This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Learning Styles in Homeschool High School with Vanessa Hall.

Learning Styles in Homeschool High School with Vanessa Hall

If you know 7Sisters, you know what we say:

There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school!

That’s why Vicki was so excited to talk with an expert on learning styles, Vanessa Hall MEd (on the way to PhD very soon). Vanessa homeschooled her kids through high school while working on her graduate degrees, so she has lots of experience with learning styles!

Vanessa’s story

Vanessa started out as a musician. She received a full scholarship to Howard University as an oboist. Originally, she wanted to perform, but her interests blossomed into music therapy studies. This led to a Master’s degree in special education. (For a more in-depth conversation on how to choose college degrees, check out this interview with Dr. Renae Duncan.)

With her special education degree, Vanessa ended teaching in the public school system. However, when their first child was born, she felt drawn to homeschooling through the inspiration of the moms’ group she attended. She discovered that some of her favorite moms there were homeschooling.

In those days, there were not many choices for homeschooling curriculum. At age three, her son was teaching himself to read, even picking up some high-school-level words. She knew that traditional curriculum would be a waste of his time. She would mostly need to provide reading material that kept his interests.

Then, her daughter was born. By then, the family was a committed homeschooling family. Vanessa’s daughter is a natural artist, so she made certain to provide fun art activities for that homeschooler.

Following her homeschoolers’ interests and learning styles

Vanessa learned to notice and follow the way her children her learned. Just as importantly, Vanessa knew that it was vital that she enjoy being with (and growing with) her children.

Within limits

No one gets to do everything they would like to do! That’s real life. Her son started playing football when he was eight years old. By the time high school came along, he started “feeling himself”. He told Vanessa and her husband that he was ready to go to school and “be with his friends”. Although testing showed he was two years above his peers in academic skills, he was willing to risk being bored.

For instance, Vanessa suggested that he enroll at  Bishop McNamara, one of the Catholic high schools with a football program. (Although she knew they did not have the finances to fund a parochial high school education. Finally, her husband walked over kindly and said, “We have found what works. And through eighth grade, we have homeschooled you, and you are doing proficiently. Look at it. You’re two years ahead. You’re gonna finish this way.” Then he walked away, and that was the end of the story. Her son never questioned further on this.

Vanessa never demanded that her son change his thoughts; instead, she helped him adapt his thoughts to what was realistic in the circumstances. Her son continued with his football interests through high school.

He was also interested in technology, so Vanessa made certain that he had access to STEM courses.

Her son today is happy. He married one of Vanessa’s best friends’ daughters and works in cybersecurity, a career that captures his interest and uses his intelligence.

Vanessa’s daughter

Vanessa’s daughter is a “people person, even more so“. She loves social activity. However, she also loves homeschooling and has never asked about going to school.

To build into her daughter’s social needs, the family attends the same church with most of their homeschool co-op.

Her daughter has always been an artistic learner. She loves acting, drawing, and design.  So, Vanessa has invested in her daughter’s social, artsy learning style by taking her to New York for auditions for organizations that wanted to sign her or manage her, as well as for fashion-related activities.

Different learning styles

One thing that helped Vanessa understand her homeschoolers’ learning styles is understanding her own learning style.  Vanessa’s is an auditory learner.  She says, “I literally could regurgitate anything my pastor preaches. I can regurgitate it verbatim.”

Most people have multiple learning styles

Vanessa says that other learning modalities help her learn. These are: reading and writing. For instance, she enjoys writing notes from what she is hearing in her Doctoral program classes. After class, she enjoys reading back what she wrote. This gives her three types of learning. This helps her internalize what she is learning and to “walk it forward“.

Think about your learning style first

Vanessa says that the key to making the most of homeschooling with learning styles is, “Just like they tell you on the airplane, put the mask on yourself first. Once you can do that, then you can branch out and help your youngers!”

She explains learning styles in her book Me, the Teacher? Never!:

The book Me, the Teacher? Never! covers different learning styles and also give curriculum and teaching ideas for each style.

Here are some tips on ways to identify how your homeschooler learns best.

There are lots of ways to learn:

• Musical- some students need to sing or listen to music while learning
• Artistic- some need to draw or model clay while listening to lessons. They also thrive with subject-related art projects
• Tactile- some students need to construct things, move things around, and use their senses while learning
• Kinesthetic- some students need to move while they listen, read, or study

Also, it’s good to notice biorhythms:

• Some homeschoolers are early risers and learn best before lunchtime
• Others are night owls (like Vanessa’s daughter, who is a night owl who does her best schoolwork at till 10:00 pm)

Then there are different levels, or kinds of sound that work best for different learners:

• Some homeschoolers need the room to be quiet
• Others need some classical music or instrumental music
• Some homeschoolers need noise and talking, so they learn best with a podcast or the television turned on

Different curriculum works better with different learners:

• Many students need textbooks with illustrations, charts, and photographs
• Some need to have at least a few of their credits be logged-hours/experiences rather than textbooks
  • For instance, Vanessa’s daughter learned about civics through debate team and mock trial experiences
  • She learned science best through project-based learning, so Science Fair was good for her
• Others need to listen to some of their books

Some homeschoolers learn differently. They need skills to manage dyslexia, ADHD, or other challenges.

Contact Vanessa Hall

• Vanessa is an educational consultant. You will find her at TheHallsWay2Educate.com.
• You can order the Learning Styles Book on Amazon or email her at Vanessa@TheHallsWay2Educate.com.
• For homeschooling families in the DMV area, Vanessa has an umbrella program and does Maryland-required reviews:  Children of the Kingdom Global Academy.

It’s a delight to talk to inspiring and successful homeschooling moms and thought leaders like Vanessa Hall. Join her and Vicki for a discussion on learning styles.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing, and we’ll see everyone next week.

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