This is a follow-up from my previous post. How can you develop a positive learning culture at home?
4. Real life application
This is linked to constructing meaning for learning. WHY do we learn? We learn in order to solve real life problems.
When I do the topic of Money (Math) with my child, I bring him to the supermarket and give him some money. I give him a list of things to buy and tells him to check if the money is enough.
Then, he needs to find all the items and their prices. Next, he adds them up. This helps him to understand how expensive or how cheap the products are and if we have enough money for them.
Through this activity, he learned to apply his knowledge about money and the addition of money.
5. Extension of Knowledge
Sometimes, Zenith (my P1 child) will be very interested in one topic. This is when I offer to extend the knowledge with him.
For example, he was learning about materials in Science (through a game on my tablet) when he asked a question about the elements in the materials. So, I started a side project with him to list down the first 50 elements in the periodic table.
You will not believe how interested he is in this topic. He bugs me everyday to help him research on the elements.
6. Topic Linking
Topic linking is extremely important for Science and Math.
The entire Science syllabus is based on linking the basics of Science together.
Living things are linked to the six main groups of animals. Non-living things are linked to the materials. Cycles are broken down into life cycles and matter. Matter is then further linked to water.
The entire Science syllabus is a network of topics.
Apart from content linking in Science, it is also important to link the process skills together. You learn observing before you learn comparing. Then, you learn classifying.
Cultivating a good learning culture at home will reap huge benefits in your children's future.
Stay tuned for the next post!
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