Even though I may suspect a disability, I can't communicate with the student about it until the student has communicated with me!
giving them more time while working with other students.
jodie,
this is definitely a challenge but demonstrates our willingness to help them out.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I feel that time management is a big challenge. I do not want the entire class to be held back and I dont want the student with the disability to feel rushed. I use alot of out of class time to keep these students on pace.
Getting to focus on the task at hand.
The time that it requires to find out how they learn so that you can assist them in being successful.
I would say the greatest challenge is trying to not offend the student of this disability. We sometimes get wrapped up into trying to get our point across. These individuals may require more time and patience which may interrupt one's flow.
There are many challenges to working with students with learning disabilities. I think the greatest challenge is to help them get along with others. They might not be able to connect with the instructor or recognize the tone of the instructor's voice. In order for them to develop social skills, we have to be patient to give them more time and provide them with positive reinforcement.
Rebecca,
you are right that these situations are frustrating & unfortunately our hands are tied until the student asks for the help.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have a student currently in my class that I believe has some type of learning diability. This student will not say they have any trouble reading or learning but instructors have seen some indications. I have had conferences with this student but nothing has come to light. One of the frustrations I have is that it is school policy not to suggest that the student has a disability the student must self identify.
Chad,
yes, definitely getting them to open up is a key factor in being able to help them.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Getting them to talk to you about their disabilities. Many times they feel like they are stupid or embarrassed to tell people. Once they let you know, it is easier to help them.
For online courses that I teach, it is not always easy to provide the accomodations that might be necessary, like audio versions of exams, but these factors can be overcome when needed and I strive to always meet the special needs that are presented to me through the school.
Kurt
For me not understanding students sometimes. What I have noticed is hard to explain the instruction to students with learning disabilities. Definately cannot move fast with them. Since they cannot be independent all the way.
I have found that in many of my students who come in with a learning disabilty can be very successful the class I teach because of the methods that are used. We use some lecture and provide lots of hands on demostrations to go with the lecture to reinforce the information and skills that they need to learn. I have had many of them that end up not needing to use some of the aids they have in the past.
I have never had a student with an IEP. I have only had one student that came to me and told me she had a learning challenge but she dropped out of school in 8th grade so never when to high school and did not have a diagnosis. Without the proper documentation I was unable to make accommodation for her.
She did work ahead so she would be ahead of lecture. This helped her to take time in class and focus knowing that she already covered the material at a slower pace at home. She was very dedicated and worked very hard.
the greatest challenge is not seeing them as mentally retarded but identify their area of deicency in learining and use appropiate method
to help them
My greatest challenge when it comes with working with learning disabilities are students who use their disabilities as a cruth
The greatest challenge is getting the student to stay on task and complete the work on time.
Ma. Louella ,
yes this is always a challenge, especially since sometimes we are the first ones who have really explained this to the student.
Dr. Ryan Meers
