A MOMent with Candace Cornelius from Breathe Belief 4Tips for Making Meaningful Connections When Homeschooling
Good morning and I would like to announce a new contributor on TheMommiesReviews.com and it is Candace Cornelius. Candace will be posting a Guest Post once a month on here for us. I would like to share with you her first piece. And to also ask you to check out her blog Breathe Belief.
When I was a teenager, I attended a public high school. I was a very dedicated student, and worked very hard to get good grades and to be accepted into the nation’s best Colleges. I always strived to take the hardest classes the school offered, and to get as many A’s as possible.
During my senior year, I decided to take an advanced, “level 2” Chemistry course. This class was
completely optional and only consisted of other students who were also very concerned about
impressing college admission counselors.
Now, at this point in my life I had been exposed to a lot of chemistry. I had taken an extensive course the year before and had been taught Chemistry throughout my school career. But it wasn’t until that final year, when I decided to take the advanced and optional class, that chemistry meant anything to me.
That semester we learned about the chemical makeup of medications, and dealt with very common medications such a Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I recall my brain lighting up! After studying hours and hours of chemistry I was finally learning something that was real to me.
These were medications that were sitting in my home at that very moment, and I had even taken them before. After this bright light bulb went off, it suddenly went dim. I began thinking about all my classmates who had not taken this course and began to feel sad for them. So many students had ended their chemistry years without ever making any sort of meaningful connection with it.
I thought, “Why did they teach me this way?” It seems rather backwards. Why not present me with an idea that is connected to my life first and then break it down from there? How can we teach things in a more meaningful order as homeschool parents?
Here are 4 suggestions:
1. Start out with the big picture.
2. Always begin with a concrete idea and then move to the abstract.
3. Explain how this truly relates to their everyday life.
4. Discuss how having this knowledge can better themselves.
When we present ideas this way, it has incredibly positive outcomes:
1. It motivates learning.
2. It helps ideas stick.
3. It makes ideas meaningful in life.
4. It gives them a personal incentive to learn.
I encourage you to use these tips to make meaningful connections in your children’s learning. Allow them to have the opportunity to have ah-ha moments much earlier in the learning process. I believe in you!
~Candace
In what ways do you make meaningful connections in your teaching?
Candace Cornelius is a wife and mother to three daughters. She writes about homeschooling at Breathebelief.com and records a daily 5 minutes podcast to let homeschool mom’s wake up with uplifting messages designed just for them.
She is passionate about empowering homeschool moms, education, business, self-improvement, family, and following Christ. She loves board games, baby snuggles and fresh flowers.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
