Alternative teaching observations, tips and methods (Melbourne Australia)
A lil’ bit of info:
I’m a Bachelor of Science graduate and will complete a Masters of Teaching next year. To be (wholesomely) blunt, I believe the current education system isn’t serving students. Instead we need to teach RELEVANT life/academic/soft skills in a personalised, follow-the-student approach. Here are other relevant blog posts.
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So recently, I homeschooled my neighbour’s children. This was to get more experience teaching/mentoring students with my own hybrid education style, inspired by alternative principles such as Montessori.
WHAT. A. FANTASTIC. CHALLENGE.
But before diving into it, here’s a brief introduction to these children, N and K:
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‘N’ - 10 year old boy in grade 4:
His mum describes him as ‘unmotivated in school’, but ‘a bright kid who’s very creative’.
He’s a boy who VEHEMENTLY dislikes writing stories. If he doesn’t like doing something, he just won’t do it - often resorting to cheating just to get the work done. His motto is ‘I want to finish this as quickly as possible so I can do what I actually want to do’. He has great memorisation skills and really is creative in how he researches and creates work. Avid fan of NBA-2K20, and doesn’t like losing in games. His will-driver is purpose.
‘K’ - 5 year old girl in prep.
Absolutely loves performing and anything involving physical movement. She enjoys activities she knows she’s good at, though gives up quite quickly when challenged. She really thrives off praise and eagerly looks to someone else for approval (that she’s gotten a question right). Her motto is ‘I find work fun and enjoyable until I don’t understand it and then I want to quit’. Uniquely sassy. Her will-driver is either mastery or belonging.
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Side Note: These analyses did NOT reveal themselves overnight. It took over the course of 3 weeks of constant observation, and working with them to really flesh their tendencies out.
So below are my observations, teaching tips or creative activities I conjured up each homeschooling session:
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