Top-down and bottom-up learning

1. Bottom-up

1.1. With bottom-up learning you start with the basic language units like words, and then move on to more complex structures

1.2. Bottom-up learning refers to learning implicit knowledge first and then learning explicit knowledge on that basis (i.e., through “extracting” implicit knowledge)

1.3. Tips: Discuss all the smaller structures with the child and make sure they understand this before you teach them about more complex structures.

2. Top-down:

2.1. With top-down learning you look at language as a whole and concentrate on the meaning rather than the grammatical structures or individual words

2.2. Top-down learning refers to learning explicit knowledge first and then learning implicit knowledge on that basis (i.e., assimilating explicit knowledge into an implicit form).

2.3. Tips: Make sure the child understand why they are learning the theory etc. before making them do an assignment. Top-down learning need the know the meaning behind something before they start doing it

3. Dyslexia

3.1. There isn't necessarily any theory about what way of learning children with dyslexia prefer. Learning disorders are very personal and everyone prefers their own way of learning. So you can't really say that children with dyslexia prefer top-down or bottom-up learning. This is different for every child.