Strategies for Working with Students with Learning Needs
What are some strategies that you have used when working with students with learning needs?
the more senses involved in ;earning something the better the student will learn it. Making them get up and walk to the board and write it is great because you are engaging kinetic learning as well as visual and auditory.
I work with a high school robotics team on the side and our group always attracts the kids with issues (- academic, psycho/social, or environmental) and many of them can't read a tape measure let alone know what a tool is. We start with where they are like + and - screwdrivers and work our way to Phillips and straight edge, or "the first big line after the number" till they learn what a 1/4", 1/8", and 1/2" are. You have to speak their language until they learn the real words. It can be a long hard road for some of them.
I just taught the 12 cranial nerves last night and we did it with a song that had hand gestures that were imitative or suggestive of the function of each nerve.They had a written copy of the words, a video to watch of someone singing it and then they had to do it themselves. I made the whole class stand up and do it together.
I agree. Once the confidence is there you can build upon fundamentals and ask them to complete more complex tasks; all the while associating new content with a foundation of what they are comfortable with allowing growth.
I am a strong believer in repetition, repetition, and repetition! I really like the idea of utilizing words that are in the course, pronouncing them, defining them, and obtaining feedback from the ESL students. That is something I can do working in an accelerated program.
I try to incorporate and interlace their life experiences and personal perception into the subject taught, participation with computers and technology seems to capture the students’ attention and exploration.
some of the strategies I use to help students with learning needs is to try to gather as much information about the student and their needs to personalize my instruction for that student. If a student is not a great reader and cant test well the I use visual as well as a hands on approach with that student.
Extending test taking time is a required accomodation for students that can demonstrate a learning disability via an MD statement.
In my class I always get students with learning difficulties due to their lack of vocabulary and lack of word application skills. My strategy is to explain complex ideas by using commonly used words without completely omitting the new terminologies and their complex meanings. I consciously bring forth the complex words and the ideas they contain while using simple language structure. This I repeat many times during course. I also make sure that the students with no learning needs are not allowed to get bored.
I have tried becoming a personal tutor to them. Sometimes this helps them feel like a part of the class, only because they don't feel that way in class because they aren't quite grasping the information right away.
The best strategy is simply invest more time into the students and relax guidelines occasionally with that student.
Students with learning needs can be challenging. I for one know this because I am one. I see the deer in the headligths look on their face and known at that moment there is a cry for help. Taking time to stop and question the confusion is a must in order not to loose the student and create an obstacle. Many times it takes understanding the break down of communication is all that is needed. Then motivation is restored to the student.
Rebecca Boghich
When developing small groups to work on an assignment, it is critical that you identify who in that group is having difficulty reading and understanding text or written procedures for hands-on working activities. Failing to identify these students not only puts the students learning at risk but could lead to an accident in the lab.
I start to build group lists based on observed skills and weaknesses, days before any team assignment is handed out with the objective of having a balance of reading and communication shills. Obviously the goal is to provide someone in each group that can act as a team leader and translate if/when necessary.
Slow the pace. Break down the content. Create pnumonics. Create patterns to follow.
First, give positive feed back then constructive criticism.
The first tactic is to have a hands-on one-on-one demonstration. When I do this I find that other students stop what they are doing and watch and listen. If it is in the classroom setting, I try to make it relevant to that student, I will come up with examples for them, so that they will then grasp the information I am trying to get across.
its dependable issue cause it depends on the level of students sharing and education level so we have to use different ways and strategies to make sure that we reached our goals and objectives in the end
Building bridges between experience and new concepts is imprtant for al learners. I am a better instructor for all of my students when I lay out clear points and help my class make connections with the content. Many times, the students who "get it" early on are not as familiar as they seem and benefit from extra time and attention to members with learning needs.
I sometime simplify the language, give real life examples, and mix students into study groups where they feel more comfortable discussing the subject matter. I also engage students one-on-one when necessary.
