Lynne,
these are all great methods to lend assistance to students who may be struggline & to your point also provides help to all students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Depending on the disability you could provide notes in a larger font, have the lecture recorded, have a student take notes for the student with the disability, and allow more time to complete tests. All students can benefit from any of these instructional supports.
Having just completed only my second year in teaching, I have limited experience with this. I have only had two officially diagnosed learning disabled students who requested accomodations. In both cases it was agreed that they would start at the same pace as the rest of the class with the option to have extra help at any time. I took extra time on lectures with those classes and concentrated on covering literally every topic in the course book verbally with examples. For tests I read all of the questions aloud and restated them if necessary until everyone was clear on the intent. I often found that students other than that requesting accomodation were confused, but afraid to speak up. Both of my students did well with this and declined separate spoken testing options. One graduated and found employment immediately, the other was pulled from the program midway by his parents in spite of his progress. I think that some parent's attempts to protect their children from failure cripple their development more than the cognitive problems.
Most students with learning disabilities that I encounter have trouble reading. They may know the material that they are going to be tested or quizzed on very well but the get confused when reading the test questions. If possible, it may help to give the test verbally.
Harrison,
yes, if time & schedule allows the sit down conversation is a great idea. Through this interaction the student can see that we truly care & really want to help him/her be successful.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I always want to sit down and talk with the student to find out whats helps I can use for them and also come up with a secret signal from them they can use during class to notify me of a rough spot so I can elaborate.
Allowing for more time for comprehension, review upon return from a break, summarizing reading assignments to ensure the student understood the material, asking the student if they are getting what they need as far as support and giving more if need be.
John,
there really are many students who struggle in this area & with a little help & understanding we can make a huge difference.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I tried this technique (reading the test to a student) several years ago...what an eye opener. The student didn't provide any proof of disability and although he did wonderful in class exercises, he scored very poorly on exams. His results improved drastically.
Richard,
these are all great ideas & solutions & demonstrate the willingness to truly help all students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Having had to learn in the field and in the classroom how to relate information to a person with learning disabilities has helped to shape all aspects of my teaching methods. Some of the techniques I use are group discussions on the readings to help the understanding of the material, special tutoring sessions to help those who feel that they are falling behind, and even proctoring a written test orally to a person who had a more severe dislexia. When you offer the help when a problem is encountered, whether the person askes for it or if you as the instructor identify it and offer a solution, it can go a long way towards the moral and motivation of the student.
Nancy,
I really like the idea of meeting with them early & outlining the expectations. I think this helps both parties understand each other better & helps us know where to focus our time & attention.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
One-on-one tutoring & outlining expectations with them early. Some students have been passed along in grades whether they earned it or not. They then encounter an instructor that has higher expectations for them and hold them accountable.
Joe,
this is a great way to help these students. It does take a little extra time, but it can pay off huge dividends.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find this a bit troubling. Unless we want to draw attention to a specific student doing anything different in the classroom will have that effect.
We have good results by reading the quizzes to the student and allow them time to process the information.
Since we do a lot of hands on learning, my program tends to attract a lot of people who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities. I have had to overcome and be creative on how these people learn the theory portions of the material.
Lanette,
these are all great ideas for helping those students who may be struggling.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Lanette,
these are all great ideas for helping those students who may be struggling.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Clear examples, bold print, minimum wording. More time for testing
