How to help kids/people learn

My friend Amanda is a teacher – and she’s running for political office. She shared this – and I want to share it with you.

“I'm reading my students' bellwork answers from the week and I'm loving some of their answers. I asked them to write a list of 10 ways I can take care of them this year. Here's a sampling of what they wrote...

-Do a back flip every time we get a question right (do they EVEN know me?!)
-Take us outside
-Show us courage
-Help us not be failures
-Tell us jokes and make us laugh
-Be real
-Keep being you
-Tell us stories
-Help me be a better writer
-Make me comfortable
-Listen to me
-Go slow with me. I want to learn, but I need your help.
-Give us treats/snacks/candy/mints (SO many of this response!)
-Be there for me
-Dance around the classroom
-Be easy to talk to
-Help me learn English
-Teach me to pronounce words correctly
-Be open to stupid questions”

I think this is applicable to all people everywhere.  How awesome would it be if we treated – everyone this way?

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To learn more about Amanda - here is her linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-v-linton/

Her book: https://amzn.to/2O5bVx8

And - because it's seriously awesome that a friend of mine and a teacher is running for office and you should totally support her - here is her campaign website - https://www.amandaforflorida.com/

What skill sets do children need for the future?

The 6C’s – Skill set for effective lifelong living and learning.

I love it when best practices coincide with a humanist approach to life.  It turns out that early childhood education specialists, Doctors Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pask, have narrowed down the key list of skills children should learn so that they can learn how to learn so that they can keep learning as they grow up.  (See more at: http://dupagechildrens.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ELRAC_Brochure_11_11_2013_update.pdf)

Why is all this learning important? Because success in life is largely a measure, not of what you know, but of how you use the information you have. So the synthesis of information is important AND knowing how to acquire new information if it turns out you are mistaken is also important.  Because the only thing worse than being wrong is continuing to be wrong because you don’t know how to correct your mistakes.

Anyway – the 6Cs – the skill set we need to focus on to help our children learn.

• ·         Collaboration (building new knowledge and approaches with others);
• ·         Communication (persuasively arguing – and listening – to share ideas);
• ·         Content (the 3R’s and so much more);
• ·         Critical thinking (selecting and synthesizing the information needed to perform the task at hand);
• ·         Creative innovation (using content and critical thinking to envision new solutions to old problems);
• ·         and Confidence (the old saws about perspiration and perseverance have much to offer).