Busy with Marketing...

In case some of you are wondering how come I have had little activity on some of my sites, it’s because I’ve been heavily working on my marketing strategy for the new Superkids Learning Centre that’s located along Serene Centre. It’s been a pain doing research on all the competitors because they just don’t have it right. I’ve always believed in making sure that whatever is done with children is done well and done in a way that helps them move forward in their lives. There are several things I don’t agree with:

 

1. Being tortured with assessment books and tests.

Firstly, assessments are not learning instruments. They are assessment instruments that’s why they are called assessments. Unfortunately, many parents nowadays subscribe to the idea that you do worksheet after worksheet. The fact is, the more of this you do, the more permanent your inabilities become. So, rather than being tortured with these, it is important to have children learn the concepts first, and then assessments, when used, can be great self-esteem boosters (the “yay, I did it” phenomenon).

2. Poor Lesson Planning

Here’s what I have heard from teachers from different learning centers – they don’t plan the lesson: they go with the flow. While this is great from the perspective of flexibility, there’s a serious problem here! They don’t plan, and end up being unprepared during a lesson. That’s unfair to the student for sure. I know that even as a trainer, I have to prepare myself to be ready for every lesson. And I have about 12 years of training and teaching experience. How about these people who probably barely have 4 years of experience? Lesson planning is an important activity, and allows teachers to maintain a profile of what was taught and build on it.

3. Content Oriented rather than Student Oriented

I consider student-orientedness a primary requirement for any teacher or education center. With the focus on the student, teachers and supporting staff can tell how to help that individual student more effectively. For instance, it is common for teachers to give up on certain kinds of students. If they are labeled, it’s not possible to help them. However, with a proper focus on the student’s interests and needs, and a genuine concern for their future, anything they learn will be a step toward their future. Occasionally, s

4. Brain Incompatible Methods

Haha… you would have heard all about the left brain, right brain stuff. Impressive research? Far from it. Dr. Roger Sperry discovered this in 1981. It’s now 2006! The neurological research that has transpired is far more advanced now than it was in 1981, and we now know that the left and right brain is more like an overgeneralization. Many new developments in brain research have now been discovered and implemented in learning institutions, but many local centres are using outdated research that is implemented ineffectively – telltale signs that they are nothing more than income-churners for their owners, with very little of the pedagogical (WHAT’S THIS?) expertise to build and test effective learning methods.

5. Ineffective Matching

You might wonder what this is. Well, every student is different. With an effective approach to understanding and working with a student, they will progress much faster. But most teachers are ineffective at matching the student to the method. Just because you have one strategy does not make that strategy the only strategy to use. Some students will require other strategies and these strategies can be just as effective because they lead to the same outcome. Likewise, some students do not have problems with their studying abilities – they have issues with motivation, and therefore do not need a teacher – they need a mentor.

 

Well, I’m still delving deeper into this, and if you have questions regarding teaching or learning approaches for your children, I’d be quite happy to share my opinions with you. Some people who are now home schooling their children should learn a wee bit more about these techniques of learning and teaching because I know their children will benefit greatly from them. There are already some things I’ve put up at www.stuarttan.com/audio and there will be accompanying slides and other relevant information available once I’m done with my product development (there are many, many things I’m doing concurrently… so it might take a wee bit more time than expected).