Description: Maths and English tutor Will shares his advice on how to tackle different techniques when teaching students with learning difficulties.
Report cards, grades, and exams – when it comes to learning, it’s very easy to get caught up in the numbers. But there are often far more important lessons to be learned. Whilst tackling something we can’t yet understand, we could all do with a little bit of encouragement, support, and the celebration of the effort we put in. Even if that’s just in taking the first step. So, when it comes to helping children with learning difficulties it’s crucial to remember, you’re not trying to solve their disability. Rather you’re giving them the social and emotional tools to deal with life’s challenges on their own.
In the long run, if you can help equip them to face up challenges such as a learning disability, then you can give them the hope and the confidence to succeed and flourish.
1. Break subjects down into smaller more manageable chunks
It’s easy for us to think that a task has just one step to it. It can be hard to know where to start for someone who struggles with this. If you can break that subject down into two or three smaller steps and take the child through the process gradually, you’re allowing the child to develop the confidence that comes from small wins. Rather than being overwhelmed by the bigger picture.
2. Set Appropriate Exercises
Working through assignments can be demanding and waste precious energy that should be invested in learning. Make sure that all assignments are focused, clear and manageable
3. Give the student the space to accomplish his or her own goals
It can be tempting to handhold a student who’s struggling with a task from start to finish. However, it’s much more likely that the teaching will stick if they make the steps themselves. Be patient and create an environment where the child knows they can take their time and think things through without feeling rushed or confused.
4. Value their vision of success, not yours
Success means something to all of us, whether that’s getting a job, starting a family, or creating long-lasting and meaningful relationships with friends and loved ones. Everyone’s ideals are different and success should be celebrated in whatever capacity it comes. This is no truer than when it comes to learning.
Something that you may perceive as easy or trivial, maybe a significant milestone for someone else and how you react to that step forward is crucial in determining how your child perceives their own achievement.
5. Celebrate struggles
This can be one of the most critical aspects when it comes to shifting the mindset of a struggling child. If you can teach them to engage with challenges, in a positive and meaningful way; then you will have given them a crucial tool to deal with the challenges of life. Always think of mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth re-assure them that everyone deals with their own struggles despite their learning disabilities.
By tutor Will.