Sunday, November 14, 2010

Unblocking Roadblocks

In Beka's second grade math curriculum,
she was learning measurement.

Along with memorizing the facts of measurement,
she was introduced to the standard 12 inch ruler
and a yardstick.


There were a few questions asking if  she should
use a ruler or a yardstick to measure an item.

She was confused,
then got a little frustrated.

Over the years I have learned,
when a kid is frustrated,
repeating the instructions LOUDER
or with more FRUSTRATION
doesn't help.

I won't tell you how many years it took to learn that,
it is a span that just can't be measured.

When there is a roadblock to learning,
we need to remove it, not pile on top of the roadblock
with our frustration or impatience.

Sometimes, I just put the worksheet aside
and work on something else for awhile.

Other times, I like to find a new way to approach the matter.

I like to SEE things,
Beka likes to TOUCH things,
so we created a new way to learn the concept.


A ruler and a yardstick were found,
a chart was made,
and fun ensued.

After less than five minutes of measuring with a ruler and a yardstick,
the concept was mastered.

Best of all,
we unblocked the roadblock,
and the joy of learning raced on.


1 comment:

  1. I think that is one of the best reasons to homeschool (among the 47,000 other really good reasons). As a classroom teacher, I tried my hardest to do just that, but you can only do so much in a limited time, with limited space, and 30+ kids all at the same time.

    PS I LOVE that you were schooling on the floor. Yesterday, my oldest did her school outside in a tent. She was so happy sitting there with her math book, and got done in record time!

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