Remote Learning Part 3 | Family as First Teachers | Vancouver, WA Family Photographer

September 27, 2020 • Leave a Comment

I recently heard this fabulous educator and writer, Zaretta Hammond, talk about honoring families as student's first teachers. Then she went on to talk about all the things we've been teaching our kids since they were tiny humans.

I would bet, without realizing it, you already know one of the most helpful educational strategies at a teacher's finger tips. We call it "Gradual Release of Responsibility." Did you potty train your little ones? Teach them to use a fork? Put their coat on? Brush their teeth? I'm guessing you used a version of the Gradual Release of Responsibility to teach your child do these things. And now, those same teaching skills will come in handy as you support you kiddos to learn to navigate their tech tools, follow their daily schedules and the many other things you may be guiding them through right now.

It's very simple:

I do. Watch me do it.

We do. Let's do it together.

You do. Now you try it and I'll be here to support if needed for a time.

Here's an example:

My daughter had to learn to navigate between 2 platforms to see assignments, complete assignments and then mark assignments as finished. I counted at least 10 steps for each assignment (not including the assignment itself). The first time I showed her how while talking about the steps. The next time several times she managed the device while I talked her through the steps one at a time. I slowly told her less and less. She can now find her assignments, complete and submit them and mark them as complete all on her own.

The end goal is ALWAYS independence. So here's a couple of tips:

Think about things you don't want to still be doing for your child in a few weeks. Focus on those things to start gradually releasing to them.
Start with the assumption that they CAN. If they are struggling, spend more time in the "we do."
Don't answer questions they can answer for themselves. Sometimes they are just in the habit of asking when they could just find the answer if they took a minute. Try this, "What have you already tried to find the answer?" Encourage them to try 2-3 other things before asking you. Monitor their frustration level when using this tip. Productive struggle is the key.
Don't answer, "Is this right?" right away. Ask your child what strategy they could use to confirm their own thinking. If they're asking about spelling, could they circle the word and check it later through a google search? If it's a math problem, could they try an alternate strategy and see if they still get the same answer? Just this week my youngest was sorting fiction and nonfiction books and she looked to me for confirmation and I just said, "you tell me, is it right?" She can confirm her thinking by naming the features of nonfiction/fiction books. She doesn't need me to do that for her most of time.

And now another fabulous Vancouver family connecting in the beautiful outdoors as we soak up these last few moments of summer.