There are many reasons why people don’t develop literacy skills. For some it’s lack of use. The brain is like any other muscle if you don’t use some of its skills they get lost. If an individual leaves school early without a strong foundation in reading they may not continue to read and the skill deteriorates. Then when the skill is required for a job many people limit themselves and don’t apply for jobs requiring reading.

For others they hid their difficulties in school and left school without ever learning to read. this is surprisingly common and yet shocking. there are a number of learners who cannot access the curriculum because they way its presented is not the way they learn. 

The neurodiverse students often struggle to learn when the  content is presented through words, either verbally, or through books. the picture thinking students dont learn with words , they dont learn with the sounds of words this leaves them lagging behind despite their inherent intelligence.

Unfortunately when it comes to numeracy the number of individuals struggling with basic mathematics is also high  in fact 17.9% of adults or 1 in6 score below level 1 on a scale of one to five. This means they will struggle understanding and solving very basic problems. The reasons for this are also varied maybe,  the habit of using a phone or calculator was developed .  Or they never enjoyed Maths.

In either reading or Maths it doesn’t matter what the reason: in many cases it’s because they had a learning difference that was unrecognized and if it was suitable teaching methods were not utilized.

The GOOD NEWS: It’s never too late to develop the skill of reading and enjoyment of reading a book.

Similarly Maths can be mastered so that you never have to be embarrassed or utter those words “I’M JUST BAD AT MATHS”

So Why/ oh Why? Would you continue to struggle or be embarrassed by your reading or Maths skills, when help is at hand.

Help is at hand. Put your summer to good use and upskill now.

For more information e mail: theparagraphchallenge@gmail.com/annemariebeggs@gmail.com