arts, math, science, general knowledge,
social/emotional study, and thinking
skills. For example, for 6-year-olds, we
talk about the water cycle. The child can
go;play;with;the;cloud,;gather;vapor;from
the cloud, and observe the cloud become
heavier;and;heavier.;The;6-year-old;knows
it’s;going;to;rain;in;some;places;and;make
certain;plants;grow,;and;they;know;that
when the cloud rains down its water in the
desert,;much;of;it;disappears.
A;2-year-old;child;cannot;comprehend
“the water cycle,” so instead of showing
him;the;science-related;games,;we;show
the;2-year-old;animals.;In;our;farm;game,
the;child;goes;to;a;farm;and;plays;with
different;animals.;The;child;can;shear;the
wool;from;the;sheep,;feed;the;horse;the
hay,;or;pick;up;the;eggs,;all;of;which;are
engaging;activities.;During;the;process,
we;show;the;2-year-olds;that;“one”;is;dif-
ferent from “many.” These youngsters also
learn;to;sort—the;veggies;go;this;way,;the
meat;goes;that;way.;These;types;of;con-
cepts;are;much;more;fundamental;and
basic;compared;to;what;the;6-;or;7-year-
olds will be learning with the water game.
TOS:;That’s;great,;and;it;gives;the;little
ones something safe that they can work
with and still be learning while Mom is
doing math or something like that with
an older student.
Dan:;Exactly.;So,;with;a;tablet-based,
game-based learning system such as
VINCI,;it’s;all;about;differentiated;learn-ing.;Each;child;is;different,;and;each;child
can work at his own level. If the child ad-vances;quickly,;which;is;the;case;we;typi-cally;see;with;our;program;because;he
really sinks all his energy and focus into
the;play,;he;can;choose;his;level;accord-ing to his cognitive skills.
Parents or homeschool educators can
be;there;to;coach;them.;The;parent;can
say;if;the;child’s;selection;is;too;difficult;
the;child;won’t;have;as;much;fun;if;it’s
too;difficult.;The;child;will;typically;be
drawn to the activity he has most fun
with.;Our;instruction;isn’t;just;interac-
tive;but;also;differentiated;and;leveled.
TOS:;You’ve;already;talked;about;what
makes;the;VINCI;tablet;different;than;an
iPad;or;another;type;of;tablet.;Are;there
any;other;differences;you;want;to;point
out;to;the;readers?;What;makes;VINCI;a
better and a safer investment than some
of;the;other;technology;that’s;out;there?
Dan:
;I;think;the;key;differentiation;is;re-ally the curriculum itself. Consider learning with structure versus learning without
structure,;casual;play;versus;serious;play.
With;casual;play;the;child;plays;“what-ever”—you;don’t;know;what;he;will;get.
You;hope;he;will;learn;something;useful,
but;you;don’t;really;have;a;target.;VINCI;is
all;about;serious;play.;The;play;is;a;means
of engaging children. However, engaging
is not the goal. The goal of engaging chil-dren;is;to;empower;them. 1
TOS: I thank you very much for your
time.
Dan: Great!;Thank;you.
Bonnie Rose Hudson lives in central Pennsylvania with her mother and sister. She
loves being a part of SchoolhouseTeachers
.com and The;Old;Schoolhouse®;Magazine,
where her love of God, history, and writing
all work together. She invites you to stop by
and meet the star of her children’s historical
fiction series at Exploring;with;Jake.
Dan Yang
Dr. Dan Yang is the founder and inventor
of VINCI. She earned her bachelor’s degree
in 1982 from Nanjing University and went
on to post-graduate study in France. She has
founded three startup companies, including
VINCI, and has multiple awards and a long
list of patents to her credit. She is a wife and
mother of two daughters, and is passionate
about helping parents and teachers educate
children. You can learn more about her and
her company at www.vincigenius.com.
Endnote:
1.;You;can;learn;more;about;all;the;products;VINCI
offers;at;www.vincigenius.com.
Recommended for Grades 7-12
By Laurie J. White
Get history, language arts, apologetics,
intrigue, and lots of humor ALL IN ONE BOOK.
What more could you want?
www.TheShorterWord.com
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