the policy level , parents can work with other parents and the community , as well as elected officials and community leaders , as they work to ensure that every child is getting the best education possible . Advocating for your child involves supporting your child's individual needs to be successful on his or her own .
It's also about helping teachers , principals and school administrators gain insight into your child as a learner and a responsible participant in the school environment .
Another key aspect of being an advocate for your child is to share information about your child's home life with his or her teacher , as it pertains to values and expectations that are important to your family . Here's something to think about .
A 2015 study in Psychological Science Journal found that daughters aspire to greater professional goals when they see their fathers performing tasks such as washing the dishes . Think about that for a moment . A young girl has a better chance of becoming a CEO or mayor or senator if she sees her dad at the sink getting ready to put dishes in the dishwasher .
Now imagine the possibilities for boys and girls who see their fathers volunteering at school or visiting the classroom , leading field trips , etc . This is one way to definitely instill powerful learning for your children .
In this technology-driven , internet-based world that we all live in now , learning happens anytime and anywhere , and for children , this means that they learn on their own terms and at times and places that work best for them .
Thanks to access to online learning and blended learning , students gain access to courses that are not offered in their traditional school , but are provided online from colleges , universities and private providers .
Through the use of technology and innovation , a new landscape of opportunity for K-12 students in the US has created avenues for learning that exists beyond brick and mortar schools . In some cases , entire schools exist and operate solely online . The leading provider of online K-12 schools is Connections Academy .
Blended learning simply uses a combination of online delivery of content and instruction along with face-to-face instruction in a typical school classroom . There's a growing movement called slow parenting , which basically means that you stop rushing around taking your children from one extracurricular activity to another .
Slow parenting means focusing on quality over quantity , being in the moment and making real connections with your family . Taking the time to activate interest and stimulate conversation can be worthwhile .
What about being intentional about the time you spend with your kids , like having conversations about what interests them , what they want to know more about and what they want to experience . What if , for one weekend alone , you created an intentional weekend ?
This could be as simple as getting out and exploring in nature , starting a family book club , cultivating an interest in the arts by watching recorded videos of concerts and shows like Cirque du Soleil . The point is to just keep learning together , encouraging your child to take ownership over his or her learning is vile .
Letting them persist through challenges of learning something new helps them to be more confident in their skill development . The learning process that occurs when they are learning new skills teaches them how to think and how to be lifelong learners .
When learners drive their learning , it leads to greater engagement and intrinsic motivation , better problem solving , accepting bigger challenges and reflecting and evaluating their work . In summary , these are the eight keys of powerful learning for parents 1 . Create a safe learning environment , one that's physically and emotionally safe . 2 .
Provide a personal connection when learning . 3 . Make learning active by engaging your child's hands as well as their mind . 4 . Make learning challenging yet achievable . 5 . Act as your children's learning coach to make sure they're doing the right things while giving them time to learn from their mistakes . 6 .
Help them demonstrate what they understand by teaching it to others . 7 . Allow time for your child to reflect on what he or she learned , to deepen learning . And 8 . Create a plan for developing an idea or solving a problem . The key is to encourage children to activate their own interests and to pursue their education in a personalized way .
It's also about being informed , involved , intentional and inspirational . Here are some action steps that you can take regarding this topic . The focus of these action steps is on creating an environment of student-centered learning inside and outside of your home , as well as ways to model and inspire your children for learning .
It's not about being a perfect parent , because there's no such thing , but about being an informed parent . Stay informed about what's going on at the school and in your child's class by regularly talking with your child's teacher and principal . Stay engaged with your children . Ask each child one question about what they learned every day .
Teach yourself about educational concepts that may be confusing for you . Milestones is a free collection of online videos which can help you learn about the success measures for grades K through 5 , for example . Milestones can be found at greatschoolsorg . There are also videos for success measures for middle school and high school .
You can encourage a growth mindset by praising effort over product . Praise reinforces positive behaviors that help the child develop strategies that can be applied every day .
You have to model your own ability to persevere , set goals , work through challenges and continue to try in spite of failure or success , and these all prove critical to helping your child develop a positive self-confidence and the innate beliefs about himself or herself as a learner .
Initiating personalized learning at home is all about allowing your child to investigate their interests and choose what they want to learn , aligned with high standards . You can create a learning plan at home by using a simple one-page template , which can be found at liberationthrougheducationcom . One of the main informal learning opportunities is mobile learning apps .
How are you to know which of the 3 million or so mobile apps in Apple and Android stores that are aimed at early learning are the best ? Check out commonsensemedia at commonsensemediaorg , which rates apps based on age appropriateness and learning potential , using factors such as engagement , success with learning outcomes and opportunities to give feedback .
As usual , make sure that you supervise the apps that your children use by sitting next to them while they're using the app and asking them questions afterwards . In the end , you want your children to find and develop their unique talent , connect it to a mission and experience the fulfillment of making a contribution .
The goal is that your children will take responsibility for their own learning , using their talent and purpose to guide their development and to make their own impact in the world . I'll be doing a couple of other resource reviews for you that I think will be informative and eye-opening in upcoming podcast episodes . Did you enjoy today's episode ?
If so , then leave me a rating , a review or a comment on Apple the Podchaser . Leaving me a review is a great way to support me and to help my podcast grow . Remember to share this episode with anyone that you think will find it valuable . So tell your friends , family and your community about my podcast . Thanks for listening today .
I hope you'll come back for more K-12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle . Be sure to stay tuned . On the next episode , I'll be discussing place-based education . Until next time , aim to learn something new every day .