|
You've probably heard the saying, April showers
don't last
half an hour...except in California where they
didn't used to
exist at all! Well, not this April. We've had lots
and lots of
gentle rain in Southern California resulting in
beautiful green
hills and flowers blooming everywhere. What a treat!
Now, let's talk about SUCCESS.
Did you know that to BE successful you have to
EXPERIENCE success?
Well, duh, you are probably saying to yourself! But
here's the
thing...
Most of us have grown up in a system that
continually beats
us over the head with our failures:
• If you don't improve you'll never get
anywhere.
• That's not good enough, do it over.
• This is easy - you're just not trying hard
enough.
• Until you get this you're not allowed to
(fill in the
blank: play
soccer, take art, have some time off...).
• Why can't you be more like your sister (or
brother or
cousin)? Don't you want to be successful like her/him?
The thinking is that a child (or adult) will be
shamed into
succeeding - for goodness sakes, if someone says you
should
shape up wouldn't that make you want to change your
ways
and start on the road to success?
Here's the bad news: If you don't know what success
looks
and feels like, there's no reason for you to go for
it. You
cannot be badgered or shamed or bribed into being
successful...those strategies simply lead to more
failure.
Here's the good news: Evidence of success leads to more
success.
So, to help you AND your kids be more successful, we
have
decided to begin each newsletter by highlighting one
of our
C.A.R.E.S. or F.I.T.T.T. Principles.
This month is C: Celebrate
Celebrate the Child You Have! (for parents)
Celebrate Yourself! (for everyone - adults and kids)
Here is your assignment:
State these daily as Declarations.
Adults & Kids:
Every morning and evening say
5 times: I
celebrate myself.
Then think of at least one thing you did that day
that was a
success (I took out the garbage, I landed a new
account, I did
my exercises, I cleaned my room, etc). This is a
great family
activity and each person could also keep a journal of
successes - in writing or pictures.
Parents:
Also say: I celebrate the child
I have.
Then think of at least two things to celebrate about
your child
(She is so kind, He helped me with the groceries
today, She's
a terrific swimmer, etc.). Be sure to let your kids
know what
you are celebrating about them!
Teachers:
You can say: I celebrate my
students. You can also
make this a classroom activity by teaching the kids
to notice
their successes and say “I celebrate myself
for...”
Do this every day for the next month and notice any
changes.
We'd love to hear about them!
Mariaemma & Victoria
|
|
The Whole Body Learner |
 |
In February we talked about one type of
Tactile-Kinesthetic
Learner - the Sketching Learner. Another type is the
Whole
Body Learner.
Whole Body Learners need to use their whole bodies
in order
to learn. That means movement, but movement in a
learning
situation is usually interpreted as disruptive
rather than
intelligent. So it can take some doing for parents and
teachers to change their minds about the importance of
movement for these learners. Adults who are Whole Body
Learners often have trouble acknowledging this need for
themselves, because they learned growing up that it was
“wrong” or “bad.”
The ideal learning situation for these students
includes
“doing” as much as possible: going on field trips,
acting out
lessons, presenting demonstrations, walking around
while
listening or thinking. These learners need to “feel”
the
learning taking place in their bodies. So, instead
of reading
or listening to a lesson about bridges, they need to
build
bridges...or make a model of the pyramids, or plant an
actual garden, or design a city, or set up a store
to learn
about money...In other words, they learn by doing.
In the classroom, teachers can encourage these
learners by
suggesting these types of assignments: make a movie,
do a
presentation, put on a play, present the lesson through
dance, build or make something. Also be aware that
these
learners need to get up and stretch often: a few
exercises or
a walk around the room can do wonders (why do you think
some kids need to sharpen their pencils so often?!).
These learners can also be encouraged to use whole body
movements to learn new concepts or skills. Examples:
learning to tell time by using their arms as hands
of the
clock; walking a number line to learn the concepts
of adding
and subtracting; walking on large maps to learn
geography.
By the way, are you realizing that the more of these
kinds of
activities are incorporated in the learning, the
fewer “breaks” will
need to be
taken? The movement is what's needed so if they are
learning through movement, their needs are being met.
Kids doing homework need to be encouraged to take
frequent
breaks. Also, you can coach them to learn
through
movement. For example, if they are memorizing facts
they
can try bouncing a ball while saying “Columbus
discovered
America”, or throw a bean bag back and forth while
reviewing with someone, or jump rope or jump on the
trampoline while reciting a lesson or poem. These
movement activities also work for listening: e.g.
jump rope
while listening to a book on tape.
If you are homeschooling there are no limits to what
you can
do. The crucial step is for parents to become
comfortable
with this kind of learning and realize how wonderful
it can be!
For more information about the Whole Body
Modality and
other learning styles check out our book, Discover Your
Child's Learning Style, at
www.learningsuccessinstitute.com
or go to www.aselfportraitonline.com
|
|
The Whole Body Learner on the Job |
|
Students who are Whole Body Learners grow up to be
adults
who are Whole Body Learners! If someone teaches them
about learning styles and the Whole Body Modality,
they will
learn how to use this strength in their everyday
lives and on
the job.
These are the people who need to work out while they
mull things over, or need to wake up in the morning by
dancing around, or need to walk when working on the
solution to a problem.
People who are Whole Body Learners and are aware of
it can
use this information to help them find a workplace
or career
that suits this need. Some obvious careers include
actor,
dancer, builder, and tour guide.
It's okay to be who you are and it's okay to have a
job/career
that matches who you are. It's more than okay-it's
essential!
Doing what you love fills up your spirit and that
affects your
relationships, your finances, your whole life in
wonderful
ways!
|
|
LearningSuccess™ Products |
|
Check out the items below and other products by
Victoria and
Mariaemma at
http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com, click
on Shop.
You could change the life of a child, an adult, or a
whole
family!
Discover Your Child's Learning Style, by
Willis and
Hodson-includes Learning Style Profiles for the
whole family,
the C.A.R.E.S. and F.I.T.T. principles, plus much
more-there
has never been a parenting book like this before! (also
available at most bookstores)
NOTE: Even if you are NOT a parent, you will be
amazed at
what this book can do for YOU!
A Self-Portrait™ Online Learning Style
Profile-
immediate automatic scoring and printable results and
recommendations-go to www.aselfportraitonline.com
Mid-life Crisis Begins in Kindergarten, by
Willis and
Hodson
The Compassionate Classroom, by Hart & Hodson-
you will learn how to create safety and trust and
relearn the
language of giving and receiving-and truly
listening-tools for
the classroom and the home
(also available at http://www.k-hcommunication.com)
Inspiration to Realization-Real Women Reveal Proven
Strategies For Personal, Business, Financial and
Spiritual
Success by Christine Kloser, contributing authors
Victoria Kindle Hodson & Mariaemma Willis-order at
www.powerofyounow.com or call 805-648-1739.
ReaLife™ Electives from Mariaemma
For high school students who want elective credits
or for
teens and adults who just want to learn:
ReaLife 101: The Life Success Formula
ReaLife 102: The Money Formula
These courses guide you through such wonderful books as
Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens, Cool Stuff They Should
Teach
in School, and Masters of Success. When you
purchase these guides they become available to you as
downloadable ebooks, so they are available immediately
upon purchase!
For details and sample pages, visit
http://www.realifeelectives.com
|
|
Recommended Teaching Resources |
|
Whispers From Children's Hearts, a
beautiful book by Lisa
Haisha -
www.whispersfromchildrenshearts.com
Recommended by mom Diane Williams:
PBS.org
Millsbury.com
|
|
LearningSuccess™ Coach Training Information |
|
Continuing Education Units are available for attending
our training, through California Lutheran University, Thousand
Oaks, California. Please call for details-805-648-1739.
For Parents and Professionals:
Next Level 1: September 27-29, 2006
Next Level 3, Session 1: July 12-14, 2006
For more information and to register go to
http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com, click on LS
Certification
under the Training directory.
|
|
Upcoming Events |
|
June 8-11, 2005: Link Homeschool Conference, Woodland
Hills, CA
http"//www.homeschoolnewslink.com
June 24, 2006: Southern California Catholic Home Educators
Conference, Chino Hills, CA, http://www.scchehomepage.com
|
|
|
|
This newsletter is a publication of
LearningSuccess™ Institute
1590 East Main Street, Ventura, California 93001,
www.learningsuccessinstitute.com
Victoria Kindle Hodson, M.A. 805·653·0261,
v@learningsuccesscoach.com
Mariaemma Pelullo-Willis, M.S. 805·648·1739,
m@learningsuccesscoach.com
Please feel free to pass this newsletter on or to forward it to
your email group. We ask that you keep the copyright
information intact. Thank You!
If you missed previous newsletters you can find them at
http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com/newsletter.html
copyright 2006 by V. Kindle Hodson & M. Pelullo-Willis. All
rights reserved.
You are on the list to receive our monthly newsletter,
LearningSuccess™. If you wish to
unsubscribe
please click unsubscribe below and you will be removed
immediately. Thank
you.
| Quick Links... |
|
|
