March 18, 2010

What Role Does Psychology Play in Learning and Reading Difficulties?

Tags: Teaching Reading Tips

psychology-readingToday I read an article about children and aggressive behavior and the factors underlying such behavior. The article described how it is usually the home environment that is responsible for negative behaviors. Because I took several psychology courses throughout my life that was not alarming but the article made me pinpoint what it is that makes me care so much about literacy and struggling readers. Yes, literacy is a vital skill and necessary to thrive or even function in today’s society. But the reason I want everyone to be able to read and overcome this struggle is that I know that the majority of struggling students do have a psychological dilemma that is motivating the problem. In a way, it isn’t literacy I have developed a passion for, but rather a concern for the students/adults that struggle with literacy.

As I have discussed before, I know the majority of the individuals that struggle to learn how to read either have a condition in the wiring of their brain that makes the skill difficult for them to pick up. But lately, my thoughts have focused more on the difficult living situations that make learning feel unimportant or stressful. If educators and parents knew what was really going on in the minds and lives of the students or children who struggle it what probably be a frightening discovery.

In my life that was usually very happy, learning and education were always of the most importance to me. But I can definitely see how there are living conditions that are so disheartening and difficult that learning and education would not be a priority for an individual. It is very important for teachers and parents to try and understand what is going on in the lives of students and children. With this understanding, I am sure that reading instruction and every type of learning would be more effective. With this understanding, the student/child could receive help for these psychological difficulties and could be taught in a way that will help them respond to and retain lesson material. Share your thoughts on how you think psychology impacts struggling readers or learning in general.

Here is a link to the article that triggered this post:

A Negative Family Environment Is Often Responsible For A Child's Aggressive Behaviour ›


Learn how Reading Horizons uses a structured literacy reading curriculum to help beginning and struggling readers master the fundamentals of reading.


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