HELPING WITH LEARNING DISABILLITY
Students are embarrased about their disability and will not talk about it they want to be normal like everyone else it's up to us as instructors to identify the problem and work with them to help them suceed.
Lawrence,
this is a great strategy to help make it a comfortable environment for the students & to be more willing to open up.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I teach math and as such I discuss the anxiety that math has given a lot of students in the past. We discuss as a class this anxiety and how it applies to each individual. Those students without such anxiety I use to help others with this problem. By openly discussing this topic I can bring into consideration that my being the youngest in my class Often gave me problems because I never worked from an understanding basis in my grade school and high school math. I coped because I had the knowledge of how to do a problem or could find an example of how to do something I did not readily "get." This admission is often enough to get those who have used different coping skills to discuss those with the class and to find others who have the same anxieties.
I will try to do my part to help them understand the topic we are discussing with either additional tutoring or trying to explain it in a differant manner to try to get them to understand better....because maybe the way the other students understand by explaining it one way may not be the best way for other students so I will try taking a differant approach
They do feel embarrased and sometimes affraid to let us know that they have a learning issue. It is our jobs to try and see when something is not right, and try and find a way to help. We can not just come out and ask if they have a learning disablity. But we can look for signs, and try too offer help in the form of different teaching technics. Also be awear of their feelings when talking about the problem.
I agree. Students often feel stigmatized by their disabilities, especially if they don't realize that they may have one (a very common occurrence, in my experience). As instructors, our understanding of these LDs can be instrumental in their successes.
