Slow learners at school.

  • Great Britain. Department of Education and Science.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Slow learners at school. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/108 (page 30)
    frequent changes of teachers have all been found to contribute to backwardness. Dealing with problems of this sort is an important part of the work of every school, for there are always children who need to be given special help to enable them to catch up with their contemporaries. Some fail to respond to treatment, however skilful, and these are likely to prove very difficult to help. They may be children who have been deeply affected by failure and show other signs of emotional disturbance. With these it is difficult to decide what are causes and what are effects—whether some personal problems have led to the failure in school work, or whether failure at school has led to the maladjustment. In any case a vicious circle is created in which continued failure at school intensifies anxiety and loss of confidence, and these in turn cause further learning difficulties. A child’s ability to learn depends as much on his attitude to work and on his emotional stability as on his intel- lectual capacity; it follows that remedial education must consist of far more than additional instruction. The severely retarded child may find it difficult to respond to ordinary teaching in spite of willingness to try; his whole attitude to work has to be changed, his confidence restored and his will to learn revived. For this reason there are some who would prefer remedial education of this kind to be called ‘emotional re-education’. Withdrawal from the scene of failure may be important if a fresh start is to be made. The severity of the problems may vary; when effective measures are considered, there will be some common ground between remedial teaching and the education of the maladjusted. The term ‘remedial education’ carries implications that the back- wardness is temporary, that lost ground can be made up, and that the child will eventually work with others of his age and ability. These assumptions are usually made when a child is recommended for remedial education and it is therefore important to distinguish. between the kind of help he needs and the education required by the dull, for in their case the objective is not to help them to catch up but to make the most of whatever abilities they have. Yet there is much in common between the education in a good special school and good remedial education. Both are distinguished by a more than usually complete understanding of the child and his needs, by good relationships between teacher and pupil, and by a secure and relaxed atmosphere. Remedial education is most frequently provided for children whose attainments in the 3 Rs, particularly reading, are poorer than their ability would suggest. In theory it could be provided for a child backward in music, painting or craft work. Pronounced back-