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Book Reviews of In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style

In Their Own Way:  Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style
In Their Own Way Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style
Author: Thomas Armstrong
ISBN-13: 9780874774665
ISBN-10: 0874774667
Publication Date: 8/1/1988
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 10

3.9 stars, based on 10 ratings
Publisher: Tarcher
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

7 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on
Helpful Score: 2
All children are not the same. They all are smart in their own way and this book helps you see this concept and helps you see that they all have their own way of learning. If more people could understand this, our childen, especially those with learning disabilities, would have an easier time in school and with peers and teachers. Very imformative book.
reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 47 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book is FILLED with practical tips for teaching children in their own way. While the author obviously dislikes the public school system (referring to it as "worksheet wasteland") he provides lots of was for parents to work with school officials and special education teachers to help children thrive as much as possible. The author presents Howard Gardner's 7 types of intelligence, and uses it to show that everyone has different learning strenghts and sees the same thing (reading, writing, math, etc) in unique ways.

This book also touches on many topics including ADD/ADHD medicine-alternatives, homescholing, "unschooling", children with special needs, "better late than early", some Montessori techniques, and many more.

The author has filled the book with references to other books and many research studies for the reader to find more information on the topis of interest. Although, this book was published in the 80s, so things are a wee bit dated in that regards.

One of the most practical parts of the books is the section discussing how to teach children to read, using 7 different methods. There is so much more than phonics, or vocabulary memorization. The author suggests teaching a kinesthectic child to recognize letters by making them out of sandpaper so the child can literally "feel" them. The spatially gifted child can "draw" the words ('bike' with wheels and handlebars, etc). The musically-inclined child can sing songs about each letter or word. The book is a treasure trove of "alternative" teaching methods that should become mainstream. One of the author's points is that if educators looked at a child's strengths, instead of weakness (or inablility to learn using the linguistic and logical approach that public school soley use) then America's large number of "learning disabled" children would all but disappear.

I would reccomend this book to public school teachers (as long as you can get past the public-school bashing by the author), student-teachers, special ed teachers, and most especially parents and homeschooling parents to really realize that each child is different, but they CAN learn.
reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 18 more book reviews
If you have ever felt that your child doesnt relate well to you or that you are not on the same page this book is wonderful. It will teach you how to both recognize how your child learns and then will teach you how to teach them according to their own way. It is an easy to understand explanation of different learning methods. Well worth the read- especially for homeschooling parents, teachers, or child care providers.
badgerbooks avatar reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 6 more book reviews
Perfect for the parent who is concerned about the academic development of their child! Really helps pinpoint what the actual issues are. Very comforting in helping understand what the issues are with practical advice to gently help your child. Fantastic!!
reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 1019 more book reviews
Super book! I very much enjoyed it and learned from it also!
reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 625 more book reviews
Armstrong is a former learning disabilities specialist who became disenchanted with the concept of disability. His alternative concept of learning differences, or unique learning styles, is modeled on Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal. Believing that schools have failed to develop children's special abilities, he suggests different ways that parents can help children to learn any subject according to their own style and to develop self-esteem. He also discusses testing and alternative methods of evaluating learning. Parents, teachers, and mental health professionals will find much of interest here.
reviewed In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style on + 55 more book reviews
Wonderful advice on raising children