Thank you for joining me today in this webinar for the year, Helping SPLD Learners Self-Monitor Attention, Memory and Task Execution. So SPLD means Specific Learning Differences. I know that I have earlier on put SEN. SEN stands for Special Educational Needs. Specific learning differences, not much of a difference but it's a little narrower.
I am Siti Asjamia and I'll be taking you through the lunchtime webinar today. Allow me to just briefly introduce myself. I am a practicing educational therapist at the DS supporting both primary and secondary school students on the MOE-aided literacy program. otherwise known as MLP.
So apart from that, I also support the DAS Academy, which is the training arm of the DAS. So on days that I don't teach, I support the team in conducting workshops and courses, catering to parents, educators, and anyone wishing to know more about specific learning differences and how to support learners with specific learning differences. Okay, so it gives me great pleasure to be here with you today, sharing on how we can help learners with specific learning differences, self-monitor, attention, memory of what they have learned, and task execution.
Okay, so self-monitoring is actually a very important skill, not only for learners, but for all of us, in fact. Okay, in order for us to function effectively. effectively both on a daily basis and in life generally.
So do feel free to put your questions down in the Q&A. I'll try my best to address them if time permits. Should I not be able to answer all of your questions, don't worry. I'll find time to send my reply to your questions separately and personally. The video recording of this webinar will also be shared with you after today.
So without further ado, let's just proceed. Okay, so this is what we'll be covering today. All right, so we will first begin with a scenario. Okay, we'll first begin with a scenario, right? And then we will do a quick discussion, okay, of some of the common learning differences in our local context and how these learning differences can actually impact.
learners ability to maintain and sustain attention and ability to recall and organize information okay and now what is self-monitoring okay i'll provide a brief and simple definition for it some examples okay of activities that require self-monitoring okay why it is important okay If we were to develop self-monitoring skills in learners with specific learning differences, what would be some guiding principles? We have to bear in mind. I will then end the session with some suggested strategies to help learners with learning differences self-monitor attention, memory and task execution. Let's begin with this scenario. I hope you would be able to spend just a few minutes to just read and understand the situation as I read it to you.
Okay, so let's begin with Nick. We have Nick here. He is a 15-year-old student who struggles with homework tasks.
He often procrastinates and leaves assignments. test revision to the last minute or late in the evening. His parents must always nag and ask him repeatedly to get started and complete them. This is unfortunately often ignored as he's often hooked on his smartphone either with gaming or watching random TikTok videos.
Who doesn't like TikTok videos, right? So by the time he gets down to doing his homework, it is already 10 p.m. He's not only mentally and physically tired by then, he often ends up submitting shoddy or incomplete work because he's unable to recall instructions and what he has learned or falls asleep while doing it. This has also affected his performance in school exams and tests.
I'm not sure if this scenario resonates with you, but I think this is fast becoming commonplace, isn't it? This can happen to basically all learners, right? Regardless whether they have learning differences or not.
So I would like you to think about what you think are the problems Nick is facing here. What areas you think he would need to work on? Just give you a few seconds to identify.
take a look at the scenario again. He has a number of issues here, right? So judging by his struggles with homework, he is likely having issues with organization and planning. He may not know how to get started, how to get himself organized when attempting to do homework. He may be having...
challenges with maintaining attention and control over his distractibility, which is a very common phenomenon, not only among students, but adults too. So we are guilty of it sometimes. And then looks like he's also having some problems maintaining memory.
Maintaining memory, he's unable to recall instructions. and he's unable to recall what he has learned, which could be the reason why he procrastinates sometimes. Eventually, task execution is affected.
So eventually, task execution is affected, judging from the shoddy or incomplete work that he produces. So for learners with differences, it will definitely take more effort to address these areas because very often learners with differences okay for example those with dyslexia with adhd or other learning differences they actually have weaknesses okay in working memory weaknesses in maintaining attention and carrying out tasks okay so we will walk through this webinar against the backdrop of this scenario. Alright, so researchers have discovered weaknesses in the areas of working memory, attention and organisation across the different specific learning differences.
So when we talk about specific learning differences, these are some of the common learning differences that you can find in our local context. Dyslexia, we have quite a heavy... percentage of students with dyslexia in our local schools dyscalculia right basically dyslexia has to do with difficulties with reading spelling and writing dyscalculia okay characterized by difficulties in understanding remembering and applying math concepts okay adhd characterized by hyperactivity okay impulsivity and inattention and autism as well, which is characterized largely by their social and communication difficulties. So attention, memory and organization make up some of the essential mental skills and processes required to help all of us function and execute tasks on a daily basis. So for students with dyslexia, Having poor memory affects their ability to read fluently and spell accurately because they have very poor recall of sounds.
They often forget the sounds that they have read or spelled. They could also be having difficulties with organization, which would mean that learners with dyslexia have difficulty putting events in order, especially when they're trying to narrate a story. verbally or in writing, they may also have difficulty getting started on writing tasks. Okay, the other area is, when we talk about functions of inhibition here, what this means is that they, quite often when they do homework or when they attempt examination questions or test questions, they seldom stop to think about whether they have selected the right word or have spelled a word accurately, or have applied accurate grammar.
Alright, so this is definitely a symptom of weak self-monitoring because, I mean, in order to be able to self-monitor, they need to have a very strong recall of sounds. Poor memory of sounds and phonogram concepts contribute to this. So likewise, learners with dyscalculia have difficulty with recruiting attention. What this means is that they are often unable to make note. of letters or maybe numbers, symbols and quotes mentioned to specific mathematical tasks.
So maybe for example, I mean for students with dyslexia, they may be unable to associate that the plus sign refers to refers to the fact that they have to add, the slash represents the fact that they have to take away numbers. So very often they find themselves stuck in math problem solving because they have difficulty sometimes decoding the math side words that are associated with specific problem solving tasks. So maybe, for example, they may fail to associate words like difference to mean subtraction.
Just one example. They may also have very weak working memory as well. They need time to process math concepts. For children with ADHD, one of the hallmarks is their inability to give and maintain attention to the required activity. It will definitely be challenging for them to commit to memory and retain what is taught, if they are unable to regulate their attention.
Impulsivity also affects their ability to plan and organise their thoughts. Quite often, children with ADHD may also face the same problems with students with dyslexia. They are usually unable to narrate stories or unable to narrate events in the correct order. They may also struggle with prioritising.
placing competing items in their brain, their brain is attending to at the same time in the order that they should be. So for learners who have both ADHD and dyslexia, weaknesses in language, weaknesses in their speech system and poor regulation of their behaviours can actually make each other worse. All right. Yeah, so. For these learners, it would definitely require very explicit instruction, very firm strategies to help them develop self-monitoring skills.
Learners with autism, the last one, we all know that a common attribute is their rigidity in terms of routines, which actually can affect their ability to adapt to changes. necessary for learning and improvement. So when preparing to do a task, for example, some may find it hard to organize their thoughts and actions in order to figure out the sequence of steps that need to be done. So when learners have issues with maintaining and monitoring attention, any task that requires these skills would be a challenge.
And it can actually impact. them in various contexts, at home, tasks in school and life in general. So what is self-monitoring?
We have talked about learning differences, we've talked about how they have weaknesses in attention, in working memory as well as organisation. So what is self-monitoring? Basically, in simple terms, it is a skill that is used to keep track to keep track of and assess your own actions, your performance and conduct or behaviour.
Usually, this takes place over a period of time. This skill can be applied in both academic and non-academic tasks. Self-monitoring has always been confused with self-regulation.
So what is the difference? Self-monitoring, self-regulation. Basically, monitoring is very much like observing and recording over a period of time, recording a certain behavior, a certain targeted behavior. So observing and recording a certain targeted error or certain targeted behavior over a period of time, regulating. is basically attempting to have and maintain control.
So self-monitoring is observing and recording. Self-regulation is the eventual outcome that you wish to have. And that is to be able to have and maintain control. So for example, if you remember, if you recall Nick's case, he has been having difficulty getting started on his homework, right?
So it was noted that he had been hooked on his smartphone, right? So it would be useful to observe and record the number of times he is distracted by his gaming and TikTok when he's doing his homework or how long he usually spends on his smartphone in a day. when that time couldn't have been spent on doing his homework. So once the data has been collected, you can even ask Nick himself to do it, say over a week. Then we need to look at what the data is suggesting.
And then use the data that he's collected to assess what are his needs. And come to a decision based on that, on an agreed action plan. together with the learner.
So really part of the plan may involve the learner having to make some adjustments to his daily habits, to his routines, to facilitate positive change in the learner's life so that he can have better control over his possible addiction to his smartphone that could eventually benefit him in the long run. Self-monitoring behaviors can include both work-related or work-checking behaviors. For example, maybe reviewing mistakes, self-checking mistakes, fixing errors. It could also include addressing social behaviors.
For example, like... how do you respond to certain social norms, okay, depending on the learner's level of self-awareness. All right, so with appropriate support, okay, from parents, from teachers, from maybe caregivers, okay, students can actually work on developing self-monitoring skills and steps necessary to achieve their goals, okay.
whatever the areas of concern may be. Okay, so many of our daily activities actually require us to self-monitor actually. Okay, so in basic learning, right, it might be the ability to recall something we have just learnt, okay, or the ability to recognise when something is not right.
okay uh check for mistakes proofreading for example proofreading a piece of writing all right so a child with very weak self-monitoring skills may not be able to to do self-checking he may not be able to do proofreading upon completing a task right the child may also have a hard time determining whether he or she is following directions or instructions correctly okay that could be attributed to poor working memory. He or she may also not know when he or she needs help. Okay, so having a good self-awareness of learning goals or of the task, what the child is expected to be able to show, what are the steps in making a task complete, okay, is very important.
It has to be made explicit to them, all right? So in math, maybe it has to do with the child, okay, may need to be taught to identify specific clue words. to be able to determine what methods, what concepts, what calculations need to be applied.
What are the specific steps the child will need to do when attempting, say, a problem sum, for example. What are the steps? So that's for math. So in reading, how will the child check if he or she is pronouncing a word correctly? Okay, so exposure.
reading exposure and also maybe good knowledge of good exposure to sight words would be necessary. And then in reading comprehension, quite often students may not have specific strategies on hand to enable them to process content. So students will need to use...
self-monitoring strategies to become better readers, to help them understand the content better. So maybe an example would be asking questions like, can I connect this to anything I already know? Do I understand the ideas? What kind of questions do I need to ask myself when reading? So these are some examples of self-monitoring that will need to go into reading comprehension.
What about behaviour? A child needs to have good awareness of maybe expected conduct to be able to self-monitor his behaviour in maybe specific settings. So, for example, in class, when the teacher is talking, when the teacher is delivering a lesson, is it right for me to talk to my neighbour? Do I speak up without first raising my hand? Do I use foul language in class?
Did I step away from my seat and walk around the classroom without telling my teacher I need a break? So those are some examples of self-monitoring strategies that the child will need to be equipped with. And sometimes the child may not be equipped with such skills. And then in daily life, is the child aware of routine?
routine activities happening on a daily or regular basis. For example, just before sleeping, knowing that tomorrow will be a school day, have I set my alarm clock? Have I ensured that I finish my homework before I'm supposed to hand in the next day, before I turn in?
Or maybe how many more days do I have? before my next science test. So a child who is well guided by these questions on a daily basis actually do not need parents to constantly nag or check on them.
So self-monitoring skills are definitely important. It helps to increase the occurrence of desired behaviors. An example would be maybe giving full attention to a task when they need to. It also helps to decrease inappropriate behaviours. For example, being distracted or not getting things done or maybe distracting or disrupting others.
And then definitely it can also help to address any academic challenges the child could be demonstrating. So, when learners learn to monitor their own behaviours and then they begin to see their efforts bearing fruit, maybe through positive feedback from others, maybe through the favourable results that they get, they will learn to take better ownership of their own learning and become more independent learners. So, learners will be able to achieve...
better performance, maybe with greater understanding of task demands, maybe better study strategies and habits, learners will be able to achieve better accuracy and productivity. So the acquisition of self-monitoring skills and strategies actually helps. to increase students coping ability as well so over time when they have better what you call it coping strategies they will be less stressed okay over maybe things like homework or assignment completion okay learners will therefore have an much better emotional wellness okay and self-esteem okay okay so how do we even begin to support learners in developing self-monitoring skills. Okay.
First and foremost, I must stress, okay, do ensure that you have established or maintained a good rapport with the child. Okay. Why is this important?
Okay. Very often, in fact, most of the time, all the time. Okay. It would involve making the learners be aware of their weak spots.
Some children, some learners may not receive this well. So maybe when you are attempting to make them be aware of their areas of weakness, your tone of voice, your choice of words, actually can make a difference. So, for example, if you notice that the child has been making the same errors over and over and over again. So, be patient.
Breathe in, breathe out. You might want to say, you know, it seems like you have been making the same errors since the last test. Could there be something that you didn't quite understand?
So you might want to change the tone, change the way you phrase your delivery of the weakness. Could there be something that you didn't quite understand? It might have slipped your mind to check on this or that. Maybe less. let's work on a way to help you remember better okay so you you have to rephrase you have to reframe okay reframe how you deliver that um uh uh how i mean how you would deliver that um news okay of um uh addressing the the the child's weakness okay yeah so um tone selection of words how you phrase all right um actually uh makes a difference.
So once you get the child's buy-in, work on an agreed plan of action to address them. So it is actually important that they are willing participants in the action plan. So identify, so based on your observations, what you have been tracking, identify what are the skills that are crucial.
for the learner to have in order to be able to function independently or maybe to improve performance. I would say start with an easier behaviour to change. So in the case of Nick, maybe listing the homework tasks that he has on a daily basis, just listing alone. Just listing alone or keep... Keeping a checklist, writing down a checklist of homework tasks he has on a weekly basis would be a good way to start before diving into more challenging goals like maybe decreasing screen time, for example.
Because Nick would probably have a very strong attachment to his smartphone. So it may not be easy. okay to to tackle this okay yeah so um focus on creating a clear definition of the behavior okay that you and the child can agree on okay simplify i would recommend to simplify so what do i mean by simplify uh try to break down uh tasks into smaller steps okay try to make the first step easy enough for the child not to resist the effort Okay, so maybe like on a scale of one to five, maybe it will make the child feel as if the task that you want them to do is maybe two, a two. Okay, easy, right?
So, for example, if you want the child to check. okay uh their work after completing it okay what is it that uh the child is expected to do how does he or she do it where would she start okay so the word checking is actually a very loaded word all right for some all right it seems like a huge task okay uh and it can be interpreted uh differently from one person to another right so start simple okay Maybe, let's work on the checking, the example of the checking, checking your work. So maybe number one, let's say you want the child to check on his writing work.
Begin by just getting the child to check for capital letters. Example, you have identified all the errors. Let's say the errors have to do with, what do you call that, weaknesses.
in applying maybe capital letters at the beginning of a sentence or maybe in names of places or people. And then you notice that the child did not consistently put full stops at the end of sentences. And then you notice that the child frequently omits words in sentences. So maybe assuming that these are some examples.
So you might want to first get the child to check for capital letters. at the beginning of a sentence. So that's the first, maybe that's the first task. So the child can just check on capital letters at the beginning of every sentence over a period of time until it becomes automatic and he or she is able to check on this without you reminding.
So when this becomes automatic, you proceed on to the next step. Okay, so the next step might be to check, to get the learner to check if he or she has capitalized names of people and places. Okay, and then you apply the same process.
Okay, this time he has to check for two things. Okay, number one, capital letter at the beginning of sentences. Number two, names of, make sure that he capitalizes names of people and places. Okay, so observe that over a period of time.
and the learner will have to apply this over a period of time until automaticity is achieved. Okay, step three, next step. Okay, check if the learner has placed full stops at the end of sentences.
Okay. Not sure who is talking here. Okay, yeah, right. So, yeah, so where was the next step? Right, yeah, so.
putting full stops at the end of sentences. So, apply, again, apply the same process. But this time, the learner will have to check on three things. So, it's incremental, progressive, incremental. So, firstly, he has to ensure that he has applied capital letter at the beginning of sentences.
Secondly, he has to check for capitalization in names of people, names of places. And third, he has to also check if he has placed full stops at the end of sentences. Okay, so that's three items. So observe this over a period of time.
So basically, the learner will now have a checklist of three items he needs to check. So you might want to encourage the learner to always have these three items at the beginning of any writing activity. So it will visually remind the learner that he has to check for these three items. Okay, so do that over a period of time until it becomes automatic to him. Okay, so and then after that you...
go on to the next step maybe the final step okay you are let's say you're addressing only four items so the last step maybe is to get him to check on whether he has missed out any words in his sentences okay so again apply the same process but this time he has to check for four items so it's progressive but yet it's uh it's it's accumulative okay so the learner will now need to check on four items all right so apply the same process observed over a period of time. So, he has one more to add to his checklist, right? So, get the learner to visually write down this checklist of items that he needs to check until such a point in time that he no longer needs the visual checklist anymore.
And it becomes automatic. That means it is already ingrained in his mind. These four items are the items he needs to check at the end of any writing.
Okay, so progressive, incremental. It will take a long time definitely, but that is what the learner can manage. Right?
Yeah. And then that's simplifying, right? The next thing is modelling, okay? So, modelling involves you demonstrating the skill you want the child to practice. Okay?
So, what do I do? What would the child, for example, in reading comprehension, what do I do if I cannot read an unfamiliar word? What do I do when I'm given a passage to read? What questions do I need to ask myself? Okay, so show the child explicitly.
what needs to be done. You may even need to model your thought processes. You might have to make it visual.
You might have to make it visual to your learner. Exactly what questions go through your mind when you are processing a passage. So you might want to write it down on the board.
So you can model for the child the first time. Maybe the next time you might... want to list the same questions again but this time you ask one question and you know the the learner will have to address the other questions okay so you can take thirds do the same thing over and over again until the child is able to have a good recall okay of what are the questions the necessary questions that he needs to ask himself okay whenever he processes a text all right so yeah so being a good role model okay is something that's important.
You must walk the talk. In order to get the buy-in from the learner, you need to walk the talk. You need to demonstrate the same habits, the same routines. So if you want the child to acquire the skill, the child has to see that we are also practicing what we preach.
So to relate this to Nick's situation, if you want the child to only use a smartphone, at certain periods of the day, then we must demonstrate that first. So if we are looking at maybe modifying behaviours, maybe for example, giving full attention to homework when it needs to be done, what kind of actions would be considered paying attention and what kinds are not? So in the case of Nick, reaching out for his phone when he's doing his homework, will be considered not paying attention to his homework.
And if the learner lapses into such episodes, what will be the consequence or what should he do? So it is important to clarify all these so that the child will be better guided in his behaviors. Then the other thing is, thirdly, modify the environment. Because the child...
children's mental skills are still developing. And we'll definitely take time to mature. Teaching self-monitoring skills must work from the outside-in approach. Before we can expect the child to change, we have to first modify the environment to provide the child with good examples. So to enable the child to make internal behaviour changes, we must create the conditions.
that would be necessary for the child to be able to do so. For example, if students find it hard to maintain attention while doing homework, maybe putting him in a quiet place, a quiet setting, would allow him to remain focused and undistracted. So in the case of Nick, if you recall, he is hooked on his smartphone, right? Maybe his smartphone should be out of sight.
when he's doing his homework at a dedicated time. If we are teaching them to be organized, provide models of structured environment, maybe the use of colored files, labels, maybe drawing up a visible daily planner, maybe having a visual checklist or even providing timers can actually help. them to manage time and manage their homework task. The last thing here is incentivize.
Young children usually lack self-motivation. Including the promise of reward might work. Research has actually suggested that self-monitoring that comes with reinforcement through self-monitoring. maybe rewards okay uh can actually improve on task behavior all right so once uh so there you go um The guiding principles, quite easy. Simplify, model, modify and incentivize.
So SMMI. So once an action plan has been agreed on, teach and encourage the learner to apply the strategies with close supervision initially before slowly releasing the guidance and transferring that responsibility to the learner completely. So once the learner is observed to be automatic, in practicing the desired skill, demonstrated a change, a positive change in behavior.
He or she has practically owned the self-monitoring skill. So it would be important to first be aware when we are attempting to develop or maybe develop the child's ability to self-monitor attention. It would be important to first be aware of the child's average attention span. Some of you might have seen this before through previous webinars. So this table here actually shows attention span by age.
So an attention span refers to the amount of time it generally takes a person to lose interest in a task that they are doing. So childhood development experts. Generally say that a reasonable attention span to aspect of a child, maybe it's about two to three minutes per year of their age.
So if you calculate Nick's attention span, how much would that be? So he's 15, right? So minimally 15 times two, he should be able to give full attention to atas, maybe for 30 minutes, 3-0, right?
30 minutes. So that's the basically optimum period of time for which a typical child can maintain focus on a given task. So it's actually worth noting also that some developmental researchers put the upper limit to five minutes per year.
So if you are talking about Nick, maybe the maximum he could pay attention is 45 minutes. Of course, these are only generalizations. How long a child is truly able to focus is also determined by other factors. So if you notice that a child's attention span is way shorter than average, you may want to monitor this closely and seek professional advice. So in equipping a child with skills to monitor his own attention, we have to first model it.
So when our learners are trying to get our attention, we must put everything down and start listening. So it's important to know your child, how long he can focus on a particular task. This can also vary according to the nature of the task. Many learners do not actually take well to doing homework. Nobody likes doing homework.
So start small. Break down a large task into several small parts. For example, if the homework requires a child to attempt 10 questions. You might want to break it down to attempting two to three at a time.
Allocate a specific duration for the completion of each small part. Let's say you want to get the child to complete maybe two questions. So break it down into several parts.
And therefore, maybe give the child maybe about 15 to 20 minutes to attempt the two questions before taking a five-minute break. So the child can have a short break. after completing each small part.
Do try to establish with learners what are some examples of on-task and off-task behaviors. Must set very clear goals and firm expectations. Okay, so but of course, don't forget to also entice them with the promise of earning rewards. All right, yeah. And then sometimes, okay, their minds can also wander off, right?
Even for us. Some of us might be thinking of something else while attending this webinar. More so if you haven't had your lunch.
What should I eat after this? So this might be appearing in your mind right now. So one way is to arm them with post-its or sticky notes if you have the online version. So it's a way of recording items that might not be relevant.
It could also be drawings for younger children that might not be relevant to the current activity. activity but may be just as important to us. It's just that we need to focus on the the only task that we need to focus on at that point of time and you can only attend to these other fleeting thoughts much later.
All right, so we call this the parking lot. Okay, so yeah, so you park them, you park your wandering thoughts, okay. You can draw them, okay, you can write them down, okay, in the form of post-its for you to get back to it after the current task is done. Okay, it's called a parking lot of thoughts.
Okay. Alternatively, the child can also leave their seat to take a one-minute stretch if he needs it. So apart from that, having a pre-planned five-minute brain breaks or movement breaks, especially for children who are active and they will need those movement breaks, you can also do that as well. You can incorporate into the task.
Okay, this is another technique to self-monitor attention. I'm not sure whether you've heard of this, but it is a time management method that is based on taking breaks after 25 minutes of work. So it's called the Pomodoro technique.
Pomodoro, as the picture suggests, is an Italian word for tomato. How do we use it? Basically, you get a to-do list.
You have a to-do list. and a timer. So this is a timer.
You can actually just use any timer. It doesn't have to have the shape of a tomato. So what you have to do, what the learner has to do is basically to set the timer for maybe 25 minutes, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how much is the child's attention span to focus on a particular task. So you set it to 25 minutes until the timer rings. So during that 25 minutes, the span of 25 minutes, the child has to do what he has planned to do.
So when the session ends, so once the timer rings and the child has completed the work, he can actually mark it off. He can mark off one Pomodoro, let's call it. And then after that, the child can enjoy a five-minute break, right? Repeat the same cycle four times, okay? So after four times or after the child has earned four takes, which means that he has completed four rounds of the 25 sessions, he can actually take a longer, more fulfilling break of maybe between 20 to 30 minutes as a form of reward, okay?
So you can... Taking the example of maybe writing a composition. So you can actually break it up into maybe four or five short sessions. So if the child has to write a composition of maybe five paragraphs, maybe he can spend the first 20 to 25 minutes writing paragraph one and then take a short break. And then after that, maybe after the five-minute break, go back to the task and write paragraph two.
within the next 20 to 25 minutes. So once that is done, take another break, five minutes, and so on and so forth. So until he or she, the learner, manage to finish the whole essay, after that, take a longer break, a much longer break. So this is the Pomodoro technique.
So we have talked about ways to self-monitor attention. Let's look at some ways to help learners self-monitor memory of instructions. So for a start, learners can be asked to repeat the instruction.
Remember that there's only so much that the brain can commit to memory within a particular time. So do keep your instructions short and sweet. You can encourage the learner to repeat the instruction or the expectations or the concepts learnt. Really, the purpose of getting the child to repeat is to ensure that they have listened to you and listened correctly.
So, if the learner needs to remember the instruction over a longer period of time, do ensure that you provide opportunities for the learner to recall, to practice and to apply the steps on a regular basis. So, initially, the learners might need additional support in the form of visual aids to assist with recall. So over time, once the learner has practiced enough, the dependence on the visual aid will definitely fade.
Okay, so remember that working memory is very fragile. It has a limited capacity. If typical learners can recall up to seven items at one time, learners with specific learning differences could only manage maybe two or three at one time.
So often and where possible, we want information in the working memory to go to long-term memory, right? So one strategy you can use. is the 10-24-7 rule.
I'm not sure whether you have heard of this before. It's just a guideline. So this method actually says that in order to get information to go from short-term to long-term memory, a new concept must be practiced. So try to provide opportunity for the learners to use and apply the concept 10 minutes after the first time the child learns. Okay, let's...
Let them have the hands-on to apply it within 10 minutes of you teaching the concept. And then after that, one day after that, revisit the new concept. So for us teachers, you might want to do the first time when you introduce a new concept, get the child to try it with some guidance 10 minutes after that.
Usually this happens in class, right? And then the next day, review, recap. Do a recap before you continue on with the second day's activity.
Do a quick recap, revisit the new concept one day after that. And then revisit the new concept again one week after. So that's 10 minutes, 24 hours and 7 days. So 10 minutes, 24 hours and 7 days. Okay, and then...
after that, between 7 to 30 days, try to revisit it again. So, make it, how do I say, consistent and regular review. Another technique is this, 7-3-2-1. So, what does 7-3-2-1 mean? 7 means 7 days, 3 days, 2 days and 1 day.
So, assuming the child is learning something you want him to remember in the long run. What the child needs to do is to read or maybe review the concept on day one. Okay, so it works this way.
So on day one, so maybe one more time, you do it one more time on the second day and then skip one day and review the concept on the third day. Okay, and then one more time one week after that. So it's one reviewing one day after, two days after.
and then lapse of one day, skip one day, third day, and then lapse of four days, seven days. There is also another method, which is called 1-2-4-7. So all these numbers, right? So 1-2-7 technique, more or less similar, but it works this way, from left to right. So it's another memory technique.
where the child revises whatever he or she has studied three more times after the first study. So the initial study will be on the first day, the first day after the child has learned the new concept. Maybe the next day, second day, day two. So day one, revise once.
Day two, review the concept one more time. And then day four, review the concept another time. And then one more time, day seven. So this is...
So this is some methods, memory retaining methods. You can also try it if you want. So another way is to actually work on visualization and using drawings to help the child remember items learnt.
So encourage learners to create a picture in their minds. of what they have just read or have just learned. For example, if they have to, especially for secondary school students, because I know that when they have to do subjects like geography, history, they have to remember dates, remember events. So writing down in word form may be very challenging because spelling will come into the picture, right? So it would be better, it might be better for them to remember terms and definitions through drawings.
okay so if you look at this picture here river mouth okay so the the learner can actually draw a picture of a face okay and then um uh using the analogy of the the mouth, a human mouth, and drawing a picture of water, he can better remember what a river mouth means. Similarly, Plato. So, Plato might not be a word of English origin.
So, the child actually draws a picture of what this might represent. So, similarly, another way is to... to get the learner to draw a mind map, like what you are seeing here, to better understand how some items that the child has learned might be connected with other items he has learned before.
So he can, through drawings, through mind maps, he can actually draw connections between the items. Another way, Another way you can consider is to encourage the child to teach you. Okay?
So being able to explain how to do something, being able to explain what the child has learned, it would involve the child making sense of the information and mentally putting it in his mind, in his mental file cabinet. So if the child has learned a skill, encourage him or her to teach you. Okay?
Get... get the child to teach you in his own words. Some teachers in school actually are already doing this.
They actually pair students up in class and have them teach each other the new concept learned. You can also organise activities whereby students have a chance to present what they know. You can use a variety of ways to do this. For example, they can present it through songs, using songs.
using physical action, dramatization, symbols. So encourage them to do that. So checklists are also another good way to help learners self-monitor their memory of activities they need to do on a daily basis.
So this is just one example. I know of some parents who actually put this list in their bags. in their children's bags, in the pockets of their children's bags, or maybe they put it in the bag tags.
They put it in the bag tags to help them check. So for Nick, who has challenges with managing homework tasks, setting goals like this is one way to help him organize himself and keep track of the change in his... daily functioning. Okay, so having checklists like this actually help him to monitor what he needs to do to get his homework done independently without having his parents to constantly nag and remind him all the time.
Okay, so it saves frustration, it saves the frustration and it saves the effort on the part of the parents. Okay, right. So, let's now just take a look at how we can support learners in task execution. I'd like you to imagine executing a task to be like maybe preparing a meal or preparing a dish.
What will I need in order to prepare a dish? List it. What are the steps?
What will be the success criteria? How do I know if the dish is complete? How do I know if the dish is exactly how it should taste like?
So, it is important that the goal of the task be made known to the learner so that he or she knows the rationale, the reason for executing the task. Why is it important? Make the expectations clear in terms of the standard and the quality of work.
If you want a child to write a sentence, how many words would you want him to use? Why do I say this? Because sometimes if you ask a teenage child to write a sentence, the child might just keep it to the minimum of three words, for example, when you know that the child is capable of more. So you might want to have certain expectations. Provide examples of how a completed task would look like.
Share features. of what makes a good piece of work, what a successfully completed work would look like. Teach the child how to break down the process into smaller parts. Okay, yeah.
So, you might want to have like a reasonable timeline for the child to complete the piece of work. Okay, so you might also want to list down the steps, brainstorm ideas and steps what needs to be done. First, okay, what steps, what parts of the assignment, what parts of the task need to be done first?
What next? Okay, present them in a logical sequence. Okay, model how you present this in a logical sequence.
Okay, so for younger learners, break down. the large tasks into smaller steps like this you might want to order them okay using words like first or then alternatively um you might want to use numbers instead it's easier okay so you might want to also color code which are the steps that are very important okay uh need to which are the steps that need to be done first need to be carried out first right yeah so you can also use a timer to help the learner with a monitored task completion as well. So for learners who may need time to process instructions, the traffic light colours can be used to enable them to seek help or to clarify if they need to.
So you might want to get the child to point to which colour, especially if the child is maybe not as verbal. So... Using the traffic light colors will help you better understand if the child is processing your instruction the way he should. Simple activity charts like this one on the right that comes with pictures also help young children to monitor task completion as well. So all they need to do is once they have done it, they just tick.
They can also... color symbols or draw parts of a whole figure like this to monitor completion of smaller tasks that make up a large one. So maybe if you're talking about examination, so in exams you might have like subsections.
So if let's say for example the paper consists of maybe six subsections, so you can actually make use of a visual tracker. So this is a visual tracker. So if there are six sections in a paper, every time when the learner completes one section, maybe the first thing he might want to draw is the head.
The stick man here, the head. If he has completed the second section, he can draw the body. So that's two sections completed.
And then if he completes the third section, he might want to draw one arm, the fourth section and the other arm. and so on and so forth until he basically completes the whole statement. So by the time he completes the whole statement, it would visually tell him that he has completed the whole paper.
He has attempted all the questions. So if he has not finished, if he still has some questions that are not completed, he cannot draw the symbol. So for older learners, this is the GAN chart.
Okay, the Gantt chart, what you see on the screen here, could be a helpful tool to help learners break down and put smaller tasks in order. Okay, that will lead them to the final completion of a large assignment, for example. Okay, it will help them to meet deadlines rather than leave everything to the last minute.
Okay, it helps them keep track of their own progress of work, right? How much has been done? How much more needs to be done? Okay. So, the first step really is to break down a large task into small tasks like that.
Okay. So, take for example, he has to write an essay. All right.
So, these are the smaller parts of the essay task that needs to be completed. And this is the due date, for example. So, the due date is here, April.
So, he needs to work backwards from the deadline. So, begin. from when the assignment was first given.
That was maybe in January. And then work from there. So certain parts may need more time, which explains the gaps here. So maybe from February to March, it would involve him having to do the heavier subtasks. So once the task is complete, that's when you need to self-evaluate.
and assess the quality of your work. Okay, so this is where the self-checking tools come in handy. Okay, it is important for you to clarify. the steps involved in writing an essay for example at the very start okay it doesn't mean that when when the child is done writing okay the whole process of writing the work is complete okay and they can submit straight away okay self-checking is an important final step and this is something that um the child has to know all right from the very start so um allocate okay um one one one one part of the of the task execution to self-checking right so these tables here you see are some examples of what items they need to look out for when they self-check all right so this this one is uh monitoring when to use capital letters this one is monitoring when to what items they need to look out for or rather checking if these items have been uh they have incorporated all these items in the uh in their writings okay Okay, so it is important that self-monitoring must be something that children develop and make into a habit.
Routines actually help to minimize frustration. So when the task becomes automatic to the child, they do it without conscious effort. The mind is actually free to focus on dealing with new items that the learner is faced with on a daily basis.
Okay, so it helps them cope better and life. as I mentioned, becomes less stressful for them and they become more independent. They learn to become more independent and take charge, take better charge of their own lives.
So really self-monitoring is all about taking better charge of your own life. So for learners with specific learning differences, they need explicit teaching of the strategies. So for younger learners, do try to simplify, use more visuals.
For older learners... maybe we're talking about teenagers, allow them to be part of the action plan, meaning give them voice, more voice in the action plan to help them develop self-monitoring skills. Alright, so start with...
You can even negotiate. You can negotiate goals with them. You can let them voice out some possible areas of difficulty they might have.
Because at that age, they have better self-awareness. So do try to give them some voice. All right.
So I would like to end the session by sharing some guidelines on how we can monitor gadget use in children. or teens okay um where possible right try your best not to expose a child to smartphones too early okay try to limit screen time especially young children to one to two hours per day only okay um do try to take regular screen breaks ideally every uh 15 minutes okay uh to protect their eyes as well from the glare you can also use use an alarm clock or a timer to monitor their duration of use. It is also good not to let a young child have access, free access to maybe TV or gadgets or internet devices in the comfort of their own bedrooms.
Try to also assign protected times of the day. for everyone in the family everyone at home to be gadget free okay for example meal times homework time okay um yeah so yeah so for uh parents of young children okay uh you can also i think there are quite a number of apps that you can use to to filter and control your child's access to uh software uh your your child's access to maybe uh internet yeah okay and um online access. Okay? Yeah.
So, that's all I have today. Yeah. So, my last words would be, yeah, quite often, you know, we expect our learners to self-reflect, right?
But we often don't do that often enough ourselves to really think about their perspectives and engage them accordingly. So, I think in in the process of developing self-monitoring skills, empathy, having empathy and patience, okay, is a virtue. Okay, all right. So that's all I have for you today. Thank you everyone for joining me.
Let's take a look at some questions some of you might have. Okay, sorry that I overran. When younger, will it be easier?
Yes, definitely Magdalene. Yeah, so Magdalene has this question. If Nick is taught when younger, will it be easier?
Definitely. Okay, so maybe it's a case of lack of, I'm not sure, parental supervision maybe? Hang on.
Okay. just a minute okay oh thank you for the okay thank you everyone okay so we are talking about uh 16 year old 17 years so again um i i my advice is really to uh uh to tap on uh your relationship your rapport with with the child especially With older students, I must say that most of them have begun to have their own mindsets already. And some of them might probably have developed their own ways, their own self-monitoring skills. So you probably need to have a conversation with them.
And probably you can start with having conversations about how they are doing in school and whether they have any concerns about maybe post-graduation. Yeah. Oh, okay, sure. Yeah, here. Not to worry, I can actually share, we will actually share a copy of the slides with all of you together with the video after this session.
Okay, alright. So, um, hang on ah. Building up our relationship, learning to have relationship. Yes, definitely. It's good, maintaining good rapport, I cannot discount that, okay.
Having good rapport, especially with your children, okay, is definitely important. Okay, because once you have a good relationship, everything else should fall into place and... be a lot easier.
Yeah. Okay. Have a good afternoon. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon, everyone.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks for attending.