Pure Multitasking
What do I mean by pure multitasking? Most people who try to truly do several things simultaneously (like drive and text) cannot really concentrate on any one thing enough to do it well. However, what most people consider multitasking actually involves rotating between different projects to utilize time more efficiently. For example, many women will do one task that needs to sit or run, and then while that is going on, they will move on to another task that can be done in the downtime. Many people also use this strategy in their jobs to produce more in the same timeframe. In a learning situation, this can be used with great success. Actually, this is how one-room schoolhouses functioned. One class would do teacher directed activity and then would go off to do independent work while the teacher did directed activity with another group. The teacher stayed constantly busy, but the children did not necessarily.
The Small Bursts
How can this learning style be utilized in a childcare setting? My own childcare is structured much like a one-room schoolhouse. I have learned that young children benefit from many small bursts of academic instruction instead of long sessions. This system allows me to do one-on-one instruction with every child in my childcare everyday. These daily small bursts are concentrated in content but do not last very long. Most of the child's day in spent in play. However, I keep hopping all day long. I also rotate between academic work and other activities such as routines. I never go from one-on-one instruction time straight into a group time without some sort of break even if it is just a pick-up time. Many researchers say that breaking up activities in this way helps the brain to reset making the brain more receptive to new information.
Rotating with Other Activities
Many people actually benefit from this particular learning style. Most people will get bogged down when they try to do schoolwork in one long session. However, when people break the work down in smaller sessions and rotate doing other things, they can retain more from session to session. I personally work very well this way. It is how I survived graduate school. Very rarely do I ever write long works in one setting. Most of the time, I write papers in sections and rotate the work between academic and nonacademic work. This really helps me get housework done. While I do housework, my brain pre-writes the next section of the paper. By the time I sit back down to the writing, it can flow because I had the downtime to ponder. For children with short attention spans rotating academic work with other activities gives them time to digest the academic concepts. This keeps them from being overwhelmed by an enormous amount of content at one time. Many children are capable of academic work that many consider developmentally inappropriate when it is delivered with this format. Remember, I was a homeschooler. Therefore, the way I present academic content does not necessarily match how a classroom teacher might approach the same content. For me, it will always be about individually appropriate practice.
Who Benefits from this Learning Style?
Like every other learning style, people will use each style to varying degrees. Some people may use this type of learning style for nearly everything. Other people will use this type of learning only in certain situations. Still others may not be able to use this learning style at all. How can you tell if a child can function well with this style of learning? As with all other matters concerning education and individual needs for learning, trial and error and good observation usually represent the best options for determining what works and what does not work. Children that have an extremely hard time concentrating might really have issues when too many activities are going on around them. They may still benefit from the short bursts of instruction but must have near silence around them to be able to concentrate. Over the years I have had many children in my childcare with attention issues. Therefore, while I am doing one-on-one instruction, loud, rowdy play by the other children is not allowed. The children always have other times for more physical play, but out of respect for the children with attention issues or learning disabilities, they must tone it down while I do "school." This benefits both parties because all children should learn appropriate times for all behavior.
The Strugglers
Another group of children that might struggle with this learning style are those that take a long time to get involved with a subject. Usually but not always this type of learning situation accompanies learning disabilities. Most of the time, these children cannot retain much from session to session, and therefore much rehashing of material becomes necessary. This also might show itself in a subject that proves difficult for a child to understand but in other subjects the child does fine with short bursts of information.
What Is Not Simultaneous Learning
Before I leave this subject, I want to address what I do not mean by simultaneous learning. As I stated in my opening paragraph, researchers are beginning to rebuff pure multitasking. Therefore, people normally must concentrate on one thing at a time even it it is for a short time. Trying to cram way too much activity into one time frame normally does not produce very good results. People cannot talk and listen at the same time. A chaotic atmosphere also normally does not produce very good results. Sometimes there is a fine line between stimulating activity and complete chaos. Good observation should tell you whether the children in your care are learning or just simply running wild. When you hit the running wild phase, you probably will want to rein it in.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!!
Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
No comments:
Post a Comment