Richard Selznick, Ph.D., Director of the Cooper Learning Center, wrote an article featured in the Great Schools Newsletter about seven strategies to help your child climb from struggles to success.
Shut-down learners are children who become academically discouraged and disconnected from school over time.
“In my evaluation of shut-down learners, I have found that many receive work on a daily basis that they simply cannot handle, causing them unnecessary frustration. Too often, parents and teachers do not understand the skill deficits that are causing a child difficulty. For example, I recently tested a fourth-grader who struggled to read certain words presented in a text, including porcupine, passage, and amazement. Since most fourth-graders read silently to themselves, the student’s teacher and parents mistakenly believed that she had a comprehension problem, when she was actually experiencing difficulties with word reading and decoding.”
To read the complete article, visit the Great Schools Newsletter at
greatschools.org.