A struggling learner has to work much harder than their peers to complete the same task, achieve the same level or learn the same thing as their peers. The struggling child may be a year or more behind their expected levels in one academic area or a range of subject areas.
There are several possible reasons for the child’s struggles. They may have a physical disability that affects hearing, sight, hearing, coordination or mobility. They may have a learning difference or disability, such as ADHD, autism, ASD, anxiety disorder, dyslexia, dyscalculia, or an auditory processing disorder. A struggling learner can be gifted in some subject areas and struggling in others, e.g., a child who is fantastic at mathematics but struggles to read. Another common reason for learning struggles is that the child has not yet been taught in a way that works for them.
Tips for Teaching a Struggling Learner include:
(1) Teach Through Direct Instruction - A proven method in which the child is taught exactly what they need to learn. The information is presented clearly to rule out the possibility of misinterpretation and confusion. The child is also shown exactly how to apply the knowledge. The explicit teaching of patterns and language rules means the child doesn’t have to guess how to spell or read a tricky word.
(2) Incremental Approach to Lessons - Incremental means that each lesson starts with the most basic skills and then gradually builds up to more advanced ones. Each lesson builds upon the previously mastered material and increases gradually in difficulty. This instruction provides a “no gaps approach” that allows the child to learn one new piece of knowledge at a time in a logical and well-thought-out sequence, successfully climbing to the top of the learning ladder … step by step by step.
(3) Multisensory Instruction - Multisensory learning happens when sound, touch and sight are used to learn new information. Children are proven to learn best when they can use all their senses. When a child can see a concept as it is explained, hear about it, and do it with hands-on activities, it is easier for them to learn and retain the new information. For example, in a multisensory spelling lesson, a child can see a new word spelt out with tiles, hear it spoken aloud, see a demonstration of the spelling rule, try out the spelling by manipulating the letter tiles, and say the letter sounds as they write it out on paper. This combination of sensory activities uses multiple pathways in the brain.
(4) Teach Just One New Concept at a Time - When you give too much information to a child at once, the child’s memory will only be able to hold a limited amount of the new information. Teaching one concept at a time will respect the limitations of their short-term memory and allow concepts and skills to be more easily stored in their longer-term memory. This results in significant amounts of meaningful learning taking place.
(5) Teach Reliable Rules - Children who struggle can be helped by knowing a few reliable spelling rules.
(6) Teach Reading and Spelling Separately - It may seem sensible to teach reading and spelling together, but they require different teaching techniques and should be taught separately. Reading is much easier than spelling, so teaching these subjects separately is more effective for most children.
(7) Keep Lessons Short but Frequent- Short and frequent lessons are much better than longer, ad hoc lessons. In a short lesson, a child’s attention will be less likely to wander, so you can actually accomplish more. All lessons should be upbeat and fast-paced, and lessons should use tools and activities that engage the child’s interests. Start with lessons which are 15-20 minutes per day, five days a week and then adjust the lesson length, up or down, according to the individual child’s attention span and specific needs.
(8) Recognise the Power of Encouraging Words- We should not get so overly focused on progress and achievement that we forget to encourage them and praise their efforts.
