Connect, practice, and Learn.
Learning is doable despite the craziness of now. Students require an opportunity to build a relationship with any material being studied. We believe in a commonsense approach to learning. Students should be provided a clear path, guidance, and plenty of practice to take ownership of the material. Once the foundation is built and a connections made, students will then take their new skills for a spin! Learners will aptly apply their knowledge and tools in various scenarios… if just given the time-a chance to learn fully and own concepts.
Out of the depths of the pandemic came a realization that curriculum moves at the speed of light. Students need clarity in presentation with repetition to take ownership of a concept. Confidence is born from clear communication, not teacher-speak. Learning should provide a path that reveals how to achieve and ample opportunity to practice.
Our short-lived time of at-home learning revealed that the pacing of material is lightning fast. Students are exposed to concepts and then quickly ushered to a new concept. There is no time for them to develop a relationship, practice, and learn a concept. We were struggling to support our son and his talented teachers. The teachers work so hard to deliver exceptional lessons. Unfortunately, the curriculum does not allow for time to practice, nor does it give clear direction…steps. Desperate to help our son succeed, we searched high and low for extra explanations and practice. It was like a game of “Where’s Waldo.”
The answer for us was clear. J.D. is a teacher and a graphic designer whose son loves heroes and comics. So she studied the curriculum, boiled down the steps, and created comic-style practice sheets. Eventually, J.D. and her husband joined forces to create Boom, Pop, Bang Education with a mission to provide direct lessons paired with an ample opportunity to practice.
Practice! Practice! Practice! Let’s learn something.