The Clara James Approach to learning
When it comes to learning we are all individuals.
The past 20+ years have taught me that no matter our learning style if the child is engaged and relaxed they are more likely to learn.
If we just keep giving them the same resources, varied over and over again, all we are doing is giving them one place in their brains to find the information. However, by giving them a variety of resources we can make it more interesting, more relevant, and help them to create multiple memories so that when they need to recall the information, they have more places they can go to in order to find it.
If we can boost their confidence as well as their knowledge we will make their life and ours easier.
For 20 years now I've been fascinated by different learning styles: ASD, Dyslexia, ADHD. The purpose of this podcast is to share my findings with you, so that maybe what I've learned will be of help to you too.
The Clara James Approach to learning
Will I confuse my child if I explain things differently to how their teacher explained it?
One of the most common fears I have heard from parents over the past 13+ years, is that if they explain something differently to how their child has learned it at school it will confuse them. But actually, sometimes a different explanation.
Not because the teacher is wrong, but because we all have different life experiences and understanding we will all perceive things and understand things differently. Sometimes we just need someone to explain something in a way that makes sense to us.
A lot of parents live in fear that if they attempt to explain something to their child, it will confuse them. But sometimes we need things presented in a different way for them to become relevant and make sense to us.
I remember as a child sitting in a GCSE maths class and the teacher was explaining something to us. I had no idea what she was talking about and, unfortunately, she chose me to answer her question.
I sat and looked at her blankly before giving her an answer with only the slightest glimmer of hope that it might be right.
No chance. She explained it again using the exact same words. She asked me again for the answer, but I was still none the wiser. She might as well have been talking in a foreign language. I had no clue.
With a roll of her eyes, she explained it for the third time in the exact same way. I still had no idea what she was on about. But, now with a bright red face and a fear that the tears I could feel welling up inside would escape down my cheeks, she moved on to someone else. I felt like a complete fool in front of the whole class.
That night I sat with my dad who used the idea of balancing scales. It was something concrete I could visualise, and I got it. It was simple. He wasn’t a teacher; he just had the patience to explain it to me in a way that I understood it.
That has stayed with me for a long, long time.
It wasn’t magic—it was just a different approach.
To read the whole article click here: https://theclarajamesapproach.co.uk/will-i-confuse-my-child-if-i-explain-things-differently
To learn more about the Clara James Approach, click here: The Clara James Approach