Let’s start by understanding who a slow learner is. They are just someone who learns at a pace slower than the average person’s learning pace. The cause of slow learning needn’t be inherent, and the factors causing it could be emotional, environmental, and personal. Parental problems, absenteeism, cultural issues, anxiety, and unfavorable school conditions can cause one to become a slow learner.
For the longest time, students have been encouraged to learn at a fast pace. This is because everything is constantly evolving, and with so many topics to cover, new international school Singapore teachers can devote a limited amount of time to any single topic.
Slow learning doesn’t mean the child is unintelligent. Unfortunately, our society is wired to think that way, but we must accept that everyone has different learning styles, and one size does not fit all. Some of the leading primary schools in Singapore and other countries understand this from the start and give personalized attention to their students at a comfortable pace. In fact, it has been proven that children who are taught in a way that addresses their specific learning styles end up reaching soaring heights.
Here are a few strategies slow learners can adopt to maintain their pace:
- Make learning fun
People always learn better when they are involved and have a good time. Try and go for real-life experiences to learn better. Plan visits to museums, play quizzes, and make flashcards to make learning fun.
- Capitalize on strengths
Every learner must try and identify their strengths to discover their unique learning skills. For example, if someone can learn better visually, they can opt for materials that include lots of diagrams and images. Find images of the topic online or even draw them to understand better what is being taught.
- Using examples can immensely help learners.
Using an example to solve a problem is a great way to learn before attempting problems of that type. When they understand how a concept works, it is much easier to adapt it to other similar case scenarios.
- Implement unique strategies for dates and names
It can be pretty tricky to memorize dates and names; to fix this revisit them at some point in the day. Students can also try correlating them with things they already know, like a distant relative may have that name, or they can rhyme similar-sounding names in a song.
- Highlight and underline key points
Highlighting and underlining are the most effective recall strategies and are the perfect way to revise course material. A chapter may have a lot of unnecessary information, and skimming through that right before a test or an exam can get tricky. When they highlight key information, they can only go through those to recall and retain.
- Make mind maps to enhance slow learning.
An excellent strategy to understand complicated procedures and systems is to make diagrams depicting the relationship of different parts to one another. This is the perfect way to summarize a massive amount of information as only the essential points stick, and it is the perfect revision tactic at exam time.
- Use multiple approaches to understand what works best.
If students need help understanding any concept, they should experiment with a creative approach. If they are trying to focus on the text, maybe switch to a diagrammatic approach, mnemonics, associate it with something else or use the ‘teaching the other’ approach – these may help them learn and understand better. Find an alternate way of looking at the problem by answering, ‘What do I find easy to comprehend here?’, and focus on that.
- Use memory and mnemonic techniques
Learners can use memory tricks to remember information by correlating it with other things like visual clues and acronyms. These memory techniques and mnemonics will help students remember more information, making life easier.
- Ask questions to augment learning
Often, students shy away from questioning teachers and parents, which hampers their learning and slows it down. It’s better to be bold and ask questions about the topic being taught and get it clarified. At first, it may seem daunting, but eventually, it will build their confidence.
William G Spady rightly said, “All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way.” With proper support and guidance, nothing can stop learners from achieving success.
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