BJU Press Blog

Arianna

Mastery vs. Spiral Learning

by

mastery vs. spiral learning
We hope that what we teach our children sticks with them, and that they build on that knowledge for the rest of their lives. But traditional approaches to education often fail to help children retain the material. Short units that focus on good test performance succeed in short-term retention, but do not result in learning that sticks with students long after they’ve finished the unit. However, different approaches that emphasize mastery of concepts help students retain material longer. Two dominant approaches for learning that sticks, specifically in math, are mastery and spiral learning. These learning strategies are tools you can use to choose and adapt curriculum to best support your children.

Mastery Learning

Mastery learning is studying one concept at a time in-depth, mastering it before moving on. This approach focuses on giving children as much time as they need to understand the material. Most traditional approaches have students working in time-constrained units where they move to the next unit even if they haven’t mastered the material. That approach can impede students’ learning. For example, children who don’t understand the concepts necessary for Pre-Algebra will eventually hit a wall because they have too many gaps in their knowledge. They may think, “I just can’t do math!” However, they likely just never mastered the foundational material. In a mastery learning approach, there are no restrictive time frames for learning the material. Students won’t feel rushed to understand all the material. They can move at their own pace to master the concepts.

Spiral Learning

Spiral learning is repeating a set of topics throughout the year, adding more depth to the material each time. For example, each unit may contain addition and subtraction but each treatment of those topics adds a new skill, like increasing the amount of numbers in the equations. If students don’t master the material the first time, they will have many opportunities to practice that material throughout the year. There is no pressure for a child to learn the material the first, second, or even third time.

Frequent practice and review increases a child’s ability to retain information. Spiral learning also encourages flexible thinking and critical-thinking skills because students will have to decide what concept to use to solve a problem. Learning multiple concepts at the same time also encourages them to see relationships between concepts.

Our Approach

While we generally use spiral learning for all courses, at BJU Press, we use both of these learning strategies in our math materials. Our approach promotes mastery as students are continually reviewing skills and uses the spiral approach to cover the same concepts in greater detail each time. Our materials emphasize understanding and application beyond memorization. They provide strategies for helping students master the material and practice real-world application.

Both of these approaches have advantages, and the wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can match your curriculum to your children’s needs. Perhaps a mastery approach works best right now, but maybe in a different season a spiral approach is better. Remember that there is no timeline for when your child needs to achieve mastery. However long learning takes is the best timeline, and whatever way your children learn is the best approach for you.

Why We Study Literature

by

literature in humanity and why we study literature
When I was in elementary, I spent hours hiding away in libraries, reading as much as I could before my parents made me leave. Looking back on my life, I can see how certain books shaped who I am today.  Most people have at least one book that has profoundly influenced them. If reading has this much power, then learning to study literature is one of the most important parts of a child’s development. Reading is so much more than just understanding what words mean. It has the ability to shape children’s minds and experiences in positive ways.

We Study Literature for Joy

By reading beautifully crafted literature, children can learn to experience the wonder of God’s creation. Stories that use humor, clever metaphors, or lovely subjects are delightful to read. God created a beautiful and delightful world, and He desires that we find pleasure in it. Also, children can find joy in seeing how an author reflects the image of God through the creation of stories.

For Broader Experiences

Through literature, readers can travel across space and time. They can visit unique and distant places they might never visit otherwise. These experiences can ignite children’s imaginations. And as children gain knowledge of diverse people and places, they will learn to see beyond their own limited experience.

For Empathy

An important part of loving others is learning to understand and empathize with them. Literature allows us to enter the minds of people who think differently than we do. Stories allow readers to feel the emotions, difficulties, successes, and struggles of people who are not like them. You can help your children practice discernment through this process. By recognizing false teachings, children will be able to articulate their own beliefs more clearly.

For Bible Study

Literature study is especially useful for Christians, because the Bible is literature. It contains narrative, poetry, and drama as well as an abundance of literary elements, including metaphor, hyperbole, and irony. Learning to read literature well—such as understanding context or interpreting metaphors— equips children to better study and understand the Bible.

Reading literature can be one of the most important tools in shaping your child’s mind. Children have not fully formed their opinions and values, and they have not yet cemented their loves and hates. Good literature can influence your child’s heart to love good, to hate evil, and to embrace God’s truth.

Non-College Options for Homeschoolers

by

non-college options for homeschoolers
As your children approach graduation, are they planning for college in the fall? Or are they wondering whether a four-year college is really the best option for them? Depending on finances, career interests, or other factors, your children may want to pursue a career path that doesn’t require a college degree. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-college options available to them!

Trade School

Trade schools, also known as technical schools or vocational schools, offer one- or two-year programs. When children finish the program, they earn certification in a specific field. These schools teach technical job skills for occupations that are often in high demand. If your children want to be electricians, web developers, cosmetologists, or dental hygienists, trade school may be the best fit.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are similar to trade schools because they provide hands-on training for a specific job. However, one advantage of apprenticeships is that they non-college options that include paid work. Another advantage of apprenticeships is that they provide an opportunity to work closely with professional mentors. Through apprenticeships, your children can receive on-the-job training and experience in fields such as plumbing, welding, or masonry. This experience increases their chances of finding long-term employment.

Entry Level Jobs

Entry-level jobs often do not require a four-year college degree. Your children should consider their skills, values, personality traits, and life goals. This process can help your children identify the best entry-level jobs that match their interests. Work with your children to customize their resumes for the jobs they apply for. Resumes should highlight any qualifications, experiences, or skills that are relevant for the position they are applying for. Encourage your children to make connections by reaching out and talking to people. Through those connections, you may learn that a family friend or someone in your church or co-op knows of an open position that would be a great fit.

Entrepreneurship

Many famous companies—such as Wendy’s, Dell, Whole Foods, and Facebook—have been founded by or have CEOs who do not have college degrees. If you are homeschool mompreneur yourself, you’re likely well aware of effort needed to be successful. The keys to being successful as an entrepreneur are hard work, strategic vision, a desire to learn, and a willingness to take on increased responsibility. If your children have an entrepreneurial spirit, encourage them to gain experience before starting a business by finding a job in the field that interests them. Encourage them to learn from their supervisors, spend time wisely, and develop diligence.

The important thing to remind your children during this stage of life is to not worry! Failure or disappointment is a great learning experience. They don’t have to have their lives planned out perfectly. They still have lots of time to figure things out! As long as your children seek the Lord first and try their best, they will find joy in whatever they do.

DIY Toy Camera

by

make your own diy toy camera
Do your kids love taking photos but are not quite ready to handle a real camera yet? If so, then they will love this adorable DIY toy camera! This toy camera can be made with basic household supplies and will inspire your kids to take pictures of their favorite things. This camera is easy to make, and your kids can express their creativity by coloring and adding extra decorations. They can make it as decorated or as simple as they like! Watch this video for the full tutorial. The materials and instructions are listed below.

Materials:

Directions:

  1. Wrap the construction paper around or paint the box.
  2. Print and color the camera decal.
  3. Glue the decal around the middle of the box with glue stick.
  4. Cut out a rectangle for a viewfinder.
  5. Use glue stick to attach the viewfinder to the front of the box near the top.
  6. Use glue gun to attach the jar lid in the center of the front of the box for the lens.
  7. Hot glue the bottle cap and beads onto the top of the box for the shutter button.
  8. Cut a large square or rectangle piece of construction paper for the LCD screen.
  9. Use glue stick to attach the LCD screen to the back of the box, covering the seam. Feel free to draw on it.
  10. Add ribbon for a neck strap, and add any other decorations you like.
  11. Print and color the Polaroids to use as pictures!

Your kids will have lots of fun with this camera! Let us know how your camera turned out. Take a picture (using a real camera), and share it with us on our Facebook page.

Understanding Testing Norms

by

understanding testing norms
Trying to understand testing norms can be confusing. Thankfully, norms are not too complicated! Norms can be a great resource to help you identify your children’s educational needs. Our testing specialists have heard a lot of concern about testing norms being affected by COVID-19. We worked with Grant, one of our testing specialists, to put together some helpful information about testing norms and how to interpret them.

What are testing norms and how are they created?

Norms are the average results from a group of students using the same test. The publisher of each test or form gathers scores from a comparison group to create a norm group. This comparison group typically includes thousands of students, with the best norm standards coming from tens of thousands. Norm groups for most standardized tests are composed of a representative sample of students from various educational contexts across the United States. This diversity creates a balanced representation of students’ abilities to use for creating norms.

Creating norms is an expensive and time-consuming process. Because of the expense and time, the publishers update norms when new samples are necessary. For example, the original 2011 norms for Iowa Assessments Form E were updated in 2017.  If they measured norms each year, it would increase the wait time for scores while norms are created. Also, test prices would rise to pay for the resources and personnel needed to create the norm.

A norm update does not mean that the test has changed. When publishers revise a test’s content, it will have a different copyright date and will generally have an updated name or form number.

Why are they important?

Test scorers, like the Testing and Evaluation team, compare the data for different students’ performances on the same test. Achievement test scores allow us to calculate two numbers. The first number is your student’s percentile rank, or what percentage of similar students your student has performed better than. The second number is the stanine, which quickly determines your child’s percentile ranks and makes it easier to see where your child’s scores fall. Both of these numbers show how your student compares to his or her peers and helps you understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Testing norms create a benchmark to which you can compare your child’s scores. Without norms, achievement tests would be a single pass or fail grade. Also, they would not be as useful to organizations like honor societies, which need to know whether a student is in the top tier nationally.

Will COVID-19 affect norms?

Because testers don’t gather norms on a yearly basis, COVID-19 will not affect norms for Iowa Assessments or the Stanford 10. The Testing and Evaluation team is committed to providing accurate and reliable test results; if you test with BJU Press this year, you will receive the same precise scores you have come to expect from us.

Remember that testing norms do not reflect a standard that your child has to meet. You know your children and their needs better than any test. While test scores can be helpful, they are not authoritative. Testing is just a tool to track your child’s progress and identify areas for growth.