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
Coffee and a Tutoring Chat: Working with the child in front of you today
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
I think we sometimes come to a lesson with preconceived ideas.
This was something I learned as a child when every teacher that had encountered my brother would point out that I'm not as clever as him...
There is also the danger that we have preconceived ideas about the child that we are working with: a dyslexic child will struggle to spell. A child on the spectrum will want to follow the same routine every time. A child with ADHD will struggle to concentrate.
But I think for everyone, we have good days and bad days. Days where we feel like we have the world on our shoulders and days when we feel like we could move mountains. If that is the case for the child you are working with, embrace that. Finish 5-minutes earlier and end on a high. Add 5-minutes so that you don’t crush the momentum that you have been building.
Work with that child you see before you, not the preconceived idea of who you think it should be.
I recently wrote a book: Become a Tutor. Build Confidence. Change Lives. It answers the questions that I had when I first started tutoring. If you would like a free copy (no strings attached just a gift from me to you) drop me an email at info@clarajamestutoring.co.uk and I will happily drop a copy in the post for you