1st Edition

Why Can't I Help this Child to Learn? Understanding Emotional Barriers to Learning

By Helen High Copyright 2012
    166 Pages
    by Routledge

    166 Pages
    by Routledge

    The book outlines theories of child development from the point of view of the kinds of relationships children make with adults and the effects of their relationships on their learning. In addition, anxieties that some children show about reading, writing and arithmetic are described. In exploring these issues the book draws on Attachment Theory and on Psychoanalytic theories of emotional development. It includes detailed case studies to illustrate ways in which children's learning can be hindered by their difficulties in relating to teachers and the feelings and fantasies that some children have about words and letters. There has been recent political concern that children should all learn to read in their early years at school and extra help should be offered to those who are falling behind. The expectation in political circles seems to be, however, that straightforward extra help with reading will be sufficient, in all cases, to enable a child who has fallen behind to catch up. There has been no general recognition of the need to address underlying emotional problems in some cases, such as those described in this book.

    Introduction: the origins of educational psychotherapy , The Theoretical Background to Educational Psychotherapy , Theoretical principles applied in educational psychotherapy , Psychoanalytic theory of development and unconscious mental processes , The potential space and indirect communication in educational psychotherapy , “Once upon a time”: the symbolic meaning of fairy tales and their use in educational psychotherapy , Educational Psychotherapy Case Studies , Work with a hard-to-reach child , The effect of loss on learning: the stillborn sibling , A boy who used numbers as a defence against feelings , Family dynamics and the educational experience , Applications of Educational Psychotherapy , Therapeutic story groups: educational psychotherapy in a school setting , What can educational psychotherapy teach teachers?

    Biography

    Helen High