How can you encourage and preserve your child’s natural desire to learn? Look no further than the nine lessons of How to Raise Lifelong Learners. In this course, you will acquire the knowledge, tools, and guidance you need to raise intellectually curious and engaged lifelong learners, regardless of whether you intend to teach at home or send them to school. Dig into the details and discover how you can create an intellectually stimulating environment for small children, teach fundamental learning skills, build emotional and creative intelligence, motivate struggling students, communicate effectively with teens, and more.
How to Raise Lifelong Learners
Discover how easy it can be to instill a lifelong love of learning in children of any age.
Overview
About
Donna Baer is an author and educator. She homeschooled her 10 children in every traditional subject, including AP classes, from prekindergarten through 12th grade—often using Great Courses. She also taught biology, geometry, and Spanish at Oldfields School in Maryland. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brown University.
Donna is the author of Strong Happy Family: Unexpected Advice from an Ivy League Mom of Ten and The Bible’s Feasts: The Secrets behind the World’s Oldest Holidays.
She also created the Classical Sunday School series, a comprehensive K–6 religion curriculum that employs the classical method of education.
A frequent speaker at education conventions, Donna has recorded a Teachable course on how to homeschool children from kindergarten through third grade. She also writes a blog that chronicles her passion for creating lifelong learners. All of her books and resources can be found at www.stronghappyfamily.org.
Trailer
01: Exploring Education Options at Any Age
Historically, learning has extended well beyond the traditional schoolroom. In this inaugural lesson, investigate the theoretical underpinnings of schooling and education. Start by exploring a range of educational philosophies from the Classical method to the Charlotte Mason approach, and compare and contrast traditional schooling with homeschooling to determine which option works best for you.
22 min
02: Prereading Sets the Tone for Learning
Little children, inexperienced and unfamiliar with the world around them, require sensitive and thoughtful teachers. Here, learn how to create a safe environment for very young children. Discover how sleep schedules, balanced diets, regular routines, imaginative play, and clear communication can make your babies and toddlers feel secure and confident at home.
17 min
03: Reading Lets Children Teach Themselves
Children who can effectively teach themselves are poised for success later in life. But not everyone learns the same way. Consider seven distinct learning styles and explore how you can teach reading—the first of three fundamental learning tools—to your children in interesting and engaging ways.
19 min
04: Open More Doors with Writing and Math
Along with reading, writing, and arithmetic together compose the fundamental tools of learning. Through emulation, narration, and computation, children are able to engage with complicated concepts and diverse topics. Gain practical insight into how you can teach beginner writing and math while preserving your child’s ever-important desire to learn.
18 min
05: Fostering a Culture of Curiosity
A healthy dose of curiosity makes for an inquisitive child, eager to explore and engage with the unknown. Discover how you can root out curiosity killers like excessive screen time and neatness, and gain some practical insight into how you can foster a stimulating and enlightening “curious culture” in your own household.
18 min
06: Learning That Builds Character
How can parents encourage learning beyond the school desk? And what should this learning even consist of? This lesson will provide you with practical tools to facilitate non-academic learning outside of the classroom. Explore a range of book recommendations, memory games, creative activities, and even chores you can implement at home.
18 min
07: What Helps Struggling Learners
Despite our best efforts, some children run into learning problems. So what can parents do to help? Examine various learning barriers and uncover prospective solutions to them. Discover how you as a parent can motivate late bloomers and underachievers, invigorate dull curricula, and deal with bullying when it occurs.
17 min
08: When Teens Love to Learn
Adolescence marks a period of confusion and drama in a child’s life. They must confront exploding hormones, changing social stressors, and increasingly complicated ideas. In this lesson, become a skilled and responsive teacher of teens. Learn how you can encourage intellectual growth and independence while preserving your authority in the home.
18 min
09: Growing a Family That Learns Together
Not even the best teachers know everything. In this final lesson, delve into the personal benefits that come with raising lifelong learners. Discover how you can go from teacher to student by sharing interests with your children and understand how collaborative learning can enhance your own life.
18 min
