Melissa,
I agree with you. Generally this helps the student as he/she won't be embarrassed by the need for more help.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have found that if one student needs a little more help on a subject than everyone else (and therefore is taking too much time in class), it is best to arrange time outside of class (before, after, office hours) for a little one-on-one (or small group) instruction.
Its unfortunate that we do not always know when a student has a specific learning need that will make learning the material much easier for them unless it is oficially diagnosed and documented. Some signe are generally easy to recognize however, and I think that the reading skills for test taking are very important. I make sure the student understand the word being used, so when they see it in a test , they can undertsnad the question being asked.
Early/extra feedback on their work & encouraging them to use additional resources such as a dictionary or tutoring.
jacqueline,
this is a great point to be aware of how we can help all our learners, even if they don't have a specific, diagnosed disability.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As an instructor in a career college ,where the student has to take an entance exam I have not had to deal with this issue. The major area of difficulty is helping students in note taking, and study habits.
Joe,
this is great & I think something we are too afraid to do too often. It's either we think we will offend or we think we need to pretend we have it all together. But what a great way to connect with these students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Help them understand better by spending more time with that individual also offer tutoring services
I try to use my limited foreign language skills to show students that while they are trying to learn english, I am trying to learn their language.
David,
this is a great example of some accomodations that can be made to help the students with retention in a shorter time frame.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
With a compressed learning session, I find that some of my information has to be directly memorized. I use nemonic devices. I also will use at times flash cards. The use of these simple tools has worked to improve content retention.
Jason,
these are all great ideas & demonstrate the need for us to be willing to meet the students where they are & then to help them in any way we can.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
When working with individuals with learning disabilities, I allow them the forum to communicate effectively with me about what types of assistance they need in order to be successful. I think open communication is important to the long term success of the student/instructor relationship.
Jennifer,
the one to one meeting is a great idea as it provides a safe environment for the student to open up about struggles he/she may be having. It also demonstrates your willingness to help him/her in the future.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I've found giving these students various learning tools was a good way to help them retain new information, from lecture, to printing the power points out and suggesting they record the lectures. From there we would come up with a nightly plan to read the chapter, listen to the lecture and reiterate all the new concepts.
One thing that I do whenever I notice a student struggling with the course is set up a one on one meeting. I find out from the student what ways they learn best. I ask how they study, how they take notes etc. I then give them pointers and new ideas that may help them learn a little better.
I recently had a student who came to me because she was having trouble with spelling tests. This was in an other instructors class, but she came to me for help. I told her that I would give her a practice spelling test if she wanted. She did not have time to stay after school, so I told her to first write each word ten times in a row, and then have someone in her family give her a spelling quiz. I recommended that she continue the practice quiz until she felt confident with her spelling. After that class, she thanked me and let me know her spelling grades did in fact go up.
Kelly,
yes, this is an excellent point. Sometimes we feel if we just repeat the information more slowly & louder then they'll "get it." We need to communicate with them & discover how the information needs to be delivered to help it stick.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I used to do this as a career. I taught RSP. Students with learning disabilities require a bit of a different approach. They often don't learn just by repetition, they really need it to be explained in several different ways until it sticks.
Monica,
the key is in your statement, "meet the student where they are." When we have this mind set we have a much greater chance of helping our students & seeing them be successful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Jimin,
I agree that the effort of spending the extra time with the student & demonstrating that we are here to help them goes miles towards them being successful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
