Connections Academy Blog, Virtual Learning Connections

Happy Pi Day! For those who are rusty on geometry, pi (the Greek letter π) is the symbol for a number that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference (distance around) to its diameter (distance from edge to edge, through the center). The cool thing about pi is that it’s a constant; for all circles of any size, pi will be the same. And while pi has been calculated to over a trillion digits beyond the decimal point, most non-mathematicians round pi to 3.14—which is why March 14 is known as Pi Day and celebrated by math teachers and students worldwide!

Why not celebrate Pi Day to spark your children’s interest in and use of math in everyday life? Make a Pi Day pie, reinforcing terms like radius, diameter, and circumference while you roll out the crust! Or plan a Pi Day math scavenger hunt, in which kids follow clues to locations where they find math problems to solve. Be sure to give prizes! Whatever you do, make it fun—and celebrate with Pi Day pie—even if it’s store-bought.

In honor of Pi Day, I’d like to share a tip for helping students solve math problems: using scrap paper. Picture this: it’s a hot summer day, and you want to fill the small pool in the backyard—but there’s no garden hose. You grab a bucket and fill it right to the brim, but by the time you walk to the pool, half the water has splashed out. ...

It’s that time of year again. Kids all over the country are sharpening their #2 pencils and anticipating their state tests. Whether your child has a standardized test coming up in a few days or in a few weeks, these test-prep tips and strategies will help you to help him or her relax and do his or her best.

Test-Prep Ideas for Grade K–5 Students

Make testing more fun by having younger students wear a special outfit each day in the week before the test to signify a specific testing tip. This is an effective way to introduce and reinforce important testing techniques, and the element of fun it provides can decrease student stress.

• Monday – wear your pajamas to signify how important it is to get a good night’s sleep the night before a test.
• Tuesday – wear bright, fruity colors such as orange, red, and yellow as a reminder to eat something healthy before taking a test.
• Wednesday – wear your shirt backwards to remind yourself to always go back and check your work.
• Thursday – wear something with words on it to signify the importance of reading each question thoroughly.
• Friday – wear all black to remember to completely fill in the test circles with your pencil.

Another tip is to introduce your student to light physical activity with a simple, fun routine like this:

• Do twenty jumping jacks.
• Touch your toes ten times.
• Do windmills for a minute by swinging your arms forward from the shoulder. ...

All children have unique learning styles. Students gain strong benefits when their teachers and Learning Coaches recognize their strengths and weaknesses as learners. Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor of neuroscience at Harvard, developed one theory in 1983. Gardner defines “intelligence” not as an IQ but, rather, as the skills that enable anyone to gain new knowledge and solve problems.

Gardner proposed that there are several different types of intelligences, or learning styles.

1. Verbal-Linguistic (Word Smart) – People who possess this learning style learn best through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Verbal students absorb information by engaging with reading materials and by discussing and debating ideas.
2. Logical-Mathematical (Logic Smart) – Those who exhibit this type of intelligence learn by classifying, categorizing, and thinking abstractly about patterns, relationships, and numbers.
3. Visual-Spatial (Picture Smart) – These people learn best by drawing or visualizing things using the mind’s eye. Visual people learn the most from pictures, diagrams, and other visual aids.
4. Auditory-Musical (Music Smart) – Students who are music smart learn using rhythm or melody, especially by singing or listening to music.
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart) – Body-smart individuals learn best through touch and movement. These people are best at processing information through the body. Sometimes kinesthetic learners work best standing up and moving rather than sitting still.
6. Interpersonal (People Smart) – Those who are people smart learn through relating to others by sharing, comparing, and cooperating. Interpersonal learners can make excellent group leaders and team players.
7. Intrapersonal (Self Smart) – Intrapersonal-intelligent people learn best by working ...

Can you believe it’s the middle of December already? If you’re part of an active virtual school family, you know how much hustle-bustle the season will add to your already busy life! To help you prepare for the midpoint of the school year, we’d like to offer some tips for catching up with schoolwork, plus fun learning activities families can do over winter break.

• Is your student on schedule? Before break, take a few minutes to review your student’s attendance records to ensure he or she is completing the hours required in your state. Check your student’s lesson completions, too. Are they on track? If your student’s attendance and lessons are up-to-date, enjoy the vacation!


• Make a plan for catching up. If short on hours or behind on lessons, your child may need to put in some extra school time during winter break. Don’t let your student rush to complete lessons, but instead create a plan to finish by the course’s scheduled end date. This could be as simple as doing one additional lesson each day or working one day each weekend until caught up.


• Get prepared. If your student will need to work on lessons during winter break, plan for this before the school closes and the teachers go on break. Review the objectives, lessons, projects, and assessments your student plans to complete. Make sure you have all the materials needed. If you or your students have any questions, ask your students’ teachers now.


• Make a backup ...

In case you missed the announcement, the research is in: students who do not read between June and September suffer learning loss, aka brain drain, aka summer slide. Summer is a great time to emphasize that reading for pleasure is important. Reading should also be easy and enjoyable—pick a book, settle in, and be transported to new places. Just in case you don’t find it quite so simple, here are a few tips to help you and your child select wonderful books that will both entertain and keep that learning loss at bay.

• Ask for suggestions. Whenever a student recommends a book, I always read it! I’ve discovered Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer and Cynthia Kadohata’s Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam through student reviews. If you can’t ask a teacher, try asking the parents of your child’s friends about the books their kids have liked. Or, find a book your child has enjoyed previously, and ask a librarian to recommend something similar.


• Look at the lists. Each year, the American Library Association publishes a list of Notable Children’s Books, which has been gathered by its Association for Library Service to Children division. Both the current list and the previous lists are excellent sources of high-quality reading recommendations.


• Keep it in sequence. I enjoyed Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, another student suggestion, so I continued to read the rest of the series. If your children enjoyed Magic Tree House, look for additional books in the series. If Little House ...

Unfortunately, there is no single miraculous formula for motivating virtual school students to complete their schoolwork. And, of course, not all students are motivated by the same values, needs, desires, or wants. Some of your students will be motivated by the approval of others, while others will be motivated by getting past challenges.

To encourage students to become self-motivated, autonomous learners, try some of the following strategies:

• Create a positive atmosphere and be open to questions.
• Hold high but realistic expectations for your students.
• Give frequent, early, positive feedback that supports students’ beliefs that they can do well.
• Help students find personal meaning and value in the material.
• Help students set achievable goals for themselves. If needed, break assignments into smaller pieces.
• Help students understand the requirements of the assignment.
• Ensure opportunities for students’ success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult.
• Start with the least favorite lesson first. It motivates students to keep studying if they know they are working toward the activities and lessons they most enjoy.
• Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating, solving. Create opportunities for teachable moments, as these allow your child to have fun while learning at the same time.
• If you have multiple students in different grades, create opportunities for students to mentor each other. A team approach can be beneficial for everyone in your home classroom.
• Emphasize mastery and learning rather than using grades as threats.
• Reward success and showcase your student’s best work in ...

The summer is here, and as you think about the lazy days over the summer break, it's important to plan for activities to keep your student thinking and learning. Did you know that many students experience learning loss over the summer if they are not engaged in educational activities? And teachers typically spend between four and six weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.

Instead of looking at summer as “time off” from learning, approach summer as a time for fun hands-on, experiential activities and projects that may not be possible during the school year.

One way to ensure a fun summer filled with rich learning activities is to work as a family to create a list of summer projects. Post the list in a common area in your home. At the end of each week, go through the list with your family, discuss and check off activities that were completed, and add any new activities that came up.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Art contests with neighborhood friends: Use chalk, clay, crayon, paint, etc.


• Community service activities: Help a neighbor mow the lawn, wash the car, clean the garage, cook dinner...


• Camping trip: The camping experience can take place in the backyard. Have your child help plan an agenda and a list of things needed.


• Household improvement projects: Have your child look around the house to find projects that he or she would like to work on, and/or offer projects that ...

Wondering how to help motivate your student at the start of the new school year? It’s common for all students, whether attending homeschool, virtual school, or traditional school, to lose motivation from time to time—and this can be a source of stress and strain.

Over the years, many experienced homeschool parents and virtual school Learning Coaches have shared with me their own personal strategies for keeping students excited about learning. Now you can also combat difficult academic challenges, waning self-discipline, and slipping enthusiasm with their ideas below (and thanks to all you experts out there!):

1. Use games to make learning fun
   “Each day I post a ‘Brain Teaser’ question on the board that covers anything we’re studying. My son can guess at the answer even before he starts to work on it. It really draws him into the classroom and motivates him to get started on the school day.”
   
   Such questions can act as a review before a quiz, or an introduction to a new concept to see what your student already knows and understands while keeping your student interested and motivated to learn.


2. Use marble jars
   One Learning Coach uses “Marble Jars” as her motivation system. Each student has his own jar filled with as many marbles as he has lessons scheduled that day. As the student finishes a lesson, he takes a marble from the jar and puts it in the family “completed” jar. Each student can keep track of how much more he has ...

As kids start to focus more on sleeping in and swimming pools, many will flip an internal switch—LEARNING OFF, PLAY TIME ON! But the two don't have to be—shouldn't be—mutually exclusive.

There is a wealth of research that supports the idea that children greatly benefit from learning over the summer, and the importance of play in child development is a widely researched topic. During the summer, kids usually get more time to play and really let their curiosity lead them to explore and ask questions, which helps kids' brains stay sharp.

In celebration of National Summer Learning Day, enjoy these ideas for games that help give kids an educational boost while enjoying summer fun!

1. Take a Chance!
   Monopoly and Monopoly Junior are classic board games that put math skills to the test. Counting money, buying and selling, and making change all reinforce math concepts that many students are learning as early as first grade and kindergarten. Be sure to stop the game as needed to explain and assist with math problems.


2. Move Over Milton Bradley … Invent a Game
   Encourage children to get creative and develop their own board game. Use a piece of cardboard as the “board,” break out the crayons and markers, and let imaginations run wild. Refer to favorite games like Candy Land for ideas about structure and format. Kids will have a ball making their own playing pieces and even dice with modeling clay. This activity is an artistic way to boost logic skills. ...

We are wrapping up math awareness month with some ideas to highlight the math that already exists in our lives. Most people do math on a daily basis without even realizing it!  When we are with friends we exchange contact information such as cell phone numbers. We create budgets so that we do not overspend. There are calendars and planners on our desktops that tell us when we need to be somewhere. Dining at a restaurant leaves us calculating tips and taxes. Every day we are faced with math problems to solve. Helping students realize that math is a normal part of life and not just something they learn in school can be beneficial.

One of the best ways to learn is by doing. Textbooks, workbooks, and online classrooms and tutorials provide great resources for learning, but they aren’t the only way a student learns math. You can incorporate math into everyday life and help your student learn without calling it schoolwork. Here are a few activities that provide opportunities to engage your student with math concepts we use on a daily basis:

• Shopping

  Whether you are grocery shopping or shopping for a new outfit, it is important to stay within a budget. Have your student keep a running estimated balance and compare it to the balance on your receipt after checkout.

  Look for discounts or use coupons. If an item is on sale for 30% off retail price, let your student calculate the sale price for you!

• Cooking

  One ...