Three Reasons
by Dr. Patricia Porter
Many children never reach their full learning potential.
They are bright kids but for some reason they never seem to do very well. Teachers always think that they can 'do better' if only they tried harder, finished their homework, stopped being lazy ... ...
Parents too get frustrated and upset because they do not know why their child is experiencing learning difficulties. After all, their kid is bright and has been doing well in school so far. Then suddenly things start going sideways. Marks go down, homework gets conveniently 'forgotten', and report cards become a nightmare. What is going on?
In my experience there are three reasons children underachieve...
- The child may not be ready to learn what the teacher is teaching. Children develop at different rates and if your child is not ready to learn something he or she will simply 'tune it out' and ignore the information. So, when the time comes to be tested on it your child has no idea what it is all about. Good teachers are able to account for different levels of development but it is always difficult to do and requires a lot of energy and commitment.
- The child may be being taught in a way that he does not like to learn. All children have their own unique learning styles and if your child's preferred way of learning does not match the teacher's way of teaching he or she may not be able to understand the information. Many children cope with the differences in teaching and learning style but some do not. They stop learning, they become underachievers.
- By far the most important reason that children underachieve, is that they do not know how to learn. They are missing or not using some of the vital foundational learning skills they need to be able to process the information they are being given. Children need to learn how to learn. They need a set of foundational learning skills that will get them through their lives and help them become life long learners. Once children develop these skills they not only understand why they - and you - have been frustrated with their progress but are able to do something about it.
Check Dr. Porter's Leading to Learning for more.
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