In today’s India, every stage is a battle. Everyone from little children to adults is constantly on a race to level up with their peers. Yet some children are left lagging due to some inherent learning disabilities. Such kids, often referred to as slow learners, do have the potential to excel if they are guided in the right direction by teachers and parents.
Slow Learner is a term used to refer to those students who have an intelligence quotient (IQ) below average. Their learning abilities develop at a much slower rate than other kids of their age.
Can you imagine, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Winston Churchill were slow learners? Their poor retention skills and inability to cope up with academics earned them the slow learner tag in their childhood. Today the world applauds them for their genius contributions.
Hence, though these children are deemed non-achievers, it is not the case in reality. Their only problem is that they need more time and resources to grasp what they learn.
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This is why teachers and parents play a significant role in the life of a slow learner. It is essential to create the right kind of environment for these children, that is conducive for improving their pace of learning. But it is easier said than done. When a class includes some slow learners, teachers often find it challenging to keep pace with the syllabus. They may also have to handle the problem of losing empathy from fellow students.
How to Motivate Slow Learners?
How can the teachers ensure that these children with slow learning abilities get enough help to succeed? Let us look at some changes that the teachers can begin with, to motivate these children to get in par with their peers.
- Patience is the Key: This is a critical aspect to consider when teaching a slow learner. Slow learners have weak comprehension skills and require more time to learn and understand. Hence, a teacher must understand this inability to concentrate and be patient with the student. Since these kids have a low attention span, the teacher must try innovative means to repeat every instruction and reiterate the concepts. Teachers can use teacher parent communication app or other modes of communication to keep the parents informed of the methods of teaching so that parents can engage these kids similarly.
- Get Creative: The method of teaching plays a significant role in attracting the attention of the students. Adopt different ways of teaching, e.g. through a game, taking an outdoor trip, etc. This will make the session interactive and exciting for the kids and can help sustain the attention of slow learners too.
- Involve Peers: Teachers may sensitize other children in the class to empathize with these special students. They can advise their classmates not to bully or make fun of these kids. They can counsel them on how each of the children in the class can support slow learners and make a difference in their lives.
- Homework – Less is more: Students with slow learning abilities find homework a burdening exercise. They get anxious about having to learn so much, even at home. Sending fewer home assignments may help them understand a few things at a time and reduce their anxiety. For these children, quality matters more than quantity.
- Organize assignments: The Inability to concentrate is the primary barrier to learning in these children. Help them to prioritize their work by sending a homework plan through the school communication apps to the parents. This can help them to concentrate on one item at a time and yet complete their assignments.
- Coaching by Peers: Find peers who can help. Being taught by friends of the same age can yield fruitful results. Allow them to set up a study group with a few friends. Teachers can assign such groups, the task of revising the day’s lessons and assisting with homework.
- Recognize their efforts: Rewards and recognition are a great way to motivate anyone. Offer genuine appreciation to every bit of effort that these children take to improve their learning pace. Recognizing their efforts before their classmates can be a big confidence booster for these kids.
- The don’ts: Praise them in front of everyone but scold them only in private. Do not overstress written education. Focus on reading and oral learning initially. Do not try to be overprotective. Persuade them to keep up their hard work, even if it meant a delay in the schedule.
School Apps- The Perfect Medium To Communicate Better!
Finally, parents and teachers need to take coordinated efforts to ensure that the child overcomes the issue of slow learning. The children need to start believing that it is ok to learn slowly as long as they learn. School parent apps are an excellent medium for teachers to communicate with parents to help the children improve in their studies. Voicesnap provides you the best school app in India for effective parent-teacher collaboration. Get in touch with us today to know-how!
