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This interactive kit includes animations, activities, and resources to help you explore why you may find learning hard, and discover ways to help yourself learn.

Helping Myself Learn

Find a Program

There are many things to consider when you are looking for the right program for the next stage of your learning.

You may need to find out what programs you are allowed to attend. Some have prerequisites (levels or courses that have to be completed first), and some are only available to certain groups of people (for example: new immigrants, or citizens, or youth).

You will also want to find one that suits your situation. Some programs only run during the day, or the evening; some offer childcare. If you take a course at some institutions in Canada, you can get government funding, bursaries, loans or employment insurance while you study. Ask about the supports. Some programs involve language tests or other entrance exams. Ask about these tests. Can you have extra time if you need it? Will they let you talk instead of write? Do they need a letter from your doctor before they will give you these supports?

It is all quite complicated. Try not to get overwhelmed. If you can, find someone in your area to help you learn about all your choices.

Most importantly, when choosing a program, course or teacher, try to make sure you will get lots of encouragement and be treated with equal respect whether you learn quickly and easily or struggle to learn.

If you know about your own learning style, or ways of teaching that helps you the most, you can tell your instructor or tutor about them. On this site you can learn more about approaches to help you learn if you have been through violence, especially in the rest of the Helping Yourself Learn section. You can also send your teacher or tutor to this site, especially the Helping Others Learn section so that they understand how violence affects learning, and find ways to help you learn well. But if you have talked to your teacher, and their teaching style still isn’t working for you, you might be able to move to another section of that course, or another course, or find another tutor. Find out ALL your options—be creative! You deserve to have a teacher and a program where you can learn!

If you cannot make changes that work for you, and you have to stay with that particular instructor, or that program, remember that the problem is NOT you. It’s just a matter of approach and style. You are not “too sensitive,” or wrong, or stupid. Remember that nothing lasts forever and nothing is written in stone. With help, you can find a way to shift things around, in time. If you can, keep adjusting things until they’re truly right for you. YOU CAN LEARN when the time is right, in the right place, with the right teacher. You deserve the best — a chance to learn and enjoy learning!

Help finding a program if you are new to Ontario

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