| My wife, Bobbie, and I have been teachers all | | | | |
| of our adult lives. We have spent many years | | | | The Ultimate Goal is for each of our children |
| in both public and private institutions and, | | | | to become an independent learner. This is |
| having survived a few years, we have seen | | | | kind of scary for some of us parents but it |
| almost every teaching innovation and/or | | | | is the necessary goal. We are to give our |
| gimmick the world has experienced. Bobbie is | | | | kids Roots and Wings -- and eventually, the |
| an accomplished musician and music teacher in | | | | Wings must take over. |
| elementary grades and college. I have taught | | | | |
| in the fields of reading, spelling, math, and | | | | The Natural Path to Learning is based on the |
| history at the elementary, junior/senior high | | | | idea that each of us learns in our own unique |
| and college levels. We have both done a lot | | | | way, at our own special pace. One Size Does |
| of work with learning theory -- on how people | | | | Not Fit All Children. Many school and home |
| learn. | | | | school programs are set out in a sequential, |
| | | | rigid pattern and the child must learn in |
| We have gathered together all of the ideas | | | | that pattern and at the rate required to be |
| that we believe can be called Natural -- as | | | | on grade level or to not "get behind." NPL |
| opposed to Artificial. For example, it is | | | | requires that the program be fitted to the |
| Natural for a parent to take Andy for a walk | | | | child not the child fitted to the program. |
| in the stroller and while walking and | | | | Our child will be learning the skills and |
| talking, the parent can say, "Look at the | | | | information at his own pace and in his own |
| beautiful flowers. These red flowers smell | | | | best learning pattern. |
| nice, don't they? These blue flowers are | | | | |
| pretty, too, and they are bigger than the red | | | | Your child, and not the program, is at the |
| flowers." In context and in a natural, real | | | | center of the learning process. Fortunately, |
| way, the child has learned about 'flowers,' | | | | and very happily, we have real experiences to |
| 'red,' 'blue,' 'big.' This has given the | | | | share with you. Two years ago we were |
| child a meaningful experience for the words | | | | presented a gift in the form of our great |
| and concepts. Later, we'll go shopping and | | | | grandson, Reese. We, again fortunately, live |
| say, "Andy, shall we buy some of these green | | | | in the same city as Reese and his Mom and Dad |
| apples or those red ones." | | | | so we get to spend a lot of time with him. We |
| | | | will be sharing with you many of the living, |
| Contrast this with the more often techniques | | | | learning experiences we enjoy in our |
| used in "teaching the Kids their colors." Out | | | | relationship with Reese. In the meantime, we |
| comes the blocks or color strips or | | | | will be submitting articles taken from our |
| worksheets and the kids are supposed to | | | | book, The Natural Path to Learning. |
| differentiate among the colors. This is | | | | |
| Artificial or at least Contrived -- It is not | | | | By the way, we will be using a lot of |
| Real Experience. | | | | critical thinking and creativity experiences |
| | | | which sadly have been disappearing from our |
| Learning, rather than Teaching, is the | | | | school lessons -- it is almost impossible to |
| process. Learning is as natural as breathing. | | | | write achievement test items that include |
| We learn from the environment around us and | | | | this kind of right brain activity. So, if you |
| from the people who exist with us. We can't | | | | want to raise your test scores stay with that |
| keep our kids from learning. So what are we | | | | left brain only memorization and fact recall. |
| as parents to do with our kids? We take | | | | However, if you want to broaden and deepen |
| advantage of all of those real life learning | | | | the learning, let's get to the right brain |
| opportunities and channel them into the | | | | stuff, too. |
| things we call reading, writing, arithmetic, | | | | |
| science, history, and whatever else exists -- | | | | We'll have more commentary on testing in |
| from birth (and before). The child learns and | | | | future articles. |
| we support and guide. | | | | |