Education: Getting Youth Actively Engaged In Learning

This photo of my children and me was taken about three years ago.
Now my son is taller than I am!

I have a Master's Degree in education and taught kindergarten in the public schools for several years before having children of my own. Currently, one of my children attends public school, and the other is homeschooled. Why? That's what they each want and it works for us! (Update: My oldest has now graduated and moved on to college, but I'm still homeschooling my youngest. )

In addition to homeschooling my son, I'm one of the organizers of a local homeschool co-op. We get together for classes once a week and enjoy such things as hands-on science experiments, recorder class, sharing the poems and stories we've written at home, fun writing activities, critical thinking activities, hands on activities that help us learn about various cultures, art, lunch, and of course recess.

Exploring The Composition Of Soil

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
- William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)


The question is not, "how much does the youth know when he has finished his education," but, "how much does he care?"
- Charlotte Mason


What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) .

As you can probably tell by the quotes above, I'm not the kind of teacher or homeschooling parent who requires that kids sit behind a desk doing workbooks most of the day. Yes, we do do some paper and pencil activities, such as writing and math (yet even when doing math we like to use manipulatives when we're first learning a new concept), but we also do a lot of hands-on activities which truly engage and excite us. Current research shows that the brain actually learns information better when physical activity is involved. I learned this fact during graduate school years ago, but didn't REALLY learn it until I actually found it to be true. I am currently putting together a book of active learning activities and games for kids to do along with parents or tutors, or in small groups at school.

Learning About Caterpillar to Butterfly Metamorphosis First Hand

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
- Benjamin Franklin

What better way to learn about butterflies, than to raise caterpillars and watch them change into chrysalises and then into butterflies? Engaging in activities such as raising butterflies naturally leads us to do additional research in library books and on websites. For example, last year my son and I learned that butterflies actually need the sun in order to fly! We first found that out by observing our butterflies, and then later confirmed it by doing some online research.

Engaging In A Critical Thinking Challenge: Building A Straw Bridge That Can Hold Weight

The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative, inventive and discoverers.
-Jean Piaget


Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
- Albert Einstein (1879 -1955)

Our homeschool co-op had a wonderful class on critical thinking and problem solving last year. The students sometimes worked alone, but most often in pairs or small groups, to solve various challenges presented to them. These included things such as building a bridge between two chairs that would actually hold weight... using nothing but straws and tape, finding a way to make music using only everyday objects found in the room, designing their own inventions, and a wide variety of other interesting challenges. The kids absolutely loved the class, and yet it was teaching them very valuable life skills: to be creative and inventive, to find a way to solve their own problems, to look within for information rather than always to a teacher or a book, to work as a team, to experiment and not be afraid of making mistakes, and to be persistent even when their plan didn't work the first time..

Did you know that being physically activity helps kids do better in math, reading, and academics in general? Visit the link above to find out more.

Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.
- Albert Einstein


Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
- Chinese proverb


Teacher: Two kinds: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just give you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.
- Robert Frost (1875-1963)


You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.
- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

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© 2012 Janiece Tobey. All rights reserved.
All photos on this page were taken by myself or a member of my family and are copyrighted. All rights reserved.
Page last updated 5/31/12.