EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
COFFEE BREAK WITH ANDREA can get creative in order to turn something passive into an active learning opportunity .
February 2018
EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
LOVE OF LEARNING
Being both a teacher and a mom , I found myself combining learning opportunities into household commands . Brush your teeth . Take a Bath . Do your homework . Read a book . Though my children love reading , after a while , I began to get grunts from them because of the authoritative way in which they were asked to read . One day while researching online , I stumbled on an article entitled , “ 10 Ways to Inspire a Love of Learning ” by Carri Schneider . After reading the article , I began to ask myself , “ Has learning become a chore for my little ones ?” I knew that my heart ’ s desire was to instill a love of life-long learning in my children . Here are Schneider ’ s helpful tips to building a love of learning :
1 . Use a rainy or snowy day to learn something totally new together . One snow day , my daughter and I tried “ Hour of Code ,” which is an online tool for teaching computer science education with fun games . I was amazed at how much she learned about coding and how much I learned about her .
2 . Launch an experiment that brings learning to life . Cooking is always a classic example of this .
3 . Get out and explore . There ’ s definitely benefits to roaming around the woods without an agenda . Learning can ’ t happen there too .
4 . Take on personal challenges ( and talk about overcoming them ). We ’ re intentional about discussing how brains learn and even our 4 year old can describe how challenging a brain to learn something new helps it “ grow .”
5 . Turn something passive into something active . Not every second of every day has to be tied to a specific learning goal . There are times when parents
COFFEE BREAK WITH ANDREA can get creative in order to turn something passive into an active learning opportunity .
6 . Seek answers together . Although the library can be a great way to spend an afternoon , not everything has to be a full research project . In our family , it ’ s sometimes as simple as using google to find the origin of the phrase “ getting a Charlie horse ” or learning about all the ingredients in McDonald ’ s Shamrock Shake .
7 . Join ( or start ) a family book club . This is a creative way to make reading more enjoyable . Everyone reads the same book and we all bring our different perspectives together when we meet to discuss the book .
8 . Cultivate an interest in the arts . Research supports the value in exposing children to the arts and doing so doesn ’ t have to be expensive . Get creative . Use resources that you already have in your house . For instance , macaroni noodles can be a source of artistic inspiration .
9 . Stop and smell the roses . Reflection is an important part of learning , so we try to create opportunities for our kids to slow down , practice mindfulness and reflect on the world around them . Our culture tells us to go , go , go but there is value in silence and meditation .
10 . Everything is an opportunity to learn . Parents , keep having fun with your kids and don ’ t be afraid to tell them they ’ re learning . Teach them learning is fun , motivating and rewarding . Albert Einstein once said , “ Once you stop learning , you start dying .” Teach your children that learning is fun because learning is essential in life .
Parents let ’ s make a vow to develop a culture of children that love to learn .
Dr . Nadra Powell Owner / Educator of High Achievers
Education Center Inc .
WRITE THE VISION , AND MAKE IT PLAIN !
Not too long ago I was asked to attend a Vision Board Party . Usually toward the end and beginning of the year you can see them popping up . Now , everyone has their own special twist , but to me it ’ s all the same – cutting out magazine pictures and posting them on a poster board . I ’ ve done one before several years ago , and it ended up shoved under my bed collecting dust until it ended up in the trash can . As invitations come in to join the ‘ best ever ’ vision casting party , I usually politely decline . It ’ s not that I ’ m opposed to doing arts and crafts , but the process has never felt actionable enough for me . And , with me being a ‘ so what are you going to do about it ’ kind of girl I struggle with ambiguity . But , this time was different . This invitation was extended to my family . I gave it a try , and was amazed at the outcome .
I watched my family go through the process . I could see the excitement on my daughters ’ faces as they flipped through a stack of magazines looking for the perfect picture to convey their goals . My husband , who resists assisting with any school projects that requires cutting and gluing even found joy in the process . There is a familiar scripture that reads , “ And the Lord answered me , and said , Write the vision , and make it plain upon tables , that he may run that readeth it ,” ( Habbakkuk 2:2 , KJV ). The light bulbs went off . It suddenly clicked ! Here is what I learned : Achieving success in life is about seeing what you ’ re running toward . The reason why the process didn ’ t work before is I couldn ’ t make it plain . I didn ’ t know what I was running toward , because it wasn ’ t my vision . It was the vision birthed out of the logical next steps for the person I was at that moment . Your vision is about the accomplishments the person you are becoming will do , not about what you can do today . Growth is inherent to the vision . Like a child ask yourself , “ What do I want to do when I grow up ?”
Where you are and what you have is irrelevant . I know this point sounds a bit crazy , but it ’ s true . Your vision is about who you are . Somewhat related to the first point , the vision for your life is about understanding what you were designed to do in this world . What ’ s your contribution ? My children may not know exactly what they are designed to do at this point on their journey , but they know what activities excite them . This is where you start . For example , my youngest child loves to create things with her hands . She is drawn to baking , art , and science . My middle child loves physical activities . She is drawn to dancing , gymnastics , and karate . Whereas , my oldest is drawn to leadership , helping people , and world travel . Their boards reflected these differences with similar goals of college and family . I had to ask myself , “ Who am I , and what am I uniquely designed to do ?”
Casting your vision starts with discerning your intentions . In the book , “ The Principles and Power of Vision ,” Myles Munroe states , “ When ideas are cultivated , they become imagination . Imagination , if it is watered and developed , becomes a plan . Finally , if a plan is followed , it becomes a reality . The vision board process provided me an opportunity to open my mental filing cabinet and think through my ideas . It forced me to ask , “ What is my plan ?”
It took me a few hours to flip through magazines , cut and paste things to my board . What I know now is I will spend a lifetime doing this process as I grow personally and in faith to accomplish the vision . Take the challenge , write your vision , and make it plain !
IDG Vision Consulting & Training inspires , develops , and grows the vision inside of people / organizations by helping them get from where they are today ( point A ) to where they want to be ( point B ). Whether you are simply looking for motivation to build new skills or a strategic plan for success , we offer 1-on-1 and group coaching , workshops / seminars , and mastermind group studies to help achieve your goals . Contact us at 770- 648-3758 to schedule a free consultation .
Stay Inspired !
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