This video depicts the rapid progress a child made during the summer prior to grade 3. Within 8 sessions he advanced from a book which started with two words on a page to a book which had up to 18 lines on a page.

The rapid progress displayed in the videos as well as in the Examples of Effectiveness represent the norm for the Darwin Reading Program rather than the exception.

This series of postings has now come to an end. Hopefully, it has demonstrated that a student who starts off with reading difficulties is by no means destined to struggle indefinitely or develop a lasting dislike for reading. With appropriate remediation and the active involvement of teachers, parents and, if needed, tutors, a turnabout can be achieved and an interest in reading established.

Comments and questions are most welcome.

A final note to parents and tutors

Tutoring can be a most exciting undertaking. To experience its joys, take the time to prepare yourself well as this will allow you to proceed with a comfortable degree of confidence and enthusiasm.

Enjoy the journey!

Minna Trower

Since a fair number of youngsters and adults experience literacy problems, consider sharing these postings with family and friends as you never know who might appreciate discovering a work that truly enhances lives. For more information on the Program, please visit the other sections of the site.

This video depicts how an essentially illiterate 7 year old starts on the path to reading within 10 minutes of her first session.

Comments and questions are most welcome.

The next posting will present another video – which will once again allow you to see the Program’s simple techniques in action.

Benefits of Having Your Child Linked with a Mentor

This entails the pairing of a youngster/teen with an adult via a mentoring organization such as the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The prime goal of these organizations is to help the young develop their potential. Towards this end, the mentees are exposed to a variety of activities which are not only fun but also tend to expand their horizons; they receive assistance with school work; and also benefit from the one-on-one relationship with an adult who has their best interest at heart – factors which all contribute to the building of self-esteem and confidence. If assistance is needed in finding a mentor, contact your child’s school or a social worker.

Establishing a Balance between Homework and Leisure

Balancing time between school work and leisure can be tricky. Consequently, parents, you should prioritize needs according to your prime objective – the development of a happy and peaceful child.

The next posting will present a teaching video depicting an essentially illiterate 7 year old start on the path to reading within 10 minutes of her first session.

Helping your Child Cultivate Friendships

As it is truly important that your child has friends, encourage him to invite playmates home. Start by inviting one at a time and then increase the numbers if so desired. To ensure a positive experience, be prepared to offer playtime suggestions in case a lull in activity occurs.

Encouraging a Reluctant Child to Participate in Physical Activities

If your child appears to lack ability in sports, encourage him to participate in physical activities. To help him get off on the right foot, it might be wise to first provide him with private coaching. For instance, if a nine year old is open to giving softball a try, his chances of enjoying this activity will significantly increase if he first acquires some throwing, catching and batting skills. Incidentally, coaching need not be a great expense, if any at all, as parents, relatives, friends, or teenagers could do this job quite nicely.

If the first 2-3 sessions of a new activity don’t spark your child’s interest, find one of greater appeal. Should assistance be needed in choosing an activity or, for that matter, teaching a sport related skill, meet with your child’s physical education teacher.

The next posting will address the benefits of having your child linked with a mentor as well as the importance of finding a balance between homework and leisure.

Promoting Social & Emotional Development

As a persistent lack of progress tends to chip away at a student’s self-esteem and confidence, remediation should be based on a holistic approach. This approach is not only concerned with academics but also with social, emotional and physical development.

To promote social and emotional growth, parents should encourage their child to participate in various hobbies and activities. This is important as such involvement would allow him to experience pleasure, a sense of belonging and the opportunity to develop new skills – a factor which is important, for a wider skill base increases one’s opportunities for social interaction.

Activities that are apt to promote social and emotional well-being are Scouting/Guiding; individual sports such as Karate; team sports such as soccer; classes in art, drama, dance, instrumental music, singing, cooking, carpentry, photography, etc… Please keep in mind that the importance of developing interests cannot be overstated!

If finances are a concern, bear in mind that some organizations have been known to discretely forego fees and provide equipment. However, qualifying for these benefits may require the intervention of a school representative or a social worker.

The next posting will present suggestions on how to help your child cultivate friendships as well as tips on how to encourage a reluctant child to participate in physical activities.

Verify that your child is aware of the topic being studied. One would think that this would be an obvious undertaking but it is frequently not the case.

Ensure that your child is attentive to headings and sub-headings.

Have your child identify the main point of a paragraph and ask him to present the information in his own words. Provide as many prompts as necessary so that he does not become frustrated.

To help your child with memorization tasks, acquaint him with the memory aid of mnemonics. For example, the mnemonic HOMES is used to remind a student of the Great Lakes: The H is for Huron, O for Ontario, M for Michigan, E for Erie and S for Superior. Creating mnemonics with your child can be a fun challenge.

The next three postings will address the advantages of a holistic approach. The first will focus on promoting your child’s social and emotional development.

Once an elementary school child is studying subjects with substantial content such as geography, history and/or science, he should be encouraged to bring his books home the same day the new work is presented. This way he can review the material, get assistance if needed and work on acquiring a solid grasp of the new information. This approach will prevent cramming – a behaviour which not only tends to be stressful but is also likely to result in limited long term learning.

If study habits are instilled early, grade three or four for example, a student will gradually acquire the skills that will stand him in good stead throughout his school years.

The next posting will present a study skills outline.

Establishing Sound Homework Habits

If your child’s work habits are not satisfactory – e.g. he only does the bare minimum, his work is messy and he lacks an organized approach – then encourage and aid him to do the following:

• inform his teacher, and/or tutor (if applicable) as well as you, his parents, whenever he lacks understanding of either the subject material or homework instructions;
• read instructions and questions with care;
• write grammatically correct sentences;
• work from an outline when preparing a report;
• work neatly – this is especially important with math;
• write clearly and if he has considerable difficulty with cursive writing, encourage the school to allow him to print;
• help your child develop techniques that will allow him to search out information efficiently. For example, as the needs arise, teach him computer, library and dictionary skills and familiarize him with the function of the table of contents and indexes.

Since a fair number of youngsters and adults experience literacy problems, consider sharing these postings with family and friends as you never know who might appreciate discovering a work that truly enhances lives. For more information on the Program, please explore the rest of the site.

The next posting will be on study skills.

Assignments Must Be Well-Suited to a Student’s Ability

Parents, homework should reinforce the skills that were presented in the classroom. However, if its level is frequently beyond your child’s ability, reinforcement will not occur but stress and frustration will – factors which are not at all conducive to learning. Consequently, if persistent problems exist, keep notes for 3-4 days on how your child copes with the assigned work and then discuss the problems with his teacher(s). For potential solutions, refer to the earlier posting titled Modification of a Student’s Curriculum.

A regular time and place for homework should be established. This helps the student acquire a routine and prevents such arguments as whether he can work in front of the television or other inappropriate places. However, if your child happens to prefer an unconventional location and does work well there, then by all means allow him to use it.

Homework should not be overly time-consuming as relaxation and play should also be part of a child’s day.

If an occasion arises when your child cannot complete his homework, send an explanatory note to his teacher as this will prevent a possible misunderstanding from occurring.

The next entry will address ways to help your child establish good work habits.

Parental Supervision

Although parental supervision benefits all children, it is especially recommended for children with learning difficulties. Through supervision parents can ensure their child understands the homework assignments, provide guidance to help him work in an organized and neat manner and detect if the level and/or quantity of work correspond to his abilities.

However, excessive supervision should be guarded against so that independent work skills develop. To promote these skills, have your child work independently on materials he can handle with ease. Start with a few minutes and gradually increase the time as well as the difficulty of the work.

Although it is unlikely that a teenager will accept as much supervision as a younger child, it is still advisable to check his homework. In fact, the poorer the work, the more frequent the checks.

If your child’s homework habits are poor, don’t hesitate to discuss them with his teacher(s).

The next posting will address the need for homework to be well-suited to a student’s ability.