The 8 pieces of the learning puzzle

Millions of children struggle in school and will feel discouraged, frustrated, misunderstood and alone. Not because they can’t learn, but because the way they learn doesn’t align with the way they are taught.

Thousands of teachers struggle in school and will feel discouraged, frustrated, misunderstood and alone. Not because they can’t teach, but because they have not been able to target their teaching strategies to the various learning profiles of their students.?

I was one of those teachers.?

The very reason that I went on to study remedial education and learning barriers was because I wanted to understand why some kids spend their school days climbing up a long, steep hill filled with potholes and obstacles along the way while other classmates seem to progress smoothly and some even achieve gold awards and accolades for academics.?

As a parent, I felt helpless and overwhelmed...we also had that conversation with the school...a few times. Should he repeat or should we just wait and see and get more support??

In primary school, the interventions were speech therapy, OT, auditory training, medication for concentration, play therapy and martial arts to help with self confidence and low muscle tone. In high school, it was counselling, gym with a personal trainer, different medication, visits to the psychiatrist, and psychologist, etc. We changed schools, we searched for answers, we tried different educational approaches, different strategies...we still didn’t know what the right support and intervention plan entailed. I was confused and often doubted that what I was doing was the right thing.

Too many schools are unequipped for the diversity in learning that unfolds in classrooms. White paper 6 was composed to attempt to provide the necessary support for children with special needs and learning barriers.

What does it mean when we say “teaching needs to complement learning”? There needs to be a good match. “I wonder how he/she learns,” needs to be a question that we, as parents, ask ourselves. We need to be aware of the skills that must be mastered that may influence student's success and if the skills are not being learnt, we need to investigate why.

As a parent, where are you at?

You might be saying...

• Teachers should know how to help my child.

But they don’t...they are trained in teaching methodologies, not in how to address a learning difficulty. That only comes with experience and skills development.

• There are so many specialists in PE that we can go to.

But parents will often visit up to11 different specialists before they get the correct diagnosis or management plan.

• Appointments with specialists are expensive.

But by knowing who to go to and what should happen, the number of visits can be reduced.?

• My child just needs more time to develop.

But often the barriers don’t go away and early intervention and support is much more effective than trying to rectify a problem that is left unaddressed.?

• Schools expect too much from kids these days...the pressure is huge.

But we cannot change the curriculum or the amount of content that is included. There are different learning environments and different learning approaches and philosophies, i.e. montessori, cambridge, homeschooling, learning centres, etc. which is why it might be necessary to make some changes as your child moves through school and develops their learning profile.?

Could My Child Have a Specific Learning Barrier?

Does your child:

• have a hard time understanding what he or she reads?
• have trouble learning the alphabet, rhyming words, or connecting letters to their sounds?
• have a limited vocabulary?
• have difficulty knowing where to begin a task and/or how to proceed from there?
• have very messy handwriting or does he hold a pencil awkwardly?
• have difficulty understanding instructions or following directions?
• appear awkward or clumsy, dropping, spilling, or knocking things over a lot
• confuse math symbols and misread numbers?
• have trouble telling time or conceptualizing the passage of time?
• ignore the social rules of conversations, such as taking turns or standing a comfortable distance from his or her conversation partner?
• have trouble organizing what he or she wants to say or thinking of the word he or she needs when writing or in conversation?
• have real trouble with spelling, remembering the sounds that letters make, or hearing slight differences between words?
• have trouble with buttons, hooks, snaps, and zippers? Or with learning to tie his or her shoes?
• mispronounce words or use an incorrect word that sounds similar?
• make mistakes when reading aloud, and/or repeat and pause??
• struggle to express ideas in writing?
• have trouble retelling a story in order (what happened first, second, third)?
• Does your child have trouble understanding humor, puns, comic strips, idioms, and sarcasm?

How many YES answers to those questions did you have?

The 8 main areas that a child needs to become proficient in at school are:

1. Thinking with Numbers? (Mathematics)
2. Mastering the Written Word (Reading)
3. Getting Thoughts on Paper (Written Expression)
4. Control Over Attention (Focus and Concentration)
5. Acquiring Motor Mastery (Fine motor skills/writing)
6. Understanding, producing and articulating ideas (Comm.)
7. Getting Organized & Good Work Habits (Executive Function)
8. Relating to Others (Social Skills)

Can you see how those questions above fit nicely under these 8 areas??

Thinking about your own child and their progress at school. Where do they seem to struggle the most? Do they avoid doing homework and why? Where are their painpoints??

Looking at their school report. Where are their strengths and weaknesses. Are they getting 1’s in any areas, 5’s and 4’s and why?

A parent will call me and we’ll chat about the school report (and the psych assessment if there was one) to understand where the learning challenges are and what intervention needs to be implemented.?

From the personal experiences I’ve had with my own children and the 30 plus years experience as a teacher, remedial therapist and special needs support co-ordinator, I’ve learnt how to decipher a school report and read between the lines of what a teacher is saying. Often the comments carry more weigh than a symbol.

When I’ve been given a psych report to read through, I go straight to the last page and read the comments and suggestions….and then I look at the cognitive scores...verbal and non-verbal and the individual test scores and finally, I look at the background information and why the child was referred for assessment. By working backwards through a report, I get a better picture. It’s a bit like forensics at a crime scene...looking for clues and leads.?

As an education consultant, working with you, the parent, I look for the evidence that points us towards the best learning environment and support systems in place so that your child isn’t at a disadvantage.?Whatever challenges they may have, there are always ways to work through them and find solutions.?

As mentioned, parents will often visit up to11 different specialists before they get the correct diagnosis or management plan. How much time does that add up to, not to mention money spent.

The solution might mean a visit to the specialist, it might mean using medication, it might mean therapy, and it might also mean changing schools.

Start with the end in mind...what do you envision for your child...can you picture it? Is it realistic? What is standing in the way? Are there things within your control or out of your control. Do you need help to draw up a proper plan of action to get from Point A (the now) to the end goal (Point Z).?

What stage are you in? - problem solving, planning, juggling, advocacy or resilience? Do YOU need support, an ally, an advocate for your child??

I’d love to hear how I can use my superpower of problem-solving to help and empower you to know exactly what your child needs to be successful and why they need it.??