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 ...

Summer is officially here! I love having my daughter in a virtual school, but I also take delight in seeing her turn in her final assignment for the year. I am also aware that summer is a time when kids experience learning losses if they don’t engage in learning activities, so for some ideas, I checked in with Connections Academy Vice President for Curriculum Dr. Patricia Hoge. She reminded me how simple it is to create opportunities for summer learning.

Dr. Hoge says that “When it comes to summer learning, a little goes a long way. Investing an hour or even 30 minutes each day in educational activities will give your child a big advantage come September. Educational opportunities are all around, but sometimes you just need to know where to look or how to look at the things around you.”

Knowing where to look is a great start, so here are 10 creative free learning ideas for summer to kick-start a season of learning fun!

1. Play Ball!
   Let America’s favorite pastime give your kids a mental workout this summer. The Science of Baseball is a free Web site that offers fun and interactive games (Fastball Reaction Time and Scientific Slugger: See What Makes a Home Run) as well as some great historical information (The Girls of Summer). An entertaining alternative when the game is rained out!
2. Drive Home Math and Spelling Skills
   Yes, a 15-minute car trip is just enough time to get your NPR fix, but … ...

I've taught science to virtual school students at Capistrano Connections Academy for a couple of years now. One advantage of being in an exciting, groundbreaking virtual school is that brick-and-mortar walls don’t define our learning possibilities. So how do we make science exciting beyond the printed textbook? Virtual field trips allow us to overcome limitations of distance, time, lack of access, and money. Want to take an educational and exhilarating virtual field trip to the moon? Here’s how!

By reaching out to the Internet for some great resources, and into your kitchen cabinets for a few ingredients, you can create the moon’s surface!

So put on your virtual space suit and follow along…

The first great resource is Google Earth. It’s free and has these amazing tools for exploring the moon:

• A re-creation of the Apollo 11 landing narrated by Buzz Aldrin
• High-resolution maps of the moon
• A historical archive of the original moon-landing photos
• 360-degree photos to see astronauts’ footprints
• Panoramic imagery of the moon’s surface taken by astronauts—zoom into different areas and rotate the globe to inspect the craters, rays, and maria

Now you are ready to start tracking the moon.

Ask your child to think about those nights that he or she saw a big, beautiful moon up in the sky. Was the moon in the same spot in the sky the next day, week, and month? Tracking the moon is an extremely helpful method to understanding that the moon orbits around the Earth and we ...

Our house has been very busy the past week as my daughter is finishing up math lessons, taking finals, and planning for summer break. Can you believe that the school year is ending so soon? Summer is definitely a time for kids to relax a bit and enjoy being young. That doesn’t mean that their minds need to shut down, though! This year we are taking advantage of every sun-filled moment, but will keep learning alive at the same time.

Here are a few ways to help you plan some summer learning fun.

1. Check for upcoming fairs and expositions in your state using the free fair finder tool at http://www.fairsandexpos.com.
2. Check your local libraries for summer reading programs.
3. Sign up for an online summer school course to keep kids engaged in learning during the summer and earn credits needed for graduation. The great thing about online summer school classes is that they can travel with you wherever you go this summer!
4. Join a summer program at your local community center, or check out the hundreds of activities available at our wonderful state parks:
   http://www.recreation.gov/.

Cherish these wonderful summer days with your kids. Share in their learning and their experiences, take lots of pictures, and don’t forget to wear sunscreen!

Share your favorite summer planning resources with us!

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 ever wondered why it was so difficult for your student to finish a particular assignment? Some Learning Coaches find their children avoiding an assignment or school lesson because they are worried about not having the highest grade, a perfect essay, or a flawless presentation to submit to the teacher. You can tell if perfectionism is hindering your progress during the school day by listening to your children. Does your procrastinating student say things like the following:

“This is impossible.”
“The paper won’t be good enough, so why bother?”
“Can you check this one more time before I send it to the teacher?”
“It took me longer because I wanted it to be perfect.”
“It will never be good enough!” 

Perfectionism can strangle the creative efforts of any child. A small project may grow into a major ordeal. Sometimes students create expectations that add unnecessary requirements to the project. So how can you help your student knock down this roadblock and start moving forward again? Here’s an emergency plan:

Reassure

• Unrealistic expectations can cause feelings of anxiety and failure. Let your child know that everything will be okay, and that you love him or her and will help him or her get back on track.
• Don’t be critical.

Redirect

• Help your student understand the requirements of the assignment.
• Develop a strategy with your student to finish the task at hand.
• Break the assignment into smaller pieces. ...

As a virtual elementary school teacher with Ohio Connections Academy for the past five years, I have received tons of parent feedback. Most parents are excited about taking an active role in their child’s education, but they also want to make sure to keep it engaging—and even fun. Here are some creative tips I have shared with families that take advantage of the benefits of virtual school to keep learning exciting:

Social Studies: Why not turn that social studies assignment/project into a family virtual field trip? Depending upon the assignment, either start your morning or take the afternoon to visit that location across the world online. Some Web sites that offer great virtual trips are:

• Visit the Statue of Liberty
• Walk the streets of 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia
• Explore an Ancient Roman Villa
• Experience camp life during the Civil War

On a large bulletin board or in an empty photo album, keep track of the virtual cities/countries you visit throughout the school year. Finally, have your younger child create a postcard sharing one cool thing your family discovered or learned about.

Language Arts: Your student has to write a persuasive essay. Uggghh!! No need to panic; this can be fun. First, get online and go to your child’s favorite online store and do some “shopping.” Give him ten minutes to find five items/toys he feels he just has to have. Next, ask him to provide three reasons why his life would be better with these ...

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 ...

Math...math...math...

Does the thought of doing a math lesson send chills down your spine? Or do you love math so much you look for free math lessons online just for the fun of it? 

No matter what your learning style, there is one quick way to sweeten up a math lesson in a hurry - CANDY!

Candy can help make numbers jump off the page.  Throughout the year, you can buy candy in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes (watch for them to go on sale). Put some in a bag in the back of the freezer and bring it out to spice up a lesson. 

Use for:

• Learning to count
• Lessons dealing with addition & subtraction
• Reinforcing place value
• Exploring fractions
• When a lesson suggests using a math counter (such as beans or beads)
• Plotting points on a number line or graph
• Have your student tell you a math story ("Dan has 8 pieces of candy.  He wants 10. How many more...")
• Practice measuring lengths

We would love to have you share your favorite candy math stories here.  There's nothing like sharing sweet success with friends.