The Use of Color to Treat Learning Problems

I am queen of color. Or, so I tell my students as I work with them, invariably using color as a training tool. Of course, they also think I'm a nut case, and that may well be true, but bottom line is this: I get results with color. A normal child spends most of his day in school, dealing with black and white. Most of this day is spent with a black lead pencil, books printed in black and white, and worksheets and workbooks also printed in black and white. It seems their world is black and white, perhaps with a few colored moments. For a left-brained child, this is not an issue at all. His brain does not require color to function well. However, a right-brained child, who sees world in color and pictures, craves and needs color to succeed in an academic setting. Without it, he loses interest in topic at hand and slowly fades away. This student is often diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder or a learning disability. This may indeed be true. But, more often than not, this child is misdiagnosed and misunderstood. However, I have had excellent results with these right-brained kids simply with use of color. Following are some color activities that have proven to be extremely helpful for students with learning problems. 1. When they do their math, I have them use a colored pencil. I use blank paper and model correct math steps using a colored marker. Each step gets a different color. 2. Math facts are taught using color, a story, and a picture. The entire fact is included with story and picture. The traditional black and white flash cards that don’t have answer available will not work with a student with learning problems. These kids need other clues to help them memorize. That is where picture, story, and color come in. 3. Spelling words are also practiced in color. I have them write all of vowels in one color and all of consonants in another. Or, I will have them write each syllable with a different color. Another color activity I have them do is to write spelling word in color. Then, I have them cover up word and try to write it from memory forward and backward.

Learning With Today's Child

I spend most of my time working with students who are severely struggling in school. And most of this time is spent teaching correct processing skills. The information does not seem to move through their bodies and brains as it does in most people. And yet, there seem to be so many of these children. I have ideas about why there are so many children today who don't seem to be "wired" correctly. I also know that it takes a lot of work to "rewire" brain to work correctly. Yet, once this is done these students learn, succeed , and thrive in a world that was once dark and bleak. We live in a fast paced society. Children today rarely have to wait for anything. They have instant access to information, fun, food, etc. Video games are graphic and fast paced, and often violent. Television commercials flip on and off at a frenzied pace. Computers have been designed to be faster and faster, and we get impatient when we must wait a few seconds. Most people have high speed internet connection. And, yes, our children live in this society. So what does this have to do with learning and processing information? Well, fact is that since these young children don't have to wait to see images, their brains, in effect, become lazy and don't develop properly. Think back to your childhood. We did not have all of this technology. We waited for almost everything, and we were quite active. (Sometimes I wonder how we even survived). But, our bodies, which are connected to our brains, were developing properly. We were outside hanging upside down out of trees or playing kick can. We learned to read, write, do our math and school work. Our handwriting was legible. Our bodies developed gross motor skills and then we were ready for fine motor skills required in school. We were "connected" and there were very few children who required help or assistance. Attention Deficit Disorder had not even been heard of at this point in time. Well, what can parents and teachers do to help develop these lost skills? There are many programs, activities, and exercises available. Following are some basic suggestions that may help you if you have a student who is struggling in school.