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I hope to show how I coped with learning
difficulties and hopefully this will give encouragement and possible
guidance to others likewise afflicted.
1966-1970
I went to a secondary modern school, the majority of the pupils coming
from a local council estate, me included. The year I was in was split
into 6 forms, my own form was first, the third and then fourth from the
top. In the first three years I had no interest at school, as any work I
produced would be marked down for untidiness and poor handwriting hence
why should I bother. My homework would be done in the morning at 08:30
and be just sufficient to keep me from getting punished at school. I
never had any tests for learning difficulties that I can recall and
hence had no special treatment, apart from humiliation on occasions by
the some of the teachers. September 1969, my final year at school,
something happened. My work began to be marked on content alone without
deductions for untidiness, wrong spelling etc. I ended as the top pupil
of the class, even though this final class was made up of those in
higher forms in previous years not wishing to stay on to take O-levels.
When I left school I could not 'do my times table', I
could barely spell let alone construct a sentence, and thus essay
writing was almost impossible. Grammar was to me, a name referring to a
grandmother. A square root I imagined was a square shaped carrot. 64 add
7 was 64 + 5 fingers on my right hand + another two on my left, that
makes 71. I'll do that again to make sure. Yes, correct. (Surprising how
you learn to do it so know one else is aware. Watch for the telltale
thumb movement). I thought of myself as thick, clumsy, and clearly
sub standard compared to my peers.
My dad asked me what I wanted to do on leaving school.
Since I had just recently discovered electronics I wanted a job in that
field. I applied for an electrical apprenticeship with the then National
Coal Board, somehow I passed the pre selection test, subsequent
interview and signed my indentures one Saturday in September 1970. Then
I had to face college, what a prospect. By the time I had enrolled, the
class was well established and already a month or more into the
syllabus. I was now faced with algebra, log tables, geometry and
trigonometry. I knew what a circle and triangle were, but little more. I
knew I had do something to catch up, but what? Discovering my own
learning techniques was the answer initially and then later from the
work done by Tony Buzan.
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My Techniques (a collection of techniques I devised
for myself)
Spelling
Maths
Word Usage
If I forget which is the correct way to
write a b or d, I say to myself "d for David" Since
knowing that the curve of a Capital D faces towards the right, I know
that the curve on the end d faces the to meet it. A P also face to the
right so I used this to differentiate between a p and 9, since a p is a
small P.
Which is Left and which is Write. (Not a
spelling mistake) The right is that hand that most people write with. (I
myself am left handed)
A S is just a more curlier 5.
Science becomes
sci ence, and pronounced ski-hence similarly
unique becomes uni que pronounced uni-queue the uni
sounding like uni in university.
To multiply
by 5 simply multiply by 10 and then divide by 2. i.e. 25 multiplied by
10 is 250 which divided by two gives an answer of 125.
To divide
by 5 you can divide by 10 and multiply by 2. thus 170 divided by
10 is 17 and multiplied by two becomes 34.
A more
complicated problem can be broken down. 36 multiplied by 25 can be split
into two parts. Since the 5 times table is easier to work out I would
divide the 25 by 5 which is 5. I now multiply 36 by 5, which gives 180,
now since I divided the 25 by 5 I need to multiply 180 by 5 hence the
answer is 900.
Word Usage
Learn the sentences
in bold Italics to aid correct usage.
There or their.
If an item is not here then it must be there. So remember
to add a t to here to make there.
Their heir will become king one day. adding a t to heir
to make their to mean belonging to.
Where, were or wear
If it is not here then where is it? Adding a w to here
now makes where
You wear earrings on your ears. This can work in two ways one
is to remember that wear is ear and a w, also to spell ear and not here.
You hear with your E ar. Notice that I have left a gap in ear so
that you remember it as capital E and ar. Adding an h to ear then makes
hear
Remembering Things
Parts of a ship
Stern Aft Port, and Starboard
Understanding
I try to find simple ways to explain how
things work. Analogies with real life is the best way. A few examples
are below:-
Capacitors
The dating game
Diodes
Diane Ode at a football Match.
Simple Logic
The chains that bind us.
Transistors
and the use of a night club.
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