B.EL.Ed FIRST YEAR
Meaning and Definition of Slow Learner
Slow learners constitute an appreciable fraction of our population.
As Burl (1973) has rightly pointed out the term ‘backward’ or ‘slow learner’ is reserved for those children who are unable to cope with the work normally expected of their age group.
Kirk (1962) took ‘rate of learner’ as the basis for identifying slow learners. According to him, the slow learners, gifted and the average children can be classified according to their ‘rate of learning’.
According to Dictionary Psychology, “a child of lower-than-average intelligence. Such children are so designated even though a somewhat lower-than-average IQ does not necessarily imply slow learning. Slow learners are estimated at 15% to 17% of the average school population. They do not show marked variations from physical, social, and emotional norms and are usually placed in regular classes. The term slow learner is often imprecisely applied to children with mild intellectual disability as well as to children of normal capacity whose intellectual progress is slow.”
He also strictly refused to equate slow learners with mentally retarded because the former is capable of achieving a moderate degree of academic success even though at a slower rate than the average child. As an adult, a slow learner usually becomes self-supporting, independent and socially adjusted; but in the early stage, he adapts himself to regular class programme which fit in with his slower learning ability.
The term ‘slow learner’ is frequently used to cover various groups of children otherwise referred to ‘dull’, ‘retarded’ or ‘educationally subnormal’. In the present circumstances it is used more widely to indicate the fairly large group of children whose learning is slowed down by one or more factors of which limited ability may be one.
The common factor with all pupils seen was some measure of educational retardation, the contributing factors being manifold e.g., cultural and poverty, family inadequacies and parental disharmony. Pupils from such homes as these may well function as ‘slow learner’ even through their intellectual potential may be considerable higher.
What Are The Characteristics of A Slow Learning Child?
A slow learning child is one that struggles to hit basic developmental milestones that can broadly be categorized into four groups – developmental, social, personal or educational. Here are a few symptoms of slow learning child:
- Developmental: The characteristics of a child with developmental learning disorders include poor memory and a delay in speech and language developmental patterns. This means your child could take longer to start speaking than others or may need more prolonged and repetitive lessons to learn most concepts.
- Social: A child who has social learning disabilities is usually known to relate to children younger to him more often and avoid interacting with peers. Such children are also prone to behaviour that is associated with children younger than their age. These children are often just labelled as introverts due to the inability to connect with their peers leading them to be quieter or more reserved.
- Personal: Children with personal learning problems seem to have less control over their emotions. They tend to fall back to anger quickly, get frustrated faster than most, express emotions like anxiety for seemingly minor issues or get depressed over setbacks. These children are most likely to have significant problems with self-esteem, confidence and are prone to acts of aggression or emotional instability.
- Educational: Children with learning or educational disabilities take longer to process and understand the information provided to them. These children may be proficient in intellectual knowledge, but it takes them longer to understand & grasp the concepts.
Characteristics of Slow Learner:
One of the most frequent complaints about backward children is the weakness of the memory. Burt (1946) remarked ‘or all special mental disabilities that hamper educational progress, the most frequent is a weakness in what may be termed as long distance memory’.
Dull children need to go over mental more times before it is fixed in their minds, and more frequent revision is required to prevent forgetting. There is no doubt the slow learning children have poorer powers of retention than average children but it would be a mistake to assume that remedy lies in repetition. The quality of imparting initial learning is important.
1. Slow learners have limited cognitive capacity. They fail to dope with learning situations and to reason abstractly. Rational thinking becomes practically impossible. They have the capacity to succeed in rote-learning. These children show interested in learning where relationships are clearly demonstrated. With regard to retentive memories they require more practice and revision in comparison with normal children.
2. One of the pertinent characteristics of slow learners is poor memory. It occurs due to lack of concentration, it is impossible to say how much a child can learn and retain although he is motivated externally and internally. Experimental evidences reveal that very often the dull children can recall facts about their local cricket team as well as its players.
3. Classroom situations include distraction and lack of concentration of slow learners. This typical behaviour is also associated with poor motivation. Again different studies also report that when the learning material are presented through concrete situations, the slow learner’s concentration and attention do not differ significantly from that of a normal child.
4. Inability to express his ideas through language is another significant characteristic of a slow learner. A slow learner also lacks imagination and foresight. He faces difficulty to foresee consequences in the future.
5. In developing societies, has slow learners invite social as well as educational problems. Of course, some dull children are very poor in scholastic achievements in the school. Their performance is not satisfactory. But some children who come from sophisticated homes show good performance, because they get help and encouragement from home. This is only possible at the primary stage of education. But at the secondary stage, the frustrations and failures come from different sources. The children develop an attitude of resentment towards the authorities and create problems. This kind of attitude may lead to anti-social behaviour in the future.
The above characteristics of slow learner are related to three major areas:
I. Physical Characteristics,
II. Weakness of Attention, and
III. Feeling of Insecurity.
The details of these areas are given as follows:
I. Physical Characteristics:
There are three groups of children who are shown to develop both mentally and physically and three appears to be a slow growth potential resulting in all round immaturity.
(i) The ENS(Educationally Subnormal)/slow learning children are poor in dressing, using drawing and writing materials and tools. They need large practice in climbing, jumping, skipping, dancing, games etc. They also need feelings of success and confidence and improved social development.
(ii) Man ESN children have better physical development than mental development.
(iii) Children whose capacity to learn is reduced because of sickness, minor ailments, malnutrition etc. The children can be screened for sensory defects if any which are not easily observed but affect the learning and adjustment of children. Regular physical and motor development activities can be introduced to benefit these slow learners.
II. Weakness of Attention:
One cause of poor memory is weakness in attention. These children and restless and destructible. There are evidences of avoidance resulting from previous failure and consequent dislike of a subject. They often glance at words than read them carefully. Attention may be poor because of mismatched or irrelevant materials. The method of presenting learning materials may not facilitate accurate perception of it.
One of the say’s in which memory of slow learners can be improved is by ensuring that as many associations are made as possible. These children are weak in this regard. The teacher must therefore pay special attention to getting children to see links which brighter children would probably see for themselves various sensory modalities can be used to present the links and associations. For example the word ‘night’ can be first sequence of letters n-i-g-h-t.
Then visual displaying, speaking, asking him to write down, and linking it with light, sight, plight. What is important-presenting the material in a way that facilitates the making of generalizations. Meaningful associations are of great importance. Woods can be taught by appropriate actions here, there, down, up, over, under. The slow learner can learn by understanding and then they need more repetition, revision and practice to retain.
III. Feeling of Insecurity:
Slow learning children have a feeling of insecurity which arise out of personal inadequacy physical or mental. They are unable to control feelings of aggression or outbursts. The ESN children continuously seek attention and approval of the teacher. They do experience the need for acceptance from the peer groups.
The isolated child may withdraw still further. School should provide means for successful achievement which will enhance the sense of self-esteem. These children are more dependent and have limited capacity for taking responsibilities, opportunities for becoming independence and responsible are to be provided in the school. They are as such not curious. If school can offer security and affection it can go a long way in the education of slow learners.
On the other hand, children whose basic needs have been inadequately satisfied they may be difficult to motivate to learn. They instead are upset by feelings of hostility and jealousy or riddled with anger with anger for their own failures. They use several defenses: immaturity, regression, compensatory activity, withdrawal, fantasy.
The characteristics are not directly related to low intelligence so much as to the educational consequences of low intelligence. Educational and social failures are to be avoided in planning activities in the school.
The teacher in trying to promote social and emotional development must try to recognize the where the child is and start from that point. The child has to learn how to control socially unacceptable expressions of temper, jealousy, egocentricity.
The family is of first importance in creating a sense of security. The child besides other family conditions (disharmony, separation) feels insufficient share or affection or is disappointed then there is an emotional problem. School can provide experience of success but attitude of the family is more important. Parents are not prepared to accept the child’s backwardness. Sometimes, they are over anxious which contributes the education backwardness.
Causes of Slow Learning
Every behavior has a cause, meaning and significance. The behavioural characteristics of slow learners are symptoms of conditions or some factors present either within the child or outside the child. Slow learning is caused by a variety of factors such as:
(i) Low intellectual abilities such as subnormal intelligence.
(ii) Personal factors such as
- long illness,
- long absence from school,
- undetected physical defects,
- poor cognitive entry characteristics.
(iii) Environmental variables such as
- poor home facilities for learning skills,
- low quality and quantity of food,
- shortage of sleep,
- adverse parental attitudes towards education,
- poor or inappropriate opportunities in school (large classes),
- poor quality of teaching,
- choosing inadequate or advanced materials,
- incompatibility between home and the school,
- Repeated changes of school and consequent changes in teaching styles and content.
(iv) Emotional factors such as
- dislike of teacher through classes of personality,
- negative parental attitudes to school creating in the child similar adverse attitudes,
- feeling of inadequacy,
- lack of confidence in self and need to achieve,
- Extreme timidity and anxiety giving rise to poor levels of attainment.
Identification of Slow Learners
In every classroom, a large number of slow learners are noticed. These children with borderline or mild handicaps who attend the regular class are likely to drop out if their needs are not met. It is, therefore, necessary that these children are identified early and helped in their learning. A competent teacher should be alert to general characteristics of the associated classroom behaviour relating to learning difficulties of a child. For example, the slow learner requires more help and time to acquire the skill than his average peer. The slow learner will rely on concrete learning rather than abstract learning.
Slow learners are to be identified by employing various procedures and using various tools and techniques.
These are as follows:
1. Day-to-day observation of classroom behaviour of children by the teacher.
2. Assessment of children’s performance in specific subjects based on the Cumulative Record Card or school marks.
3. Opinion of parents about the child’s progress and difficulties in learning various subjects, doing homework, his language difficulties, emotional problems, illness, injuries and physical defects and problems.
4. Measures of intellectual ability or IQ scores.
5. Competence-based tests and diagnostic tests in various subjects.
However, if slow learners are to be helped in their learning difficulties, they must be identified early in schools, because prolonged learning difficulties may imply placement of such children in special schools which are very rare in India.
Educational Programmes for the Learners
The slow learner is capable of achieving a moderate degree of academic success though with additional time and help. They are capable of being educated in the regular class with few adaptations. As adults, they are self-supporting, independent, and socially adjusted. If the needs of such children are not met, they experience failure and drop out prematurely from school. The difficulty is that most of these children arc not diagnosed as slow learners until they attend school and begin to fail. This calls for early identification, diagnosis of their learning difficulties and proper instructional provisions for them.
Proven ideas to help slow learners
- High school opens the door to vocational training where they often excel. Work-study programs give them a purpose for going to school.
- Work with your school’s M-Team (Management Team) to develop an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) for the child.
- Do not spend the entire time making the child’s study. Don’t nag. Let them have a life outside of school with the activities they enjoy.
- A Slow Learner might repeat a one-grade level for academic or social reasons. Repeating more than one grade is a disaster for their self-esteem.
- Some schools will place these children in a “slow track” where the work is easier. However, the other students may make fun of them. And the concepts in math and social studies may still be too difficult for them.
- The least desirable alternative is a non-graded program where the child works at their own pace and is graded for their effort.
- Another way is to use their IQ to compute a passing grade. For example, if passing is 70% and their IQ is 80 then a passing grade would be.8 x 70 = 56%.
- The child deserves pre-vocational training in social skills and independent living. These children should be taught life-related courses like shopping, managing money, and job preparation.
- Look at their problem areas and focus on them with extra tutorial help. This could be during the last period of the day or after school. Allow by-pass strategies such as calculators, or let them do oral or visual reports.
- Provide a quiet place to work, where the child can be easily observed and motivated.
- Keep homework sessions short.
- Provide activity times before and during homework.
- Add a variety of tasks to the learning even if not assigned, such as painting a picture of a reading assignment.
- Allow for success.
- Ask questions about the assignment while the child is working.
- Go over the homework before bed and before school.
- Read to the child.
- Some researchers use the “Three Transfer” form of learning, in which the student must take information and do three things with it besides reading. For example, 142 Rashmi Rekha Borah read it, explain it to someone else, draw a picture of it, and take notes on it.
- Be patient but consistent.
- Do not reward unfinished tasks
Examples of interventions for slow learners
Environment: Reduce distractions, change seating to promote attentiveness, have a peer student teacher, and allow more breaks.
Assignments: Make them shorter and with more variation, repeat work in various forms, have a contract, give more hands-on work, have assignments copied by student, have students use “three transfer” method.
Assessment: Use shorter tests, oral testing, redoing tests, short feedback times, don’t make students compete.
What to avoid: Don’t use cooperative learning that isolates the student and places him or her in a no-win situation or standardized tests. Definitely don’t ignore the problem.
What to encourage: Grouping with a patient partner. Learning about the child’s interests. Placing the student in charge. Mapping, graphic organizers, and hands-on work. Using Bloom’s taxonomy of tasks to make the assignments more appropriate.
Carefully Guided Instruction
Slow learners work best with a carefully designed, step by step technique, and additional time and help. Considerable repetition is usually necessary and the material should be adapted appropriately for the slow learner. Positive reinforcement technique should be used as much as possible.
The following recommendations are useful for the teacher:
1. The teacher needs to emphasize the concrete and the specific with regard to the problems and materials.
2. Instruction should be directed towards satisfying those needs that are more immediate and more easily recognized and identified.
3. Slow learners should be given more time, attention and guidance by the teacher until they reach the expected average standard.
4. Instruction should be less dependent on conventional printed materials.
5. Out-of-school resources like the field trip should be used more frequently.
6. There is need for greater utilization of audio-visual aids.
7. Learning units should be organised around life’s problems more than around academic subjects.
8. Teachers should avoid any kind of competition or comparison between normal or gifted students and slow learners.
9. All types of labeling such as `stupid,’ idiot,’ the ‘slow learner,’ the dull,’ the back bencher’ should be avoided by the teacher as this may lower the child’s self concept, self-esteem and lead to greater frustration, anxiety, withdrawal and delinquent tendencies.
10. Teachers should discover any specific skills slow learners may possess. If possible, let them demonstrate their skills for other students.
11. Teachers should be careful about the number of things taught and the abstractness of the material. Sheer numbers can overwhelm any one, especially the slow learners. The more abstract the material, the greater difficulty the slow learner will have with it.
UNDER ACHIEVERS
Underachievement among children with learning disabilities occurs when they do not perform to their potential in areas where they are not disabled. For example, an underachieving student may have a diagnosed learning disability in reading. His math achievement assessment might show his skills should be on par with peers, but he is failing the subject.
DEFINITIONS
“Underachievement is defined as a discrepancy between a child’s school performance and some index of his or her actual ability, such as intelligence, achievement, or creativity score, or observational data” – Davis and Rimm 1985
“A discrepancy between potential (what a child ought to be able to do) and actual performance (what a child is really demonstrating)” – Richert 1991.
Whitmore 1980, “Early identification and appropriate programming prevent the establishment of chronic patterns of underachievement or negative attitudes toward schools; it also allows early intervention with underachievers, which is much more successful than later efforts at remediation or correction.
According to Dictionary.com , “a student who performs less well in school than would be expected based on abilities indicated by intelligence and aptitude tests, etc. , a person or thing that performs below expectations.”
According to Merriam Webster, “ one (such as a student) that fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected.”
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “someone less successful than they should be at school or work.”
Causes of underachievement
There are many causes on the basis of student underachievement. Important causes are the ones that relate to the family and the community in which a student lives (environment and school).
Here are some important causes of underachievement in school:
- Fear of failure, fear of success
- Fear of lack of acceptance by peer group
- Undetected learning disabilities
- Lack of basic skills and study habits
- Inappropriate educational activities
- Lack of opportunity in society
- Too high or too low expectations of parents
- Lack of parental support for education
- Fear of overshadowing parent
- Passive-aggression toward parent
- Low frustration tolerance
- Lack of impulse control
- Low risk-taking abilities
- Lack of competitiveness – Boredom
- Guilt for being advanced intellectually
- Interests in activities other than school
- Cumulative deficits and belief in failure
Characteristics of underachievers (In Points)
• See self as inadequate
• Expect academic and social failure
• Feel helpless to control outcomes of effort
• Don’t feel free to make choices
• Set unrealistic goals
• Are defensive toward authority
• Feel rejected and isolated
• Are not willing to risk failure
• Show ineffective approaches to problems
Characteristics of Underachievers(In Detail)
- Low self-esteem: low self-esteem that gifted students feel may come from the pressures of being gifted.
- Poor self-Efficacy: when gifted students fail at something, they blame their lack of ability; if they succeed at something, they attribute their success to luck. These students accept responsibility for failure, but no success. Dweck (2006) describes two types of mindsets in his book Mindset. A fixed mindset causes students to believe that their abilities are permanent and they can’t do anything about them. With a growth mindset, they understand that their efforts will develop their talents over time.
- Avoidance Behaviors: avoidance behaviors protect underachievers from admitting their feared lack of ability.
- Rebellion: rebellion against authority, particularly school authority provides another mechanism to protect the underachiever. Blaming the school helps the underachiever avoid the responsibility of achieving, by blaming the system.
- Perfectionism: because perfectionism is unachievable, it provides the student with ready excuses for poor performance.
- Poor Functioning in Competition: students avoid competitive activities in and out of the classroom unless they perceive themselves as highly likely to win.
Shared characteristics that distinguish the achieving from underachieving gifted
• Lack of integration of goals & self-direction
• Lack of self-confidence
• Inability to persevere
• Inferiority feelings
• Social immaturity
• Emotional problems
• Antisocial behavior
• Low self-concept
• An unstable family environment
In families of underachievers
The student is dependent on the mother
The father is rejecting and domineering and gives little warmth or affection
• The relationship between father and daughter or father and son is negative or nonexistent
• Parents allows achievement to go unrewarded
• The children do not identify with their parents
• There are deeply social and emotional problems in the family
• parents are not active in schools
• Parents are not supportive of their children
• The child’s achievement present a threat to the parents and their adult superiority
• Parents do not share ideas, affection, trust or approval
• Parents are restrictive and severe in their punishment
Strategies to reverse underachievement
• Supportive strategies Whitmore (1980) These ‘affirm the worth of the child in the classroom and convey the promise of greater potential and success yet to be discovered and enjoyed.’
• Intrinsic strategies These are ‘designed to develop intrinsic achievement motivation through the child’s discovery of rewards available …. As a result of efforts to learn, achieve, and contribute to the group.’
• Remedial strategies These are ‘employed to improve the student’s academic performance in an area of learning in which (s)he has evidenced difficulty learning, has experienced a sense of failure.
Focusing on strength
create a challenge, variety, and opportunity for students to utilize strengths and interests to improve school performance and facilitate in-depth learning
• Curriculum compacting
• Flexible skills grouping
• Tiered assignments
• Mentor-ship
Tips for Teachers
• Focus on the positive
• Keep problems private
• Get them involved
• Get them interested
• Adjust your curriculum
• Provide variety
• Give them tools/opportunity for success
• Make learning appropriate & relevant
• Minimize evaluation
• Build success
• Promote positive self-esteem.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Inflexible teaching
- Rescuing the student
- Inappropriate expectations
- The need to control Getting even
- Giving up
- Getting angry