Homework & Learning Tips

But I Know My Son is Bright!

"Until recently, my son was at a very traditional prep school. Every day he would bound in full of the joys, excited to see his peers. Every evening he would come home and tell me he was stupid. We would row about his homework ("I CAN’T do it", he would scream) and the following day, the whole cycle would begin again. The sad thing is my son is far from stupid. At age 5, his IQ was already 140.

Halfway through Reception, I pointed out that my son was memorising the books he was supposedly learning to read. Having read it once with his teacher, he would recall verbatim what was on each page with the book shut. Yet he had no idea of how to de-code a word. The phonics sounds had somehow passed him by.

Our saving grace came in the form of the Easyread System, designed to teach dyslexics to read in just 5 minutes a day using cartoon characters and computer games. Finally, we had a programme that addressed my son’s struggles. Over a summer in Italy, we spent 5 minutes a day doing the programme via the internet. And by the end of the summer, it had worked!" (From Caroline, a TrickyKidz mum)

Different Learning Styles

Different children learn in different ways. You may already know your child’s preferred learning style. Auditory (listening), visual (seeing) and kinaesthetic (touching) are the most common. Some kids learn using a mix of two or three styles, some kids learn using just one style. But do you know how your child is taught? And is it the right way for how they learn? Many schools still use traditional teaching methods – relying on lectures and text. Of course, no system is faultless and learning styles can change over time. But it’s little wonder that kids with different needs still slip through the net with their learning disabilities.

Lots of kids are more visual than auditory. They need strong emphasis on diagrams, pictures and if possible, videos, to learn successfully. They also need to see their teacher’s body language and expressions to process what is being said. So they are best seated at the front of the class, especially since other visuals, such as people’s heads, can cause great distraction for them. (And try talking to a visual learner while they are watching TV. It’s not selective hearing – they literally cannot hear you.)

Unlike auditory learners, visual learners see detail as secondary to the bigger picture. So they are lost by traditional sequential learning, and need the overall context first. (Consider two different approaches to building a model aeroplane. Some kids start at the beginning of the instructions and carefully follow each step. Others look at the finished picture first and then build in a seeming haphazard fashion. The result? In both situations, the plane gets built! Consider how differently people learn languages. Some prefer step-by-step lessons, others learn best by immersion – by living in a country and absorbing the language.)

Many children are tactile (kinaesthetic) learners, who need to move, hold and touch. Unable to sit still for long, they need to move around and require a hands-on approach to learning. These kids like taking things apart ‘to see how they work’. (All of us start off as strong kinaesthetic learners. Think of toddlers
running around touching everything!) Unfortunately for kinaesthetic learners (who are often but not exclusively boys), kinaesthetic teaching is not always available in a mainstream classroom!

Help at Hand!

In this section of the site, we focus on non-traditional learning techniques. You will find all sorts of school help and homework tips for tricky kids. There are picture stories and computer games that teach maths timestables, plus the Easyread System for those struggling to read (it’s not just for dyslexics!). We have practical advice to help improve fine motor skills and easy techniques to develop auditory processing skills. Leading behavioural and educational specialist, Noel Janis-Norton, provides an end to homework hassles and specialist children’s optician, Alexander Kobrin, looks at the link between eye issues and tricky kids. We will continue to expand and develop this section over time. And if you come across something that should be here, please let me know.