Thematics - Theme Directed Learning in Education Explained:
It maybe a tedious and challenging task, but homeschooling can be fun and worry-free when you have the right information.
Research into how the brain works and the psychology of learning shows that learning is a process of integration. When we see how facts and ideas connect with one another across subjects, we are constructing meaning. When we’re able to communicate that meaning, the learning is further reinforced. This is why theme-based learning is so effective.
Theme-based learning – or the practice of integrating curriculum areas around a topic – helps learning become more relevant for students. But it can also be challenging for educators. Some are accustomed to prescriptive lessons broken up over a heavily scheduled day, and relaxing that control can make them feel anxious.
The hardest thing about theme-based learning is having the courage to give it a go.
It’s natural to worry, “Am I spending enough time on maths in this theme?’ and ‘What if the theme runs away from what I want to do or impose?’”
The theme-based approach to education creates an environment where students acquire a taste for lifelong learning. As they become more involved in how and what they study, children also become more interested in learning.
This homeschool method of teaching helps students draw a connection to the real world. It shows that hands on experiences are always a good way to teach and letting children explore the world is the best way that they can learn.
When you combine two or more subjects and create an exciting activity, the mastery of objectives and focusing on the goal is accomplished. That is what connection is all about.
As a structure for integrating content areas, learning around a theme makes sense to children. It helps them make connections, to transfer knowledge and apply it. It fosters comparison, categorizing and pattern finding – building blocks of the scientific method.
For example, a theme that celebrates birds could include investigation of birds in the student’s environment, writing a paragraph about one of these birds, learning about the science of flight, practicing bird calls and integrating them in a song about birds, solving math word problems on how far birds travel or high they fly, making up a bird poem and bird dance, referring to non-fiction readings about bird communication, socializing, and growth from egg to bird – and the list could go on.
Thematic directed learning is effective, mainly because one part builds on another and thus reinforces it.
This method of teaching and learning benefits children in multiple ways, including:
1) Interesting Themes Encourage a Love of Learning
2) Children Make Deeper Connections
3) Children Learn About the World
4) Learning Becomes Meaningful
5) Theme-based Learning Supports Different Learning Needs
I remember a period of time when my son was obsessed with Trucks. I decided that if trucks are all my son wants to think about and explore, I would harness his obsession for learning. I used trucks as the channel to explore a variety of subjects in a fun and meaningful way. Here are some activities from our truck theme
Counted the number of wheels on a truck and compared it to that of other vehicles (Math)
Made a axle and wheel model with TP rolls and chopsticks, lego and stickle bricks, and explored why round wheels are better (Science, Math, Design)
Made a graph of the different colored trucks and cars that pass us on the road. (Math)
Read countless books on trucks (Literacy and Language)
Designed and created a garage from a cardboard box (Art, Design)
Matched letters written on the top of toy trucks to letters written on parking lots in his cardboard garage (Literacy)
Painted with trucks (Art & Sensory Play)
Sang the take me driving in your car song (Music, Literacy)
Researched where petrol comes from (Science, Geography)
We extended this interest by looking at all other modes of transport eg cars, trains, buses, and planes.
Using Theme-based Learning, we can help children dive deep into topics they are passionate about. When we tap in to children’s natural curiosity, they are motivated and excited to find out more on their own. As the children get older, they can even choose the next theme and decide what they like to learn about next. They become active learners.
For parents and educators, this thematic study approach makes it efficient and organized to support children's strengths and harness their interests to encourage learning.
Learning is an integrated process where the brain is constantly trying to make connections from one experience to another. Theme-based learning supports and mirrors this natural way of learning.
The overarching theme
builds a bridge between different topics, subjects and skills,
helps children see and make connections between them,
helps them recognize the interconnectedness of the world around them which leads to more creativity and innovation in their thinking.
When you examine the list of activities from my son’s truck themed lesson plan, you can see just how many different learning areas were touched on through that single theme (language, math, art, music, science, etc.). Children no longer see Math, Science, Geography, Art, etc as separate entities, but instead, appreciate the intricate relationships between these subjects.
Themes can come from anything children are connected to, such as:
Items they see around them.
Favorite storybooks.
Special events happening in their lives.
News and media.
These themes become the platforms for children to learn more about the world around them, as they make one interesting and thought-provoking discovery after another.
For example, there was a month last year where it rained heavily, The weather theme got my son thinking about what happens when there is too much rain, wind, sun or snow. This led us to reading about natural disasters and how they affect people’s lives here and in other parts of the world. His learning became fun, relevant and purposeful.
Theme-based Learning brings the world to children.
A theme creates a context for children to see the meaningful applications of the academic knowledge and skills. When children can relate what they learn to the real-world, they will understand and retain the new knowledge better.
Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner proposed in his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, that people have different abilities and talents. He called them the "intelligences and he identified eight of them:
Linguistic intelligence
Logical-mathematical intelligence
Visual-spatial intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence
Musical intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence
Naturalist intelligence
Theme-based learning integrates together different learning areas and skills. Because of this variety, this thematic learning approach is able to incorporate different intelligences and cater better to children with different learning needs. This is an important benefit for schools or families with multiple children.
Theme-based learning is a teaching and learning method that is strongly supported by numerous researches on the brain and how humans learn. I hope these reasons will motivate you to think about giving Theme-based Learning a go at home and incorporate it
into your home school program.
Thank You
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Resources: https://www.edtechlens.com/blog/try-theme-based-learning
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