The Broken ChildrenWritten by Lisa Harp
Continued from page 1
For instance, I have great results with my students who have dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder. I have them perform whole brain integration exercises that help unite left and right sides of brain. Then, students perform visual memory and spatial exercises. If student needs auditory training, this will happen, too. When student is receiving academic instruction, this happens by working on one item at a time and always using blank paper and colored marking pens. Although this seems too simple, it is quite beneficial to a student with learning difficulties since it alleviates spatial interference. The students always learn skill, find success, and feel a lot less broken. There are so many ways to help broken children. One of my students came to me today and relayed to me that he didn’t need any more help because now he can focus and understand math, especially decimals. He stated that he had a great day at school (this was a first) and that he always thought that he had a short term memory loss because he could never remember things before. If we have means to help a child learn and succeed, is there any reason for him to feel broken? Should a child have to go through life feeling that he has a short term memory loss? No child should be broken. It’s time we started mending instead of breaking.
About the author: Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, and affordable setting. http://www.learning-aids.com
| | Seven Steps to School SuccessWritten by Lisa Harp
Continued from page 1
4. Keep student involved in what he is good at - baseball, soccer, gymnastics, tennis - whatever motivates him. I often encounter parents who take away these activities because student's grades are poor. This only adds to an already poor self esteem. A great activity to help a struggling learner is martial arts, not only for focusing and discipline involved, but also because student is constanly crossing his vertical midline, and this helps to coordinate left side of brain with right side. I have noticed that most kids who stick with martial arts long term have reasonably good grades. 5. Don't do marathon nights with homework. Most districts have guidelines about how many minutes of homework a child should have. If your child is in 5th grade and is spending three hours a night on homework, then this is too much. Contact teacher and principal if neccessary and have work load decreased. I am constantly amazed that so many parents don't know this and feel they have to work for hours on end every evening on homework that usually isn't even worthwhile. 6. Regularly work on simple eye exercises. 80% of what we take in is through our eyes. I consistently find strain on visual system of kids who struggle in school. No, they usually do not need glasses. What they need is to strengthen their eye muscles. One way to do this is to purchase an eye patch. Put patch on child's eye. Move a pen or pencil in front of unpatched eye. Move it slowly back and forth, diagonally, and in a circular pattern. Next, patch other eye and repeat procedure. 7. Turn off television. Unplug video games. Limit computer time. Play board games and cards. Get those kids outside and exercising. Children sitting in front of media are not actively learning. This is passive learning, and it will only hinder school learning. Too many parents think that if they plug in an educational game or movie that learning is taking place. Yes, that is true, but kids today are inundated with technology, causing their brains to become lazy in a sense. Without even getting into current problem with childhood obesity, please understand that body and brain are connected, and those kids need exercise and interactive learning in order for their brains to work properly. There are many more things that you can do to help your child succeed in school. There are numerous learning programs available. Anything done is better than nothing. So, you are on right track to start getting help for your child.
About the author: Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, and affordable setting. http://www.learning-aids.com
|
