The Challenge of Learning Disabilities
Giving more time has worked in several cases. I have had the benefit of getting a learning plan from the office of ability services.
Are the assessments of these students always correct? Perhaps they were "misdiagnosed" and this is not a stigmatism. What should you do then?
Using the technique of having students assist each other is a method I have used since starting to teach.
Whether it helps with the challenge of learning disabilities, or any other condition that my hinder their learning, I have found on the whole that I put about the same amount of time into each student's specific needs and it all balances out in the end.
Sometimes assistance from peers in the classroom is easier for a student to accept, in that it helps them work thru accepting the issues affecting their learning, and develop new, socially based ways to over come those difficulties. I have not had a specific situation yet of someone having learning disabilities severe enough that I had to resort to suggesting tutoring, but this outline has helped me immensely in re thinking what I may be perceiving in a particular students performance.
I would think the biggest challenge is the comprehension of detailed technical skills necessary in career college. With additional time and coaching, I believe most students will understand, but patience on the part of the instructor is paramount!
What would you say is the greatest challenge to working with students with learning disabilities?
What are some specific instructional methods that have been successful for you when working with students with learning disabilities?
Being paicent with the student is somtimes time consuming but the impact and response you get back is well worth it when you take the time to help them be sucsesful
Verbaly reading a scantron quiz one on one
Walking through a recipe with the student one on one
Cooking the dish with the student step by step
Emailing power point to the student so they may reviwe it at thier own pace
The biggest problem that I have is my students reading levels, and being the medical field that is a huge problem. I make sure that they know I will help them to overcome this issue. I slow things down for them, and give them other things to help them learn..Pictures, charts, graphs. I also tell them to try and write things out in their own words, seems to help them to understand it a little better.
Learning styles vary by student, providing additional means to help them understand is the best way to help all students learn. In my online settings, I always provide a PowerPoint presentation to help the visual students. I use voice to help the auditory students, and I am always looking for ways to help the hands on students. Any suggestions here would be greatly appreciated.
Kimberly
This is a very tricky question because there are multitudes of different learning disabilities we must consider. However, I feel the best method of helping students is time, understanding and compassion. This means I may have to offer a student more time to complete an assignment. This of course depends on the student and the learning disabilities. This also depends on if the student has worked with the ADA department with the school.
Additionally, I may have to give more time of myself in terms of one-on-one tutoring for a student. This of course is a little more difficult in an online setting unless you are willing to provide students with a home phone number or a private Instant Message name.
I have spent multiple hours on the phone with students working through issues on assignments. One such case that I can remember was several years ago in a web design class I taught. Knowing how difficult the concepts can be, I told my students I was available at specific times to assist them with their projects. One student took advantage of the offer of my home phone number to a new level. In one weekend, this student phoned me 17 times to seek help with his assignment. Each phone call lasted on an average of 15-30 minutes. While I still offer my personal phone number to all students, I do so with restrictions of time.
Kimberly
Balancing your focus on them as well as the rest of the class to insure an overall excellent learning environment.
Finding out what works best for them and adjusting in order to accomodate and enhance their education. I ask them to answer in their own words so I know they understand and can then move on.
Carlos
I find that giving students with disabilities extra time to complete the required work really helps. Also, a little individual attention at the end of a class also seems to help. Many times they will need to ask another question for clarification but be reluctant to do so in class partly because they are aware of the time constraints we have.
One of my greatest challenges has been students who use the disability as a crutch and an excuse not to do the required work. Example: One student told me he was a kinesthetic learner and the only way he could learn would be for me to use "power-point" presentations. Another refused to stay in the classroom because students were talking and discussing the lesson. She claimed that because of her disability she had to work in perfect quiet.
The red tape is my biggest obstacle when dealing with students with a disability, ADA and FERPA.. offering extra time, allowing the lectures to be recorded or having somebody available to read the tests is not really that big of an issue.
The biggest challenge in working with students with disabilities is to discover which support works best with which student. Just because a student has a learning disability doesn't mean that a manipulative or support technique will always work. The instructor needs to listen and observe what works in the class and on exams to ensure that the challenged student is able to make use of the information presented.
the greatest challenge is finding a tool or a method to enable them to understand and process the required informations given on a subject. each case can vary greatly and can be sometime unique to the individual. conventional methods doesn't always apply.the igeniousity of the instructor can make a difference.
the best success i had was with a 50 year old student with mental and learning disabilities. after working with her i realize that the only way she could relate to me and understand me was by talking to her like a 10 year old child.
The greatest challenge I see, although I honestly have not had to experience yet, would be knowing or finding out what method of teaching will work best for the student based upon their needs. I have had a few students that had some trouble with reading and comprehension but it was not so severe that I would call it a disability, they just needed some extra instruction, which I can relate to, I have not always been the astute student that I am today.
William
McKinley,
I like your statement, "Someone was patient with me when I didn't understand." It is not someone's choice to not be able to understand. If we as instructors attempt to recognize when someone is not understanding, and try to find ways that person might understand, maybe the individual will not be so frustrated. Asking the individual ways that are helpful is a start; however, some individuals do not want to be different from everyone else and try to hid or work around the situation in what ever way they can.
So, perhaps a challenge is the acceptance by the individual with a disability that they may learn different from others in the class, and it is okay. Learning different than others has nothing to do with the value of the person or what they can accomplish. Others in the class room also need to understand that someone who learns different is not a "dummy" and incapable of succeeding in the course. One just needs to figure out what methods work best for a specific individual and then use them.
one of the biggest challenges is trying to recognize students with learning disabilities early enough to provide the necessary intervention. The main instructional method I use is providing the student sufficient time to the student to oomplete assignments & exams in class.
The biggest problem is making sure that the students that are not disabled get equal time. The best thing is to have after class time.
The greatest challenge for me has been when I suspect that a learning disability may be involved but the student does not request my assistance with the issue. I have been successful with one on one tutoring sessions. They allow the student to have a more directed focus placed on them and also allows the student more freedom to discuss their issue and the needs involved than they may feel in a full classroom
