This problem is similar to, but more severe than, knowledge-transfer problems. In general, it is an inability to effectively visualize math concepts. Students who have this problem may, for example, be unable to judge the relative size among three dissimilar objects. This disorder requires that a student rely almost entirely on rote memorization of verbal or written descriptions of math concepts that most people take for granted. A student with a deficiency in this skill may:
* have difficulty laying out problems in a neat and organized manner
* be unable to describe what a three-dimensional object would look like if the object is rotated and viewed from a different angle
* be unable to comprehend what quantities and mathematical formulas represent in the real world
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Understanding
When seeking help for a child who is struggling in school, parents invariably ask, "What can I do?" Often, the best first step is to take the time to learn more about various learning problems so that you might better understand, recognize, and ultimately respond to your child's specific struggles and needs. This section outlines important aspects of four basic skills: what it takes to exhibit them well, where and when developmental breakdowns occur, and how to recognize problems early.
Struggle For Education
Millions of American school children struggle with serious learning problems. Each day they face tasks that, for reasons unknown to them, never become automatic and always seem to stand in the way of their progress as students. For parents and teachers of a struggling child, the picture is not much clearer or any less frustrating. Specific learning problems are difficult to identify; their causes are generally unknown; and the long-term effects are hard to predict.
The tension between the stubborn reality of learning problems and the demand for academic success in an increasingly competitive society has created one of the most contentious issues in education today. Decades of research have shed light on the causes and effects of learning disabilities and yielded effective strategies for dealing with them. Yet, at the same time, increasing numbers of school districts have embraced standardized, high-stakes testing as a means of evaluating students.
It comes as no surprise, then, that when a child can't read, write, do math, or pay attention —and when the problem doesn't go away— parents, educators, experts, and policymakers often collide in an earnest struggle to find answers. The result is a landscape filled with a range of expert opinions and approaches to treatment.
In the middle of this landscape there is common ground. Nearly everyone agrees that no single teaching method is appropriate for all students. More pragmatically, experts also acknowledge that the term "disability" has important legal ramifications, because all of the funding to support children with learning problems is tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And while learning disabilities don't go away, the work of learning experts continues to translate into more and more effective strategies that help children succeed.
The tension between the stubborn reality of learning problems and the demand for academic success in an increasingly competitive society has created one of the most contentious issues in education today. Decades of research have shed light on the causes and effects of learning disabilities and yielded effective strategies for dealing with them. Yet, at the same time, increasing numbers of school districts have embraced standardized, high-stakes testing as a means of evaluating students.
It comes as no surprise, then, that when a child can't read, write, do math, or pay attention —and when the problem doesn't go away— parents, educators, experts, and policymakers often collide in an earnest struggle to find answers. The result is a landscape filled with a range of expert opinions and approaches to treatment.
In the middle of this landscape there is common ground. Nearly everyone agrees that no single teaching method is appropriate for all students. More pragmatically, experts also acknowledge that the term "disability" has important legal ramifications, because all of the funding to support children with learning problems is tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And while learning disabilities don't go away, the work of learning experts continues to translate into more and more effective strategies that help children succeed.
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