Thursday, August 4, 2011
Where to Start?
I am SOOOOO excited! I just finished my 2 day class on different learning techniques and strategies. I am just overflowing with thoughts and ideas, so please accept my apologies if I am jumping around topic to topic and totally confusing you! Be assured it is not confusing in my head ;-)
Now to start off I was a little disappointed. As this class was held mainly for teachers with a class room full of kids, it was not on the level I was hoping for. As a home schooling mom, I am able to accomplish a TON more in a day with my 3 girls than a teacher can in a class room of 23-30 kids! I am not saying anything against teachers, it is just common sense that you can accomplish more with a smaller amount of kids. So the class was not on the level I was hoping for!
With that being said, I did get a TON of strategies and techniques. I also did stay after the last day and talked a little bit with the instructor one on one, and she did give me some advise on extra things I can do with my girls that she didn't go over in class. Which I REALLY appreciated! The class was mainly on relaxation and focus techniques...which I think would benefit EVERYONE...not only adults ;-) Then she went over the alphabet and reading. She didn't really touch on math or spelling which are areas I need help with also...which I said she did go over those personally with me.
Also, in my personal conversation with the instructor we talked a little about my girls...mainly Hunter and Logan, but we did talk on Cuckles a bit. She told me that from what I am saying (without her meeting them and personally assessing them) that Hunter AND Logan both sound severe. Where Cuckles is only 6 1/2 she is showing some signs of dyslexia, but it could be just normal reversals and such. Because she did not work with them personally she could not say for sure...but it was just what it sounded like from things I was telling her they were doing. So my first assessment of the girls might not be as accurate as I though. She also told me, if I do decide to get them professionally diagnosed to see a speech and language doctor...not a regular physician. So if you are thinking about that course for your own family you might want to make sure it is a speech and language professional. She said you want to look for CCC after their name.
With all that being said....On with the show :-) HA!
Like I said the class started out with some relaxation and focusing exercises. Now the class was a lot of roll playing and practicing on each other...which I totally HATE! Especially in this kind of "creative" atmosphere...I was VERY uncomfortable. Now when you are working with a dyslexic person they have NO trouble with these exercises, because they are picture thinkers. I..as the whole class found out...am NOT at ALL a picture thinker :-)
The one exercise you have to imagine yourself walking around and you have to focus your imaginary person behind you (so in short you can focus your imaginary person to pay attention too) After the class that day I did the exercise with Hunter and she could REALLY see herself in her mind walking around, playing on the swing set, and focusing her behind her! TOTALLY AMAZING for a person who cannot do that. After this class I really think I am the learning disabled one :-) Oh if I could see things the way my girls do! They get so much more out of life! I am SOOOO Jealous!
We did a lot of exercises in clay...making letters and words and pictures and such. Again we had to make these things, and again EVERYONE in the class got to see what a loser I am in this area :-) Trying to make everything perfect, CONSTANTLY cleaning up my area because the mess the clay made on the table! HA HA HA...We even had to make up our own word, spelling, pronunciation, and clay model and present it to the class...I will NOT go into that catastrophe :-) Lets just say my husband is embarrassed for me...which he NEVER gets embarrassed ;-)
I can see how a lot of these techniques are really going to help and strengthen my girls. I am going to do my best with what I have learned, but I am thinking Hunter and possibly Logan will need some one on one work because of their severity. Although I might be underestimating my abilities :-) I am going to hopefully start today with some things, and get these things implemented before I actually start our school year. But they are easy to incorporate into any curriculum, which is great. I am also hoping my husband will join as he is dyslexic, and I am sure will benefit from some of these exercises ;-)
I am super excited to share with you how my girls do with all this.
If you are interested...the website of the guy who started this program is www.dyslexia.com And the site for the lady I took the class from is http://www.smartstartcenter.com There is a ton of information on those sites!
Now to start off I was a little disappointed. As this class was held mainly for teachers with a class room full of kids, it was not on the level I was hoping for. As a home schooling mom, I am able to accomplish a TON more in a day with my 3 girls than a teacher can in a class room of 23-30 kids! I am not saying anything against teachers, it is just common sense that you can accomplish more with a smaller amount of kids. So the class was not on the level I was hoping for!
With that being said, I did get a TON of strategies and techniques. I also did stay after the last day and talked a little bit with the instructor one on one, and she did give me some advise on extra things I can do with my girls that she didn't go over in class. Which I REALLY appreciated! The class was mainly on relaxation and focus techniques...which I think would benefit EVERYONE...not only adults ;-) Then she went over the alphabet and reading. She didn't really touch on math or spelling which are areas I need help with also...which I said she did go over those personally with me.
Also, in my personal conversation with the instructor we talked a little about my girls...mainly Hunter and Logan, but we did talk on Cuckles a bit. She told me that from what I am saying (without her meeting them and personally assessing them) that Hunter AND Logan both sound severe. Where Cuckles is only 6 1/2 she is showing some signs of dyslexia, but it could be just normal reversals and such. Because she did not work with them personally she could not say for sure...but it was just what it sounded like from things I was telling her they were doing. So my first assessment of the girls might not be as accurate as I though. She also told me, if I do decide to get them professionally diagnosed to see a speech and language doctor...not a regular physician. So if you are thinking about that course for your own family you might want to make sure it is a speech and language professional. She said you want to look for CCC after their name.
With all that being said....On with the show :-) HA!
Like I said the class started out with some relaxation and focusing exercises. Now the class was a lot of roll playing and practicing on each other...which I totally HATE! Especially in this kind of "creative" atmosphere...I was VERY uncomfortable. Now when you are working with a dyslexic person they have NO trouble with these exercises, because they are picture thinkers. I..as the whole class found out...am NOT at ALL a picture thinker :-)
The one exercise you have to imagine yourself walking around and you have to focus your imaginary person behind you (so in short you can focus your imaginary person to pay attention too) After the class that day I did the exercise with Hunter and she could REALLY see herself in her mind walking around, playing on the swing set, and focusing her behind her! TOTALLY AMAZING for a person who cannot do that. After this class I really think I am the learning disabled one :-) Oh if I could see things the way my girls do! They get so much more out of life! I am SOOOO Jealous!
We did a lot of exercises in clay...making letters and words and pictures and such. Again we had to make these things, and again EVERYONE in the class got to see what a loser I am in this area :-) Trying to make everything perfect, CONSTANTLY cleaning up my area because the mess the clay made on the table! HA HA HA...We even had to make up our own word, spelling, pronunciation, and clay model and present it to the class...I will NOT go into that catastrophe :-) Lets just say my husband is embarrassed for me...which he NEVER gets embarrassed ;-)
I can see how a lot of these techniques are really going to help and strengthen my girls. I am going to do my best with what I have learned, but I am thinking Hunter and possibly Logan will need some one on one work because of their severity. Although I might be underestimating my abilities :-) I am going to hopefully start today with some things, and get these things implemented before I actually start our school year. But they are easy to incorporate into any curriculum, which is great. I am also hoping my husband will join as he is dyslexic, and I am sure will benefit from some of these exercises ;-)
I am super excited to share with you how my girls do with all this.
If you are interested...the website of the guy who started this program is www.dyslexia.com And the site for the lady I took the class from is http://www.smartstartcenter.com There is a ton of information on those sites!
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About Me
- Diana Onderick
- I am a daughter of The Most High, wife, and homeschooling mom.
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