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DianaC
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| Posted: Jan 22 2009 at 5:58pm | IP Logged
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I am at a bit of a loss in helping my DD to retain information. She is a bright girl and easily understands most everything that we cover. However, once we've covered a topic or a skill and move on, whenever we come back to that skill it seems as though it is almost completely new to her.
I realize that this is somewhat common, and that this is why many programs use spiral learning. However, (she is my second child) and seems to me to be much worse than what is common. She is 8. Can anyone offer any resources that would help us work through this?
I have tried to determine her learning style, but she doesn't actually seem to have one dominant style - except to say that as long as there is some social aspect to our activity, she is completely on board and on top of everything. I also try to use a variety tools to help her - we have audio CDs to go along with math, grammar, history, etc. We include videos and books whenever we can. I try to keep a balance between hands-on projects, oral projects and written projects. Still, once we move on, the information is all but lost.
Help!
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DianaC
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| Posted: March 02 2009 at 1:13pm | IP Logged
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I am bumping this up in the hope that someone has some insight for us.
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amyable
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| Posted: March 02 2009 at 2:38pm | IP Logged
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Not that I have any great advice, but I'm glad you bumped it because I didn't see it the first time. 
Your dd sounds much like my 11yo, although we have the added problem of dyslexia.
Much of what you are doing is what we were advised to do with her - make an experience the lesson (i.e. very hands on, go on lots of field trips where you introduce appropriate vocabulary/concepts), cover things again, and again.
It made me feel so much better when the examiner said those things (since we were already doing them to the best of our ability at the time) - I realized it wasn't *I* who was teaching wrong (in these aspects, at least  ), it was my dd with a real memory problem. I can't FORCE her to remember, we can only do our best.
I am upping her review in some subjects because I realize that I wasn't doing enough of that. We play lots of games at the dinner table to make it fun -quiz show like. My dh likes to teach her things regarding what he is doing at any given moment - she gets exposure to ideas that are above her level, but it helps when she then encounters that at the appropriate time. It also makes it more meaningful to her.
These things are definitely not a cure all. She *still* looks at me blankly a lot of the time, even on things she has been working on for months and only took the weekend off. Math especially  . We just go over it again, and I try to praise her to high heaven when it "clicks" earlier than it did the first time.
I had trouble trying to figure out my dd's learning style at 8yo also - she doesn't fit into a neat little box. It sounds like you have at least a start on figure out a learning style, knowing that she is great when in a group activity - my dd also!). Using that knowledge should be helpful. Multi-sensory education is so important for kids that don't fit in the box!
I hope something I said was at least a little bit helpful. I wish I had more answers than I do!
(edited because I re-read your post and realized I had missed something the first time)
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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DianaC
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| Posted: March 02 2009 at 3:45pm | IP Logged
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Thank you for your help! I've been wondering if perhaps she has a learning disability. My ds does,(a "processing disorder") but the two of them are worlds apart in the way they learn and where their interests are, so what worked for him doesn't work for her.
My dd is very, very much like my husband who was diagnosed as dyslexic when he was a child. Although, like him, she doesn't retain information, but unlike him, she doesn't reverse letters and she didn't have trouble learning to read, etc.
Aside from lots of repetition, would you suggest any other tips based on what has worked for you?
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Isa in Michigan
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| Posted: March 02 2009 at 9:11pm | IP Logged
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There are a variety of things you can try. Apart from what you are already doing (presenting a topic in different ways), try and find the easiest and fastest way to memorize something. For example, if your goal was to have your daughter memorize all 43 presidents in order, the best and fastest resource I have found is called "Yo, Millard Fillmore". It uses visual representations of words that the presidents' names sound like. It changes something abstract and unfamiliar like a last name into something concrete and very familiar to a child. With that book, my boys were able to memorize the presidents fairly effortlessly and quickly.
Another technique is to work for mastery by timing your daughter for a minute doing something like addition problems. The idea is to do this every day until that particular skill becomes second nature (i.e. 60 addition facts in one minute). The more your daugher knows and masters in a subject area, the easier and faster it will be for her to learn a subsequent skill in that subject.
Lastly, I thought I would mention the organization called "The National Association for Child Development". They work with children who have all kinds of learning issues, as well as advanced children. I have not used their services, but I have listened to several of their tapes. Some children have not developed the necessary neurological wiring because they skipped certain physical steps while real young (i.e. crawling which engages opposing sides of the body at the same time). In cases like these, the NACD would have a child practice a skill that they missed for 5-10 minutes a day (i.e. crawling). If you get a chance, they have a number of very informative and worthwhile audios.
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Mother to Francisco(10), Rafael(9), Teresa(7), Rosa(6), Lucia(4), Tommy(3), Miguel(1) & 4 in heaven
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Retaining information
