Eighth grade can be a confusing time. There's no denying that early adolescence is stressful to both parent and child, for it's a period during which the child is tom between the pressures exerted by socially aware peers and the safe haven represented by the toys and activities of yesteryear. Many eighth graders respond by exhibiting a strange mix of childish-versus-teen behavior. Parents quickly learn that to expect one type of behavior at any given time almost guarantees their child's display of another!
Whether a thirteen-year-old is precocious or somewhat immature, eighth grade represents a turning point in his life. The eighth grader is expected to be self-reliant about class work and homework. He also sees the future beckon, for perhaps the first time, as he learns the function of guidance counselors and experiences the heady, almost frightening power that comes with choosing elective courses and selecting from among the array of extracurricular activities that are part of junior high and middle school life. On top of all this, "popularity" now becomes the ultimate social goal of almost every student, and boy-girl pairings are in such abundance that even the most socially resistant thirteen-year-old is likely to find himself taking a second glance in the mirror and worrying over clothing and hair styles.
An eighth grader's social inclinations, his classroom conduct and study skills, and even his physical abilities can all be traced to his learning style. Since birth, the adolescent has been attuned to particular environmental stimuli, be they visual, auditory, or tactile. A walk through the school cafeteria will confirm this. Looker students sit off to the side, perhaps with a friend, eating quietly and absorbing every- detail of what's taking place around them. Listeners see lunch time as a social hour, and are likely to be
at the head of a table full of admiring friends. Movers find reason to leave their seat ten times in twenty minutes, for a drink of water, another straw, a redder apple, and so on.
This chapter tells the stories of three eighth-grade learners: a Looker, a Listener, and a Mover. As you follow the children's progress and development from September to June, you'll enjoy a unique view of each child's social life, classroom performance, physical abilities, and relationships with family. No doubt, you'll see your own child reflected in one of our three learners. A Learning Style QuickCheck for Eighth Graders (see page 233) is included to confirm your observations.
It comes as no surprise that learning style has a tremendous influence on a fourth grader's academic experience. This chapter describes the academic performance that typically accompanies each learning style, and looks at different ways in which you can establish positive communication with your child's teachers. Because a child's sensory preference affects his actions and choices outside the classroom as well as in, this chapter also examines the almost inevitable social results of learning styles, and provides suggestions for parents who are approached for or choose to offer advice aimed at helping their child become more at ease socially. A host of extracurricular activity ideas are provided, as well.
By eighth grade, parents should have formed realistic expectations about a child's classroom performance. And, given the limited amount of time most parents have with their teen-agers—not to mention the dwindling patience many thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds have with parental assistance—it's wise to focus on academic improvement rather than the general well-roundedness that is a goal during a child's early years. To that end, this chapter discusses materials, techniques, and strategies that will stimulate your child's intellectual curiosity, help him with homework assignments, and improve his study skills.
Eighth grade is not too late to effect change. With patience and restraint, parents can help their teen-ager achieve. This chapter will help you understand your child's learning strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to set reasonable academic standards and realistic goals for the future.
Kim-Lee, Mark, and Shawn have just begun eighth grade at a suburban middle school. The children have been classmates since kindergarten, and they all celebrated their thirteenth birthdays during the preceding spring.
Because these three teen-agers possess different learning styles, each is drawn to different elements of his or her surroundings and responds to these surroundings in different ways. Kim-Lee has always been visually oriented; Mark is attuned to language and sounds; and Shawn learns best through movement and touch. As a result, despite our learners' similarly supportive home environments, their frequent sharing of teachers, and some twelve years of exposure to identical resources within the community, the children have interests, talents, and work habits that are amazingly dissimilar. Not all children display the characteristics of a single learning style in this manner. Some are combination learners—Looker-Movers, say, or Looker-Listeners—and exhibit traits from two sensory areas. However, for the sake of clarity and to highlight the features of each individual learning style. I've chosen to portray Kim-Lee, Mark, and Shawn as possessing "pure" styles. Let's visit our learners at the start of the eighth-grade year and see how sensory preference has shaped each child.
Meet Kim-Lee. At first glance. Looker Kim-Lee seems quite unflappable. Quiet and serene, she has never revealed much of herself even to her family and lifelong friends. But, a closer look reveals a very driven thirteen-year-old who is often tense, ill at ease in social situations, and unwavering in her motivation to achieve. Every teen needs a means of self-expression. For some, it's sports; for others, it may be a club presidency. For Kim-Lee, her good grades and reputation as a hard worker are their own rewards.
Kim-Lee has three close friends, only one of whom she met through school. The other two girls are neighbors whom Kim-Lee has known for many years. All three friends are as reserved as Kim-Lee, and the time she spends with each of them is usually scheduled ahead of time for a specific purpose—completing a school project, for example—rather than being a spontaneous affair. Kim-Lee and her friends find the prospect of dating to be quite appalling, for none of them possesses the gift of small talk or the wherewithal to enjoy herself at a party, much less on a date! At the moment, Kim-Lee happens to admire a certain boy, but she is much too embarrassed to admit this to her friends, and would rather die than act on her feelings. Instead, in her usual from-the-side- lines fashion, Kim-Lee becomes emotionally, if not actively, involved in the social lives and problems of her classmates. Her long-time habit of
quietly watching interactions and goings on makes Kim-Lee privy to some fascinating details. Although she is as uncomfortable as ever with displays and declarations of emotion, and though she's far from ready to test the waters herself, her careful observations have actually taught her a great deal about social behavior.
Naturally, Kim-Lee is a teen of few words. People enjoy talking to her, though, because her intent gaze is quite flattering to any speaker, and she never forgets a face! In her spare time, Kim-Lee enjoys practicing calligraphy, writing and illustrating children's stories, and playing Nintendo. She has become an extremely popular baby-sitter because she is vigilant, neat, and reliable. In true Looker fashion, Kim-Lee always comes prepared with a baby-sitter kit that includes crayons and paper, snap-together blocks, puzzles, and a board game or two. It's a tossup as to who enjoys the kit's contents more—Kim-Lee or her young charges.
Kim-Lee is fairly well coordinated, although in gym class, she much prefers solitary activities, like archery or the broad jump, to team sports. You see, Kim-Lee is bothered by the loose organization and unpredictability that is part of such group games as field hockey, volleyball, softball, and the like. She was approached as a candidate for eighth- grade kickline, but hastily declined such a high-profile position. Except for walks and an occasional bike ride, Kim-Lee avoids most gross motor activity at home.
Quite the opposite is true of Kim-Lee and fine motor pursuits. Always artistic, she does most of the cartoons for her school newspaper. At school and at home, she doodles and draws constantly, and has begun personalizing book covers and decorating T-shirts for her girlfriends. Kim-Lee is also quite adept at the computer, whether playing a game, creating graphics and headings for the newspaper, or composing a term paper of her own. Her parents encourage her to borrow or rent as many computer games as she likes, but strongly urge her to develop her gross motor side, as well. Recently, they asked her to consider taking lessons in baton-twirling or skating.
Kim-Lee has long been aware that her attention wanders during lectures, and that she frequently forgets verbal instructions. To compensate, she carries a special homework assignment book, and does thumbnail sketches pertaining to the day's lesson in the margins of her notebooks. She reviews her notes daily, recopying, outlining, and highlighting the material to help herself absorb it. Naturally, Looker Kim-Lee does well in visual subjects like math, computers, and art. Proud of her attractive, creative work, she attacks science and social studies projects with relish, but falters in auditory efforts, like the retention of material
discussed in class and the taking of notes during films and videos. Kim-Lee is quite good at the memorization of foreign language vocabulary and spelling, but doesn't do nearly as well with English, where no study lists are provided!
At thirteen, this Looker is well aware of her learning strengths and weaknesses. Since good grades and the opinions of her teachers are very important to her, she will, no doubt, continue to apply her visual strategies to her school work. Although Kim-Lee may feel increasing social pressure as she moves through the school year, eighth grade should pose no new academic challenges for her.
Meet Mark . Socially, Listener Mark is Kim-Lee's polar opposite. Mark shows no signs of discomfort in groups or with the opposite sex; in fact, he's a great conversationalist who always seems to know the right thing to say. Introductions, apologies, advice, and even terms of endearment come easily to Mark. His teachers and parents often joke that he possesses the social graces of a cosmopolitan forty-year-old!
Mark is very much influenced by the views of older teens and by the opinions of his peers. In fact, very little that Mark buys, wears, or attempts is ever spontaneous. Rather, most of Mark's moves are calculated for their effect on his social status, and rehearsed for maximum appeal. This way, he can be assured of a place among the most stylish and most popular boys in the school. Inevitably for a teen-ager held in such high regard, Mark has developed quite a following of his own. But, Mark so enjoys talking that he really doesn't listen to idle chatter, and frequently interrupts his friends in mid-sentence. Luckily, Mark's own views carry so much weight that his classmates are willing to overlook this habit.
Naturally, Mark does a great deal of socializing in his free time, as well. Joking and laughing with a group of friends and chatting on the phone are two of his favorite pastimes. When alone, Mark reads voraciously, often to the accompaniment of music. Mark enjoys the series of plays and concerts his town sponsors each summer, and can't wait until his parents allow him to attend rock concerts. It's no surprise that Mark was voted this year's Student Council homeroom representative. Although only one meeting has been held so far, Mark finds the concept of student government quite fascinating, and is glad to be a part of it. His other school interests are the Drama Club and the French Club— both perfect showcases for his talents!
Mark tends to shy away from cooking, crafts, and other fine motor activities, because he has long known that his eye-hand coordination is not the best. It is for the same reason that earlier attempts at the piano
200
How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability
and saxophone met with failure, despite his love of music. Mark also accepts that his handwriting and school projects will never have the visual appeal of some of his classmates' efforts; it's taken years of hard work just to get his paperwork to its present acceptable level. Mark's full-body coordination is average. Unhappy about giving less than a stellar performance, but unable to produce one, Mark avoids team sports both at home and at school. He does, however, enjoy those aspects of gym class that emphasize cooperation instead of performance—spotting his classmates during tumbling, for example, or serving as row captain during the taking of attendance.
Mark has always been a good student. His auditory skills enable him to easily take notes, read textbooks, and glean important information from movies, lectures, and assemblies. His projects and experiments may be somewhat lacking, but Mark more than makes up for this with creative, dynamic oral presentations and nonstop class participation. He loves learning the vocabulary and historical aspects of foreign language, and is easily the best conversationalist in this year's French class. Mark has chosen to drop art and computers—classes in which he lacks the skills needed to excel—in favor of speech and vocal music. He has coped with his ongoing math struggles by enrolling in a basic math class, rather than beginning the algebra-geometry-trigonometry sequence chosen by the better students. Even with less-involved work and the slower pace adopted by his math teacher, Mark assumes he'll be needing regular help from a tutor.
Like Kim-Lee, Mark has learned to make the most of his learning strengths to compensate for any weaker skills. He studies and reads out loud, makes frequent use of a tape recorder, and tries to use verbal strategies to remember visual material. To recall the order of the planets in the solar system, for example, Mark recites the following sentence, in which each word begins with the corresponding planet's first letter: My Very Efficient Mother Just Sent Us New Potatoes." To flourish in the eighth grade, Mark need only continue to study and interact according to the learning style he appears to understand so well.
Meet Shawn. Mover Shawn is not a particularly sociable teen-ager. In fact, he says little, seems ill at ease around strangers and in crowds, and does whatever he can to avoid "connecting," be it by eye contact or phone. Because he is most comfortable around physical boys like himself, Shawn's chief social outlet is sports. As captain of the football and lacrosse teams, and as a participant in a community baseball league and various intramural sports, Shawn's after-school hours are quite full. Team sports are ideal for someone of Shawn's athleticism and social
reserve. They afford a showcase for his talents, ample opportunity to interact with peers, and even, although through no particular intent of Shawn's, a sort of hero status that attracts the admiration of boys and girls alike. Shawn's penchant for physical contact—hugs, back slaps, and hair ruffling, for example—and his inclination to dress for comfort, rather than style, combine to lend him an air of maturity that he doesn't really possess.
Shawn has neither time for nor interest in the clubs and service organizations that figure in the lives of many adolescents. As far as casual "hanging out" goes, Shawn would rather do his at the handball courts than in a mall or someone's basement. This Mover has always loved the outdoors, and, even at thirteen, routinely ignores books, games, and the telephone in favor of backyard and street play. His passion for action carries over to foul-weather pursuits, as well. When forced to remain indoors, Shawn watches police and war movies or wrestles with his German shepherd.
Shawn's fine motor skills don't approach the level of his gross motor ability. His handwriting has always been marginal; he's never been good at video games; and his difficulty understanding design and measurement and following directions has kept him away from woodworking and other crafts. As a way of improving his written work, Shawn is trying hard to learn to type. For now, the hunt-and-peck method is all he can manage, so Shawn types his short assignments and relies on his older brother for longer papers.
Seeking help with school work is nothing new to Shawn. For years, he needed the same sort of support at home that he received in his school's Resource Lab, and did his homework side by side with one of his parents. Lately, though, he seems to resent his parents' hovering and has requested that they reserve their efforts for occasions when he's really stumped and asks for help. Naturally, his homework isn't as well done—or, for that matter, as frequently done—as before, but Shawn really is trying. Nowadays, Shawn is likely to appeal to his older brother or his friends for assistance with reports or big assignments; alone, he can't manage to pull a long-term project together.
At his parents' urging, Shawn has signed up for an elective computer course, and has opted for study hall instead of a second elective. His family feels that keyboard and computer knowledge is a "must" for Shawn, and that he can use his study hall time for unfinished work or, when necessary, for Resource Lab. Shawn takes a remedial reading class, rather than a foreign language. His science, social studies, and English classes provide him with more than enough exercise in vocabulary and spelling!
202
How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability
Last year, with his teachers' permission, Shawn began carrying a pocket calculator for math computations and a small tape recorder for taping lectures. At first, he worried about the social ramifications of making his need for help so obvious, but Shawn is so admired that no one dares to tease him. Like Kim-Lee and Mark, Shawn has learned, over the years, to work around his learning weaknesses. The new availability of interscholastic teams brought by Shawn's eighth-grade status, combined with the teen's increasing popularity and freedom to hand-pick certain courses, has created a potential for enjoyment that, until now, was missing from Shawn's school life.
Can you see your own eighth grader in any of our learners? It may be that Looker Kim-Lee's reticence and self-direction reminds you of your own son or daughter. Or, maybe Listener Mark's social and academic competence sounds more than a little familiar. If not, perhaps Shawn's athletic ability and classroom struggles strike a familiar chord. On page 233, you will find a Learning Style QuickCheck for Eighth Graders that will erase any doubts. By marking the behaviors that are most characteristic of your child, and then totaling the marks in each column, you will get a vivid picture of the methods your thirteen-year-old uses to interact and learn.
Looker Kim-Lee, Listener Mark, and Mover Shawn all follow the dictates of an inborn sensory preference when learning from and reacting to surroundings. As a result, these three adolescents have developed unique sets of social, physical, and academic skills.
As our three learners progress through their eighth-grade year, their development continues on course, influencing their grades, their friendships, their hobbies, and their overall attitude toward school and home. While the highlight of Mark's week might be social dancing in Friday's gym class, for example, his long-time classmates Shawn and Kim-Lee dread the week's end for that very reason. And while grades and homework have long been a source of tension between Shawn and his parents, Mark and Kim-Lee receive only positive feedback at conference and report-card time.
As the school year draws to a close, let's return to our three learners to see how each teen handles life as an eighth grader.
Kim-Lee. For the first time in her life, Kim-Lee is concerned about being overlooked by her peers. Mind you, she isn't interested in being the center of attention, but it rankles a bit when her classmates garner praise and admiration for scholastic efforts that Kim-Lee easily duplicates but chooses to keep to herself. At fourteen, Kim-Lee has begun to place some value on the opinions of her peers—a sure sign of social growth.
During eighth grade, Kim-Lee became active in the Art Club. The club's handful of members are mostly loners like Kim-Lee, and she happily participated in the formation of a school gallery, feeling no social pressure whatsoever.
Kim-Lee recently sketched a collection of fashion designs, some of which she'd like to transform into the real thing. Her parents have signed Kim-Lee up for a summer sewing class, which should help her realize this dream.
Kim-Lee has already been selected Art Editor of the school paper for her freshman year. Her parents, in an effort to help their daughter branch out a bit, have also convinced her to play intramural tennis and volunteer at her church's Sunday School program next fall.
At school, Kim-Lee's neatness and precision help her to continue her strong performances in math, computers, and art. She also remains a highly organized, self-directed student who takes great pride in her work. At year's end, Kim-Lee's lagging auditory skills still hold her back in language arts, foreign language, science, and social studies classes, all of which require a good deal of reading and note-taking. However, our Looker's beautifully executed projects and reports continue to have a positive effect on all of her grades.
Kim-Lee's teachers agree that she is a pleasure to have in class. Certainly, she is an "easy" student to teach, for she usually produces high-quality work on demand and requires almost no attention in the process. Despite her current yearning to become a fashion or interior designer, Kim-Lee's guidance counselor has urged the teen to continue Spanish, computers, and the course of study recommended for college- bound students. Academically, high school is sure to pose few problems, and even holds some social promise now that Kim-Lee has begun to involve herself with her peers.
Mark. Now approaching the end of eighth grade, talkative, affable Mark has already had five "girlfriends." He and his female pal of the moment do not date, per se, but declare their devotion by holding hands, sitting
together at lunch, passing notes, and talking on the phone at least twice each evening. But Mark manages to have plenty of time for his male friends, as well as for the long list of activities in which he's involved. In fact, Mark tends to spread himself too thin, and became so busy early in the year that keeping up with school work posed a bit of a problem. However, a disappointing first-quarter report card provided quite a jolt, and Mark has since devoted more time and attention to course work.
Between Student Council meetings and functions, the French Club, the Drama Club, and the Chorus, Mark stays after school nearly every day, and is busy many evenings, as well. He did such a fine job in a supporting role in the Drama Club's annual production that he has a shot at next year's lead. Finding himself with some free time once the play was done, Mark recently began serving as a reporter for the school paper. He enjoys this so much that, during the summer, he plans to put together a proposal for a teen column and submit it to the editor of his town's weekly paper. This summer also looks socially promising, for, as incoming freshmen, Mark and his friends are finally old enough to attend the parking-lot dances held each Friday night at the high school. And, even though it's only June, Mark has already received four invitations to summer parties, and has signed up as a junior counselor at a local recreation program.
Mark's command of language continues to be evident in his high- quality essays, his self-assurance during class discussions, and his ease with conversational French. Our Listener also remains a strong reader, and has such good recall of the material discussed in his classes that he rarely uses his notes or study sheets. However, at year's end, Mark's less-developed visual and fine motor skills still hold him back in math and such creative pursuits as report illustration and map making.
Mark's teachers have complimented him on his ability to put his natural outspokenness to work for him. He has always managed to spice up even the dullest lecture with intelligent questions, witty comments, and well- thought-out arguments. But, where Mark's interjections and asides used to get him into frequent trouble, maturity has taught him to use restraint and a respectful tone. Nowadays, he's an asset to every class.
With the proper support and guidance, Mark is almost assured of maintaining his current academic standing, and is certain to thoroughly enjoy the host of new extracurricular activities to which he'll be exposed as a freshman. He has already been elected Vice President of next year's French Club, and plans to continue his involvement with the Drama Club and the school paper. There's no doubt that high school will be an exciting time for a student with Mark's social and academic capabilities.
Shawn. During the school year. Mover Shawn became part of a clique of athletic boys and girls. His new friends gather regularly at sporting events, in the school yard, and in front of one another's television sets, each one comfortable with peers who share a love of sports. While one of Shawn's friends might occasionally be enamored of another, none has yet achieved the social confidence necessary to express this by spending time alone with a member of the opposite sex! Actually, though, the clique's very existence will eventually help each member reach that point. You see, Shawn and his friends inadvertently feed one another's egos by focusing on athletic talent, rather than classroom performance.
Besides his involvement in sports, Shawn has become active in the school's Safety Patrol, a small group of students who monitor their fellow classmates' hallway behavior during class changes and before and after school. Shawn is also proud of having been selected from the Monday study hall group to make deliveries for the main office. Shawn was recently approached by some classmates about running for freshman class treasurer, but, finding the prospect of such responsibility somewhat alarming, he firmly vetoed the idea. Instead, he looks forward to applying for membership in the Boys' Leaders' Club, and trying out for junior varsity sports teams. Shawn has also heard some interesting talk about the existence of several paying jobs for freshmen, not unlike the work he did for the main office. In this case, though, Shawn would be part of the high school's custodial, kitchen, or nursing staff.
At the moment, Shawn believes he would be perfectly suited to an elementary physical education teaching position. He'd very much like to coach, as well, but doesn't see how he could combine the latter with elementary schools' later dismissal times. Shawn lacks the academic confidence to consider the obvious solution—teaching in a high school—believing, like so many youngsters, that the brighter a teacher, the higher his or her grade assignment. Sooner or later, Shawn will have to face the fact that college, required of every teacher, will be no small feat for him.
You see, Shawn's school work remains average, at best, even with the help of classroom modifications and remedial instruction. As he matures, our Mover's lagging visual and auditory skills still lead to problems with reading, writing, spelling, and math. These days, however, Shawn has an easier time compensating for some academic limitations and resigning himself to others.
This year, Shawn's teachers have seen him progress from a disorganized, mildly disruptive classroom influence to someone who has begun to take responsibility for his school work and behavior. With an eye toward the future, Shawn's guidance counselor has suggested that the
boy add a technology class to next year's high school course load and that he continue with computer class. In fact, Shawn can reap many social and vocational benefits from high school as long as he continues his involvement in sports, accepts the support of his parents and teachers, and maintains a realistic view of his academic capabilities. Much more so than the course of study found in grade school, or even middle school, high school curriculums are rich and varied enough to hold something for every type of student.
Most junior high and middle schools offer a wide variety of courses, allowing students and their families a measure of control over the formulation of class schedules. Of course, much of eighth-grade academics continues to be required work, but in many cases there is flexibility about the level and focus of even such curriculum staples as math and language arts. In addition, the existence of elective courses enables students to pursue individual interests within the framework of an ordinary school day.
Just like elementary school subjects, eighth-grade subjects can be categorized according to the different learning skills called into play by each discipline. Mover skills—body awareness and agility—are drawn upon only during physical education. But the visual and auditory skills possessed by Lookers and Listeners are exercised time and again during the school day. In the two sections that follow, typical eighth-grade courses are separated into Looker and Listener subjects. To further highlight visual and auditory aspects of the eighth-grade curriculum, sample first- and last-quarter report cards are presented for each of our case-study teens, along with a subject-by-subject look at each learner's academic experience.
In the course of a school day, most eighth graders encounter posters and bulletin boards, a variety of hallway displays, and an array of visual aids wherever they go. Lookers, naturally, are most attuned to the visual appeal of their surroundings, and are the most enamored of certain curriculum components, as well.
Learning Styles in Eighth Grade
207
Math, in any form, is a visual subject. Whether performing long division or working with intricate algebraic equations tackled by top students, a Looker's ability to envision, memorize, and compute is a tremendous asset. For the same reason, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation—the visual components of language arts described on page 167—continue to appeal to Looker students.
Computer and art classes are often no longer requirements in junior high and middle school, so it's likely that many of the students in these classes are Lookers. After all, it's the sight-oriented teens who possess the eye-hand coordination, fine motor dexterity, and visual skills needed to earn top grades. Handwriting, although no longer a graded subject, remains a similarly pleasurable exercise for Looker teens. Technology, a course that blends and expands upon the teachings of yesteryear's "shop" classes, demands these skills, as well. And, of course, technology also requires knowledge of measurement techniques and an ability to follow written directions—two more Looker strengths.