Do you have a member of the family or a student who is a Sketching Learner?

Here are some clues: doodles, doodles, doodles-all over the place!

Sketching Learners fall under the broader category of Tactile- Kinesthetic Learners who need touch and movement. In school, touch and movement are normally interpreted as disruptive rather than intelligent behaviors. This can also be the case for those who teach their children at home. The traditional system has taught us that one should sit up straight and still at a desk while quietly reading, writing, or listening to a lesson.

Tactile-Kinesthetic Learners need touch and movement in order to learn! The Sketching Learner needs a specific type of touch and movement: drawing or sketching.

These students need to be encouraged to doodle and draw while listening, thinking, even doing worksheets. Sketching Learners know this intuitively; that is why you will find them doodling on their math paper, in between the paragraphs of their essay, and in the margins of their workbooks. We still get reports of students being sent to the principal's office for doodling on a worksheet!

Please...allow them to doodle. In fact, suggest that they doodle. Sketching Learners can better listen to and process verbal information, as well as written information, when they are doodling. It frees up their brains to listen and think, sort of like knitting does. Many Sketching Learners can go a step further and learn to take picture notes when listening or reading. Doodling and/or drawing of actual pictures, symbols, etc. can increase comprehension, memory for tests, and ability to write. Even chores can be affected: if your Sketching Learners have trouble remembering their chores or assignments, experiment with suggesting that they draw pictures instead of writing lists. They could also make picture charts that are posted in appropriate places or kept in their notebooks.

For more information about the Sketching Modality and other learning styles check out our book, Discover Your Child's Learning Style, at www.learningsuccessinstitute.com or go to www.aselfportraitonline.com

Students who are Sketching Learners grow up to be adults who are Sketching Learners! If someone teaches them about learning styles and the Sketching Modality, they will learn how to use this strength in their everyday lives and on the job.

If you are a Sketching Learner and did not learn about this Modality when you were growing up, here are some tips:

If you are a doodler, congratulate yourself. This is a wonderful Modality and you can use it for your benefit. Be aware of your need to doodle or sketch while you are thinking, listening to a speaker, attending a business meeting, or even having a conversation with a friend. Begin doing it consciously and with awareness. Be confident about your doodling and stop apologizing for it (if that's what you've been doing). Sketching is a powerful tool for processing information and increasing memory and comprehension. Experiment with taking picture notes at meetings or workshops.

People who are Sketching Learners are often Picture Learners as well. As Sketchers they are making their own Pictures. Just as young people can draw their own chore or assignment charts, adults can draw their own to-do lists, appointment schedules, project plans, goal charts, etc. Try it...and see if your doodles and sketches increase your energy for tasks that would otherwise appear on boring written lists or be lost among calendar pages.

In certain situations, you might want to explain what you are doing. For example, if you are speaking with a friend who might think you are not paying attention to the conversation, you might simply state: Let me just grab my pen here - it helps me listen better if I'm doodling!
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It's okay to be who you are and it's okay to have a job/career that matches who you are. It's more than okay-it's essential! Doing what you love fills up your spirit and that affects your relationships, your finances, your whole life in wonderful ways!

For more information go to www.powerofyounow.com

Check out the items below and other products by Victoria and Mariaemma at http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com, click on Shop.

You could change the life of a child, an adult, or a whole family!

Discover Your Child's Learning Style, by Willis and Hodson-includes Learning Style Profiles for the whole family, the C.A.R.E.S. and F.I.T.T. principles, plus much more-there has never been a parenting book like this before! (also available at most bookstores)

NOTE: Even if you are NOT a parent, you will be amazed at what this book can do for YOU!

A Self-Portrait™ Online Learning Style Profile- immediate automatic scoring and printable results and recommendations-go to www.aselfportraitonline.com

Mid-life Crisis Begins in Kindergarten, by Willis and Hodson

The Compassionate Classroom, by Hart & Hodson- you will learn how to create safety and trust and relearn the language of giving and receiving-and truly listening-tools for the classroom and the home (also available at http://www.k-hcommunication.com)

Inspiration to Realization-Real Women Reveal Proven Strategies For Personal, Business, Financial and Spiritual Success by Christine Kloser, contributing authors Victoria Kindle Hodson & Mariaemma Willis-order at www.powerofyounow.com or call 805-648-1739.

ReaLife™ Electives from Mariaemma
For high school students who want elective credits or for teens and adults who just want to learn:

ReaLife 101: The Life Success Formula
ReaLife 102: The Money Formula

These courses guide you through such wonderful books as Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens, Cool Stuff They Should Teach in School, and Masters of Success. When you purchase these guides they become available to you as downloadable ebooks, so they are available immediately upon purchase!

For details and sample pages, visit http://www.realifeelectives.com

If you are a Level 2 LearningSuccess Coach and have been waiting for Level 3, your wait is over! This year-long internship program will begin this summer, with the first 3- day session scheduled for July 12-14.

If you are interested in Level 3, please go to https://commerce6.pair.com/%7Ecoach2/Merchant/ level_3.html
and submit your application today! We can only take 10 people and we will be making our final decisions by April 1, so that those who will be attending can register and secure their spots.

If you have any questions about this program, please call Mariaemma at 805-648-1739 or Victoria at 805-653-0261.

If you are homeschooling, be sure to check out Homeschool Buyer's Coop at www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org when you need to buy educational products or services. Their mission is to make homeschooling more affordable by:

negotiating exclusive member discounts from suppliers
keeping you current on the latest supplier specials
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Continuing Education Units are available for attending our training, through California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California. Please call for details-805-648-1739.

For Parents and Professionals:
Next Level 1: March 29-31, 2006
Next Level 2: April 26-28, 2006, Follow-up May 18-19
Next Level 3, Session 1: July 12-14, 2006

For more information and to register go to
http://www.learningsuccessinstitute.com, click on LS Certification under the Training directory.

June 8-11, 2006: Link Homeschool Conference, Warner Center Marriott Hotel, Woodland Hills, CA

June 24, 2006: Southern California Catholic Home Educators Conference, St. Paul's Church, Chino Hills

August 4-5, 2006: California Homeschool Network Family Expo, Ontario Convention Center

This newsletter is a publication of LearningSuccess™ Institute
1590 East Main Street, Ventura, California 93001, www.learningsuccessinstitute.com
Victoria Kindle Hodson, M.A. 805·653·0261, v@learningsuccesscoach.com
Mariaemma Pelullo-Willis, M.S. 805·648·1739, m@learningsuccesscoach.com

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copyright 2006 by V. Kindle Hodson & M. Pelullo-Willis. All rights reserved.

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