Learning Difficulty – Premier Tuition Centre

Navigating Homework Stress

Premier Tuition — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 06:49:13 +0000

Eliminate Homework Stress for You and Your Child

We’ve all been there.

You’re sitting down to help your child with their homework. The dinner is cooking, the washing machine is running, the TV is on in the next room, and your other children are interrupting from time to time, asking questions or wanting you to do something for them.

It’s overstimulating and overwhelming. For everyone.

The child completing their homework lacks focus. They’re a little bit giddy. They’re doing ok but making some mistakes. Too many of mistakes, you think.

Somewhere, in the back of your mind, a teeny tiny voice (so tiny you may not be aware it’s actually there) is saying things like: “this is bad,” “they should know this,” “they’re falling behind at school.”

Consciously, you’re trying to help your child with their homework but subconsciously, you’re worried for your child. You think they’re falling behind in school and that IT’S YOUR FAULT.

You snap. You didn’t see it coming but you yell. Mayhem ensues, however brief, and now you’re riddled with guilt.

You know you acted rashly. You know you should have been more patient. You remember the times your parents weren’t patient with you and you swore that you’d never be the same with your children. But something just snapped.

What was it?

Understanding Homework Triggers

As parents, we often become triggered by the difficulties our children face when they’re completing their homework. Not necessarily because they’re not doing it well but because:

a) We’re overwhelmed by the environment we’re in and the multiple other distractions that are going on around us.

b) No matter how hard we try to explain something, it’s not sinking in.

c) We’re subconsciously worried that our child is falling behind in school and that this is somehow our fault.

Moving Forward

In order to overcome these homework triggers, it’s important to do the following:

a) Create an environment that’s conducive to completing homework. Wait until the dinner is cooked and the chores are done. Do what you must to make sure your other children are looked after and occupied. Aim to create an environment that’s calm, quiet and distraction-free.

b) If the way you explain something is not sitting with your child, try to incorporate visual aids and hands-on materials which can help to make abstract concepts more concrete. See if there are any YouTube videos or online activities that will help your child to see the concept from a different perspective.

c) Manage your own expectations in advance. Take a few seconds to remind yourself that every child is unique. Every child learns differently and in different stages. If your child genuinely cannot do something, that’s ok! They’re not meant to know everything. Identifying potential issues at an early stage is actually a very good thing as it will allow you to take the steps necessary to either get them support or support them yourself.

Next Steps

If you’re concerned in any way about your child’s progress in school, make an appointment to talk to their teacher. Even if your child is falling behind in a certain subject or area, there’s absolutely no reason why these issues cannot be overcome, allowing them to lead a happy and successful life at school.

At Premier Tuition Centre, we understand that each child has unique learning needs. That’s why we offer personalised tuition to primary school pupils in Irish, English, and Maths, including Specialist Dyslexia Tuition with an Orton-Gillingham trained tutor.

Our experienced tutors are dedicated to providing individualised support to help your child overcome challenges and thrive academically.

Learn more about our classes by clicking on the links below.

How To Support Your Child With Maths

Premier Tuition — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:03:51 +0000

Overcome Maths Anxiety

I’ve made no secret about the fact that I struggled with Maths since primary school and this is one of the main reasons why I started Premier Tuition Centre.

I first began to experience Maths anxiety when I was in Senior Infants!

Although I was a smart child and was never considered to be a candidate for additional support at school (in fact, I used to help out in these classes when I was in 6^th Class) I silently struggled with Maths for the duration of my time in school, primary and secondary, and developed really bad anxiety towards the subject.

If this sounds like your child, and you want to give them some support before their difficulties worsen, try these 5 tips:

💡 Tip 1

Help your child with their homework every night. It’s not always easy in a busy household but set some quiet time aside so that you can sit with your child each evening. Consistency is key and you might be surprised to find out that the thing they’re struggling with is really easy to solve. For example, when I was in Senior Infants, I panicked when asked to add money. Even though I could add numbers very easily, for some reason it took me a while to understand that adding money was done in the exact same way.

💡 Tip 2

Use lots of concrete materials and hands on activities to help your child develop their problem-solving skills. Every child learns differently. Some children are visual learners while others are tactile/kinesthetic and these children often begin to struggle with Maths when they’re expected to solve problems abstractly (in their heads) before they’re developmentally ready.

💡 Tip 3

Use digital resources to help your child understand new concepts or topics. Parents/caregivers and their children don’t often make for the best teacher-student relationship! Children can get frustrated with their parents and vice versa. Youtube has some great Maths tutorials that might help your child understand a new concept better than if you’re teaching it directly. There are also loads of interactive Maths games available online that make learning and practicing Maths really fun.

💡 Tip 4

Try to incorporate informal Maths activities into your daily routine. This can be easily done through cooking or baking activities but it’s also possible to practice counting, adding and subtracting skills throughout the day. When possible, ask questions like “how much more do I need” or “how much less than…” to help develop their Maths language. Ask your child to help you with the time and get them used to buying items in a shop with money and collecting the change.

💡 Tip 4

Don’t panic if your child doesn’t understand something immediately. Learning takes time and consistency. Putting too much pressure on your child could make the situation worse. If you try these activities and nothing is working, speak to your child’s school and see what they can do to help.

Thinking About Maths Tutoring?

We offer Maths tutoring to primary school pupils from Senior Infants – 6th Class.

Our tutors are fully qualified and experienced but also incredibly kind, patient and supportive.

We use inclusive methodologies to support all learners.

To find out more, click on the link below.

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Understanding Phonological Awareness and how best to support your child

AnneMarie Brosnan — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 16:00:27 +0000

What is phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognise sounds in spoken language. It is the foundation to learning to read. Phonological awareness is an auditory skill – activities that develop phonological awareness can be practiced with your eyes closed.

Most children do not need to be taught phonological awareness skills. However, children who do not develop phonological awareness need direct, explicit instruction.

What about phonemic awareness?

Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness. It is the last skill to develop within phonological awareness. It is the ability to identify and manipulate the smallest units of sound (phonemes) in spoken words. For example, being able to hear /m/ and /a/ and /p/ in the word “map” requires phonemic awareness. Significantly, according to David Kilpatrick, 30-40% of children need to be taught this skill.

How can I develop my child’s phonological awareness skills at home?

The phonological awareness activities that you practice with your child should be appropriate for their level. They should gradually increase in complexity and at a pace suitable for them – you don’t want to overwhelm them!

Begin by exposing your child to songs and poems that rhyme. Recite your favourite nursery rhymes, watch rhyming songs on YouTube or sing and dance the Hokey Pokey with them. This is a fantastic way to help develop your child’s phonological awareness skills at home because it’s fun and enjoyable.

Progress by marching or clapping the words of a sentence (I – like – Ice – Cream) and then clapping or marching the syllables of a word (El – e – phant). As your child develops these skills, you can move onto more complex activities, such as:

Identifying rhyming words (“Do these words rhyme? / What word rhymes with ____?”)
Identifying the first, last and middle sound they hear in words, in that order
Blending individual sounds into words (“What does /m/ /a/ /p/ say?”)
Segmenting words into sounds

Once they have mastered these skills, the last step is learning to add, subtract, and substitute sounds to make new words.

If you have any questions about what you have just read, our would like more information about the type of literacy tuition that we provide, please contact us.

Understanding Dyslexia in Primary School Children

Premier Tuition — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 09:29:33 +0000

Let’s talk about dyslexia…

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty which makes it hard for some learners to read, write and spell. They may also have difficulties with memory, processing numbers and time management (or other organisational skills).

Most people with dyslexia are intelligent, and many have above-average intelligence. They can also be extremely creative, imaginative and good at problem solving – just look at the multi-billionaire Richard Branson! Unfortunately, for a very long time, intelligence has been measured by how well someone can read, write, spell and compute. Thankfully, perceptions are changing and people with dyslexia are being valued for the skills and abilities that they do have.

Lots of parents are naturally quite worried when it’s first suggested to them that their child may have dyslexia. This is a common reaction but we would urge all parents and caregivers to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that their child can avail of any additional support that is available to them.

People with dyslexia most certainly can succeed in education, whether that’s at primary, secondary or third-level. But early intervention is key to ensuring this success. This is because people with dyslexia DO need additional, specialised support in helping them to learn to read, write and spell. We work with lots of children with dyslexia, and many of our teachers have undergone specialised training in this area, so we know first-hand that children with dyslexia thrive off direct and explicit instruction. In fact, it can often be counter-productive to force a student with dyslexia to complete the same home/school work as their non-dyslexic peers (there are exceptions, of course).

If a child has not been diagnosed with dyslexia, they may not be in a position to receive specialised support at school. A diagnosis will not pigeonhole anyone. Instead, it will allow them to avail of this additional support. It’s also worth considering that a diagnosis of dyslexia, properly explained, can help to boost a child’s confidence as they now understand that their difficulties with reading, writing and spelling is not a reflection of their intelligence.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Our contact details are below. You may also find the following sites useful:

https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/az/d/dyslexia/symptoms-of-dyslexia.html

https://www.sess.ie/dyslexia-section/dyslexia-and-reading-instruction