I find that to be challengeing. I enjoy the challenge of trying to get my students to understand. The joy I get from learning disabilities is that I know there is an answer and that something will work for that student. I try my best to find that.
My greatest challenge with LD students is the additional time it takes to get them to where they need to be.
Incorporating them in with other students. Not making them feel because they require more time and additional assistance they are not capable of learning and succeeding.
I see this happening too. It's the same 1-2 students each quiz who take about 10 minutes longer to finish.
One of the greatest challenges by far is confidence with contributing to class discussion. I teach composition so all of the discussion is reading or writing-based. I find it very important to foster the kind of environment where these students can speak up, feel heard, and feel appreciated.
Sandra,
this is definitely one of the greatest challenges in helping these students. I would agree that the use of mentors/tutors is a great idea as it does help keep the rest of the class moving forward.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
trying to find a solution that will help them be successful.
I would say that the greatest problem working with students with disabilities in a "main stream" class is having the time to devote to two sets of needs.
The disabilities can be manifested to those incurred by returning veterans to individuals who have previously diagnosed problems either mental or physical. I would say that using the students who have demonstrated their abilities in certain areas as mentors or student tutors for the students who need it is a great way to get interaction between the students as well as serving the needs of all students at the same time. This gives the instructor sufficient time to monitor activities of all students.
Lynae,
this is very true & it is very difficult to help these students if they are not forthcoming with their struggles.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The greatest challenge in working with students with disabilities will be: 1)timely feedback from student; 2)lack of "time" itself needed by the learner
For me, these days, it is the feeling of entitlement that some of them have been given. With IEP and no child left behind, students straight out of high school tend to want everything given to them . There is a YouTube video by Xtranormal that illustrates this perfectly... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjle20GlZk0 if you want to take a look at it
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the lack of information from them. With a negative stigma attached to learning disabilities, individuals may be embarrased to discuss their challenge with anyone.
Phuong,
this is a great reminder to all of us who tend to push & remember to let the student pace themselves while still being challenged.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
dawanna,
yes & when we show that we want to help & are open to them, we stand a better chance of having them ask for help when they need it.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Cynthia,
you are so right that this is a significant challenge. I like what you've done with the outline as it helps the struggling students without singling them out.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
my greatest challenge is understand their work ability and taking a step back to move when they move.. I am fast worker and have to push work forward until its done. but with student that have learning disabilites I personally have to move when they move and teach what i know will retain and go day by day.
finding ways to help them succeed. I have found they may be reluctant to tell you, or ask for extra help
This is something close to me. When I was in school as a child I suffered with dyslexia, my wife works with special needs children and my son has a GIEP. So I can answer this with some level of confidence that the greatest challenge for a teacher when dealing with a learning disability is getting over the thought that it’s a hindrance. I came up in a school system that failed to address my difficulties when learning to read/write. It became a huge challenge for me to sit in class and complete assignments when in fact my issues were small. The problems I had have not slowed me down since. I will still turn a “d†backwards from time to time and will cross myself up if I lose focus reading but it is a simple problem to solve. This eluded many of my grade school teachers though. I was chastised incessantly, and disliked school as a result. Hearing some of the comments and questions that teachers have for my wife opened my eyes to how misunderstood disabilities can by. I will not go into detail here but believe me when I say it’s insulting how little people do to try and accommodate.
Specific learning Outcomes with bullets sounds like a good idea. Would you recommend a lot of repetition as well?
The greatest challenge is the amount of time they require. I know some of the time I spent with my students was done on "my time" because I was on salary. But, the reward for the time invested far outweighs any paycheck! Christina
