What is the TAP Method? It’s a simple strategy for helping your child develop their critical thinking skills. Here’s what it is and how you can use it at home!
There is a lot of advice out there about how to help your kid become a strong learner. In fact, a parent who is invested in your child’s progress, it can sometimes feel like you’re swimming in advice. This is why, when I work with parents, I break the process down into simple, repeatable steps that are flexible to the specific needs of your child.
The reason there is so much advice out there is because every child has different needs. Because we all learn differently, we must adapt different approaches to helping our child grasp new concepts. (Not sure how your child learns? Take our learning style quiz to find out.)
After years of working with parents, teachers, and gifted children, I’ve developed the TAP Method a simple strategy to help your child develop their critical thinking skills. Unlike other strategies, the TAP Method is flexible. It can apply to any learning style, and it allows you to be aware of your child’s continuous progress.
Here’s a brief introduction to the TAP Method and what it can do for you and your child: Watch the 5:16 minute video below and read the article.
T: Tracking
The Tracking phase helps you get an idea of the big picture. Before you can build new skills, it’s important to get a clear view of where you’re going. The academic race is a marathon, with quite a few stops along the way, and unless you get a clear, overhead view of your child’s developmental targets and academic milestones, it’s easy to get lost.
You can look to the research to figure out where your child is headed. For example, the common core begins in Kindergarten, with easily accessible standards for all grade levels. Even pre-K has a set of academic standards, set by the NAEYC – the world’s largest organization of early childhood professionals.
These resources are helpful, but even if you choose not to dive into the minutia of each standard, the Tracking phase should be reliable and research-based. Speak to your child’s teacher to make sure you understand what the whole picture of their education is – including all subject areas and skills.
Often, the big picture road map that comes to mind may seem vague and distant, such as, “I want my child to go to college.” While this is an admirable goal, it’s not enough. Having a child be “on track” looks different today than it did twenty or thirty years ago. We need to look at the data, which tells us the playing field of academia. For example, we now know that children who are behind in reading in the 3rd grade are less likely to catch up and less likely to graduate. We also know that children with weaker math skills also struggle in science and social studies. This information helps us determine which big-picture skills are important to pay attention to.
Tracking should take place before you even begin teaching or practicing new skills, so that you know where to start.
A: Assessing
If Tracking focuses on the big picture education targets, the Assessing phase focuses on the specific, detailed progress your student is making.
While Tracking is accomplished at the beginning of the learning process (and revisited periodically), Assessing occurs throughout instruction to see how your child is learning. Assessing can be as official as a standardized test or as informal as a checklist or anecdotal notes.
Over the years, I’ve done a deep dive into the skills that have been identified as problem areas. I’ve created easy assessments that are used in my boot camp classes to help children reach their goals and to help parents feel empowered when helping their child at home.
The sad truth is that teachers often do not have the time to delve into every skill your child needs to learn. This is where you come in. You can use assessments to help your child understand concepts on a deeper level. And if you don’t know where to start, you can work with a professional tutor or an educational consultant who incorporates academic assessment into their practice.
Assess frequently, usually every week or two, to make sure your child is learning what you’re teaching. You don’t want to barrel ahead and begin working on an advanced concept or skill before they’ve mastered the basics.
P: Promoting
Once you’ve tracked your child’s progress and set up a system for regularly assessing their growth, it’s time to actively promote their critical thinking skills.
You can do this by helping your child engage in SMART skills (Spatial, Math, Analogy, Reading, and Technology) while participating in everyday activities. You can practice spatial skills through activities like jigsaw, puzzles, Sudoku, and crosswords. Math skills can be reinforced through counting activities, time-telling questions, and even time spent measuring in the kitchen. The ability to make comparisons that comes with analogy skills can come from a simple conversation with your child. Asking your child pointed questions that compare and contrast objects will build logic and reasoning skills. Reading skills are the easiest to practice at home, since there are opportunities everywhere. Students can read labels on food, subtitles on the television, or even help you write out your grocery list. You can also build a daily habit of reading before bed each night. Finally, technology skills include social media, spreadsheets, and use of tablets and smart phones, all of which are easy to access and set up in a kid-friendly manner.
These skills are easy to practice at home and will promote critical thinking skills. You can get even more ideas about how to reinforce these skills by heading to this article or using one of the Critical Thinking Workbooks designed specifically for promoting your child’s critical thinking skills.
The TAP Method: Rinse and Repeat
As your child continues to develop their critical thinking skills, you can continue to apply the TAP Method to their progress. By consistently tracking, assessing, and promoting their learning progress you’re able to play an active part in their growth, helping them build upon previous knowledge and develop a lifelong love of learning.
