Core Phase Learning

I tried to teach my child with books.
He gave me only puzzled looks.
I tried to teach my child with words -
They often passed him by unheard.
Despairingly I turned aside, "How shall I teach this child?"
I cried.
Into my hands he put the KEY,
"COME," he said, "AND PLAY WITH ME."

~ "The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook" page 191

Why is it so hard to grasp the need to learn through play? Is it so hard to realize the balance of learning needed for Core Phase children, teens, and adults? Yes, it is, or we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?

In my previous post I introduced some ideas on Three Types of Learning - Basic, Inspirational, and Creative. I'd like to discuss in this post about the balance of these three types of learning for Core Phase.

Core Phase Learning

During Core Phase, the main focus of our education should be "Creative Learning". However, in conveyor-belt education systems, we see the opposite is true. Children learn best through play, mimicking others, and repetition. Like the triangle represented here, most of a Core Phase child's time should be spent in Creative Learning, with some time dedicated to what "inspires them" and a little time in learning a basic education.

Let's define them each a little further for the Core Phase child, teen, and adult.

Creative Learning

This is the time when children should complete their Core Phase.  Children naturally want to learn about the world through play. They pretend to play house, with a dedicated Mommy, Daddy, Baby, etc. They "mimic" family life and relationships. They build towers of blocks, cups, pillows, and eventually venture into forts, castles, and battleships.

Life is full of exciting things to learn by playing with baby dolls, Barbies, Legos, stuffed animals, and household items. But, they also learn by drawing with crayons, shaping Playdoh with their hands, making mud-pies, and making swords out of sticks. There is no limit to the imagination...all things are possible while at play!

Right and Wrong, True and False, Good and Bad can all be taught through play. Children see the world through concrete terms. This is the right time and perfect time to teach about Family Life, Society, and God.

Inspirational Learning

With most of a Core Phase students time spent in Creative Learning, there is some room for inspiration. Core Phasers naturally want to know the "why" of everything that interests them. Take those roads as they appear. Make the effort to explain, touch, and feel the world. Nature is a very inspiring place to spend time as a Core Phase student.

For older students and adults, nature and life around them is the best place to start looking for inspirational learning. This can be in the form of a nature studies book with pictures or writings about what they see and experience. Follow the paths of interest...never stop a person from exploring unless it is dangerous or unwholesome.

Basic Education

All children who are not forced eventually want to learn to read, write, and do mathematical figures. Core Phase students will want to know what is in books, what the street signs say, and how many cookies are on their plate. These can come very naturally throughout the life of a child. It is when we begin to force this type of learning that we see the fatal failures that Core Phasers need to avoid.

Relatively little time needs to be spent on a Basic Education for Core Phase students. Most of the Basic Education will be covered in the Inspirational Learning arena if properly introduced when the student is ready. Devote less than 30 minutes a day towards traditional Basic Education. Rather, introduce a variety of learning opportunities through Creative and Inspirational Learning instead.

Conclusion
Finding the right balance in what type of learning should be done in each phase is the key to success! Most "supposed failures" in home education can be quickly remedied with adjusting your balance of learning. For Core Phase, the majority of stresses come with putting too much Basic Education in front of your child while ignoring Creative and Inspirational Learning activities.

Another book I highly recommend for all home educators is The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook. It is very compatible with all of the Thomas Jefferson Education principles.

Basic, Inspirational, and Creative Learning

One of the things I see missing the most with those that I mentor is a clear understanding of the different types of learning. As people continue to be attracted to Leadership Education, they also begin to feel a little bit lost. Uncomfortable even. This is quite normal as we step out of our comfort zone of what we know, out into the foreign land of what we don't know.

I hope over the next few weeks to explain some new concepts about why this might be the case. At least, it is what I see as part of the reason. So...bear with me and please comment on what you think about it all. These concepts are a work-in-progress for me as well, so I hope to learn along with everyone else.

Basic

There is a basic level of education that everyone is expected to have by the time they graduate. We consider this an education in reading, math, and writing that allows a person to navigate the world as an "educated" person. This basic level is obviously very important, so important that it has become the ONLY focus for many schools, both public and home.

We see schools even called "Back-to-Basics" schools that drop creative programs, like music and sport, in favor of focusing on the basics that a student needs. This can lead to a very stunted education that lacks many important features to make a well-rounded person.

Inspirational

This level of education can be best described as that spark, that rush of curiosity that makes us explore. We feel something that inspires us to look into a subject with excitement about learning what it is all about. This type of learning is very much a lost art in modern day education. We focus on what we are supposed to learn rather than what we want to learn.

That desire, that initial inspiration to learn is one of the most difficult things to manufacture, which is why it is practically non-existent in most public and home schools. It has to be gently cultivated, not forced.

Creative

Some people naturally have a desire for creative learning. Small children are full of this type of learning. They build a tower, knock it down, and build it again...repeating over and over and over. Why? Because it's fun! This is creating over and over something that teaches them about the world they live in.

With older students, we see glimpses of creative learning in schools in the form of art classes or an occasional project. It is far underutilized with older students, being largely squashed out of existence unless it fits a suitable Basic education requirement.

Part 2...
This is a very short description of three main methods of learning. Most things fall within one of these types. As people begin to think about education as a whole Liberal Arts Education, we begin to see the need to study through these types learning...but in what balance? Which types of education should be used and when? How much time should be spent in each?

...more coming soon!