The Inventing Learning Style -
"I Want To Discover On My Own."

Children with an Inventing learning style can transform a hot dog into a gourmet dish The Food Network would envy, create a canal system to water the garden, and design a more efficient vacuum out of Tinker Toys™.

Their powers of concentration are strong when they are pursuing their interests. They get focused on their project and forget about everything else.

Unsure of your child's learning style? Find out with this learning style inventory.

Here are my recommendations for Inventing homeschool curriculum.

"I learn by asking questions."

My son has an Inventing learning style. I am barraged with questions from the moment he wakes up until he closes his eyes at night. He asks a question. Takes apart his door knob. Asks another question. Says to himself “I wonder what will happen when I…”. Asks two more questions.

Inventing learners are on a quest for answers.

Their questions often seem totally unrelated to what’s going on in the present. Whether we are watching TV, reading aloud, or building with Legos™ my son’s questions are “from left field.”

“Inventing kids ask lots of questions, often to the annoyance of parent or instructor, and often seems to be asking questions that are unrelated to the topic at hand. It is then assumed that the student can’t focus, doesn't pay attention, etc.

What is actually happening is that this student hears or reads something…which triggers other thoughts…which triggers questions. All the while the student is making connections; this is how this student learns best.”

Discover Your Child’s Learning Style pg 91-95

"I like to figure things out on my own."

Children with an Inventing learning style are difficult to teach because they want to figure things out on their own. My son and oldest daughter (both Inventing) are not interested in being told (or shown) how to do anything. They enjoy the challenge of figuring things out on their own by trial and error.

This is where you toss the teacher’s guides (or hand them over to your child to use on his own). Unschooling (or a hybrid) is an excellent choice for an Inventing child. Their questions lead them to learning beyond what the finest curriculum could offer.

Inventing children enjoy science but traditional science programs are very structured in their approach. You can still use these programs by starting out with the experiment of “what happens when you add baking soda to vinegar” but allow your Inventing child to see what happens when he adds everything else in the pantry.

Inventing learners are challenged by solving problems so a step-by-step, here’s-how-to-do-it text is leaving a lot of their intellect and potential on the table.

For math, open-ended activities from Family Math and Family Math For Middle School are better alternatives, or at least supplements, to a traditional textbook approach.

“In general, this student learns best when involved in activities that allow him to be inquisitive and inventive; take apart, put together, tinker, try out, make something out of nothing.

The student can make models, build replicas, work on a collection, design a system, and develop a project. Allow to ask questions, encourage him to use his natural problem solving strategies, hands-on assignments.”

Learning Success Blog, December 16, 2009

What an Inventing Child Needs Most...

Time - The greatest gift to this child is time. Daily time to pursue her own interests and make her own discoveries.
Weekly List of Assignments - A daily schedule is too restricting. A weekly schedule allows him the flexibility to spend 3 hours if he's inspired.
Flexibility - Be flexible with your curriculum. Don't rigidly follow lesson by lesson. When your child has a question or interest that is "off topic" or "off lesson" allow her the time and resources to investigate. Then come back to your curriculum after the question has been answered.
A Problem to Solve - Next time you have a problem ask your child for help. She has an amazing ability to come up with creative solutions. She will love the opportunity to use her problem solving talent.
A Mentor, Not a Teacher - Give your child your time in the way of discussions, answering questions and supporting her interests.
For You to Trust Your Child’s Learning - Your child's learning is not going to fit into neat multiple-choice worksheets or a curriculum's scope-and-sequence. Her interests will take her everywhere, sometimes at the expense of more "academic" pursuits.