So, What About The Strugglers? -Part 1-

So what about the strugglers?
For some children a scary word is the word SPELLING. I still remember struggling with spelling - and the tears - when I was a kid about the same age as the children in our class. It was not a positive experience, and my Dad grew more and more frustrated as I got words right and then the next time made a mistake. I know some children are still struggling with learning to spell the numbers. It is NOT a lack of effort that seems to be the cause— parents have shared the same story as I have about me and my Dad. As I recall that experience I still find some quite strong feelings. I know that as a child I was doing all I knew to do, to try and achieve that illusive goal of 10 out of 10 and the acknowledgement of my parents and my teacher.
Of the children working on them last week, while about a third of the class have now mastered all or nearly all of them, the average test score for those who haven’t yet mastered them was around 12 out of 20 I wonder if it would help to identify the kind of learner your child is?
There has been considerable academic work around “learning styles” and about “multiple intelligence” that may be helpful to better understand how to best help your child. The idea behind such concepts is the recognition that different children have different strengths in different areas, and that means that if we can tap into the child’s strengths it may well make the difference for your struggling child. So this week I’m asking you to conduct an experiment. One of the recognized intelligences is kinesthetic, learning through interaction with one's environment. It promotes understanding through concrete, hands-on experiences. My Dad, a builder, was like that.
Here are several ideas.
If we had play-dough and got him to make the letters and spell out the word, would that be a fun, and an effective way for him to learn? (Just do a Google search for “play dough recipe” if your not sure how to make it.)
Or a set of magnetic letters your child sticks to the side of the fridge so that they have to be physically manipulate the letters to spell the words. Another option is to get him to type them in MSWord. In a sense it is a self-checking activity – in Word it will put a wiggly line under it if it is spelt wrong. The words can be printed out in large bold letters and put on the wall. He can look at them and say / write / spell them aloud. He then has little pieces of paper that are Bluetac-ed to cover 2-3 letters that are the tricky part of the word and tries again. By writing them he can then remove the letter masks and self-check. Or get a tray of sand and get your child to write the words, so they “feel” the letters.
For the child who is struggling, personal confidence and self-belief can often be an issue. We need to make the “bites” small enough to swallow. Let your child choose a word from their list. Eg “Today we have 1 word to learn, and only 1 – so which is the first word you’d like to choose from your list?” So before your child is allowed to watch their favourite TV program he/she has to spell the word, and before they eat their meal they have to spell it, and before the light gets turned off they have to spell it/ write it. This gives multiple exposures to the task. IF they still get it right the next morning then they move on to another word. And celebrate every gain! It doesn’t have to be a party but simple a “Well done, you must feel proud”, a hug, or a smile!
If they improve by several words in a week and consistently get it right, let them email me to let me know. When I email back to say “Well Done!” the acknowledgement may be the kind of thing that will help your child feel that their effort is worth it.

Have a great week,

Peter