How to Learn Effectively?

What is the most effective way that you learn? Is it by teaching your little one how to sign or by looking at videos teaching signing? Do you remember more if someone speaks to you for a few hours at a sign language conference or when your family discusses why it is important to have routines?
Being aware of how you and your baby prefer to learn new things can create a better learning experience for both of you. The pyramid shows the effectiveness of each method of learning. Most people aren't aware that the most effective way to learn is by teaching others. In order to teach others, you must first learn the material yourself and know enough about the topic to explain to another person. In order to sign   "Happy New Year," you must know each part of the phrase and know that you are able to put it all together to create a different meaning (a celebration of January 1st) than just "happy," "new," and "year" separately.

So make it your New Year's Resolution to teach your little one the signs that you know! Take the time to experiment with which method your child prefers, whether it is by teaching a sibling, discussing the sign, or by practicing the sign repeatedly. Some babies like learning from watching videos on SignShine's app while others prefer learning by demonstrating to their grandparents.

Which section of the learning pyramid you prefer?

etel 

Etel Leit, M.S.

Founder & Owner www.SignShine.com 

Publisher    www.BabySignShine.com

Using Sign Language to Tell a Story is a Wonderful Way to captivate the young listener.

So many of today’s children rely on film or video to hold their interest. By encouraging children to listen to a story, you are helping the child develop sharper, more accurate and effective listening skills. Start off with short stories that will captivate their interest. Include the listener as the protagonist. Add humor, or suspense and allow the listener’s imagination to create and embellish as his mind absorbs the words. Add sign language as a tool to help engage the listener. Children are captivated by the visual language. Instead of providing the picture to the child through videos and film, use sign language to allow the listener to engage with the storyteller and create the visual picture in his/her own mind. Not only does sign language help engage the listener and allow the child’s imagination to create, but it also helps the listener retain the information.

In summary, by having your child simultaneously process visual and auditory languages, you will be helping him/her to develop sharper listening skills, become more imaginative, and develop ways to better remember the details of the story.