Understanding hidden learning challenges
Rachel Stewart Parent Engagement Coach, Author, Speaker, Trainer
Developing capacity of educators and parents as partners through personal development & behavioural change coaching and training
Like a puzzle, the learning process contains many pieces that must fit together in order for learning to be complete. When one or more pieces are missing, children start to experience learning challenges like confusion, frustration or lack of motivation. This often results in poor academic performance and can lead to behavioural issues.
The key to solving a persistent learning challenge is to strengthen the children's essential cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are the mental capabilities we need to successfully learn academic subjects. Underlying cognitive skills must function well for us to efficiently and easily read, think, prioritise, understand, plan, remember and solve problems.
So essentially, cognitive skills are the individual mental skills we use to learn. When cognitive skills are weak, academic learning is a struggle. When cognitive skills are strong, academic learning is fast, easy, efficient and fun!
Learning is a complex process since the brain is such a sophisticated organ. Many interrelated cognitive skills contribute to both academic and occupational success. These skills are interdependent. Often they overlap in their work with other skills, as all the bits of information entering the mind are processed and acted upon.
Following are some basic cognitive skills, and an explanation of how each skill connects to the learning task it enables.
Sustained Attention - enables a student to stay on task for a period of time, Selective Attention enables a student to stay on task even when a distraction is present, and Divided Attention allows a student to handle two or more tasks at one time.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: All of these struggles will limit a student's other cognitive skills - which will have an impact across every academic area.
Working Memory?- the ability to retain information for short periods of time while processing or using it. This can be as subtle as when adding numbers that involve "holding" numbers in mind.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: Learning suffers if information cannot be retained long enough to handle it properly.
Processing Speed? - The rate at which the brain handles information.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: If processing speed is slow, the information held in working memory may be lost before it can be used, and the student will have to begin again.
Long-Term Memory?- The ability to both store and recall information for later use. For example, the ease we have in spelling our first name vs our need for practice to spell the name of the state where we live backward.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: If the ability to store and retrieve information is poor, the student will struggle with processing the information and making conclusions.
Visual Processing?- The ability to perceive, analyse, and think in visual images. For example, seeing differences in size, colour, shape, distance, and the orientation of objects, and creating mental images.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: When visual imagery is low, tasks like maths word problems and comprehension, which require seeing the concept or object in the student's mind, are difficult.
Auditory Processing?- Auditory Processing is the ability to perceive, analyse, and conceptualise what is heard and is one of the major underlying skills needed to learn to read and spell. Auditory Discrimination is hearing differences in sounds, including volume, pitch, duration, and phoneme.
Phonemic Awareness - the ability to blend sounds to make words, to segment sounds, to break words apart into separate sounds, and to manipulate and analyse sounds to determine the number, sequence, and sounds within a word.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: Blending, segmenting and sound analysis enable sounding out words when reading and spelling.
Logic & Reasoning?- The abilities to reason, prioritise, and plan.
Watch for a student's ability to:
Why this Matters: If these skills are not strong, academic activities such as problem solving, math, and comprehension will be difficult.
Knowing how children learn best the key to helping them achieve academic success and restore self-esteem and confidence! Energia SOI can help to determine what children may be missing in areas of: - Comprehension - Memory - Critical Thinking - Problem solving -Creativity. Through personalised learning, children can strengthen their ability to comprehend, complete schoolwork, homework, and become independent learners.
Energia SOI - Structure of Intellect, is an individualised learning program designed for children of all ages who are struggling to maintain academic performance or for children who want to improve their learning curve.
Want to learn more?
I invite you to register for our free webinars with our partners Energia SOI to learn more about the Cognitive Learning - Structure Of Intellect method to help your students become more confident, successful learners.
Visit https://practicallylearning.com.au/cognitive-learning-webinar/ for more information or to register for the Cognitive Skills Determine Learning Ability Webinar.
ENERGIA SOI https://www.energiasoi.com