ILT Blog and News
By Dr. Shirley Kokot
Why do some children struggle to read?
Why are there so many bright and hard-working children in our schools that aren’t learning to read as they should? Interestingly, if you read something to them, giving them information through their ears, they understand. But when you give them the same words to...
Can you prevent maths anxiety?
It is fairly common to hear parents explain a child’s struggles with maths as being an hereditary trait, and that the child is simply ‘not good at maths’. But is this true? I know of maths teachers who claim they can teach maths to ‘any’ child, and others who...
A vicious circle between screen time and emotional problems?
An article by the American Psychological Association (details below) finds that there seems to be a vicious circle between the amount of time spent on screens and emotional problems in children. While spending a lot of time on various screens may lead to emotional...
Research shows why moving in a classroom helps learning
Even though we know a lot more these days about how the brain develops and how it functions, many teachers lack useful knowledge about the role of movement in learning. Movement is responsible for developing the brain in the first place (through the primary reflexive...
Reading difficulties – A symptom not the cause of problems
(With thanks to Svea Gold) When Mat fails to learn to read at grade level, his parents are encouraged to help him with extra reading at home, or refer him for remedial reading. This often doesn’t help very much and the reason is that reading failure is a symptom...
Helping your child learn how to focus
Leanne Gray, of The Prepared Environment, shared some ideas about children’s focusing on her blog and I appreciated them so much that I’m hopefully disseminating them further! Focused attention is necessary in the classroom and in the home. We all know how annoying...
Allergy or intolerance? What’s the difference?
We are all aware of the dangers presented to children by being allergic to certain foods or other substances. Schools take great care to note if learners have to avoid these allergens. But when is a child allergic to a food and when do they have a food intolerance?...
Building blocks for healthy self-esteem in kids
There is no doubt that a child’s confidence levels contribute to her school achievements and ability to fit in easily to different social situations. Feeling good about yourself is a powerful motivator to tackle the challenges offered by school and life in general....
Does your child procrastinate?
Adults can be said to procrastinate when they meet one of five criteria for defining procrastination: there is an intention to perform the task; the task is delayed; the delay is voluntary; the delay is unnecessary; and they are aware that this may lead to future...