A few weeks ago we hosted a webinar that focused on how the latest research can improve your homeschool. You can watch the entire webinar here.
Blog
-
Positive Emotions Enhance Memory (Part Seven of “How They Learn”)
A few weeks ago we hosted a webinar that focused on how the latest research can improve your homeschool. You can watch the entire webinar here.
-
Affiliation Motivation
Around this time each year, the students in my Psychology Class study the concept of motivation – why we do what we do. We explore the motivations behind hunger, thirst, achievement and one of my personal favorites, the need to affiliate. The word ‘affiliation’ is not one that we use often, so let me explain its meaning. To affiliate means that we “flock together”. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we form a close, lasting relationship, but it does mean that we have a need to be with others. Affiliation is a type of social motivation. The need to belong and the need for emotional intimacy are the other components of this type of motivation.
As children and as adults we all require a certain amount of quality contact with others to feel good. In fact, if we deprive others of this social contact using punishments like solitary confinement it can cause some serious problems such as heart disease, depression, and premature death. When we are rejected socially our brains actually respond in the same way as when we are experiencing physical pain.
We form bonds quickly, even when we don’t need to. I am a person who frequently talks to others while waiting in line (my kids were always embarrassed when I did that). I am not sure why I do this, but I suppose it has to do with a shared experience of not having anything else to do while waiting, or just being miserable that I am wasting my time in this line – misery loves company! Others I know form bonds with people during an elevator ride in the hospital or while riding up to a job interview. Or, on the long ride down, when you’re not sure if you “landed the job”. We seem to be drawn to these conversations. You don’t have to look very far to see that we are programmed to affiliate with others.
One of the most famous psychological studies on the concept of affiliation was done by Stanley Schacter in 1959. Working as a social psychology professor at Yale University, Schacter was interested in studying our motivation to be with other people in the same space. He divided the students who volunteered for his experiment into two groups. The first group was instructed by a severe, mean-tempered research assistance by the name of Dr. Zilstein who told them that they were going to be severely shocked during the experiment, and these shocks were going to be painful. The other group met a “mild mannered” professor who told them that they would receive shocks that would feel no worse than a “tickling” on their hands. The groups were then told that they had to wait for the experiment to begin. They could choose to wait alone in a separate room or they could choose to wait together with others. Where do you think the students in Dr. Zilstein’s group chose to wait? You guess it, with others! The moral of the story (experiment) in times of stress we prefer to be with others.
Although affiliation is important, we humans seem to need more than to just “hang out” with each other. Most of us are also looking to belong, feel as if we are a part of a group. This belonging seems to involve two important factors: frequently positive interactions with others (doing things together that are fun!!), and a stable, enduring relationship (meeting in an elevator one time just isn’t the same as an enduring friendship). Maintaining close personal relationships where we feel like we belong is probably the single most important factor in human happiness and life satisfaction. We need to be needed and feel that we belong.
If the need to belong is not fulfilled and we feel rejected by others we can experience severe emotional turmoil. Believe it or not, this distress can even be felt when we are rejected by a computer. When people are rejected by unknown internet partners while playing computer games, they actually change their behavior and even risk losing the game to ensure they are not rejected again. Amazingly these same behaviors occur if people in research studies are told that they are playing against a computer and not other humans!! We change our behavior to make sure the computer doesn’t reject us. What a powerful need we have for affiliation!
I began this blog post talking about the students in my online psychology class. As we study this concept of affiliation motivation, I always challenge them to think of their affiliations. Are they engaging with others? Do they feel needed and connected to people in their own lives? After all teens and young adults are one of the most vulnerable populations when it comes to feeling rejected and lonely. Often in our class we begin discussing these connections, and my students begin to bond with one another. If you think about it, our class actually fulfills the two components of belonging – weekly interactions (classes) that are fun (at least I think they are), and stable relationships (we meet for 8 months of class, and many students continue to stay in contact after the class has finished). This leads me to believe that even internet class connections are ways to help our students form positive, and in some cases, long term bonds with others. These classes help students fulfill important affiliation and belonging needs.
Bonnie Gonzalez has 36 years of experience as a counselor and is passionate about helping families apply the latest research in their home schools. She teaches Introduction to Psychology for Aim Academy as well as the Secrets of Success mini-course series. Her upcoming Secrets of Success summer course helps students learn how to persevere in the face of failure. You can learn more about the seven week course here. -
5 Ways Advanced Placement (AP) Exams Can Cut College Costs
The Advanced Placement (AP) program, offered by the College Board, allows ambitious high school students to take college-level exams each May that potentially qualify them for college credit at the college of their choice. Each college lists the AP exams and credit they will award for a passing score on their website. Just search for “AP credit” or “equivalency exam credit” on the college’s site. Our daughter Kayte took 5 AP exams during high school and earned high marks on each. The University of Pittsburgh awarded her 24 credits for her efforts at no cost. Here is the break down of what she did:
Exam Grade Score* Credits Awarded by Pitt No. of classes eliminated AP U.S. History 10th 5
6
2
AP European History 11th 5
6
2
AP Psychology 12th 5
3
1
AP French 12th 4
3
1
AP English Literature 12th 5
6
2
*5 is the highest score possible.
Here are five ways the time she invested in preparing for those exams during high school reduced her college costs:
1. The value of those 24 credits at the University of Pittsburgh saved her at least 2/3rd of a year in tuition costs (approx. $12,000 at the time) and all the costs of the required texts for those courses.
2. The 24 credits eliminated almost a full year of the time necessary to complete her degree — time she could then use to earn an income.
3. The credits awarded gave her “sophomore” standing and “junior” standing in French (her second major). This meant she got to register for her classes much earlier than other freshman. This meant she ALWAYS got the required courses she needed the very first semester she was eligible to register for them. (A big reason most students today need 5 years to complete a 4-year degree is they cannot get into required courses when they need them.)
4. Kayte’s high performance on these AP exams qualified her for the honors college at the University of Pittsburgh. This then included many free perks, including preferential housing close to campus and early registration for classes. (Safe, affordable housing is in short supply at Pitt.)
5. Finally, Kayte’s high performance and evidence of a willingness to academically challenge herself with the most rigorous coursework available in high school earned her a full tuition, 5-year scholarship worth approximately $75,000 at the time. (She double majored and finished in 4 years anyway.) High AP scores are often the most decisive factor in a college’s decision to offer merit scholarships to homeschooled students. AP scores are viewed as an objective measure of a student’s achievement, ambition, and readiness for college-level rigor.
Kayte used the AP classes to prepare for these exams. The cost of those classes was money well spent when you think about how much time and money Kayte saved.
Taking AP classes is not required. Anyone can sit for the AP exams in May — students just have to sign up with a local test center (usually a local private or public high school) and pay the fees. But research shows that taking classes aligned with the AP exams substantially improves a student’s success on these exams.
Based on my daughter’s experience, I started Aim Academy Online. We offer coursework beginning in 7th grade that is aligned with AP exams. My rationale is students who have been gradually preparing for these rigorous exams over their entire middle school and high school years will be much better prepared to earn the highest scores possible when they take an AP exam. So far, that rationale appears to be working for the many parents and students who report better than expected success on the exams they have taken. And Kayte — now Kathryn Gomes — is offering her own college-prep coursework in mathematics through Aim to help the next generation of homeschooled students realize the time and savings she did. (See her SAT/ACT test prep course here.)
P.S. I should mention the #1 advantage to all the hard work Kayte put in during high school, according to Kayte: She was able to study abroad for three semesters and one summer at a reasonable cost, and still graduate on time. (Pitt allows students to apply their scholarship monies to these ventures.) Kayte studied in Provence, France; Cairo, Egypt; and sailed around the world with Semester-At-Sea, docking in 10 different countries along the way.
Aim Academy AP Courses
There are now 9 AP courses available through Aim Academy. All of these courses are taught by qualified and passionate teachers with the goal of helping your student earn the best possible score.
-
The Science of Learning: How Brain Research Can Power Your Home School
Making time to think about the big picture in homeschooling is hard. Math lessons must be completed by lunch. A co-op class must be planned for tomorrow. But if we don’t take time to think about how we ask our kids to learn new information and why we use the teaching methods we do, we miss much of the unique opportunity homeschooling affords. We can cue our methods to each child’s cognitive development, if we just know what to look for.
And that is why I want to bring you a blog series on the latest breakthroughs in neurological brain research. Let me explain.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, neuroscience has become an exploding field. We now know much more clearly how our brain functions and processes new information. We have research-backed theories that show us concrete steps we can take to make learning easier and, more importantly, long lasting for kids. Scientists have observed countless students in the process of studying and attempting to recall information. Many of the findings are surprising and challenge what has been commonly accepted as good study habits.
With my mom’s help (Debra Bell earned her PhD in educational psychology after she finished homeschooling us) I’ve combed through the research and boiled everything down to bite-size chunks on topics most relevant to homeschool parents. If you’re fascinated by this sort of thing (as I am) I provide links to more information and even the original studies. Additionally, I close each post with concrete ways this research can make your homeschool more effective.
There’s a lot to look forward to. The next post looks at focus and the two modes our brain uses to process information. Like Debra Bell’s Facebook page or sign up for our updates below to join me, as we explore the brain research that can power your home school.
-
Is It Me? My Child? Or the Curriculum? What to do when homeschooling frustrations abound
On to curriculum! In this final post in our series, Deb Bell helps this homeschooling mama learn to let go of unchecked boxes, and embrace the learning lifestyle—flaws and all.
Heather Eades: So if you have determined your curriculum is the culprit of your homeschool’s frustrations, what would you suggest?
Deb Bell: First adapt. I adapted every piece of curriculum I ever used. I slowed it down, sped it up; if it was tedious, we did every other problem. Don’t be afraid to change the assignment. I do not subscribe to the philosophy that you have to be “thorough.” I believe in a spiraling pedagogy, and that over time with repeated exposure and different contexts, students will get there. It’s perfectly fine to skip stuff and adjust; modify assignments–read a different book! Curriculum is a tool. Don’t let it enslave you.
HE: While many of us know that makes total sense to hear, I have countless homeschooling friends who have told me they just can’t handle it if all the boxes aren’t checked. Any advice for us Type A personalities?
DB: Most homeschooling parents are simply trying to do right by their children. They feel they are shortchanging their child if they don’t do everything, or that they’re being a lazy homeschooling parent. But the vast majority of homeschooling parents just need to understand that they can be more relaxed in their approach, and that God is in the details.
For Christian homeschoolers, the main reason to homeschool is so God can show you His faithfulness and His abundant provision. God has already accounted for our mess-ups, failures, and limitations. Make God a big part of this whole evaluation, and show your kids it’s OK to make mistakes, even though we all try to do the best we can. It’s the wrong emphasis for a parent to think, “Homeschooling is something I’m doing to my children,” rather than supporting their child in their own quest for knowledge and understanding, and gaining competencies; figuring out what God wants them to do with their life. Support those things. Boxes can go unchecked.
HE: Was there ever a time when you completely abandoned a curriculum completely mid-year?
DB: Yes, one of my children was part of a co-op using a math program that was not a good fit for the child’s learning style. It wasn’t that my child was being over-challenged as much as the child was frustrated and confused by the way the material was presented. If you realize you can’t change the content or coach the child through it to make gains, you know it is time to make a change.
HE: How does a parent determine if a curriculum or philosophy does not fit their child’s learning style?
DB: Be“student- centered.” Focused on the child, not the curriculum. It’s the homeschooling parent who is actually learning how their child learns—they become a student of the student. If your child struggles continuously in a school subject and you see they are putting in a lot of effort and have the desire to learn, yet they’re not making gains, make changes. Every child is uniquely designed by God. Your child’s cognitive growth is just as unique as your child’s physical development. We need to normalize differences in our children’s cognitive development in the same way we normalize differences in their physical growth.
HE: Thank you, Deb! I think a lot of homeschooling parents like me need to hear this reminder. We can all feel such pressure, especially this time of year.
DB: At this point in the year, we’re all aware of our inadequacies. But I believe God allows that so we can then figure out how to call for a greater dependency on the Lord for these decisions and for our children’s lives—God is homeschooling us! So many of the practical questions we all have in this evaluation process are really just symptomatic of God calling us to press in to a deeper sense of His call and provision.
So celebrate! In homeschooling, we are so often aware of where we’re falling short and what’s not working and where our kids are struggling…that we over-emphasize, completely discount or minimize where God IS providing abundantly. Where are your kids THRIVING? Where are they IMPROVING? Where are they MATURING and SUCCEEDING? Celebrate those things in the process.
