Learning competency

Insufficient competency

Excessive competency

(overdependent or imbalanced)

Attention:    The ability to focus attention appropriately (but not excessively) on the task at hand, to concentrate, to exert effort even when a task is not intrinsically interesting or motivating.

·         Inability to stay focused

·         Distractability, impulsivity

·         Short attention span

·         Easily bored, need to be “amused” or “entertained”

·         Overly narrow focus on one thing at a time;  difficulties with multitasking

·         Obsessive thinking, over-deliberateness, cingulate behavior or worrying

·         Difficulties with switching perspectives

·         Inattention to new data, tunnel vision

Language:  The ability to use words (verbal symbols), both in terms of understanding words (receptive language) and in terms of using them to communicate one’s own ideas and thoughts (expressive language).

·         Difficulty in understanding verbal directions, misinterpretation of complex sentences

·         Weak vocabulary, problems with “decontextualized” terms and information

·         Difficulties in expressing ideas in speaking or writing

·         Problems with purely abstract information

·         Difficulty in processing nonverbal information

·         Difficulties in speaking or writing simply and directly

·         Overuse of multisyllabic terminology

·         Difficulty in accessing information experientially

Memory:  The ability to hold information in memory over the short term, to learn it for later recall, and to retrieve the information effectively as needed.

·         Problems keeping information in short term memory

·         Problems accessing information from long term memory

·         Problems with convergent thinking (single answers)

·         Difficulty keeping multiple priorities in mind

·         Problems in prioritizing information

·         Information overload

·         Difficulties in filtering out unwanted thoughts

·         Interference from irrelevant information

Sequential ordering:  The ability to understand and respond well to time sequences, including logical sequences that must occur in a specific order, as well as general time management and time awareness.

·         Difficulties in solving problems logically and systematically

·         Time management problems

·         Problems with deadlines

·         Difficulties in storytelling (insufficiently linear)

·         Rigid needs for structure;  inability to tolerate chaos

·         Overly linear approach

·         Difficulties handling “illogical” processes

·         Difficulties with nonlinear, “random access” learning

Spatial ordering:  The ability to understand and respond well to visual and spatial forms of organization, including the ability to visualize and to manage one’s own physical space well.

·         Inability to respond to visual-spatial data;  weak visualization skills

·         Problems accessing information that can’t be verbally labelled

·         Poor pattern recognition or weak observational skills

·         Physical disorganization or weak image management

·         Overly concrete style (can’t easily learn what can’t be visualized)

·         Excessive focus on form or appearance vs. content

·         Focus on observable irrelevancies

·         Overly experiential style of learning

Conceptual thinking:  The ability to handle abstractions well, to recognize examples of concepts, to think creatively or intuitively or “outside the box”, to be mentally quick and fluent.

·         Poor grasp of abstract concepts

·         Inability to recognize examples of abstract ideas

·         Difficulties with brainstorming or idea generation

·         Lack of imagination

·         Idiosyncratic thinking

·         Lack of practicality or reality testing

·         Addiction to theory for its own sake

·         Overreliance on intuitive reasoning

Social-emotional regulation:  The ability to relate well to others and to oneself, to manage interactions and one’s own emotional responses, to pick up on social cues, to maintain positive relationships, to exercise resilience and emotional intelligence.

·         Alienating others (peers, teachers) by missing cues or not caring what others think

·         Excessive self-reliance

·         Struggles with anxiety or other mood states

·         Combativeness or placating (difficulties with getting to a win-win solution)

·         Reliance on likeability rather than reasoning ability

·         Disinterest in learning due to overemphasis on sociability or popularity

·         Being too “political”

·         Being overly focused on impression management