Since our families use distance education, their classroom management strategies are different than a teacher in a classroom of 30 students. Nevertheless, there are those days when one thinks, “Hmmm, I wonder if there is another way to present this information,” or “My student just doesn’t seem to be interested,” or “doesn’t seem to understand”, or “isn’t engaged”. Some of the teaching strategies that are used in a traditional classroom can help us, too.

Some strategies often taught to teachers happen naturally in the home environment. For example, providing quiet areas for independent tasks is easy to do at home. It is worth thinking about arranging this, however, at a time when an older child needs to work on a paper, and his younger siblings are being loud. Making the environment more conducive to study can help students.

Sometimes using music, games, role-playing, or charts to present information can also help students learn. Having students make charts is another way to engage them in active learning. Breaking up a lesson into about 20-minute segments can definitely help. Of course, one should always give prompt, specific feedback about the student’s work.

Now, one strategy often recommended to teachers is to have students collaborate with adults and peers. Of course, that happens naturally in a home environment. Other standard suggestions are to allow students to move away from desks and interact with classmates in some form of activity, or to allow students to drink water throughout the day. At home these activities happen regularly.

But there are other strategies that might not occur so naturally. Allowing 3-5 seconds of “wait time” after asking a question allows time for the student to process the information. Asking questions before, during and after the presentation of a new concept can help you determine what the student knows, correct any misunderstandings, and figure out what the student has learned. This allows you to adjust your presentation and re-teach anything that needs to be re-taught.

As children get older be sure to ask questions that involve critical thinking. Questions like, “Do you agree with....” “Why?”, or “How would you prove.....?” “Is there a better solution?” or “Rank the importance of..” or “Why was this better than that?” can help develop critical thinking skills. Using words like ‘evaluate’, ‘justify’,
‘support’ and ‘critique’ when discussing material with students can help them make judgments about reality.

Remember, too, that the high school student is naturally interested in questions involving the ends of rhetoric. They care about whether a proposed course of action was expedient or inexpedient (as in Daniel’s decision to ignore the king’s command to pray only to him for 30 days). They also care about whether an action was just or unjust (as in Antigone’s decision to bury her brother), and whether someone deserves praise or blame (for example, Alexander the Great). Our experience at MODG is that if you want to get a discussion going with high school students, ask one of those questions: was a course of action expedient or inexpedient, was it just or unjust, and did that person deserve praise or blame.

Discussion is important. It engages the mind of the participant in a way listening to a lecture doesn’t. The student grasps the question in a discussion he is actively participating in, and so is ready for the answers as he works them out.

Further, the most important reason we educate our children at home is to form their minds and hearts. That can’t be done without conversation. So, the very best learning strategy is to talk to your children.