Why Temperament Awareness is Important for Tutors Often children who come for tutoring exhibit temperament traits that make classroom learning difficult. Tutors, because they work one-on-one, can adjust teaching style to temperament style. Thus, both learning and enjoyment increase. Activity Level Affects Classroom Learning High energy children need to move as they learn. This need […]
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Home Education with Help from a Tutor
More Parents Choose Home Education Many parents who would not have considered home education in the past do so now. Surprisingly, many parents indicate that time or scheduling informed their decision to homeschool. Students spend up to seven hours a day at school. Then they bring home one to two hours of homework. That leaves […]
Dyspraxia: Quick Tips for Tutors
What Does Dyspraxia Look Like? Dyspraxia comes from “praxis,” a Greek word describing the learned ability to plan and to carry out coordinated movements. Add “dys,” the Greek prefix meaning “bad,” and you get dyspraxia. It literally means bad sequential coordination. Dyspraxia looks like clumsiness, klutziness, and failure to think ahead. Recognizing Dyspraxia in Children […]
Homework Support: Tutoring Tips
Homework is Not a Test Tutors find they are often engaged for homework support. Homework frustrates both student and parent. Parents may find it encouraging to understand that homework is not a test; it is a chance to practice a skill. The skillful tutor devises a way for the student to practice the skill and […]
Dyscalculia: Dyslexic Mathematics
Dyslexia Affects Math Learning Obviously, dyslexia affects how a student learns to read. But it also affects how a student learns mathematics! Testing may diagnose “dyscalculia.” Thankfully, I discovered a terrific resource for parents and teachers working with bright students who just don’t learn math in the traditional mold. Take a look at this Mind’s […]
Help! My Kid Hates School!
Dyslexia and ADHD Can Produce School Trauma When a student hates school, wise parents take notice. As an academic tutor, I find that most children who hate school exhibit dyslexia or ADHD. Both of these learning differences affect reading, writing, and math. This does NOT mean the children are defective! It does mean the classroom […]
Help! My Smart Kid is Flunking Third Grade!
The Third Grade Wall I’m a dyslexia tutor. I get most of my new students around third grade. Why? Because they hit the “third-grade wall.” The wall refers to what happens to bright curious kids with dyslexia when the learn-to-read stage of school ends and the read-to-learn expectations start. The wall shuts them out of […]
Reviewed: Listen and Read Along (LARA)
What is LARA? Listen and Read Along (LARA) proves to be an outstanding tool for teaching reading. LARA is a collection of YouTube videos consisting of text on a screen, with words highlighted as a reader says them. As a reading tutor, specializing in dyslexia, I find older students happy to read things with substance. […]
Non-Readers: What Can a High School Teacher Do?
The Problem: High School Students Who Can’t Read These students sit in the back of every classroom, zoning out or mouthing off. They hide a secret and do whatever it takes to keep it under wraps. They can’t read. The Teacher’s Dilemma: No Training, No Time for Non-Readers High School teachers are neither trained nor […]
Book Review: Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If?
Author Richard Whitehead Richard Whitehead facilitates the Davis Dyslexia Method at his center in the UK. His articles impressed me over the past few years. I share his admiration for Ron Davis’s pioneering dyslexia research. So, when he recently published a dyslexia book, Why ‘Tyrannosaurus’ But Not ‘If’?: The Dyslexic Blueprint for the Future of […]