Learning 101: How Learning Styles Could Be Holding Your Child Back | Kimberly Kassner | Episode 26

Oftentimes our kids struggle in school. Whether they get poor grades, spend hours doing homework, or appear to be lazy, it affects their self-esteem and may impact their future. But are they lazy? Are they just not as smart as the other kids? The answer is no. Hosts Judy Davis and Sandy Fowler delve into this frustrating area with learning expert Kimberly Kassner. Kimberly works with students of all different capabilities to help them find the way they learn best. She’s talking to us today about the current school system, learning styles, learning mindset, and the game of school. Tune into this Mighty Parenting Podcast to find out how to make learning easier for your child.

Real Talk:

Judy recently read some articles about yelling and the effect it has on our kids. Today, Judy and Sandy discuss what yelling really is, why it hurts our kids, the effect on our relationships, and what we can do about it.

A Favorite Quote from the Show:

We all have an emotional belief system about what we are or aren’t capable of doing—and it isn’t always accurate. Challenging that system can change everything for your child.

High Points Interview on Learning Styles:

Struggling in school is what happens when you are taught in the opposite way you learn especially when you’re taught subject matter you are not interested in, that it’s not relevant.

If you look at school as a game, it is easier to succeed when you play the game. Kids need to be able to ask for help. They need to be able define their strengths and take information from the outside and convert it through those strengths.

The curriculum and systems that teachers are taught to use antiquated. Our kids, due to technology, learn differently and we haven’t caught up yet.

Use life outside the academic realm to help educate your child.

We need to help our kids discover how they process information best; right brain—creative, intuitive, multi-tasker, social, or left brain—linear, do one thing at a time, good at reading, arithmetic, science, methodical, a problem solver. Both are brilliant types of learning but knowing your style lets you convert the information you’re giving into your style so you can learn.

Parents can help their kids master the game of school by teaching them to ask for help.

We all have an emotional belief system about what we are or aren’t capable of doing—and it isn’t always accurate. Challenging that system can change everything for your child.

Kids are taking notes like it’s the 1950’s. If they can figure out how to use shorthand to text or talk, why not encourage them to use that skill in note taking? And they can color code notes to highlight facts in one color, test items in another, things you need to clarify in a third. This all lets them focus on the listener so they can process and learn rather than focus on writing. The notes support listening and remembering what they learned.

Maximize their learning ability through supporting mind, body, and spirit.

High Points from Real Talk:

Yelling when we are frustrated impacts our kid’s self-esteem.

The next logical step is that it would affect the relationship we have with our child.

Yelling isn’t always loud. You can use a firm, cold, menacing tone of voice that has the same effect.

How can you take care of yourself so you don’t get so frustrated in the first place?

On the other end, yelling or the “Davis Tone”, feels like judgement. They may feel humiliated or belittled.

Yelling can help us release frustration and anger but what we say when we yell matters.

Yelling can be a signal that we aren’t processing something effectively. So when you hear your volume rising, pause and ask yourself what is going on, what you are really feeling.

Our Guest:

After graduating cum laude from university Kimberly worked for a fortune 40 company, as a top performer in the country, working under 40 hours a week. She accomplished this, while teaching the Dale Carnegie Course, by creating her own personal learning system and by mastering the corporate “game.” After 7 years she left the corporate arena and started her own company EmpowerMind. She authored the book, You’re a Genius-and I Can Prove It!, and has had great success stories in memory retention and accelerated learning with hundreds of thousands of students. She’s been featured on over 100 radio and TV shows (including: WJR’s Paul W. Smith, Fox Detroit, Dick Clark’s TV special “America’s Dream Makers,” featured on San Francisco’s evening news . . .) sharing her successes with top gifted students, drop-outs and everyone in between teaching them to master The Academic Game by playing to their strengths.

More from our Guest:

To learn more or connect with our Kimberly, visit http://empowermind.com/