As was stated in some of the other replies using examples or real life experience is a great way to help students with learning needs to understand and comprehend the situations easier.
When trying to study a healthcare related field, students must learn a complete new language. Medical terminology can be scary because a lot of the terms are long and hard to pronounce. We have taken the approach of giving the students about a dozen terms to learn each week throughout each semester and correlating those terms with the current subject matter.
I loved this challenge. I had a student who kept failing the simplest vocabulary tests. When she and I sat down to discuss her academics, she shared with me some of her feelings of failure from her past school experience. She had never made good grades in her life. We worked together after school with made up "pop quizes" (I would create just for her) to determine what words/definitions were specifically giving her trouble. I would try to give ananlogies or word associations so that she would not forget. The first time she got an A on her vocabulary test, she cried and hugged me so hard I thought she was going to break me in half! She shouted out to the class "I have never made an A before"! The class cheered! It was the best feeling an instructor could ever have. I also had a LOT of hispanic students one particular year. I had to work after school many times with them to work on pronunciation, etc. But their love for learning touched me so much that I prepared a speech for their graduation IN SPANISH (which I do not speak) so that their family in the audience would know how these students touched my heart! It was another one of those moments as an instructor that you felt it was worth every minute of extra effort! Christina
Currently I have two students who speak English but have difficulty when it comes to certain terms especially in relation to the program they are in. What seems to work the best in these situations is to use examples of what the English terms mean (in the context of what they are learning) and helping them to figure out from their language perspective what is the "similar meaning" word in their primary language. I have also found some of the difficulty lies in the cultural perception of the word and it's application so sometimes the example of not only what it means but how it is used and applies is helpful.
Stephanie,
yes the past modifications are a great way for us to learn how to best serve & assist these students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
With my middle school students i often modify the assignment expectations into smaller chunks so they don't feel overwhelmed by the work. With adult learners I talk with them to understand what modifications helped them previously and try to incorporate as many of them as possible into my course.
Excusing students from assignments is not helping them learn to live with their learning needs and should not be a modification that is routinely made by teachers.
marla,
these are great strategies as it provides the help the students need as well as showing them that we care & want to help.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Students will learning needs have freqauently required additional time for testing, others have had englis as an issue. I have some times spent individual time with the student to assit with the reading and understanding of the concepts.
My students are all working in a hands-on environment. Sometimes I have students who have trouble remembering words or procedures because they might process more slowly. I repeat the terms as I am modeling and again while I am mentoring. I keep going over the words and procedures until they grasp the concepts. Sometimes I just question and let the other students help to fill in the blanks.
Communication is important to understand the challenges the student is facing. Once I know where the student is struggling we can make a plan to help overcome the obstacle. Sometimes it requires tutoring, or creative activities to help the student identify with the new topic.
Robert ,
I think one of the keys is helping them feel secure & offering them the extra help.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Help them to feel secure in the classroom setting. Acknowledge their good work, just as you would any other student. Privately, offer them extra help during your after class office hours. Make sure they are accepted when doing group work.
William,
yes often a student who is struggling will benefit from the interactions & focused effort of the smaller groups, this is a great idea.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I found that using study group help individuals with learning disabilities.
Lindsey,
yes, the mental images help provide that structure & the pictures that they need to recall later.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I've found that using pictures or pointing to things on the clinic floor helps give students a visual and helps them to retain what we are learning. I've also found that constant review outside of the allotted class time is a major benefit
Some of my students have limited vocabulary and I use simpler terms to explain the new term.I also instruct on the meaning of prefixes and suffixes. I provide more time to talk and explain where my explanation stopped making sense.I always state my pride in them and my strong belief in their learning abilities.
to try to fullfill first the needed part by different ways making it easy for them to get the information
I have found that using visual models to supplement my lectures has helped increase their ability to grasp more complex concepts.
I also have found that framing a concept using real world scenarios that the student can relate also helps the student achieve a certain level of understanding.
Karen,
the real life examples & illustrations are a tremendous way for our students to connect abstract concepts with concrete practice.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
