[Content][Page] What are Learning Skills?-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 3 Introduction to SOI-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 4 The Parents’ Role-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 5 Dos and Don’ts-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 6 Understanding the Skill: Verbal Relations-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 7 Activity 1: Simon says in Reverse-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 8 Activity 2: The And Game-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 9 Activity 3: Free Word Association-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 10 More About Verbal Relations-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 11 Contact Us-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ 12
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What are Learning Skills? Learning skills also referred to as Cognitive Skills are foundational skills needed in areas such as comprehension, memory, evaluation, processing, logic and reasoning, etc. Using sports as an analogy: In order to play soccer well, the player must Xirst be equipped with the basic skills of dribbling, passing, control and tackling, etc. In the same way, we need to Xirst equip our children with the basic skills of learning such as paying attention, reading words effectively, being careful with their work, retain their learning well, etc so that we can ensure a motivated, engaged and successful learner.
At ThinkersBox, we hope to help children to ‘Learn to Think and Think to Learn’ by improving and strengthening their underlying learning skills.
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The Structure of Intellect (SOI) The Structure of Intellect (SI) Model was established by Professor J. P. Guilford, a well-‐known psychologist in the 1950s, as a way to measure intelligence. The model was further developed into the SOI by Dr. Mary Meeker, Guilford’s student and a school psychologist, in the early 1960s. The SOI proXiles was used to provide classroom teachers with information on how they can plan classroom materials that could meet the different needs of their students. The most important contribution however, was Dr. Mary Meeker’s realization that intelligence can be taught, trained and improved.
At ThinkersBox, we work closely with SOI Systems to assess, train and improve the learning of children and help them become successful learners.
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The Parents’ Role In response to parents’ need for resources and ideas to help their child learn better, we have developed this series of guidebooks with simple, easy to implement home-‐based activities for parents to do with their child. These activities are meant to be fun, engaging and promotes parent-‐ child bonding. As you work with your child, you would begin to realise their potential and the true meaning of educating our children (beyond school textbooks and subjects) **Instructions for the activities are suggested as a rough guideline. Feel free to change it to suit the age and learning of your child.
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☑ (and) ☒ ✓ Do the activities with your child ✓ Encourage him/her to do better ✓ Encourage your child to be creative when doing the activities!
X Scold the child if he does the activities wrongly, instead, explain to him the objective and tell him the instructions explicitly X Carry out the activity for too long (once the child gets bored or tired of doing the same activity, stop for the day)
✓ Have fun carrying out the activities!
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Understanding the skill: Verbal Relations " Verbal Relations is the ability to relate and connect ideas " Regardless of how reading and comprehension is being taught, there will be a limit unless the child can make connections about what they are reading
" The words used in the following activities can be simple because the focus is on relation and not on the vocabulary per se
" Improving this skill would improve the child’s ability to see relationships within text
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Activity 1: Simon Says in Reverse " Begin the game by saying “Simon Says… (give an instruction and do the action)” " The child responds by doing the opposite " Eg. “Simon Says sit!” The child responds by standing up " Other examples of instructions: Step on the Xloor (step on something else other than the Xloor) Jump up! (squat down) Put your hands down (raise hands)
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Activity 2: The and game " Tell the child that he/she has to complete the phrase
" Eg. “Bread and…” The child should respond “Butter” " Ideas (Visit http://lessonplanspage.com/lavalentinesdaytheandgame35-‐htm/ for more words): Romeo and Juliet Sticks and Stone Tom and Jerry Keyboard and mouse
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" This activity explores common words that comes in pairs, reinforces the use of association to remember words
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Activity 3: Free word association " Give the child a word (can be an object, a noun, an emotion, etc)
" Have the child give (say, write or draw) 5 words that comes to his/ her mind upon hearing the given word " Eg. Playground Swing See-‐Saw Children Chocolate (?) Dinosaur (?) " Question the child when you don’t see the association " This activity explores words that can be grouped into the same category by association
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More About Verbal Relations ² As adults, when we read the newspaper or an article, we are able to relate what is read and what is happening. For example, when we read about a Xlood happening in Jakarta, we know that the casualties and damage reported are the results of the Xlood.
² Verbal Relations helps a child to connect ideas and concepts that were read. This increases their understanding and helps them be better able to grasp the big picture.
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(ending)(note) We hope that you would Xind these activities as fun and effective as we meant for it to be. Let us know if you’ve enjoyed using these e-‐Books @ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WS8Q9CR F o r f e e d b a c k a n d s u g g e s t i o n s , e m a i l u s @ enquiries@thinkersbox.com For more information, visit us @ www.thinkersbox.com For more interesting reads, follow our blog @ www.kidslearntothink.com
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(The)(End) Do you find that your child is often tripping and stumbling over things? Or that he/she often skip words when reading? Find out more about Visual Closure in the next installment, the key to help your child.
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