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
Is tutoring about our success or the child that we are working with?
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I had had a conversation with a tutor earlier this evening that has left me fuming. He is generally a fantastic tutor, but on this I did not agree with him.
He had spoken to a mum about supporting her daughter. She was in the top set but might be moved down. But, she needed a grade 6 in her exams. In the initial conversation it had come up that she is dyslexic, doesn't know her times tables and can't tell the time.
The reason he rang was to say he was setting himself up for failure with her.
I asked whether this was about her failure or his?
He responded: "both"
Reading between the lines, I think it was fear of a hit to his ego, but...
I pointed out that may be I have dyscalculia and I can't do my times tables or read the time off a clock. But, give me a more complex worded question and because of how my brain works more holistically I can pick it and part and come back with the answer with relative ease.
When was the last time you saw a higher paper where it asked you a simple times tables question, or to read the time on the clock? That's more likely to be asked on a foundation paper, so maybe it is the foundation paper that would set her up to fail.
Without ever having met her, we can not judge.
A girl I worked with last year pointed out that maybe if classes were segregated according to learning style rather than "ability" there would probably be a lot more high achievers in the education system.
Another mum of a lad I worked with a couple of years back got in touch after the exams. I hadn't realised at the time that he had been expected to fail maths. He was in the higher paper. After the results day she got in touch and said thank you. She stated that he had been so disillusioned with the educational system and felt that he was a failure. But because someone had explained something in the way that he understood it, it had made a difference. At first in maths and then other subjects too.
She said he'd never expected him to go to college but the goal was just to survive school.
He got an 8 in maths. An A in A' level maths and is now doing maths and computer science at university.
If we don't prejudge a person we can make a huge difference. And that is what tutoring should be about. Not our ego and our pass rate, but helping the child sat in front of us to meet their full potential.
That is the type of person I want to have working with us and representing the Clara James Brand. That is what I want us to be know for/ remembered as.