Learning strategies

Learning strategies are important for the completion of tasks, information storage and expression and demonstration of tasks. They help learners address common challenges, such as:

• What to do when they come to an unknown word (i.e. a decoding strategy for word recognition)
• How to ensure that they understand and remember information as they read (i.e. a strategy for self-directed comprehension questions as they read)
• How to integrate visual and text information (i.e. a strategy for repeatedly viewing a graphic as they read about it).²³

What are the most essential strategies to learn?

Although adults with learning disabilities will have varied skill-based needs, the following are the common areas of difficulty for adults with learning disabilities. This section will provide some suggestions of skill-based strategies in the following areas.

• Computation and problem-solving: Verbalization, visualization, chunking, making associations, using cues.
• Memory: Visualization, verbalization, mnemonics, making associations, chunking, and writing. These are usually more effective when used in combinations.
• Productivity: Verbalization, self-monitoring, visualization, using cues.
• Reading accuracy and fluency: Finger-pointing or tracking, sounding out unknown words, self-questioning for accuracy, chunking, and using contextual clues.
• Reading comprehension: Visualization, questioning, rereading, predicting.
• Writing: Planning, revising, questioning, using cues, verbalization, visualization, checking and monitoring.²⁴