Learning Difficulties - Series by Peter Westwood

Reading and Learning Difficulties: Approaches to Teaching and Assessment

This comprehensive guide to teaching reading more effectively presents a variety of research-supported approaches to teaching. These approaches have been designed to make learning to read easier and more successful for all children.

By examining the way readers process texts and identifying the knowledge and skills needed to become a proficient reader, author Peter Westwood explains why learning problems can sometimes occur and what can be done to prevent or overcome these difficulties.

Numeracy and Learning Difficulties: Approaches to Teaching and Assessment

This comprehensive guide examines the different ways students acquire mathematical skills, and helps teachers develop flexible teaching methods to suit these varied ways of learning.

Numeracy and Learning Difficulties also discusses common areas of learning difficulty in mathematics and ‘why students fail’. It looks at ways teachers can determine gaps in students’ knowledge, how to develop curricula to address these gaps, and problem solving strategies and skills as a means of improving numerical literacy.

Spelling: Approaches to Teaching and Assessment

This resource provides an overview of effective methods for helping students develop their spelling skills. Also included is the South Australian Spelling Test which is a 70-word oral spelling test designed to identify the students who require additional help as well as give the teacher information on the spread of spelling abilities in the class

Learning and Learning Difficulties: A Handbook for Teachers

This outstanding teacher resource explores a variety of learning processes, theories and concepts in order to help educators better understand and distinguish between the causes and outcomes of student learning problems.

Westwood aims to show that problems in learning are not all due to weaknesses within students or their lack of motivation. Many learning difficulties are created or exacerbated by environmental, not personal, influences. Factors that have an impact on a student’s learning environment can be readily modified or improved, whereas weaknesses or ‘deficits’ within students are not so easily changed.

Two of the most powerful influences in the learning environment are the school curriculum and approaches to teaching. Westwood argues that many learning problems can be prevented or minimised by matching teaching methods and lesson content to a learner’s current aptitude and prior experience.

Features:

• Examines different types of learning across the curriculum and the most effective types of teaching to facilitate these types of learning
• Provides practical suggestions for preventing or overcoming common learning difficulties
• Identifies factors that contribute to common learning problems in school
• Identifies weaknesses or ‘deficits’ of student learning as the possible outcome of learning failure, not the cause
• Provides a sound balance of theory and practical strategies for teachers

Key themes include:

• Maintaining students’ attention
• The importance of explicit teaching and guided practice
• The value of teaching effective task-approach strategies
• The importance of addressing personal and emotional needs while working toward cognitive and academic goals

Teaching and Learning Difficulties: Cross-curricular Perspectives

Using a cross-curricular perspective, this text explores a number of teacher-directed and student-centred instructional approaches for classroom use. Strengths and weaknesses in each approach are highlighted, and specific aspects of any approach that may cause or exacerbate learning difficulties are identified and discussed. In addition to basic academic skills of literacy and numeracy, the writer has extended his discussion of effective teaching methods into the subject domains of science, social studies, history, geography and environmental education.

Attention is also given to classroom interactions that influence learning. In addition, suggestions are made for establishing support systems within schools as one strategy for reducing learning failure and enhancing students' progress. The text draws on research, policies and practices in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States to present a 'big picture' perspective on teaching and learning difficulties.