Enable Learning
Assessment and tuition for children and adults with dyslexia and other learning disabilities
07 281 2437
027 344 6671
heatherdfirth@gmail.com
When you want the best - Eight Reasons to Contact Enable Learning
Value for time & value for money
Every child is unique - even sisters​
"If I could successfully teach children with learning disabilities in pairs, I could double my income. I would be doing it."
One-to-one tuition means:
-
no time is wasted teaching stuff a student already knows
-
lessons move at the pace each student can cope with
-
each student has the time to memorize, consolidate and use what they are being taught
-
the student feels secure and supported, not embarrassed and different. The social pressure of being in a group of learners is removed
-
careful engagement with each student and their particular needs, circumstances and abilities - building a respectful teacher-student relationship
​ Read more: The Whole Person
Teaching children HOW
When someone says to a child, "Try harder", that child should reply, "How?"
"How do I concentrate?"
"How do I remember?"
"How do I tackle the problem?"
Literacy is the ability to produce, read and understand written language. There's a lot to learn and some of it can be confusing. It's important for teachers to teach how and not just what.
Read more: What if memory is the problem?
How does that work?​
Help that starts working straight away in the classroom
As we teach the skill set and the knowledge set needed for literacy, we use for our working material the most frequently used words in English.
As children master these words (which are often difficult to read and spell) they become much more competent in reading and writing, even though they have a long way to go in learning how words work, and being able to predict unfamiliar words in spelling and writing.
Read more: The building blocks of reading and writing
Helping parents help their kids
-
Links to the Learning Progressions for each age, and help with what they mean
-
showing parents what to do at home that will be effective
-
strategies for parents to help their children develop with resilience and self-esteem
-
stacks of information from all over the world about learning disabilities
-
a parent support group to share wisdom, knowledge and concerns
-
help with managing the "learning disability" label
-
parents are encouraged to sit in during lessons so that they can see first hand what is going on and how they can help
​ Read more: To label or not to label?
What should my child know? The invisible disability
Do schools always pick up SLD?
The importance of writing and spelling - not just reading
Many literacy interventions concentrate on reading, but reading is not enough. Throughout your child’s education he or she will be marked according to what they write. Their writing skills will determine their level of achievement to a large degree.
Read more: Why the emphasis on spelling?
Happiness is being able to express your own ideas - for life​
Different Ways of Teaching for Success
If a child is not able to learn the way we teach, then we must learn to teach a different way ...
... because you're always going to hurt if you can't read and write​
Most schools teach early literacy using The Whole Language Technique. This is easier to teach, and more fun for the learner, than phonics (sounds) based teaching, and it works – if you don’t have a learning disability. No learning is fun though if you are struggling or failing.
Nearly all children can learn literacy, but some need to be taught in a different way. For many of these children a strong base in phonics is essential, but phonics is no use until the child can first learn how to detect the sounds in spoken words (which is the part that gets missed in busy classrooms, even when phonics is specifically taught). There are many techniques for teaching reading, spelling and grammar which are not regularly used in schools, but which can be used in the one-to-one setting out of school, and chosen to suit individual students.
Read more: Why is sounding so important? What does specific learning disability mean? What is dyslexia?
What if memory is the problem?
Making Sure it Stays In
Kids struggling with literacy often don’t produce enough written work to practise what they have learnt. Consequently they forget what they have learnt. Nothing is more disheartening.
At Enable Learning constant revision is part of the programme. If it has been forgotten, we find out pretty soon. Repetition continues until new material is locked in. And even then it is re-checked at intervals.
This prepares children for high school and beyond. They understand that learning means memorizing and using what they have been taught. It is not a passive process.
Love - It's not a passive process​
See the progress yourself, track the progress yourself
Parents often feel at a loss. They find it difficult to get to grips with just what their child is supposed to know, and how much they are actually learning. Even with the introduction of National Standards, the situation is often not clear.
At Enable Learning parents can see their child’s progress every step of the way. They are involved in the process. They have access to the Learning Progressions for each age, and many other resources.
Nothing underpins the importance of literacy more than having the parents involved. Kids really get that.