Time and time again, I hear parents saying…
“My child isn’t retaining the information she is reading/learning.”
“HELP! I don’t know how to help my child. He does his work but can’t remember what he is learning!“
Have you ever said or felt in a similar way? Perhaps you have a child who might remember something for a week or a month but then it’s simply…poof...gone?!
If so, you aren’t alone! There is a solution and it’s actually quite simple…
It’s called LAYERED LEARNING and here is a quick visual…
Regardless of the curriculum you are using, everything begins in the 1st layer: basic knowledge.
I’m going to be honest here and my beliefs come from 30+ years of experience in education. I’ve seen it as a public-school teacher and then as a homeschooling momma that used multiple ‘made for the masses’ curriculum…Most curriculum stops at the 1st level – basic knowledge!
My heart hurts for so many parents who don’t realize that the curriculum they have spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on basically spews information, has the students answer a few questions and moves on to the next section.
I’ve also seen a huge draw to online learning in the last decade simply because parents do not feel equipped to be ‘the teacher.’
First, let me put that to rest…YOU are equipped to be your child’s teacher!!
I will never say there isn’t a place for online classes. My son took some wonderful online courses. However, what I found 9 times out of 10 was a lack of anything beyond level 1: basic knowledge. If I wanted my son to go beyond, I needed to get into the trenches and help him advance to the next two layers!
What are those next two layers:
- 2nd layer: application
- 3rd layer: critical thinking
So, what do these next two layers really look like? Have you ever heard of Blooms taxonomy? Whether you have or haven’t, isn’t really important, but the taxonomy is!
Here is another visual for you…
Regardless of what curriculum you are using, whether it is from My Teaching Library, another provider or a mix of both, to help your child get the very most out of their learning, make sure to include the layers of learning to your lesson plans!
You can do more research on Bloom’s taxonomy and how to help your child get the very most from their curriculum through doing a Google search of: Bloom’s taxonomy.
However, if you don’t have the time or simply want something now, here are two resources that truly is all you need…
Layered learning is vital for student retention of information and full comprehension of knowledge. This poster has been designed to help you create the very best learning experience for your students.
Download, print and keep handy when preparing all of your lesson plans.
Layered Learning ACTIVITIES Poster
Layered learning is vital for student retention of information and full comprehension of knowledge. This activities poster has been designed to help you create the very best learning experience for your students by giving you activity ideas for the varies layers of learning!!
Download, print and keep handy when preparing all of your lesson plans.
Both of these posters, Layered Learning Poster and Layered Learning Activities Poster have been created so that you may download, print and keep them with you as you are planning your lessons.
If and when you do, you will see a huge difference
in your child’s retention of material as well as
witness their ability to think critically!
Thank you for visiting and reading this post from My Teaching Library!
My Teaching Library is a family-owned business started by a mom (and now grandma) with over 30 years of experience in the field of education. Having worked as a public-school teacher prior to becoming a full-time homeshcooling mom, Lynda has experience from both perspectives and is dedicated to creating and sharing with YOU the very best resources to help you teach your children. In an effort to help you SAVE TIME and MONEY as a teacher and homeschooling parent.
To save you time, she has created and gathered thousands of resources now available to you for instant download all on one site, MyTeachingLibrary.com. It is also important to her that children are taught as the unique learners that they are. Learn the My Teaching Library difference.
To save you money, she offers two ALL-ACCESS membership plans. Members do not pay listed prices, instead they only pay for membership!
FB Group
FB Page
X (formally twitter)
YouTube