I think as the program said. Finding out what has worked with them before. Offering your time for tutoring and giving them more time
some students that have learning disabilities are pressured by knowing they have to successfully complete an assighnment in an alloted amount of time. If they have more time or are not limmited to time, they are more relaxed and can utilize their memory bank more effectively and be more successful
Being able to figure out how a student has learned new material in the past can be very helpful in developing a 'play book' for that student. I have noticed that if a student is good at working with their hands but not good at putting their ideas on paper, I can work with them on establishing how to go about completing an assignment based on past experiences. I will give them an example of what they need to accomplish with their writing and then let them do the work on their own for a short period of time. I will check the work they have completed and then give them feedback and let them know what they need to think about for the next paragraph(s). I will give them a set of guidelines and checkpoints so they know when to stop and evaluate their own progress. Giving the student a 'play book' can be as simple as writing a couple key points down in their notebook or starting a conversation within a group of students and then 'fading' into the background, making sure I listen to the content of that conversation. When key points come up in the conversation I will chime in and reenforce that point. If a student has problems with reading I will have that student break the material into smaller units and focus on one or two key points. As the students level of understanding increases I will give an impromptu one on one verbal quiz. I will also encourage students to finish my sentences when working one on one.
spend some one on one time with them... find out what works for them.. sometimes a little extra help will go a long way
giving the student more time and knowing what worked best for them in the past.
Typically they require more time. Asking a student what has helped in the past will help instructors to provide assistance to the student immediately.
Giving the student more time is one of the most helpful things as teachers we can do as it allows them to make what ever adjustments that help them.
I instruct at a Culinary School in the inner city. I have many students that are challenged by testing. IEP's are common-place here and there are a variety of accomodations that are in place. I think the most common is just giving the student as much time as they feel they need. This takes the anxiety of the clock out of the equation.
I think it is very important for every career school to have academic assistants that only help with students of need. These assistants are knowledgeable in the field and can help with anything from vocabulary to key concepts. Knowing that someone is always available to help them would reduce the stress of these students. This would be free to students and it would help them be successful in school.
The approach I have taken is to give more time, had a student at one point was very concerned about their writing abilities. I sat down with this individual re: writing assignment and explained the content is there, this is a positive.. leave me work with you to help to assemble this content properly....
Giving them a little more time on things, and some more attention to the student(s).
giving them more time to complete tasks.
Instructional support for students with learning disabilities is giving them more time to complete assignments and also keeping the student focused on the work. By keeping the student on task this keeps their minds on their work therefore wasting less time.
In the past i have had students who have asked me if they can take the test by themselves because they are distracted, ither have ask me for more time because is hard for them to understand the reading.
Then I had a student last block who told me he was just not good at test taking. I offer him to take the test on his own, but this did not help.
i like the idea offerin the reading which suggest adding a line-box around the question so the student would not loose his concentration with words from other questionsa.
I am going to try this.
Thank you,
Hi Michael!
Learning is a building lock process and I really like the idea of bilding on the positive.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Robert!
Even though I agree with using what has worked in the past. I like to offer students new alternatives which often brings them to a different level. It's important not to get caught in a rut.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
Ed106 Facilitator
I like this approach Sue!
Any time a student feels like they are going to be successful, they work harder. Personal success is very important!
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
often the students have some of the best ideas on what kind of support they. i try to check in often and see how they are doing and if they need other kinds of support
Doesn't it kinda depend on what the learning disability is? Isn't that one of the points of this module?
I think the first step for the instructor is to verify that there is actually a learning disability. I've had students over the years that say they have one, but are vague on the details, produce no documentation, and after the initial conversation (where I ask what they need and what I can do to help, and freely offer to do whatever I can), most often, the "disability" is never mentioned again even when I pull the student aside to discuss their progress or ask how they're feeling about their progress.
I wonder what percentage of students who claim/admit to have a disability have ever been formally diagnosed, versus the percentage who have diagnosed themselves based on previous academic performance.
So I hope I'm not sidestepping the question - I do think it depends on the particular disability that the student has. It also depends, however, on formally establishing that there IS a disability that can be handled with the appropriate assistance.
Pressure will cause the student fail or quit. Give them more time and support.
