As the demands of the school curriculum increase with age, so does the homework. For children with written output problems this is enormously stressful. It is enormously stressful for parents also. Trying to keep the child focused and in the chair is the first challenge.
I am continually working on finding strategies to make homework less onerous. One thing is to break everything down into clear stages. Thus:
Type the first question on the computer screen. Allow the child to answer that single question.
Then move to the next one.
Don't try to copy out worksheets onto the screen and have the child fill them up. The sight of words overwhelms these children. Think of it like covering information with an A4 sheet in the book.
Another thing which exasperates these children is the concept of the length of time homework will take because of writing impediments. Therefore explain they need only consider the question they are on.
Continually find ways to break down large tasks. The work or task must feel manageable of the child's interest will fail and they will absolutely downtool.
Another challenge is their tendency to do the reverse and zoom through everything, half doing it, just to be finished. They produce inferior work that does not reflect their capabilities.
Negotiate with the teacher around the work. See if you can get agreement on quality over volume.
When they really begin to openly despair. Scribe for them. Or offer to scribe some questions (scribe can also be typing).
The critical thing is to ensure your child has understood the concept especially if it's maths. They do not necessarily need to do 20 questions to prove they've understood it.
With social science seek audio and audio visual materials to enhance learning such as documentaries or recorded books or photography.
I am going to try to find some mind map templates to upload here.
I heartily recommend inspiration software for brainstorming. It's very child friendly. There are also some new open source options.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Another school year
As the stress of the school year is now is full swing it's time to share some reflections on the latest modifications.
We are now using a computer inclass for as much writing as possible. This relieves some stress and aides output. It is not a panacea because it doesn't overcome the issue of things like worksheets and sometimes my child can become frustrated with the computer.
It has allievated much stress though and I'd heartily recommend parents to embrace technology at their earliest opportunity.
The computer we are currently using is a Dell Inspiron 12 inch. The battery power is good, but the keyboard is irritating for larger, or normal sized adult hands. It works fine for a child, it works fine for us at the moment.
Personally I prefer Mac and think that some of the software on mac is excellent. I also think if children are going to work in an interface the best aesthetic experience enhances it and mac is superior in this way.
Battery life is something mac needs to improve.
We are now using a computer inclass for as much writing as possible. This relieves some stress and aides output. It is not a panacea because it doesn't overcome the issue of things like worksheets and sometimes my child can become frustrated with the computer.
It has allievated much stress though and I'd heartily recommend parents to embrace technology at their earliest opportunity.
The computer we are currently using is a Dell Inspiron 12 inch. The battery power is good, but the keyboard is irritating for larger, or normal sized adult hands. It works fine for a child, it works fine for us at the moment.
Personally I prefer Mac and think that some of the software on mac is excellent. I also think if children are going to work in an interface the best aesthetic experience enhances it and mac is superior in this way.
Battery life is something mac needs to improve.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Computers -- your feedback?
Please share your experiences with computers that you've purchased for children with writing problems. I'd like to compile some reviews of the kind of laptops that are particularly practical and useful for children.
There are increasing choices and possibilities with netbooks and lightweight laptops however parents need to chose sensibly because the small keyboards can produce drawbacks etc.
I will shortly be updating our experiences.
Computers are the main bridge to overcoming output problems as far as I can tell. The laptop has aided output considerably. There are still challenges... but it's hopeful.
There are increasing choices and possibilities with netbooks and lightweight laptops however parents need to chose sensibly because the small keyboards can produce drawbacks etc.
I will shortly be updating our experiences.
Computers are the main bridge to overcoming output problems as far as I can tell. The laptop has aided output considerably. There are still challenges... but it's hopeful.
Maths games...? Help
Does anyone have any good suggestions for online maths games that are either free or incredibly affordable?
If so please comment or email links to writtenoutputdisorder@gmail.com
Am particularly interested in ipod games.
Naval Battle was a game we found was good for strategy.
Cheers....
If so please comment or email links to writtenoutputdisorder@gmail.com
Am particularly interested in ipod games.
Naval Battle was a game we found was good for strategy.
Cheers....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Posing a question: working memory/rote learning
I'd like to pose a question or point of discussion about rote learning.
Kids with working memory problems find rote learning onerous ... I noticed this with the times tables and sometimes with spelling.
I've noticed if rote learning takes place almost as an after thought, or in tandem with some other activity it is more tolerable and beneficial. So walking along the road spelling aloud is much less of a misery than sitting at the table.
Another idea I had for phonics (though I am personally not a big advocate of phonics because my child was a whole language reader, though he does not have reading struggles at all, so perhaps I'd revise this position if he did.)
I had this idea that schools should take a small hockey goal and rig it up so you can hang sound combinations from it and then have the kids kick a ball at the hanging card, clearly labelled, and as they kick they must shout out the sound they are kicking at. Give them 10 balls to kick.
The concept is a kind of sporting, interactive reading room in a gym setting. So they could move station to station. One station of a physical nature, such as kicking at a goal and then afterwards sitting down with a text where those sounds appear and seeing whether this physical interaction with the sound helps solidify recognizing it on the page.
It could even be done in a team format with baseball. That as the kids are playing they are also identifying recurrent words or sounds. It's fun, it's active.
I've also wondered if the same thing could be applied with music and spelling, for example working with a glockenspiel that was labelled with letters and singing out the letters that you're trying to form a word with. This could almost be a computer progam where if you made an error in spelling you could hear the tone of the note changes...
Another little trick I tried sometimes if a child was struggling to identify a recurrent sound when reading was to physicalize it by pushing a pretend buzzer on the table every time they noticed the sound come up on the page.
These are all experimental ideas.. but I digress... the question I'd like to pose is really on whether there is any benefit in pushing things like rote learning on kids with working memory struggles. Does it help build working memory or not? Or does it just put the child under unnecessary stress?
I did not push the times tables because my child would get frustrated with when he fluffed it up. Now though he's quite competent in most of them and we have not really done any hard graft on them. Abacus classes have solidified number concepts in a concrete way though, so perhaps I have Soroban to thank for much of this progress.
I also found Soroban to be a great working memory aide and would encourage education/neuroscientific researchers to conduct studies on how this could be employed in our classrooms, so all children can benefit from an ancient, but relevant and proven system. This could also be of great benefit to seniors.
If you have thoughts, or ideas or good links, please post them or drop an email to writtenoutputdisorder@gmail.com
Thanks for reading.
Kids with working memory problems find rote learning onerous ... I noticed this with the times tables and sometimes with spelling.
I've noticed if rote learning takes place almost as an after thought, or in tandem with some other activity it is more tolerable and beneficial. So walking along the road spelling aloud is much less of a misery than sitting at the table.
Another idea I had for phonics (though I am personally not a big advocate of phonics because my child was a whole language reader, though he does not have reading struggles at all, so perhaps I'd revise this position if he did.)
I had this idea that schools should take a small hockey goal and rig it up so you can hang sound combinations from it and then have the kids kick a ball at the hanging card, clearly labelled, and as they kick they must shout out the sound they are kicking at. Give them 10 balls to kick.
The concept is a kind of sporting, interactive reading room in a gym setting. So they could move station to station. One station of a physical nature, such as kicking at a goal and then afterwards sitting down with a text where those sounds appear and seeing whether this physical interaction with the sound helps solidify recognizing it on the page.
It could even be done in a team format with baseball. That as the kids are playing they are also identifying recurrent words or sounds. It's fun, it's active.
I've also wondered if the same thing could be applied with music and spelling, for example working with a glockenspiel that was labelled with letters and singing out the letters that you're trying to form a word with. This could almost be a computer progam where if you made an error in spelling you could hear the tone of the note changes...
Another little trick I tried sometimes if a child was struggling to identify a recurrent sound when reading was to physicalize it by pushing a pretend buzzer on the table every time they noticed the sound come up on the page.
These are all experimental ideas.. but I digress... the question I'd like to pose is really on whether there is any benefit in pushing things like rote learning on kids with working memory struggles. Does it help build working memory or not? Or does it just put the child under unnecessary stress?
I did not push the times tables because my child would get frustrated with when he fluffed it up. Now though he's quite competent in most of them and we have not really done any hard graft on them. Abacus classes have solidified number concepts in a concrete way though, so perhaps I have Soroban to thank for much of this progress.
I also found Soroban to be a great working memory aide and would encourage education/neuroscientific researchers to conduct studies on how this could be employed in our classrooms, so all children can benefit from an ancient, but relevant and proven system. This could also be of great benefit to seniors.
If you have thoughts, or ideas or good links, please post them or drop an email to writtenoutputdisorder@gmail.com
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Working Memory Workout
This was sent to me by someone: we tried the demo ...the game is quite fun.
JungleMemory is a fun and interactive computer program based on
cutting-edge science. Your child plays games that train working memory
in key learning activities, like reading and math.
Benefits of JungleMemory(c):
* The games are scientifically proven to increase working memory and
intelligence
* Acts like a personal tutor to boost your child's working memory and learning
* Trains both verbal and visual memory for a complete brain workout
* Games are engaging, with bonus features to motivate the player
Try a FREE demo now: http://www.junglememory.com/
Frugalism...
Apologies for epic lull in posting; will be gathering up lots of interesting stuff to add to the blog in the coming months.
Here's an article that caught my eye: I'm sure many parents will relate to these cutbacks and this also may impact the kinds of therapies and extra support parents will be able to seek to help children struggling with dysgraphia or output issues. In the next while I'll also be looking at lower cost solutions and adding suggestions.
From today's New York Times
WHEN Wendy Postle’s two children were younger, saying “yes” gave her great joy. Yes to all those toys. The music lessons. The blowout birthday parties.
SALE Wendy Postle, with Kaitlyn, 15, has an eye on the register.
But as her son and daughter approached adolescence, yes turned into a weary default. “Sometimes it was just easier to say, ‘O.K., whatever,’ than to have the battle of ‘no,’ ” said Mrs. Postle, a working mother who lives in Hilliard, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Columbus.
Entire article, including excellent cartoon is here
Here's an article that caught my eye: I'm sure many parents will relate to these cutbacks and this also may impact the kinds of therapies and extra support parents will be able to seek to help children struggling with dysgraphia or output issues. In the next while I'll also be looking at lower cost solutions and adding suggestions.
From today's New York Times
WHEN Wendy Postle’s two children were younger, saying “yes” gave her great joy. Yes to all those toys. The music lessons. The blowout birthday parties.
SALE Wendy Postle, with Kaitlyn, 15, has an eye on the register.
But as her son and daughter approached adolescence, yes turned into a weary default. “Sometimes it was just easier to say, ‘O.K., whatever,’ than to have the battle of ‘no,’ ” said Mrs. Postle, a working mother who lives in Hilliard, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Columbus.
...as the economy totters, many families have no choice but to cut back, which may lead to a shift in their thinking about money and permissiveness.
Entire article, including excellent cartoon is here
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Best Kept Secret in the World: Miracle of Soroban (Japanese abacus)
Soroban is something I am very excited about. It's Japanese abacus and an amazing system of becoming proficient at maths for all children.
My experience with it is very positive and the results I've seen with my own child have been very inspiring. I believe it helps working memory and the method of mental calculation -- anzan -- that it teaches can be very useful for children with different learning styles.
Here are some Soroban links: do your child a favour and sign up for Soroban classes. You need to see it as a longer term project that you commit to and much of the stress around maths will dissolve.
How to find Soroban classes in Canada and US:
Here are some links to Soroban schools:
IKOMA ABACUS SCHOOL VANCOUVER, BC. Canada
Click here for contact info and class location and schedules.
OREGON Abacus School
NEW YORK
Please advise me if you know of other Soroban classes. Note I am only interested in classes not abacus textbooks for sale. I believe children thrive better with an expert abacus teacher to help them.
International:
Singapore
Soroban Education Centre Singapore
My experience with it is very positive and the results I've seen with my own child have been very inspiring. I believe it helps working memory and the method of mental calculation -- anzan -- that it teaches can be very useful for children with different learning styles.
Here are some Soroban links: do your child a favour and sign up for Soroban classes. You need to see it as a longer term project that you commit to and much of the stress around maths will dissolve.
How to find Soroban classes in Canada and US:
Here are some links to Soroban schools:
IKOMA ABACUS SCHOOL VANCOUVER, BC. Canada
Click here for contact info and class location and schedules.
OREGON Abacus School
NEW YORK
Please advise me if you know of other Soroban classes. Note I am only interested in classes not abacus textbooks for sale. I believe children thrive better with an expert abacus teacher to help them.
International:
Singapore
Soroban Education Centre Singapore
Over examined: another news report link
The second investigative journalism link I came across that may be of interest examines the testing situation in UK schools. The title says it all: Tested to destruction
I can only say how bonkers all this testing is when I recall the abject stress of having to take exams at age 16! Never mind sets of exams at 7, 11, 14. Pure madness.
It's bizarre that the resources that go into all this testing are not applied to help children with learning disabilities to overcome them.
This culture (and it's not limited to England) of assessment is increasingly bizarre and pointless since the supports and resources are not inplace to support children to overcome challenge. It's all about governments having excel worksheets full of figures that do little but stress out teachers and do a signicant disservice to children.
I can only say how bonkers all this testing is when I recall the abject stress of having to take exams at age 16! Never mind sets of exams at 7, 11, 14. Pure madness.
It's bizarre that the resources that go into all this testing are not applied to help children with learning disabilities to overcome them.
This culture (and it's not limited to England) of assessment is increasingly bizarre and pointless since the supports and resources are not inplace to support children to overcome challenge. It's all about governments having excel worksheets full of figures that do little but stress out teachers and do a signicant disservice to children.
roundup of recent TV/ documentary reports: PBS The Medicated Child
Here are some interesting and thought provoking links to television and investigative journalism reportage on various topics.
The first a PBS FRONTLINE follow up The Medicated Child provokes interesting quandaries around the diagnosis of Bi-Polar disorder in children and subsequent medicating of it. It's alarming viewing.
I'm not trying to make light of what's an intensely challenging situation for any parent but the sight of one child sat in front of a significant sized computer screen as his mum prompts him from the kitchen it's time to take his medication, followed by scenes of him wolfing down corndogs (excessive appetite is one of the side affects of the meds tho' the choice of what he's consuming clearly isn't) did make me wonder. There's more compelling viewing when the mother, who I admired immensely for the difficult decisions and situation she's facing, consults with his psychiatrist and bravely expresses her fear about her son's medication and inspite of it, still leaves his office with an increase of one of the meds.
We're not shown any of these parents being offered alternative supports or interventions other than medication. Yet as illustrated by the above example clearly they are open to suggestions and basically like any parent simply want to help their children however they can.
I realize these are serious challenges such children are facing, but it's alarming to watch mental health professionals prescribe medications willy nilly, whose efficacy and safety for children are not established. The parents are at the mercy of such professionals. Some of the research described and discussed certainly seems to have value and I'm not suggesting some complete anti-medication stance, but who could help but be alarmed at children taking 8 different medications on a daily basis.
The first a PBS FRONTLINE follow up The Medicated Child provokes interesting quandaries around the diagnosis of Bi-Polar disorder in children and subsequent medicating of it. It's alarming viewing.
I'm not trying to make light of what's an intensely challenging situation for any parent but the sight of one child sat in front of a significant sized computer screen as his mum prompts him from the kitchen it's time to take his medication, followed by scenes of him wolfing down corndogs (excessive appetite is one of the side affects of the meds tho' the choice of what he's consuming clearly isn't) did make me wonder. There's more compelling viewing when the mother, who I admired immensely for the difficult decisions and situation she's facing, consults with his psychiatrist and bravely expresses her fear about her son's medication and inspite of it, still leaves his office with an increase of one of the meds.
We're not shown any of these parents being offered alternative supports or interventions other than medication. Yet as illustrated by the above example clearly they are open to suggestions and basically like any parent simply want to help their children however they can.
I realize these are serious challenges such children are facing, but it's alarming to watch mental health professionals prescribe medications willy nilly, whose efficacy and safety for children are not established. The parents are at the mercy of such professionals. Some of the research described and discussed certainly seems to have value and I'm not suggesting some complete anti-medication stance, but who could help but be alarmed at children taking 8 different medications on a daily basis.
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