How to help slow learners?

– Cognitive Development

 Provide a quiet work/study area. Distractions are detrimental.

 Keep assignments and homework sessions short. Again, it’s the attention span thing.
 Be accessible. Help your students. Help doesn’t mean do the work for them, but help
them work through the assignment giving clues, having them repeat the process or
concept with similar questions and problems, etc.
 Ask questions such as ‘what does that word mean?’ ‘do you see how that works?’
‘Why did you choose that answer?’.
 Read to your students.
 Be patient and consistent.
 Do not allow them to give up on their work or themselves. If necessary, take a break,
but always come back to the task and see it through to completion.
 Don’t be overprotective. Labelling your students as a ‘slow learner’ only makes them
feel slower. Don’t ever tell them they can’t accomplish something. Instead, help them
find a way to get it done–in their own time.

 Repeat each learning point more than you normally would. Slow learners need to
hear information a few times more than other students in order to understand it.
 Use audio and visual aids. Slow learners may struggle with basic skills such as
reading, so movies, pictures, and audio can help them learn things that they would
not pick up from reading alone. Use various media to repeat the information you want
them to learn.
 Guide students to the main points of lessons and tests. Slow learners may struggle to
identify the main points of a lesson or a test, and may be overwhelmed by
supplementary information. When teaching, make sure to identify and emphasize the
learning points. Don't overwhelm your slow learners by moving on too quickly or
asking them to learn many details beyond the main points.
 Teach reading skills. Slow learners may struggle to read "automatically," the way
their peers do. To help them catch up, teach reading skills to your whole class, or to
a small group of slow-readers while other students work on supplementary projects.
 Give your class lessons on study skills. Slow learners need to go over material more
than other students. Help them speed up their study time by teaching them efficient
methods of outlining, note-taking, and memorizing.

 Praise and reward: Motivation works wonders for slow learners. To help them
continue learning, it is important to acknowledge even the smallest victory and offer
rewards for each milestone.
 Set realistic expectations and smaller targets: As a parent and an educator, it is
essential to understand what is achievable for the child and set targets accordingly.
 Be supportive: Slow learners should be taught to learn from their failures. They
should be encouraged to explore and learn at their own pace until they succeed.
 Parents and educators should be vocally supportive and teach them via oral
assignments that are in tune with their competency.
 Encourage peer tutoring: This is one of the most effective strategies for slow
learners. Parents and teachers should encourage slow learners to study in groups.
The more a child interacts with others of his/her age, the more confident he/she will
feel.
 Encourage multiple intelligence: If the child shows interest in any co-curricular
activity, it is essential to support them. This boosts their confidence and they start
feeling socially accepted.
 Encourage interaction and oral communication: Slow learners should be encouraged
to voice their thoughts. Parents should ask their children about their day at school,
have discussions on TV shows, sports and music.