2018, I moved to Ogun state and had to seek employment in a school within my vicinity. As a Lagos teacher, I was used to a vibrant class, swift answers and mushy acts by my students. So I resumed at my new work place with that fully charged energy. The first day got me confused. I was to teach the primary classes, I started my class and it was obvious these children were not following. They could neither understand what I was saying nor did they show any bit of interest. It was then I knew I had to start from the scratch. First, I had to create a connection. I wanted them to understand that I am first their friend. I needed to set the foundation that they can have both a friend and teacher in one. After that, I came down to their level. I made them feel and appreciate every little progress they made. I built up their interest in education. We worked together, applying several strategies I discovered and created, and within some month the growth was evident. Eureka is a book that ...
I remember my first experience with a slow learner. At first I thought he was just lazy but later I realised it wasn't laziness.
He was always quite, doesn't answer questions in class and rarely relate with his peers.
Within months of my stay in the school I started noticing some changes in my boy.
He now attempts assignment and classwork given.
He talks in class and now relates well with his classmates.
The trick is to first make them feel safe in class rather than make your expectations a burden to them. Over the years I've had to teach slow Learners and it has been a wonderful experience.
The link below is a podcast where I talked on how to cope with Slow Learners. It's a ten minutes audio that summarizes strategies you can put in place when you have a slow learner in class.
If you have questions, I'll be glad to answer them.
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