Reflections on learning differences
Short essays exploring how learning works — and why it sometimes doesn’t.
These reflections grow from real experience, observation, and practice.
Many learning difficulties are discussed in terms of labels, strategies, or outcomes.
These reflections focus instead on processes: what happens while a child is reading, calculating, memorising, or trying to keep up. Understanding these mechanisms is often the first step towards offering meaningful support.
Below are the most recent reflections.
Latest reflections
When reading is not automatic, meaning takes a back seat
Why reading fluency matters — and why time is not the enemy.
⏱ 7 min read · 🎧 Audio
When writing uses all the brain: why automaticity matters
Why writing can block thinking, and what happens when ideas move faster than the hand.
⏱ 8 min read · 🎧 Audio · 🛠️ Tool available
When listening becomes a foundation for learning
Why listening matters, and how it supports learning over time.
6 min read · Audio coming soon
A simple strategy, a huge difference
How a small structural change can turn a maths task from overwhelming to manageable, revealing what the student actually knows.
6 min read · Audio coming soon ·Tool available