IT has been a few months since online classes started for our kids. Based on my observation and the feedback from parents, distance learning has brought out a recurring doubt if kids, especially those in the lower-year levels, are able to absorb information effectively in this set up. Another concern is how well are our kids adapting emotionally. Do they get anxious in their homework?
I believe that as much as there are multimedia learning materials shown online, a classroom setup with recitations and teacher-guided activities is essential especially for learning new concepts. I worry more for the younger kids who are being introduced for the first time to fundamental concepts. The schools have advised parents that distance learning must have parent supervision to support the child’s learning process at this time. The question from most parents is: How?
As a parent and educator, I thought about what parental support can be done for online classes to ensure effective learning. I also recognize the busy schedules of parents, and my hope is to optimize time and see if we can incorporate learning in family time.
Back in August 2017, I wrote a three-part article about art-infused learning. Today, I want to share this in the context of how art can help us parents in distance learning. “There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking and learning are all linked,” according to Eric Jensen in Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 1998. According to Justin DeLeo’s paper, titled “Arts and Mathematics: An Integrated Approach to Teaching,” “children are engaged when they are being artistic. To engage in an artistic experience, a learner is required to think and to feel.”
It zeroes in on the subject of Math and says, “For a long time in education, mathematics was treated as a cognitive, thinking, rational, left-brain activity, while art was considered to be an affective, feeling, right-brain activity…. In truth, math and the arts share some inherent qualities that make them capable not only of integration, but of interdependence. The ‘hands-on’ nature of teaching art and math in combination helps build bridges between concrete and abstract mathematical ideas.” The paper says that this integration meets the needs of diverse learning styles and multiple intelligences. On top of that, it says that art experiences may even help kids alleviate math anxiety and enjoy math more.
Through the years, art has been my main partner in supporting my kids’ subject learning. I Google art-infused activities in Math, Science and Social Studies that I think my kids would enjoy. I believe it has made a substantial difference in the depth of how my kids absorb and enjoy concepts today. Art has especially helped my kids for subjects that they initially found difficult. I even found art useful in reducing my son’s anxiety before going to class.
I believe art can do the same to help parents support their kids in distance learning. Below are some tips on how to apply this:
When I did homework with my kids when they were in preschool up to Grade 2, I would always use coloring materials like markers and crayons to teach them. I found they were more relaxed, especially when they used color to answer math drills on paper.
When studying facts like in social studies or characters in foreign language, let them draw out their answers if you feel they are not responding to verbal question-and-answer.
For older kids, it would be good to try the concept of Mind Maps by Tony Buzan. It works on the premise that our brain thinks in colors and pictures. You can revisit my column ‘Mind maps’ for school and life which I wrote on August 8, 2019. I noticed my daughter always having her cup of colored markers ready for mind-mapping when she works on Social Studies and Science.
Some schools give learning plans for the week. Try to see which topics your child might have difficulty understanding. Find art-infused resources/activities for that topic and make it your bonding time. This way, the child does not feel he or she is studying but is actually having fun with you. I found good experiment activities in www.housingaforest.com. At www.crayola.com, I would type the subject like Math or Science on search field, then go to the tab Free Coloring Pages.
Last, let’s try to incorporate art as part of our weekend family time. For us, this was usually either games or cooking. When my son was learning to spell his name, we would spell his name with cookie dough.
I hope that as you try art in making learning more effective and fun for your child during this pandemic, you may bring the habit of using art even when regular schooling résumés.