Understanding Your Child's Learning Style
Child psychologist Jacqueline Beine Brown, Ph.D. shares some insight on how parents can help ease their child’s test anxiety.
Over the last few years the idea of Learning Styles has become very popular. Basically, this idea means that not every child learns the same way. Some excel in a traditional classroom setting, while others struggle. It is entirely possible to be very bright and yet not do well in school.
Some children struggle with having to remember things they hear or others might have a really difficult time remembering what they read, still others might struggle in both of these areas. Unfortunately, reading and listening are the two primary ways that we receive information in the typical educational setting. If your child struggles with one or both of these learning styles they are very likely struggling in school, regardless of how smart they are.
So what can you do if your child has a slightly less traditional learning style? The first thing to do is to identify what your child’s dominant learning style is and apply that to how they study. It may sound silly, but if your child can’t remember her multiplication tables and yet can remember every word to the latest Miley Cyrus song you might consider helping her use music to commit things to memory.
If you notice that when your son reads a chapter quietly to himself he has horrible recall but when you read it to him he does great, than you know that he is better able to put things he hears, rather than things he reads, into memory. In this case you might want to speak with his teachers to see if he can tape record class lessons so he can listen to them again at home. You may also want to ask if he can whisper read quietly to himself in class, and as much as possible read his work to him so he can hear it out loud.
Of course, you will still want to help him try and improve his reading comprehension skills. It is likely that with practice he will improve in this area, but in the mean time your job is to help him figure out how he best learns. If your son or daughter is struggling in school the main goal is to help them continue to feel good about themselves. A child might struggle with academics but excel in sports. I can only imagine how many Olympic Athletes barely made it through school, but I don’t know that anyone would argue that they are not truly gifted individuals!
Helping your child excel in some area of life is very important and can actually help motivate them to stay in school longer. Children with ADHD or learning disabilities frequently come out of school feeling stupid or dumb. You know this isn’t true, but if that is how they see themselves they will be far less willing to even attempt to go to college. Your primary goal, therefore, is to help your child see how smart they truly are, even if they are not making the best grades. Help them find an area that they can excel in like soccer, gymnastics, piano, painting, etc.
You may also want to consult with a professional to try and determine your child’s learning style and the best way to help him or her do well in school. As a parent you want to make sure you are doing all you can to help your child achieve and part of achieving is for him or her to see him or herself as intelligent and able to work hard and accomplish great things.
Dr. Brown is an educational psychologist who specializes in adolescents and children with ADD or ADHD. For more information, call 904.824.7733, or email Jacqueline.B.Brown@gmail.com.