BJU Press Blog

Successful Learning

You want your children to succeed in their education. We do too. We offer practical tips for teaching your children math, science, writing, and more! These tips can be applied to any homeschool curriculum. There are also highlights of our new textbooks with examples of how our curriculum trains your children to have success in their learning.

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21st Century Skills and 21st Century Homeschooling (Part 2)

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21st century skills and homeschooling
What do your children need to be able to do in order for them to be prepared for their future jobs? In a previous post, we explored some of the 21st century skills that educators have identified as key for students’ success and that we believe will help students be effective servants of Christ, their families, their communities, and their employers.

21st Century Skills: The Literacy Skills

These three skills—information literacy, media literacy, and technology literacy—have to do with a person’s ability to find and process information.

Information Literacy

Information literacy is the ability to process information in many different formats. Being able to read informational texts is part of this skill, but there is more to it. If your kids use textbooks, they’re already using informational texts all the time. But they should also be able to use visual analysis, or the process of reading graphs, charts, and other visual forms of data for information. For example, students should be able to understand commonalities from a Venn diagram or see sequences in a timeline.

Media Literacy

Media literacy is the ability to find different kinds of information and knowing how to use those sources effectively. In the information age, we’re surrounded by information all the time, but it’s not always accurate. We often hear facts or details second or third hand and out of context. Children need to learn how to find reliable sources for their information.  But given the constantly changing nature of information today, reliable and unreliable sources come and go. Wikipedia was once universally considered an unreliable source, but today, most people will admit that it’s usually reliable. To be able to keep up, children will need to learn principles for determining reliable sources. For example, does the source include citations for where information came from? Does it address both sides of an issue?

Technology Literacy

Technology literacy is perhaps the skill most closely related to the 21st century. This type of literacy is the ability to use the available technologies. New technologies are just resources, but they can be incredibly powerful ones for those that know how to use them. The best way to learn about technology is to use it. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to enroll your children in a computer programming course. You can simply encourage their curiosity and give them time with the technology. How many dozens of timesaving features are buried in the average word processor that we don’t know about simply because we haven’t explored it?

21st Century Skills: Life Skills

The life skills—flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity, and social skills—often have more to do with a person’s character than with his or her learning or ability. Some of these skills are the natural outflow of some of the learning skills, and all of these skills require active modeling in real life.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances with grace and understanding. It has as much to do with how we respond to change as it does with our willingness to change. Flexibility has a lot in common with collaboration. As children work with other people, they need to learn how to adjust their plans and their approach to meet others’ needs. If they learn best while listening to music, and they have a roommate who can’t concentrate with music, then they can be flexible by listening on headphones or going to another room to study. The process of working with people and listening and understanding their needs is the best way to build a flexible character.

Leadership

Leadership, at its core, is simply the ability to motivate others to work together. Children can practice it by demonstrating confidence in their abilities and the abilities of others so that they can accomplish a goal together. This skill also relies on both collaboration and communication, because to learn leadership, children must learn to trust in the abilities of others so they can be confident about those abilities, and they must be able to communicate their own skills and abilities.

Initiative

Initiative is the willingness to fix a problem without an immediate reason to do so. It’s when your children do their chores without you telling them to, or when they pick up trash on the sidewalk simply because it’s a problem they could fix. Students need to learn to fix problems if they can, or to point them out if nobody has noticed them. Initiative is less a skill to be practiced and more a life philosophy that you can instill in your children.

Productivity

Productivity, also called efficiency, is the ability to apply time management skills in order to accomplish more. It requires self-awareness as much as it requires knowing how to plan and effectively manage your time. For example, if you know you never look at or use planners, why would you use up time to put a whole lesson plan in a planner? Similarly, your children need to know how they work and learn best so they can implement a time management plan that works for them.

Social Skills

Social skills are simply the ability to be likeable—to present yourself well and to have awareness of what is or isn’t appropriate in a given setting. These skills also relate closely to communication skills. It’s much easier for kids to be likeable when they speak clearly and understandably. You don’t need to teach your children how to small talk. But they do need to learn how to listen and engage in a conversation that they may not have any initial interest in. They also need to learn how to have an appropriate conversation. Anyone who’s spent a few minutes with children knows they have few boundaries. They’ll share anything and ask anything. Awareness of what’s appropriate for conversation isn’t innate, nor is it universal.

Are these 21st century skills just another checklist to work through to ensure that you’re giving your children the best possible education? No. These skills are actually the foundations of a different way of looking at school. You may have noticed that most of these skills aren’t skills kids are going to learn from what we know as a traditional school experience—reading, lecture, homework, and repeat. But that is a conversation for a future post.

21st Century Skills for 21st Century Homeschooling (Part 1)

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21st century skills in your homeschool

Do you know what one of the most wonderful things about homeschooling is? You have the freedom to be flexible and mobile and do whatever you need to do to ensure that your children will be equipped for their future lives. If you aren’t part of an online academy or a school with strict regulations, then you are free to buy curriculum directly from the curriculum creators. Which means, once those resources are in your home, you get to use them however you like. You can focus on the lessons and skills that you believe will be the most beneficial for your children’s future. You can choose resources that will help them become more effective servants of Christ, their family, their community, and their employer.

So what do you need to teach your kids to be more effective servants in the 21st century? Educators have compiled a list of skills that are vital for students to be successful in their future jobs. Realistically, these 21st century skills (as they are often called) have always been important for preparing students for their lives. However, as people create, innovate, and streamline technology, fewer jobs require mindless drones who just follow instructions. To be effective employees, people will need to be able to create and innovate. The 21st century skills are the skills that most effectively equip students for their future jobs.

When the BJU Press writing teams look at incorporating 21st century skills into our textbooks, they divide them into three categories: the learning skills, the literacy skills, and the life skills. In this post we’ll take a look at the first category of skills.

21st Century Skills: The Learning Skills

These skills are ones that we are always learning and developing, and they’re the ones we’re most familiar with.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is using reasoning skills to determine the implications of information. It’s the crucial step between learning facts and understanding why that information is important. For example, students can learn that Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914. But then the students should consider how his assassination led to World War I. In our materials, we rely on effective questioning to develop critical thinking. Children need to go beyond just remembering, understanding, and applying information. They also need to be able to analyze and evaluate it, and the process of analysis and evaluation requires them to use their critical-thinking skills.

Creativity

Creativity as a learning skill does not refer to artistry but, rather, creative thinking. Creative thinking is the ability to use what you know in a new situation to solve a problem or to answer a question that you don’t know. We have a tendency to think that creative thinking is only an innate ability, not a skill to be practiced and taught. But kids learn to be creative thinkers by attempting to solve problems without being told how to solve them.

This ability requires confidence and a certain disregard for failure. If you’re going to try proposing new solutions to problems, you have to accept that your solution might not work. And that’s okay. You just try again until something works. Asking your children to define words they haven’t seen or heard before is asking them to think creatively. They’ll need to be able to use what they know about words and word roots, combine it with what they know from the word’s context, and then create a definition in their own words.

Collaboration

Collaboration is the skill of working with other people and learning how to compromise for everyone’s benefit. If you have more than one child, you’re probably already working on developing their collaboration skills. It’s a fact of life for siblings. However, they’ll need to be able to collaborate on a professional level as well as a personal one. Group projects are especially helpful to teach students how to listen to others, share ideas, and encourage each other to be useful, contributing members of a team. Children who work and learn together have a unique advantage over those who always work and learn alone. They’re able to recognize how people can work differently but still be effective. And they’re also able to adjust their own processes to accommodate those who work differently.

Communication

Communication is the ability to clearly and conscientiously express what you need or expect from others. It is not just the ability to speak and talk to others. Many people have the ability to speak but have little skill in expressing their thoughts clearly or conscientiously. Students learn this skill best through practice as well as example. English courses teach grammar and writing skills that ensure children can use the words they need in the way those words should be used, and critical-thinking questions help them practice putting their thoughts and ideas into words. But communication is a skill that also needs to be reinforced daily. You can demonstrate it by showing your children how the things they say can be misunderstood and then helping them to clarify. You can also demonstrate by clarifying your own communication.

These learning skills are just the beginning, but they play a role in the development of some of the other 21st century skills. In a future blog post, we’ll discuss the remaining two categories of 21st century skills: literacy skill and life skills.

Non-College Options for Homeschoolers

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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

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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

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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.