Supporting At Home Learning For

Grades 3-6

It is a mistake to expect all children to learn identically, and on this, I think, we can all agree. It is all the more so true when those children are learning at home. There are many variables that can either help or hinder a child's learning. In this blog I will address some of the ways to help your third through sixth grader find the most success while learning at home. What is not included in this blog is how to best support yourself as the adult in the house.

Prior to third grade most students are still learning how to read. Once most students enter third grade they begin to read to learn. They have shifted into the world of inference and nuance. Punctuation marks have more meaning than simply pausing between thoughts. This is important to keep in mind as your child learns remotely.

As a brief list, here are some of the ways students in third through sixth grade can build upon the foundation that was laid during the early pre-school and elementary school years:

• Direct practice of new material
• Experiential learning
• Collaborative learning
• Direct and frequent feedback on work

As students begin to take increased responsibility for their learning the excitement grows. Students are learning how to design a method to prove a hypothesis. They are learning creative ways to go deeper into a topic and how to demonstrate their knowledge and mastery of that topic. Learning becomes dynamic as students continue to learn how to learn.

Now then, this blog would be remiss if it didn't address students who are struggling; with a language disorder, an attention disorder, or many of the myriad difficulties faced by students today. While many students respond very well to the traditional techniques to allow for success many students do not. Here is where the creativity comes in. Maybe it isn't a terrible thing for your child to walk around during synchronic learning. Honestly, who is it hurting if that student is able to master the material and prove his or her knowledge of it? Perhaps something to fiddle with will be enough movement for the student to keep his or her attention on the lesson on the screen. It will probably take some time to find the appropriate modification to allow your child to be as successful as possible. And, it is important to take the lead of the student. While they are not only taking more control and direction of their learning, also they should be able to take a more involved role in finding what works best for them as they learn.

Of course no one thing will work for every student. It is all trial and error while, not only you--the adult--but also the student, figure out the best fit for each one's learning style.