School Choice and the Student

Understanding the Student’s Needs

            There are many factors relating to school choice. In looking at public, charter, private, on-line, or home education, parents need to look at what will be best for their child. The parent knows their child best, and using questionnaires or surveys, they can often identify the learning styles of their children. Understanding how a child learns best is a great place to start.

            To gain a better insight to how a child learns best, teachers and parents can use online resources to help discover the child’s learning style and an insight to their strengths. 

The following resources focus on learning styles: 

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• Learning Style Inventory 
• What's Your Learning Style? 
• Abiator's Online Learning Styles Inventory Test 1 

        

 

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The following resources focus on the multiple intelligences:

• What are My Learning Strengths 
• Multiple Intelligences for Diverse Learners 
• Find Your Strengths

    

         Other questions that need to be asked about the child pertain to their temperament and motivations. Does the child enjoy interacting with others (social)? Does the child find motivation through competition? Does the child work will independently? Does the child enjoy extracurricular activities? Does the child have a particular area of interest they want to pursue?

   

         Parents know their child their best – what it takes to motivate them and what discourages them. This knowledge, along with an assessment of the child’s learning style and strengths help educators to plan instruction which will be meaningful to the students. This knowledge can also help parents in the area of school choice. A child who enjoys extracurricular activities and enjoys interacting with others might not do well in an isolated educational setting such as home school or on-line learning. For a child who has a strong musical intelligence and desires pursuing an education rich in music, the parents might choose home education or a private school which focuses on music performance. 

            It is important to remember that every child is different. The reason behind school choice is to give parents options to provide their children with the best educational environment for each child. Parents need options to give each child a rich academic environment which will stimulate the child. 

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                  "The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." - George Eliot

What is your learning style? 
Have you completed a multiple intelligences survey?  
Do you feel learning styles and strengths can impact school choice? 
 (Please feel free to make comments)