Supporting Students with Learning Difficulties

Article

Learning difficulties are a central concern in school environments, presenting significant challenges not only for education professionals, but also for families with school-aged children. This guide has been designed to provide you with practical and targeted resources so you can effectively support students facing these difficulties and boost their motivation.

 Learning difficulties may stem from environmental factors, such as the family, social or school environment, or from cognitive factors, such as the presence of specific learning disabilities. To better address these issues, this guide is organized into three sections, each offering targeted resources to support students with socioaffective, educational, or cognitive difficulties.

Helping Students with Socioaffective Difficulties

Socioaffective difficulties relate to emotions and social interactions, both of which can impact a student’s academic performance.


Teachers play an essential role in supporting the social and emotional development of their students. One example of a socioaffective difficulty is performance anxiety, which can inhibit a child’s ability to think clearly or understand what is being taught. Another example is lack of motivation, which is often connected to problems at home and disadvantaged backgrounds and can hamper a student’s level of engagement and interest in school. Here are some articles and resources to help you support students dealing with these kinds of difficulties.

soutenir les élèves défavorisés

Supporting Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds with Alloprof

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are at greater risk of socioaffective difficulties that impact their learning. In order to effectively address these issues, an inclusive and compassionate approach is essential. Teachers, in their role as supportive adults, have the power to make a difference in the lives of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This article suggests ways to foster their sense of belonging at school.

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stratégies pour motiver les éleves

Proven Strategies for Motivating Students

Difficulties at school can stem from any number of factors, including a lack of motivation. As a teacher, your actions and choices have an impact and can help your students become more engaged in their learning. Discover research-backed methods for boosting student motivation.

Discover Our Strategies
créer des liens significatifs

How to Make Meaningful Connections with Your Students

Learning difficulties can be exacerbated by a lack of motivation and commitment on the part of students, which often comes down to the connection they have with their teachers. Although quality teacher-student relationships take time and may look different from one student or class to another, they are vitally important for student motivation and academic success and as such, deserve to be nurtured. Here are a few tips on how to foster meaningful connections with your students.

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Stress et anxiété scolaire

Supporting Students with School Stress and Anxiety

Although stress and anxiety can be beneficial in small doses, frequent and persistent stress can be detrimental to academic performance. Here are some resources and strategies to help your students cope with these issues.

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Inspirational Quotes

Motivational and Inspirational Quotes for Academic Success

For students, persevering in the face of obstacles can be a real challenge. But sometimes, a little encouragement from their teacher can be just the thing they need to stay the course!  Pop these inspiring quotes into your students’ agendas, or display them in your classroom to give kids a boost of motivation!

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Should You Go to School?

Poster: Why Should You Go to School?

When students struggle, they tend to lose motivation, and the vicious circle of learning difficulties persists and grows. They start to question the point of going to school and wonder why they need to learn what’s being taught. Alloprof Teachers has put together a cheerful poster to remind them of the benefits of school and help them stay motivated.

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Checklist

Poster: Checklist for Exam Success

Students who are dealing with stress and performance anxiety are more likely to have mental blocks that keep them from remembering all they have learned come exam time. Help your students feel better prepared for their exams by keeping this handy checklist on display in your classroom. You can also hand out copies for your students to refer to as needed. 

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Supporting Students with Learning Difficulties

Students whose learning style differs from their teacher’s teaching style, or whose work methods are ineffective, are at greater risk of encountering learning difficulties. There is no doubt that educational support is essential to helping these kids overcome their challenges. In this section, you’ll find teaching resources and educational approaches designed to foster the academic success of every student.

difficultés en lecture

How to Help Students Who Struggle with Reading

The signs of reading difficulties can be hard to spot, as they tend to be less obvious than problems with writing or mathematics skills. Although some students take to reading with ease, many need explicit instruction in reading strategies to succeed. This article proposes specific strategies to help students overcome their obstacles to reading.

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difficultés en écriture

How to Help Students Who Struggle with Writing

Writing difficulties are one of the major challenges that students come up against at school. Given the wide range of possible issues and interventions, Alloprof has put together an overview of some of the most common obstacles and the recommended strategies to overcome them.

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aider vos élèves ayant des défis en français

Cool Tools to Help Your Students with French

Many students struggle to learn French. To help them succeed, we’ve put together a host of practical learning resources adapted to the subject.

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différenciation pédagogique

Differentiated Instruction with Alloprof

A strategic approach to preventing learning difficulties requires adapting to the unique characteristics and needs of your students. By using differentiated instruction, you can optimize each student’s development. Read our article to learn more.

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Enseignement explicite

Explicit Instruction: Alloprof Resources to Help You

Learning difficulties can often be exacerbated by a lack of clearly stated expectations and educational objectives. Explicit teaching is a great way to help students overcome these challenges. Its aim is to make clear the intentions, objectives, strategies, and key concepts of what is being taught.

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K-W-L Chart

Tool: The K-W-L Chart

Sometimes, students struggle to assimilate new information when they can’t make the connection between what they are learning and what they already know. The K-W-L chart is designed to help students activate their prior knowledge and build a general understanding of a new topic.

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Learning Objective

Tool: Explain the Learning Objective

This tool gives students a clear idea of what is expected of them at the end of an activity or lesson. Explaining the objectives ahead of time helps them structure their work and understand why they are doing it.  

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Supporting Students with Cognitive Difficulties

Cognitive issues, such as ADHD, and learning disabilities like dyslexia and dyscalculia can impact a student’s academic skill, self-esteem, and motivation. By employing strategies tailored to your students’ needs, you’ll help them overcome these obstacles and experience success.

dyslexie

What is Dyslexia?

Teachers need a strong understanding of dyslexia to effectively help students with this learning disorder. This article, initially written for parents, provides an overview of dyslexia and offers strategies on how to make learning and homework easier for dyslexic children. We encourage you to share it with parents to improve teacher-parent collaboration and reinforce the support these children receive, both at home and at school.

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dyscalculie

Tips for Managing Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is a neurological disorder that affects a child’s ability to learn math. It has nothing to do with intelligence or a lack of stimulation. As a teacher, a good understanding of this disorder is vital in order to better support students affected by it.

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TDAH

Studying with ADHD

Students with ADHD often struggle with time management and organization. These challenges can affect their ability to keep pace with what’s being taught. This article is full of simple tips specifically designed to help them improve their work methods. Share this article with your students to give them additional tools for overcoming these hurdles and becoming more autonomous. 

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trucs et astuces

ADHD: Tips to Make Studying and Homework Time Easier

This article from Alloprof Parents gives advice on how to support children with ADHD, a condition that affects concentration, organization, and self-esteem. It’s a great resource to share with the parents of your ADHD students, because it contains tried-and-true strategies for making study and homework time easier for their children.  

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Organization Tool

Organization Tool To Plan a Successful Exam Prep

Preparing for exams can be a major challenge for students, especially those with learning difficulties, as they may struggle with time management and organization. To overcome these difficulties, Alloprof has developed a tool for planning study sessions. Feel free to recommend it to your students!

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Homework Planning Tool

Weekly Homework Planning Tool

Time management doesn’t come easily to all students. Having access to tools that help them organize their homework and lesson review can be invaluable! By sharing this tool with your students, you can help them effectively structure their homework and review time.

Sharing the Tool with Students
Prioritize

Learning to Prioritize

Students with learning difficulties can get overwhelmed by their many school tasks and obligations—not to mention everything they need to get done outside of school. To help them overcome these challenges, Alloprof has put together a table inspired by the Eisenhower Matrix. It’s an effective way for them to categorize and prioritize all their activities. Encourage your students to use it as a way to foster their autonomy and set themselves up for success. 

Recommend This Tool to Your Students

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