Connections Academy Blog, Virtual Learning Connections

I just read a new study by Harvard Professor Nancy Hill concluding that parents’ helping children with their homework does not help them do well in school (article by Deborah Blagg, 2009). Wait a second, I thought, that is what good parents do! My wife and I take turns working with our three children on their homework because we assumed that our efforts would help them succeed in school and beyond. I guess if the world always worked as we expected, we wouldn’t need research.

So if “homework help” isn’t really helping, what should we be doing to ensure that our children are successful in school and in life? According to Professor Hill, volunteering (e.g., PTA, helping out in the classroom) helps a little, and educational activities (e.g., trips to the library or a museum) also can’t hurt, but what really can make a difference is our ability to connect children’s schoolwork to their life’s work. Hill writes, “Our study shows that helping children understand the value and utility of education correlates well with higher achievement levels in middle school and high school.” Children need to understand that mastering their times tables, reading Shakespeare, and learning the state capitals all have a connection to higher education, meaningful work, and ultimately a good life. If you can convince them of that, then they will get their homework done on their own—and you will just need to get out of the way.

So how do you do this? Hill’s analysis ...

Virtual schooling for a kindergarten student? Yes! Students of all ages, even kindergartners, are learning successfully in virtual schools—and loving it!

These days, kindergarten in any school is no longer equivalent to spending the entire school day playing with sand tables, coloring pictures, and playing house. Little kindergartners are now expected to do much more than in the past. So how do parents keep their young, squirmy children with short attention spans focused in a virtual school setting? This is how it can be done, and is being done, by thousands of parents each and every day in the virtual school environment:

• Kindergarten should be filled with varied learning opportunities, so include trips to parks and museums, craft projects that tie into a math or reading lesson, play dates with other children, singing songs, and other creative activities.
• Lessons that are designed for kindergarten students should have several transitions to break up the lesson. If a kindergartner is spending more than 15 consecutive minutes doing the exact same thing, he or she will not retain the knowledge. When doing a reading lesson, for example, have your child listen to part of a story, then stop to ask questions or do a picture walk to predict what might happen next. This is enough of a transition to keep your child engaged in the story and continuing to work.
• Your kindergarten student is learning to write his or her letters and numbers this year. A fun activity is to have ...

Have you noticed your children daydreaming more? Are they unreasonably restless or more easily distracted than usual? These are sure signs that spring fever has planted itself in your school day. Today, my daughter announced it was a beautiful day and she couldn't wait to get outside. It was obvious she would rather be outdoors instead of working inside on a Geometry lesson. Luckily, at this time of year, the flexibility of being in a virtual school definitely has advantages!

The challenge is to find a way to let springtime and learning time share the same space. These 10 ideas have helped our family over the years, and may give you some ideas on tackling this blooming situation. 

• Start early in the day and finish your lessons before it gets warm enough to tempt you outdoors. Or take a mid afternoon break and return to lessons later in the day. Isn't this flexibility great!
• Finish an extra lesson Monday-Thursday, and make Friday an outside learning adventure day. 
• Set a good example. Yes, Learning Coaches, this means that you need to finish your chores before you can go out and play, too! 
• Grab the books and study outside. 
• Plan a regular break time to go for a walk, play catch or just breathe fresh air. 
• Enjoy lunch outside. 
• Bring some greenery from outside into the house. 
• Add bright colors to the learning area with colorful pictures of flowers, or even better, a few fresh picked early blossoms. 
• Encourage daydreaming...

My kids are great procrastinators because I've taught them well. Right now, I'm staring at a 43 pound suitcase filled with years of good intentions. It's filled with photos, news clippings, programs from dance recitals and awards my kids have received. I would love to have these items organized into easy to view photo albums or scanned into digital albums, but it's easier to come up with reasons why I can't do it, such as, "I don't have time", "I want this to be a family project", or my favorite, "They’re safer in the suitcase because I can grab it quickly in case of a fire."

Procrastination for virtual school students comes in many shapes and sizes. I see procrastination typically rear its ugly head during lessons that my students are working on independently. A little procrastination is something we are all guilty of every now and then. When it happens regularly, though, it presents a real challenge. Throughout this month I will be writing about different reasons I think most students procrastinate and offering my suggestions for what you can do about it.

One reason why our students procrastinate is due to weak study habits.

I can usually spot when this is the problem because it sounds like this: (in a whiny tone)

"I can't do this" , "It's too hard", "This wasn't in the lesson", "It's boring", "I don't understand it".

So what is the first line of defense for this? Watch your student study a complete ...

Yesterday, I accepted the challenge of scheduling an appointment for my daughter. Scheduling an appointment for your kids is one of those jobs that I think should require a degree in skilled negotiation and mediation.

The receptionist and I went back and forth with suggested days and times, dodging other activities in my daughter's schedule, until finally she suggested an appointment time at 4 o'clock, after school. My focus on the negotiation was side-tracked when she uttered the words "after school." We didn't need a specific after-school time. After all, my daughter has a pretty flexible school schedule (unlike other stuff in her busy life), and we didn't need a special time after school. So I asked for a different time.

Without looking first at my daughter, I did it. I accepted her new offer for 11 o'clock in the morning. The appointment card she handed me was as good as a handshake, and we were set.

As I’m walking to the car to take my daughter to her next activity, I notice her looking at me with that look. The wheels in my head started turning, trying to figure out what motherly error I had made that earned her gaze. Then it clicked. Why didn’t I take the 4 o’clock appointment? After all, just because she doesn’t have to be in a school building at 11 o'clock in the morning doesn’t mean that she didn’t have schoolwork to do.

I didn’t say anything. After all, I don’t ...

Don't you just love when a friend calls you for a favor?

A friend called just as I was getting ready to dive into a warm bag of homemade microwave popcorn (...but that's another story). She wanted to know if it was easy to use a virtual school. My friend knows that I've been a Learning Coach for my kids in Connections Academy for a few years, but she never thought it would be something that she could do. We talked for a couple of hours and the conversation continued to come back to concerns she had about organizing and whether she knew enough about math and writing to be able to give her kids everything that they needed.

I love these phone calls. It gives me an opportunity to reflect back on choices I've made and share the successes and mistakes I've made along the way. My mind was racing with things I wanted to share with her. After several years of using virtual education as both a homeschooler and in a virtual public charter school, I have learned that there are a few basic keys that have helped me to make this a great experience for my family.

1) Focus on the big picture - It's easy to get caught up in all of the day to day juggling of details to support your student. At the start of each school year, write down the reasons why you have chosen virtual education and use these as a reminder ...