learning disability
some students seem to be disadvantaged, not because of a learning disability as such, but rather because they have not been held accountable in previous educational classes and they are not prepared and ready to participate in the class subject they are enrolled in, holding hands and baby sitting has been getting them by so far and they expect this to continue and be giving a passing grade earned or not. trade schools are no exception to this.
I feel that holding students accountable in the lab classes is crutial for their development. Even if they have not been accountable before, they should look toward the future and the moment they are in. It makes things challenging for instructors, but accountablility is one of the fundamental life lessons they will learn in the real world, so push for them to be their best despite previous situations.
I think that in public schools a lot of the learning disabilities are overlooked and under identified. Teachers have too many students to be held accountable for and can't always see that one student has problems. Many students don't know they have a learning disability until its too late to really cope, they have already lost interest in school and they are frustrated. Many children with learning disabilies act out in class due to frustration so they are labled with A.D.D instead of being evaluated for other learning disabilities.
Last quarter I had a gentleman-student tell me about his learning disability and fear of reading. I did not call on him, but I did request that he bring artilces into class that he underlined and words he could not understand or know how to pronounce. This greatly assisted with his learning. He thanked me many times for working with him in this manner
When we have students who are aware of their disabilities and comfortable enough to discuss them, we can have great success. I think we need to make sure that students to advocate for themselves, and we as instructors can be supportive and work with them to make their educational experiences successful.
Clifton,
I agree with your sentiment but we need to be careful to distinguish between the student that you describe (discussed in a previous class) and the student with legitimate learning disabilities.
As highlighted in the module, people with learning disabilities are of average or above average intelligence. It is a "wiring" problem not a motivation problem. As adult learners they are highly motivated because they are seeking knowledge voluntarily. I would encourage you to review the material in the module again to help understand the difference better.
