Dyslexia is a learning “disability” with strong ties to visual-spatial learning. Dyslexics think in pictures, struggle with language and may even struggle with sequencing. These learners can have brilliant visual- spatial abilities and need some extra help developing reading and literacy skills. These are a few activities you can do at home to help your child improve their learning skills and gain confidence:
I have been enormously blessed with a wonderful husband, four adult children, one grandchild (so far) and a bevy of nieces and nephews. My husband and I, along with our brothers and sisters, are great supporters and champions of one another’s children.
This week I am preparing for a visit to Milwaukee. I’ve been invited to share some thoughts on Being Visual and educational strategies at the Menomonee Fall’s Optimist Club. I always enjoy the opportunity to meet people, share ideas and learn from those interactions. I must say this group especially intrigues me. There are a number of organizations with professionals from all walks of life who work together to impact their community. However, the Optimist Club is focused entirely on work that directly benefits children.
Education.com is a great resource for parents and educators. They have dedicated themselves to providing information to parents in order to help kids reach their full potential. The site is one of my favorites and contains articles, activities and thoughts from experts in their fields. The information is organized and presented by age group and covers everything from seasonal craft and play activities to parenting tips, to education tools and strategies. If you aren’t familiar with the site, I encourage you to take the time to visit www.Education.com. I am sure you will find it so valuable you will find it a must to bookmark.
I was recently invited to speak at a private school in Cleveland to share some thoughts from Being Visual. Having the opportunity to speak about Being Visual at a private school in Cleveland proved to be an amazing opportunity to witness first-hand how vital the role of art education is to a child’s successful academic career. Agnon is a wonderful school, with evidence all around that the arts are highly valued and considered key to a strong educational experience. While talking to the Headmaster, Jerry Isaak-Shapiro, I also found out about their integrated curriculum and commitment to minimal testing. The parents at this school are involved in their children’s education and seemed as committed to their own education, as they were to their children’s.
I’m back from vacation and getting ready to travel again. This time I am en route to Cleveland to promote the Being-Visual philosophy on Art Education in a live taping of a segment at Fox 8 Cleveland and to present a speech on “What Every Parent Should Know About their Child’s Education” at the Agnon School.
First stop Fox News. I have been invited to appear on WJW-TV – Fox News in the Morning on Wednesday, October 3. During our session I’ll talk about what it means to be a visual learner, ways your child may be struggling in school and how you can help. I’ll share some ideas for making learning more visual and tactile.
As children we have so many ideas about what we want to be when we grow up. As parents we know our children’s dreams and plans will change as they grow and get to know themselves better. We strive to provide our kids the education and opportunities that will prepare them for whatever they decide to pursue. When children participate in the arts, music, dance or the visual arts, it’s not necessarily because they’ll be artists as adults – but because it’s key to a rich educational experience.
As an art kid, I spent hours and hours drawing, making and creating. To this day, I love art. Throughout elementary, high school and college, I took as many art classes as possible. Yet, while I was passionate about drawing, there was always a bit of frustration that accompanied the experience. I discovered that instruction in art education is essential to empowering children to communicate visually.
Don’t miss my segment on WGN! I will be featured on the WGN Midday News Tuesday, October 2nd. WGN will highlight my new book, Being Visual, which talks about the importance of art education for all ages.
A few years ago I met Barb, a high school special education teacher. Barb had heard about Young Rembrandts and wondered how her special needs students would respond to our step-by-step method of teaching art. After some conversation about her students’ needs and our philosophy, we agreed to teach a series of four weekly classes. The classes surpassed all of our expectations. The students were fully engaged, successfully completed every drawing and were pleased to have been participants in art class. In Chapter Five of Being Visual, I share details about the initial fears of the teaching assistants, the experiences in the classrooms, our observations and our teaching method.
