The focus of this blog will be the Praxis II preparation text.
Under the chapter "Preparing for the content of the plt" there is a subheading called: Students as Learners.
Under that subheading is another sub category called "Student Learning." (the reason I put all of this is because some of you have a different edition of the text and the page numbers don't coincide)
Read those pages. It starts with the topic of ADD and ends with the topic of Visual Learner.
Provide an instructional strategy for dealing with a student who exhibits ONE of the Student Learning factors.
By the time we reach the end of the blog, we should have numerous strategies for each of the issues due to the larger number of students in this class. Email me if you have questions. klsplichal@fhsu.edu
Thanks, Splichal
Simply becuase I've had experience working with Autism Specialists and children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder Wavier I'll explain some learning factors for these kids. These children seem to have many issues with eye contact which then leads to the socail aspects of life. Therefore, one of the kids I worked with was very much into sweet tarts so we used those to our advantage. We started by getting him to recognize when someone would say his name by me saying his name and giving him a card that said "what." When he would say what I would show him the candy and bring it to my eyes and when he looked up and at me I would give him the sweet tart immediatly. We just kept doing this until he no longer needed the visual cue of moving the sweet tart up to my eyes. He got to where when I said his name he would look at me and I would give him his candy reinforcement. Then, we started adding more eye contact. Instead of him simply looking at me to receive the candy he now had to look at me for 2 seconds and then we upped the time from there. Eventually this child would tell you his name, address, telephone number, dog, mom, and dads name, all while looking at you. He also started requesting items with the help of a PECS book which also reinforced the eye contact. I can say with these children giving them very short and direct instructions is best. For instance instead of saying "put your hands on the table," you say "hands on table." Hope you all enjoy this comment, I've had a blast working with children with Autism through the State of Kansas and they are great kids!
ReplyDeleteWOW! That is such a great story!! I would have never thought of doing that! I will remember that if I ever have a student with autism. Sometimes taking things step by step is the best way with our student! Great job!
DeleteKendralun,
DeleteI agreed with Rashawna, that is a great story. I specifically like how you mentioned keeping commands short and concise like "hands on table" instead of "put your hands on the table" I find that this would be especially effective now that you have progressed the boy to the point that he is responding to his name.
Wow this is an amazing story! I really enjoyed it because I know I have an interest in working with children who have Autism. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences that truly worked for the children!
DeleteMy son has ADHD. So I can really relate to that area. One teaching strategy for a student with ADD would be to use a visual schedule for them. That way they can see what they need to do and when. Another strategy for a student with ADHD would be to help them with organization. One way to do this would be to use a folder system for homework and notes to take home. That way the student won't just stuff his papers in his desk or bag and end up lost. Another strategy would be to use a color coded behavior system and be consistent with it. For example, use green, yellow, orange and red. The students start out on green. Their first warning they move to yellow and so on. When they get to red they have a note sent home. This is a great visual to remind students of their behavior. I have seen this used in a classroom before. The teacher gave each student a number on a cowboy hat and they had to move it if they got into trouble. There was no arguing. The teacher would simply say go move your hat and they would. The class would continue on without any major disruption.
ReplyDeleteRashawna, the visual schedules are great ideas! This helps students not only know what is coming up that day but you could also have a weekly schedule to prepare them for up coming days. I also like your behavior chart idea. Like you said you have to be very consistent with it and that lets the child know you mean business. Great ideas!
DeleteRashawna,
DeleteI remember in my previous technology course where a student with an LD or Autism had a form of assistive technology that entailed pictures over keys either for schedules or maybe even responses. Your reminded me of that, and I think having visual cues to prompt the children of their schedules is a great idea. Behavior charts where the student has to move their card, hat, etc, up or down seems to be very effective for all kids as well. Good post!
Visual schedules are super great tools for younger students. Something I have also seen are timers or buzzers that students must press every so often to keep them on task or at their desk. For students with ADD or ADHD the problem often times is simply keeping them in their chair or on topic. Many elementary classrooms have behavior charts and card systems that children adjust depending on their attitudes.
DeleteThe student factor I chose to discuss is giftedness. As defined in the Praxis, giftedness is when a student possesses a “significantly higher than usual ability or aptitude in one or more areas.” Popular educational approaches when dealing with a student who exhibits giftedness include: 1) Acceleration – moving through the curriculum at a faster pace and 2) Enrichment – modifying or adding to the curriculum. Within these two approaches, a few of the instructional strategies that have proven successful for gifted and talented students include: 1) Mentoring – matching a gifted student with another student or adult with more knowledge or skills in a particular area of interest, 2) Curriculum Telescoping – a form of acceleration which provides an educational program in less time than normally allotted (ex: Completing four years of high school in three years.), and 3) Curriculum Compacting – skipping or testing out of material that has already been mastered and replacing that material with an enrichment activity. The specific strategy as well as curriculum adjustments would be based on the individual student’s specific gifts and/or talents. There are also a number of strategies that can be implemented in any classroom that would benefit the instruction of gifted students. Within the classroom the presentation of information in an interesting and motivating way though a variety of formats such as discussion, lecture, visual aids, and technology helps to keep gifted students engaged. The implementation of project-based learning (students apply the concepts learned to a hands-on project/task) as well as research projects (students work at their own pace to gain additional knowledge about a topic of interest) have also proven effective. Finally, educators of talented and gifted students should tailor instruction to include higher level thinking questions and instruction methods that further the development of problem-solving, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills.
ReplyDeleteStacie, all of your strategies seem to be perfectly suited for a gifted student. Something that gifted students have trouble with is staying challenged. Gifted students (in my experience) do not like to be paired with the lower achieving students because they feel obligated to complete the work to maintain their grade. Students who are present gifted qualities may already have an IEP and need the accelerated curriculum. I think it is important to try and shelter the fact that a student is gift from the other students for both the other children and the gifted student as there could be harsh feelings. Nonetheless, great post!
DeleteStacie and Nathan,
DeleteI have a little experience with giftedness, since my son was in the program. Yes, all students identified as gifted get IEP's. The problem is, at least around here, is that the program for gifted students is seriously lacking. Gifted students get to go to 'Enhanced Learning' once a week. In the regular classrooms, the teachers did not mentor or enhance instruction for gifted students, leaving my son and his friends who were also gifted major league bored at school. When it comes to special education, I've noticed that the other end of the spectrum gets most of the funds and the gifted students are not given the opportunities that they need and crave. It got to the point that my son hated going to school on any day other than EL day. I think students identified as gifted should get their own program, based on projects, every day they go to school. One day a week just isn't enough to offer the right types of challenges these students need to enhance their academic skills and not become stagnated.
I also have a gifted son. He is an 8th grader and I had to fight just to get him tested even though he has twice gotten 100% on his state math assessments. When he finally was tested at the end of his 7th grade year he scored in the 99th percentile. The program right now is basically a study hall where they are required to do some type of project every 9 weeks - so a total of 4 for the year. They do a little quiz bowl and get to do some outside the school competitions. The part that I am looking forward to is high school where they actually have a class they attend and they provide them with help towards filling out scholarships, practice ACT's, etc. My son actually has already taken the ACT's as a 7th grader through the Duke TIP program and already has scored a 21.
DeleteI am glad that Stacie gave all the information that she did regarding gifted because it wasn't in my praxis book and it is near and dear to my heart because of trying to get more challenging work for my son for over 5 years, I try to stay as educated as possible.
I have a 157 IQ and was in the gifted program from sixth grade until 12th. It's interesting to me, because what a gifted program should be and often what it is are two different things. (more on that soon) I also have 12 master credit hours in gifted education, and a lot of what I learned made me realize what I felt as a student was so normal. For instance, the gifted learner can also be a gifted underachiever. Not all gifted students seek out being challenged. It doesn't mean they don't enjoy it, but not all will go looking for it. Their social and emotional needs are great as well. Often you will find a gifted student who thinks about thinking. They worry a great deal because they over think a wide variety of things. Those identified gifted are shown to have a higher suicide rate than average students. The gifted underachiever has a high rate of drop out in school. These are not things a lot of people think of when they hear the word gifted, they think of teacher pleaser. All it means to be gifted, you have the ability to learn faster than others. That's it. You simply pick it up faster. Sometimes the gifted individual isn't the best of students because things come very easy to us we will rush through something with out completely reading. (this isn't all of course but it also isn't the minority) Kansas toys with getting rid of the gifted mandate, something those of you who have students in the program might be mindful of, because the services your children get are needed, sometimes just to have that time with peers at their intellectual level. Knowing there is a connection is often a huge help to the gifted learner. I was lucky, when I was in school it was a class, when I hit HS I was taking college classes at 14 years old. The program was a huge help to me with my social and emotional needs because I found people who understood what I was saying about ideas and thoughts and could completely understand sitting around and thinking about thinking, such a relief. I would also note, that an IEP can follow you to college. So if any of your children have an issue that arises with their label, look into the IEP going with them to continue helping meet their needs. (this goes for all special education as well)
DeleteI am kind of a hands on and visual learner. Somebody can explain/tell me something and I may or may not completely understand it. However, if I can be shown, or an activity is modeled for me, and I can actively participate by doing, than this solidifies the learning for me. I am kind of combining tactile, kinesthetic, and visual learner. I feel that through touching, moving or doing, and seeing it, a large variety of students will be able to learn. If I had to pick one, I would choose the tactile learner because that is the hands on approach where the student is integrated physically into the lesson by touching or doing.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
DeleteI am also a hands-on and visual learner. I can learn things by listening, but it doesn’t stay with me. I learn it just long enough to get through a class or pass a test. If I touch and see things, I will usually remember forever. I think there are a lot of people like us out there; especially children. It also keeps them from getting bored and restless in the classroom if they are actively doing something.
Becky
I am also very visual and hands on. When I was little apparently I constantly would say the phrase "I do it self", my mother laughs when she talks about it because I was very young and very independent and if I saw it once I knew I could just do it. I have no idea how successful I was or wasn't, lol. I think a great motivation to lessons is to find a way to make the lessons fit visual, auditory, and kinetic learning. Anyway to reach all the senses and all the learners. I think many people learn by doing, and anything we can do to get a class up on their feet and actually doing something vs lecturing is a move in the right direction.
DeleteHere are a few things I have learned (from Modifying Instruction) to help with an ADD student.
ReplyDelete1.Lesson presentation: I have a student in Graphic Design (technology) that I break assignments down to smaller "chunks" to complete. I discuss each part with the student after they complete it so I know they understand.
2.Physical arrangement of the classroom: The student sits to my left, away from the window and high traffic areas where students approach the printer for print-outs or me for questions.
3.Work assignments: Lessons are broke down with screen snaps of a sample project of how to proceed, (visual organizer) along with following on the 3M board step by step procedures for completing assignments. Following along on the 3M board is still a little frustrating at this point for my student, (week 6) but we are working through it.
All assignments have a sample assignment that my entire class works along with me before creating their own. This way they have hands on and visual learning before they proceed. Student with ADD also has screen snaps printed out they can reference. Depending on the day, I may hold the screen snap print-outs and let the student focus solely on the 3M board.
I agree with you on using these techniques when it comes to a student who has ADD. I got to experience firsthand two ADD students that I had during my correcting reading disabilities session over the summer. I had to chuck my lessons and review them. I also had to seat them just right, close curtains to avoid distractions, and minimize stimulus. I didn't think about using a visual organizer, how does that work for you?
DeleteI posted that wrong the two students I had were both diagnosed ADHD. I had to also keep things very interesting and engaging or I would quickly lose their interest.
DeleteRandy,
DeleteI suffer from ADHD so I completely understand the challenges you face working with the student you are talking about. The steps you are taking are awesome! The sample assignments for the entire class is also a great idea; especially for those who are hands on and visual learners. If you ever need to ask someone how to help a student with ADD or ADHD, let me know. I can give you a first hand account on what may work. And please notice I said "may work". What works for one person may not work for another.
Becky
I am posting again because I posted which learning factor(s)I was writing about, but never really listed a strategy. For a student that is a tactile learner, in all my lessons, I would have a tangible visual aid for students to see and touch. I believe this is an excellent way for students to experience things. I would also try to have things like having calculators, an abacus, or ordinary items like m&m's to count for math. These tactile devices allow the student to be active/integrated in learning the lesson objectives. Other devices might include artifacts or souvenirs for Social studies or science. I still remember how interested I was in learning about Mount St. Helens and the eruption when my father brought home a sample of the ashes and I could see and touch them with my own hands/eyes. This was not in school, but it is the same concept.
ReplyDeleteRobert, I also just posted bout tactile learners and I really like the idea of using m&ms or skittles for children to count with although, I didn't mention it in my post. I also think that when artifacts or souvenirs are brought in for a lesson it automatically makes students more interested. Thank you for your ideas because I hadn't thought about bringing in these types of hands-on materials.
DeleteAfter reading the two pages about different types of students who may require different teaching strategies, I chose to elaborate on a “Tactile Learner.” A tactile learner is a learner who processes information through touching. The learn best by experimenting using hands-on materials and active involvement with the real world. I chose this one because I feel like I am a hands-on learner and it is a learning type that we did not cover in Educating the Exceptional Student so I wanted to learn more about it. A teaching strategy for this could always be to have manipulatives for each lesson. If you are teaching a math lesson, have counting bears, counting chips, or number blocks for children to count with, touch, and see. You could also use the students’ own bodies to add or subtract with so they can see real life situation that addition and subtraction can be applied to. If you are studying about plants or insects, allow children to go outside and gather their own plants and look at insects that are present in different climates, different parts of the world, and at different times of the year. This will help them relate it to their own life and see that this information is important. There are so many regular textbook lessons that can become hands-on learning experiences if the educator simply takes the time to create such an activity.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing that could be a powerful tool for a student with Attention problems would be a teacher recording his lecture and/or instructions for a project. The teacher could do this and then make them available online. If a student for got something from class they could simply pull it up and listen. If you combined that with some of the screen and audio sync software the student could then hear you lecture while it looking at your power point. This may also be helpful to students on the autism spectrum because they like to hear and watch the same thing over and over again this would allow them to be relaxed and absorb academic material.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
DeleteI like your idea of putting things online for students with attention problems. This would also be a good way for the parents to become involved in the homework. The students and parents would both be able to see what the teacher is teaching, and what the teacher is expecting from the students.
Formal Operational Thinkers
ReplyDeleteStudents who present formal operational thinking have started developing the ability to reason, think abstractly, and use logic. All of these forms of thinking need to be fostered and developed further. As a teacher with a student or student(s) that have entered into this way of thinking, I will need to provide activities that are not simply question and response like summative tests, but rather, formative activities which can help exercise abstract thought. Some of these activities could include warm-up brain teasers that make the students think abstractly. Students will be using computers in some of my classes and much of the thought processes behind computer skills are logic. Computers pose many open opportunities for users to exercise choice. The user is a commander and the choices they make will create the end product. In other classes like accounting, students will need to remember processes in a logical order for creating journals. In the end the student will hopefully exit the class with the knowledge of content, but also reasoning abilities, and thinking abstractly or “outside of the box.”
With the addition of the Common Core Standards, most of what they want is students to think who, what, when, where, and why when they are learning. The students need to know and think about why they answer the questions that they do.
DeleteHanna
I got to experience firsthand two ADHD students that I had during my correcting reading disabilities session over the summer. This was a great and challenging experience for me. I had to learn how to modify and adapt my lesson plans for these students. Some of the instructional strategies that I have learned are:
ReplyDelete1. Keep lessons short, simple and engaging.
2. Keep stimulus too a minimum.
3. Chunk lessons and activities.
4. Seating is very important to minimize distractions.
5. Cut their talking sessions short. (This was very difficult for me. I felt bad for being rude, but I quickly learned the students could ramble on for a while and this began affecting my time schedule. I found a great way, where I did not come across rude. I used cooperative cheers, my favorite one was "tootsie roll, lollipop, we are all talking, now let's stop. It works wonder with the Elementary age group.
6. Implement at least one of, if not more of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences in a lesson or activity.
7. Reward system is a must!
8. Use visuals, use music, or use physical movement to help make the connection of the topic or lesson.
9. Any one on one study sessions you can have are great! No distractions and you can keep the child's full attention. Just keep the activities short and simple, or you will lose their focus fast.
These are just a few things I learned as I taught these 2 students over a course of 16 weeks. I have a new perspective on ADHD students.
I love the cooperative cheers idea. It is a much more positive approach than just ordering students to stop talking. Great idea!
DeleteThank you for breaking everything down. ADHD seems to be making more of an appearance in the classroom, both regular and special education. I think that keeping the lessons short and simple is so important and the most difficult.
DeleteI've worked with adults, adolescents, and children who are intellectually challenged, so I thought I would focus on learning strategies for individuals with this type of specialty.
ReplyDeleteTo fully address the limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior often experienced by individuals with mental retardation, teachers need to provide direct instruction in a number of skill areas outside of the general curriculum. These skills are more functional in nature but are absolutely essential for the future independence of the individual. Additional skill areas include money concepts, time concepts, independent living skills, self-care and hygiene, community access, leisure activities, and vocational training. Students with mental retardation learn these skills most effectively in the settings or activities in which they will be asked to apply these skills. Once the skills are mastered then additional environments can be added to work towards generalization.
General curriculum areas should not be neglected however, and there are some promising practices to help support these students in a number of academic areas. One effective early literacy strategy with these students is prelinguistic milieu teaching (Fey, et.al, 2006), a technique that ties instruction to the specific interests and abilities of the individual child. This language acquisition instructional strategy also helps support effective self-determination, as a key component of the training is frequent requesting behavior from the student.
Breaking down larger tasks into their specific component parts can be an effective technique for teaching any number of skills to students with mental retardation. More complex concepts or activities can then be taught over time, and as the student masters one component of the task, another is added to the routine. This type of task analysis can be taught using a variety of instructional supports, from physical and verbal prompting to observational learning. As always, the specific instructional strategies and materials used with the student should be aligned to the student’s own interests and strengths.
Useful strategies for teaching students with mental retardation include, but are not limited to the following techniques:
· Teach one concept or activity component at a time
· Teach one step at a time to help support memorization and sequencing
· Teach students in small groups, or one-on-one if possible
· Always provide multiple opportunities to practice skills in a number of different settings
· Use physical and verbal prompting to guide correct responses, and provide specific verbal praise to reinforce these responses
Resource: Project Ideal
I am very much a visual learner, so I chose to focus on this learning factor. Visual learners learn through visual displays, films, illustrated books, handouts, graphic organizers, and bulletin boards. One strategy to us while teaching math is to draw pictures. Often times just reading through story problems can confuse students; so, drawing pictures to represent the important information can guide a student to solving the problem easier. While teaching reading, it helps to give students graphic organizers. You can give a student a piece of paper with four squares drawn onto it and have him/her write a vocabulary word, write the definition, write a sentence, and draw a picture. Seeing all of these different ways to make connections to one vocabulary word can help them remember the word better. While teaching science, having the student draw pictures of the observations or making charts/graphs can help him/her compare and analyze data better. In addition to those specifics, it always helps to have bright bulletin boards where important procedures can be posted so they always have a visual to refer to.
ReplyDeleteSara,
DeleteI think having the student draw pictures of key vocab and other concepts is a great idea. My science mentor teacher is always having her kids draw pictures and they love it. I think it would be great to also have pre-printed images ready for students with more limiting learning factors, like ones who struggle with writing or drawing.
Amy
I think anytime we can pictures to words or have something visual it increases learning for the entire class. When I think about articles that just list statistics versus articles that list then and provide graphs they are easier to interpret when I have a visual of the information. I am way more likely to comprehend it that way. I have seen teachers use three column charts for vocabulary. One column having the word, the next a definition, and the final column is something the student draws to help them remember the word.
DeleteI am not a visual learner, so I am always looking for strategies for visual learners! I am teaching a graphic novel this year to increase visual literacy and have begun to employ more of these strategies in my classroom.
DeleteI have read some very interesting posts about useful strategies. One thing I noticed is that these strategies are not always unique to one learning factor. Breaking assignments into small tasks, as many people above mentioned, can benefit someone with ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, ELLs, etc. I suppose I will be the first one to talk about ELLs. I actually don’t have any experience working with ELLs, but today I noticed my science mentor teacher using strategies that would benefit someone learning English. Our SIOP book says one effective strategy is to use gestures, body language, and/or pictures and images during instruction. Today she was talking about the rock cycle and three different types of rock (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic). She had the students create an action to go with each type. Since igneous rock is formed through fire, like volcanoes, the students put their hands about at their waist then moved them up and over their heads simulating a volcano erupting. For sedimentary they put their arms like ladder rungs and moved them one on top of the other, since this rock forms with water in layers. For metamorphic, which forms through heat and pressure, they squeezed their hands together several times saying, “pressure, pressure, pressure” then threw their hands apart and said, “Heat!” She had them do this several times during the class and they even had to draw images do go with the motions. She has also done this strategy for talking about the layers of the earth. Like I said before, this could work for students with multiple learning factors. My science class is at a low SES school, 11 out of 14 kids are from the adjacent reservation, and many are on IEPs for various special education categories. Each student seemed engaged in this lesson and responded well to this strategy.
ReplyDeleteI would like to observe ELLs for me to learn some strategies to help them. The schools in our county don't really have any ELLs. We do have foreign exchange students who are difficult for me to understand when they speak but they understand and can work in the English language very well. There was only one student, from China, who had the most difficulty and she used a translator on her iPod for some of the government classes she took. Other than that, I have not been around any English Language Learners. That's one disadvantage of a small school I suppose. I could really visualize your explanation you provided in your post!
DeleteI am going to get the ESOL minor FHSU offers and at some point I will find and observe/participate in a ELL classroom. This is an experience that I look forward to! Your mentor teacher seems like a great teacher. I think that is a wonderful way to teach about geology!
DeleteSo great to see a teacher engaged in strategies that will help ELL students. Many of those same strategies are useful to other students as well. Thanks for your story!
DeleteI chose learning disabilities because I work mostly with students who have this disability. When requiring students to take notes, I can provide copies of materials from a power point presentation or in outline form that the student can follow and add notes to as information is presented. It is also important to restate information frequently to emphasize its importance and to give students an opportunity to ask questions if needed. The use of examples and concrete objects will reinforce their ability to retain the information. The use of visual aids in the form of diagrams or graphic organizers can also help the learning disabled student focus on and retain information being presented. Noise in the classroom can be a distraction for students with learning disabilities. I must place the student in a location that works best for allowing them to focus on lectures or presentations where they are away from distractions. When assigning homework, I should give the assignment orally and also write it on the board. It may be necessary to shorten the length of the assignment so the student is not overwhelmed with the length of the assignment. When taking a test, I can encourage the students to mark off answers they know are incorrect to eliminate choices and lessen the anxiety they may feel. It may be necessary to provide an alternate environment for the student to take a test so they are not distracted by students who may finish with the test sooner than they do. Another skill to assist them with is organization. The students must write all assignments daily in a planner they can take home. Notes to parents can also be sent home in the planner and any information that may need to be communicated to the teacher or parents can be done in the planner. When the student has homework, the item can be circled in the planner to indicate that it needs to be taken home that day. I would also encourage parents to sign the planner daily to indicate they have seen the assignments given during the day and are aware of any homework that may need to be done. I would also request one notebook and one folder for each course to encourage organization of materials. This may need to be done for each class period each day for several weeks until it becomes a habit; and even then, there will still be days when circumstances cause the child to forget to do this.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with students who are on the Autistic spectrum. Each student is different and has their own needs. Some of the strategies we have used are allowing students to have some sort of stress ball, or sensory item that helps them deal with situations that upset them. Sometimes it is an eraser that stretches, sometimes it is a pencil grip, we even had one student who carried a piece of hair ribbon in his pocket and would take it out when he could feel the anxiety building. I have given shoulder compressions to students when they are feeling anxious. Many times they ask me to push on them, and that was my cue to nonchalantly get up and stand behind them. This can be done right in the classroom without the other students even knowing. I had a student who would push on my shoulders to show me how it felt; it was amazing how it relaxes you. Working in groups is hard for many students with Autism. They only see things in black and white and there is never any room to negotiate. One of the ways we have dealt with this is to give the student 3 blurting chips and if they blurt or are rude with their group, one it taken. Every student, it does not matter if they have a disorder or not, has a want, and we have to figure out that want with our students. Once we do, if they do not get all the chips taken, they earn a prize at the end of the day. It may be computer time, it may be a piece of candy, it may be walking our therapy dog down the halls, we never know. Once a student has been introduced to a new routine, if they complete the routine the way they are suppose to, they are given a stick, and at the end of the day if they have so many sticks, they get a prize as well. This worked on one of the students I worked with. Noise is something most students on the spectrum cannot handle, so to avoid those situations, the student is allowed to go to the library or a different room during assemblies or whenever they feel the volume is too high for them to cope. There are so many different strategies that can be used for Autistic and Asperser students, the main thing is to get to know the student and what they respond best too.
ReplyDeleteMary,
DeleteAll the tools you mentioned are great ways to help students that are one Autism spectrum. I think that the best thing you said in your post was that the main thing is to get to know the student and what they respond best to. I think this is important for every student in our classroom.
For this week’s blog assignment, I chose to focus on ADHD. ADHD is something I deal with personally; but on a lower level than a lot of people who also suffer from ADHD. I have so much compassion for those who have a higher severity of ADHD, because I know how frustrating (and sometimes embarrassing) it can be. Although I suffered from ADHD all my life, I always managed to perform well in school and in my professional life in later years. I can remember my family and other people saying “Becky is extremely active”. I think that was probably an understatement!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, when I was young (and for a long time after that), ADHD was not recognized; nor treated. After ADHD was recognized as an actual disorder and I started reading and hearing things about ADHD and the associated symptoms, I could understand my actions and feelings of frustration. I contacted my doctor and she started me on medications. With the medications and other help, I learned how to better deal with my ADHD. I was also taught coping mechanisms and exercises that would further help me. Unfortunately, the times that ADHD still affects me the most is when I am really stressed; and that is exactly when I don’t need the symptoms to affect me.
There are several strategies to deal with students with ADHD. However, before a teacher can develop effective strategies to deal with students with ADHD, they need to understand (and believe) that ADHD is a true disorder and know the signs and symptoms. ADHD is a neurological inefficiency in the frontal lobe of the brain which controls impulses, planning, organizing, problem-solving, selective attention, and personality. Symptoms of HDHD include: staying on task; maintaining focus; following directions; talking out; staying seated; self-esteem; time management; and organizational skills (materials, notebooks, due dates, etc). Teachers also need to understand that ADHD is NOT an information deficit, it is a performance deficit and that students will exhibit different symptoms and behaviors. ADD and ADHD are closely associated and intertwined. Between the two, 30% are the inattentive type, 10% are the hyperactive/impulsive type, and 60% are both.
For any strategy/strategies a teacher chooses to use when dealing with students with ADHD, what is extremely important is incorporating a LOT of hands-on activities in lessons. In addition to providing a lot of hands-on activities, other strategies I will personally use in my classroom when dealing with students who suffer from either ADD or ADHD include the following: communicate – do NOT lecture; use love and logic; and provide structure, predictability, and consistency. Ways to do this include: establishing and posting classroom rules; posting a daily schedule and a list of homework; developing an organization system; having students use a planner; writing assignments on the board; cueing students to listen before giving directions; using proximity and a lot of eye contact; asking students to repeat directions back to you; having shorter work periods; teaching to students learning styles; providing positive reinforcement; providing clear directions; exhibiting warmth, patience, fairness and HUMOR; and transitioning carefully. This may seem like a long list of accommodations for a student(s), but in actuality, most of these things should be done in any classroom and for any student; especially elementary age students.
Becky
I choose to create a few instructional strategies for Behavioral Disorder (BD). I have chosen this learning disability because many of the students that I work with have been diagnosed with behavioral disorder. I would say that a few of the most important instructional strategies that one could use would be a highly structured classroom, where the rules are made very clear, along with a reassurance that the student understands the rules. It should also be made very clear that when the rules are broken there will be reinforcement of consistent consequences. I have found that students with BD need consistency and structure. Along with those two strategies I would also add such instructional strategies as: minimizing competition, intervening early in a situation, (before there is an on sight of violent behavior) and the usage of nonverbal signals and reminders.
ReplyDeleteCharelle -
DeleteI agree with you and feel that when rules are made to be followed and students know and understand the rules they will be better behaved. Good post.
Hanna
Something that I think everyone should know is that if you have ever met a person who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) then you have only met one person with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My point is that ASD can look very different for each individual who has ASD. Sure there are common things like poor social skills, the need for structure, and usually some kind of an obsession over something is present but each person may be very different from the next person.
ReplyDeleteAn instructional strategy that I have found very helpful is to create a schedule for a person who has ASD. The more structure there is the easier it is for someone with ASD to handle transitions in their environment. If possible create icons or some kind of visuals so that the person with ASD can see what the plan is for the day, they need this structure. Post these events on something that the student can access often or see most of the time. Many times meltdowns could be avoided if their schedule is followed and they know what is going on. However, sometimes plans change and if at all possible warn someone who has ASD as soon as possible to make the change easier for them.
Courtney,
DeleteI liked that you talked about how different ASD can present itself in an academic environment. I have worked with kids on all parts of the spectrum, including Asperger's. I couldn't help but notice the special education instructors I worked with would make a highly individualized IEP goals and objectives for students on the spectrum. For the kids I worked with, I certainly agree that lots of structure helps them out substantially. We had some students who we would have to take out of the building before a fire drill because they literally couldn't take the noise and it startled them to the point of emotional distress. This is how we avoided a meltdown, but the principal had to let us know in advance when he planned to schedule fire drills for the building. Many of the students I worked with had visual schedules and other icon schedules that was very helpful in maintaining the structure a student with ASD is likely to have.
Courtney,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your post about instructional strategies for children with ASD. I agree that schedules are an important component for success in regards to children with ASD. Some family friends of mine have a daughter who is now 26 years old, but severely autistic. She exhibits the behaviors you discussed plus more. I've witnessed the positives to scheduling with her multiple times. Great information!
Courtney,
DeleteVERY GOOD strategy. schedules are critical for ASD students. BUT, you better stick to the schedule once you share it with them :)
Provide an instructional strategy for dealing with a student who exhibits ONE of the Student Learning factors.
ReplyDeleteKinesthetic Learners:
Students who are kinesthetic learners learn by doing or being physically active. One strategy that is shown to improve how a kinesthetic learner retains information is to use music when working with memorization. Rhyme and rap is also used for memorization. Teaching rhythmic patterns for students to dance or move to when memorizing math or science facts is also proven to be effective. Movement and music is both strong resources to enhance kinesthetic learners.
I completely agree with the correlation between music and memorization. Music is how kids learn the ABC's and it is how I even memorized the books of the bible. Memorizing to music will most likely stick with them for life!
DeleteI am choosing to focus on ELL (English Language Learner) and ESL (English as a Second Language) students. I had a student in Entrepreneurship class that had only been in the United States for approximately a year. His first language was Spanish. He had become pretty good at using English in conversation, therefore, I didn't have trouble communicating with him. I gave an assignment in which students were supposed to research an entrepreneur and make a presentation to the class about that entrepreneur (the presentation was oral and they were supposed to incorporate Keynote). This student worked on his Keynote (like Powerpoint) during class, but when it came down to it, he chose not to do the presentation. I was irritated at first and could not figure out why he didn't want to present when he had done a lot of the work. I gave him a zero because of his refusal. When I went home that night that student kept coming to mind. All of the sudden it dawned on me that he was probably uncomfortable speaking in front of people with his accent and limited understanding of the English language (this should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't because he had no problem with one on one conversation). I came back to school and gave him the option of presenting in Spanish. I explained to him that the business world is always looking for people who are bilingual and that his knowledge of the Spanish language was a huge asset. The student agreed to this and I brought in a translator. He did a very nice presentation. My relationship with that student improved greatly because I believe he felt valued and respected.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we should ESL students to learn the English language, but we should completely disregard their native language. How many job advertisements say "bilingual preferred"? This students have abilities that are needed in careers and they need to be aware of the tremendous value they can bring to the job market.
It is unfortunate how easy it can be to single students out accidentally--your accommodation was important to do because it is necessary to build on students' culture and proficiency. It can be so hard to be confident in front of so many people when you think and/or speak in a second language.
DeleteMy nephew was recently diagnosed with a developmental delay, so I take a special interest in instructional strategies as well as strategies that will help him at home. With this I will first state that with all that I have read and researched, developing routines for students with developmental delays are imperative both in class and at home, and that this involves remaining consistent in both places. But another important strategy that teachers should incorporate is manipulatives. Developmental delays can vary from difficulties with language and speech, to mobility, and more so it is important that these students are free to express themselves and learn in the most hands on way possible. If, for example, a student has a delay in language and expression, it would be a challenge for him to show understanding in a whole group discussion. However, if given blocks, shapes or another tangible item they can use their creativity to demonstrate their understanding.
ReplyDeleteJackie- I think it is so important to keep things consistent at home as well as school. I think this is one of the most important things that teachers and parents can do to help the students with learning. I also think that manipulatives are such an amazing tool to be used in the classroom. They do not only help student with certain disabilities but they also help with visual, kinesthetic, and tactile learners. Being able to see and actually do the problems themselves truly helps them not only understand the concept better but truly learn the material for longer than the class period. Good post!
DeleteChristine Moses
Kinesthetic Learners:
ReplyDeleteSometimes students need some physical activity in the learning environment (...does this seem like a BOY thing? haha!)
When I was in middle school, my teacher LOVED Kinesthetic learning activities. During Language Arts, we would act out scenes from the book we were reading. In grammar lessons, we would act out (charades) the terms we were learning. It was a lot of fun!
Outside of the English classroom, I could see science being a "hands on" learning environment where building models and such would be beneficial to kinesthetic learners!
Vanessa,
DeleteI loved reading your ideas for learning strategies relative to kinesthetic learners! Last semester in one of my courses I had to do this mini-teach lesson and incorporate movement into the lesson. I loved it, and so did the children! I felt as though they truly were able to grasp the information because they were up and moving, and it was in math, not always everyone's favorite, right?! Movement is a great way to draw their attention!! The charades idea is so great! Great post!
I chose to focus on creating a few instructional strategies relative to visual learners. Throughout my years of school, I always felt as though I was more of a visual learner. I learned better through actually seeing the information, using graphic organizers, displays, etc.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, giving the option of sitting at the front of the classroom is a great enhancer for visual learners. The classroom in which I am interning has a large table at the front of the classroom, directly in front of the smart board. This gives the children the opportunity to move a little (kinesthetic) in order to come to the front of the room to SEE and FOCUS on the information/tasks at hand. It works very well from what I have seen thus far in my internship classroom. Also, I have used/seen graphic organizers, charts, various worksheets, bulletin boards, etc. that are excellent resources for visual learners. All of these things can be used within any lesson to provide visual learners with a strategy that is successful for them!
I think that providing graphic organizers in any subject is useful but I've witnessed the use of them throughout the past few weeks while being in the classroom. Many of the students who are visual learners truly benefit from the use of these organizers in the reading class. It's a way for them to organize their information and visually be able to process it.
I also consider myself a visual learner. Graphic organizers are something my mentor teacher uses quite a bit as well. I think they are a great way to organize information in a way that makes it easier to study and remember. It gives them something structured to refer back to, rather than just a piece of paper with lines written on it. There are so many fun ways to organize a graphic organizer as well. The different shapes and creations you can create with the information are something the students are sure to enjoy.
DeleteI am choosing to write about Behavioral Disorders. I think that this is something that I have a special place in my heart because I have dealt with many children with Behavior Disorders. I tend to get closer to the children with BD because I feel most of the time the reason they are acting this way is because the child is not getting the attention they need from home. (This is not always the case but something that I have come into contact with so I am putting it in my comment for personal experiences only) I have realized that most children with BD need to have care, support, love and structure. Students who come into the classroom and seem to have behavioral issues need to know that there is a right and wrong at school and that is how it goes. I recently talked to a teacher who has one of the boys I used to work with and she said that she has been able to get him to work well in the class because she had structure in her classroom. There must be no grey areas with children with Behavioral Disorders. It is right or wrong and there is no in between or let ups because this will make them push until they get what they want. These children need to be shown that you as a teacher care about how they act as well as how they perform in school. It is more than academics with children with Behavioral Disorders.
ReplyDeleteWell poo. I just wrote my long response and came back in to read other post to find you selected BD also..lol. These children are close to my heart also. I have been in a BD room for the last 6 years. You are right with the whole gray area. Usually the BD staff is the students gray area, if that makes sense. I have to talk them through what we (you and I) would see as gray. Either they are doing good or they are in trouble. They don't know how to process that middle.
DeleteThe staff in our room decided to have a little encouragement party for the students today. I went to pull a student so he could join us for our surprise and the first thing he asked me is if he was in trouble. I asked him if he did anything to be in trouble. He said, "No" I said, "There you go, you are not in trouble". He was really anxious and thinking he had done something wrong. I actually had to stop in the hall and look him in the face to reassure him that he was not in trouble and that we had a good surprise for him.
I can relate to you blog, because I work a lot with BD students also. I agree that support and structure/consistency are very important strategies that must be used when work with a BD student. There really are no gray areas! I have also learned that competition activities are very difficult for most BD students as well. For example, in PE where they are competing with other teams, and or students. The other day I was in PE with two behavioral students and they were playing a game of kickball. With one of the BD students it was a catastrophy when he/she got out. It was a very huge deal to this student, so I removed him/her from the gym and we went and played our own game in the Discovery Room. I guess I felt at that time the only way to defuse the situation was to remove and create our own fun activity where the competition wasn't there. I have learned that it really is minute by minute decisions when working with students that are diagnosed BD.
DeleteI selected BD students. I have been a Para Educator in a high school BD class for the last 6 years. When I get done with this degree, there is a great chance that I will be teaching a BD class on a provisional while I get my masters. The interesting thing about the BD students is that all the other categories listed in this section can be a factor in their behaviors. I have had several ADD, ADHD, Autism Spectrum, ect. I think the only one that I have not encountered on the list was giftedness. I did work with a student in the BD room that was close to being gifted, but was never officially identified as being gifted. The BD students are an interesting crowd to say the least, but I have had great success with them. With all the different background and diagnoses that I have dealt with in my room, I use a hand full of strategies to achieve that success. The main one is manners. If a student will not comply with a request I will say, “Will you please sit down and listen to what is being told to you?” When they comply, I always say thank you for complying. I am the queen of manners. I think it’s important to model the behavior you are trying to achieve with the students. The other strategies that I use us is making the student think that whatever desired behavior I want out of them was their choice and they were not doing it because I asked them to. I am actually surprised that none of them have picked up on the fact that I guide them to the right decision, but yet they think they did it on their own. I always point out the consequences of their behaviors and state to them that I don’t want them to suffer the consequence that they face. I ask them to please take a little break and go for a walk with me so they can make sure that they are making the right decision for themselves. I tell them that the world looks much worst when they are mad. I need them to please take a second to get their emotions under control so they can think about what they are doing. I often times feel like I am talking someone off a cliff. Once I get them to go on a walk with me, I quickly ask them about something that they enjoy or get them on a happier subject. Once I feel that their aggression has calmed down I go in to address the undesired behavior and talk them to a better choice. Another strategy that I use is giving them all their options and explaining what the end result will give them on each option. I then ask them what their choice is going to be. I want them to decide their fate so they learn to accept the consequences or reward of whatever their choice may have been. If their choice has a consequence that they don’t like, I point out to them that they had a chance to choose another direction and that was the direction they decided to go. I also point out that if they have another incident, maybe they should look at better options for themselves and allow me to help them through their weaker moments until they can do it all on their own. If their choice has a reward, I make it very clear how happy I am for them and proud of them for allowing themselves to enjoy the rewards in the world. It’s funny because I am only 5’4 and my shortest student is like 5’6. My tallest is almost 7 foot tall. They could totally beat the snot out of me, but I have never felt a moment of fear in the last 6 years. Even when they are really mad at me and call me names, they still address me as Mrs. @##@$@$ (whatever curse word they can think of). AND YES, I do thank them for still addressing me as Mrs. And ignore the words that follow. I encourage, I am firm, I demand respect, BUT I give it them (even though they don’t always earn it).
ReplyDeleteI am choosing kinesthetic learners because as a health/PE teacher, this is what i will be dealing with and be very relatable to. I would use movement exercises to keep their brain active because research shows that kids who are active tend to perform just as good if not better on standardized tests. In Health class I would set up a little course that the students would go through in recreation of the bloodstream and the chambers of the heart. I could go through a lesson on sex ed and have the kids put on a skit about a scenario so see how they would/should respond. I absolutely love the idea of getting kids to move around to learn.
ReplyDeleteDan - I believe movement helps children tremendously. Kids who are active have turned their brains on and are ready to learn. I know there are some students out there who have a hard time with wanting to be active, but I believe that constant movement will help out students succeed.
DeleteFor this blog I chose the student learning disorder of ADHD. In my own words ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a disorder where sitting still in a desk for 7 hours at school is a difficult task to complete. Students who have ADHD also have a hard time standing in line, taking turns, asking to use the restroom, and so on. I have recently learned that little things like paper clips, gum, string, and Velcro help students with ADHD. I work with a student who loves paper clips. This particular student holds on to a paper clip during class bending or twisting it and they are able to sit rather well during a class period. I also work with another student who has a piece of Velcro (the rough side) stuck under their desk that they just rub all during class. That texture holds on to their attention and helps them stay focused during class.
ReplyDeleteMatraca,
DeleteThat is interesting about the velcro. How did you discover their tactile need and what would work for them?
I have also seen the velcro strategy quite a bit. It seems to really work for those students who just can't sit still. I also have tried one of those stress balls, that are filled with a clay type filling. These also worked quite well. Only problem I ever had was trying to explain to other students why what student got to "play", as they would refer to it, with a ball and they couldn't.
DeleteI am choosing a strategy for students with gifted abilities. In a textbook I read covering exceptional students the chapter on gifted and talented students quoted a source saying, “Estimates of this group of underachieving gifted students range from 10% to 20% of all high school dropouts” (Davis & Rimm, 2004). There is so much time and so many resources devoted to making sure that lower achieving students are given every opportunity to succeed that there isn’t much left for higher achieving students. I believe this can be supported even by the coverage of strategies in this blog, as all but one other are devoted to students with disabilities. This is not to diminish the work of anyone who works with and/or advocates for children with disabilities, it is merely an observation that I have had supported by research that in all our (teachers, advocates and parents) efforts there is still work to be done for all. In any case, I believe working with gifted students can be equally challenging, as often times these students also come with behavioral issues. However, I also believe that working with gifted and talented students can be extremely rewarding.
ReplyDeleteFor in-class strategies for gifted and talented students, there are several options 1) differentiated instruction 2) enrichment activities and 3) cross-grade grouping are a few. Depending on a child’s skill and what area they are gifted/talented in would change what areas the general education teacher would need to modify. Using a lesson I saw in my son’s 1st grade class – in their science section right now they are working on what is living and what is non-living. One of the ways they did this was taking a walk at the school’s nature preserve and then drawing pictures of things they saw, living on one side and non-living on the other. One girl finished her drawings ahead of the others and had several items on each side. To keep her working and striving for the next level, her teacher encourage her to take a black marker and outline each of her drawings, defining her work. The teacher modeled the task using the girl’s work and then took the work and stood across the room showing the girl the difference between the outlined picture and those that were not. The young girl was very excited to work on this and it kept her working during the remained of the section. I do not know that this young girl has been identified as gifted or talented – however, this kind of leveled individual instruction in the classroom is a great way to help keep students on task, even if they are completed with the original portion of the lesson. A strategy that I would like to see more schools using is cross-grade grouping. I know that our local elementary has used it in the past, and I think there is a lot of wisdom in allowing students to participate with an older grade for subjects in which they are achieving well above their peers. This allows them to maintain the “fire” for learning and keeps them moving forward without hindering the rest of their grade-level class. Not all students who are gifted and talented are high achieving in every subject. Cross-grade grouping allows students to truly get the level of instruction they need for each subject.
Davis, G.A., & Rimm, S.B. (2004). Education of the gifted and talented (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
"Not all students who are gifted and talented are high achieving in every subject."
DeleteVery true, and not all students who are gifted are high achieving period, they are referred to as the gifted underachiever and there are more of them out there than the high achievers.
I chose to discuss children who are on the Autism Spectrum. The special education teacher that I work under is part of an autism team in charge of 4 surrounding school districts. She has amazing skills and strategies when working with these children. At our first in-service of the year, she showed the movie Temple Grandin. She did this because she wants all of our teachers and staff to be understanding of the issue of autism, and not scared of it. I do believe this movie was able to show our staff just how unique of a disorder that autism can be. Her strategies with students include ensuring they are aware of their schedule. If she knew there was going to be a change in this particular student’s schedule, she was sure to let them know beforehand. Autism children usually do have somewhat of an obsession to sticking to the schedule. When that schedule falls out of routine, they do as well. They aren’t able to adapt well to change, and she understands this. When the school would have a pep rally, and the cheerleaders would ask for volunteers, he automatically thought that since he has his hand up, they had to pick him every time. We would have to find out beforehand if they were going to ask for participants from the crows. We would have to mentally prepare him that he probably wasn’t going to get picked, reminding him that not everybody gets picked every time. A para would be required to sit by him at all activities just incase he couldn’t accept that he wasn’t chosen. This young child also had problems with working in group projects. They would much rather work on their own project, dealing with something they was interested in, such as video games and drawing pictures from their video games. She used the video games as incentives to work with others. If he were to successfully participate and volunteer his thoughts and ideas, he would earn play money. This money, when he received enough, he could turn in for video game accessories (cards, figurines, books). She was able to target just what was able to get him motivated to do better. Don’t’ get me wrong, this didn’t happen within the first week of school. It takes time to really get to know what is going to work for each individual student, especially if they are diagnosed with autism. This particular student was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome. She was able to give this student the resources he needed in order to be successful.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a schedule is so important. These students are very bright and know when something is off. I think that is one reason that several have difficulty in a regular education classroom. Another thing with them in to watch your attitude and temper. This can affect them greatly.
DeleteI chose to do instructional strategies for those who are MR. There is a wide spectrum for these students, some are in regular education classrooms and do just fine, others struggle with everything from academics to social behaviors. In some ways these students are similar to those with autism, but usually do a little better with social situations. I work as a para in a special education classroom and have a little bit of everything, but quite a few are MR. When working with these students I think that it is best to make it relate-able. Some of the most important things to work on are functional skills and if you can do that and math or reading at the same time, then great. When introducing a new math concept pose word problems that are about cars and driving, versus a train. At some point in their lives they are probably going to put gas in their cars and need to estimate how much it will cost. A lot of MR students are visual and hands on, so it is best to model and then have them follow suit. My experience has shown that they may understand one day and forget the next. Working with MR is a continual process. If it is a life skill it is important to have routine and repetition with them.
ReplyDeleteWhen working with them it is important to remember that although they are on a different level academically and need help with life skills, they have the same emotions as other kids their age, including dating, and need to be taught what is socially acceptable. As I said before I am a para at a high school, I tell people that it is an elementary curriculum, middle school drama, and high school hormones.
I've chosen to discuss kinesthetic learning. Students who are kinesthetic learners generally process information through moving and doing. While moving around in the classroom may be looked down upon by some teachers, it can be beneficial and done in a practical manner. As I'm going to be an English teacher, I can help kinesthetic learners by having my students act out scenes in the books, short stories, or plays we are reading in class. I can also create games and activity that involve movement. For example, I can sit my students in circle on the floor and have them roll a ball to another person. When that person catches the ball, they must say a word that is a preposition. This activity can be adjusted to involve many other aspects of grammar.
ReplyDeleteI love walking into a classroom and seeing both the teachers and the students learning while moving around the classroom. I think it is so important as future teachers that we make sure that we are hitting all of our students learning styles, because not each student is the same. Great post and ideas!!1
DeleteChelsi, As the mother of a son who is a kinetic learner I can say that you are on a great track. In my mentors classroom this year she incorporates movement into every single lesson and it does not just help these learners. It helps with classroom management as well because it gets those restless legs up and moving. I think that we need to do a movement activity as much a possible to help keep us all on track. I don’t know if you have ever heard of the Kagan approach but it is an amazing classroom management style that integrates movement with the daily lessons in a simple and fun way that all kids can get involved in. Great job listing activity ideas that we can all use.
DeleteI decided on the Autism Spectrum Disorders. I have two sisters with Autism and I have worked in an Autism classroom for three years running. I chose this topic because I understand what goes on in the home and what goes on in the classroom rather than just seeing one side. Autism is a spectrum because it can start from Asperger’s’ (high functioning) all the way to not functioning at all. Students with Autism have difficulty socializing, making eye contact, and understanding their feelings and feeling of others. What I see a lot is that a child will start biting an adult not because they do it to hurt the adult it is their way of communicating that I am hungry and would like something to eat. You have to think if you were so smart but trapped in a body that wouldn’t let you communicate your needs and wants you would also become upset and mad. Students with Autism need structure in their everyday lives and in the classroom. These students need pictures schedules to show what they are going to do and what they are going to do after. Without schedules these students have no idea what is going to happen in their day and they may tend to have behaviors because of it. Also, students with Autism do not like change. So, it is every important to have a social story about a fire drill or a special guest coming so the student will know what is going to happen and what they are expected to do.
ReplyDeleteI've selected students with Functional Mental Retardation (MR). Just as with any other student, Students with MR have no one instructional strategy that will work with all of them. Instructors must not only focus on their curriculum, but they must also teach real world concepts. Student learn these skills best when applied to a real world situation so they can see the connection beyond the classroom. Performing these skills multiple times over a variety of scenarios is usually the best strategy. Some other basic instructional tips are to teach one part of a concept at a time, teach one step at a time, and teach one-on-one if possible.
ReplyDeleteAs an teacher, I will have an interesting challenge teaching students with MR. I have seen a successful case though. My old painting professor had a student with MR take a class. Learning the intricacies of color theory and composition takes many semesters to fully understand. In that one semester he simply focused on allowing her to get used to the paint and let her express herself. Towards the end offered minor criticism by telling her this color works here but not there and why. It was interesting to see her progress though the semester.
Funny, guess I should have refreshed before posting! Looks like several of us decided on MR :) Sounds like your painting professor was very patient!
DeleteI chose Functional Mental Retardation because it does not seem to have been covered yet and I have worked briefly in the past with children with this diagnosis as a regular sub in an interrelated room. Strategies for this group of children overlap with those for other groups, as do many teaching strategies, as pointed out earlier. The severity of mental retardation that a student is diagnosed with, will of course affect their ability to learn and use higher-level reasoning skills, their ability to function socially with their peers, their self-help skills, and many other areas. A strategy for helping students with mild to moderate mental retardation is to provide concrete materials and hands-on experiences. Use unit blocks or other counters during math lessons, use sandpaper letters during literacy activities, use whatever science materials would relate to the lesson. I work with preschool age children and plan to continue working in early education and find that many of the strategies we use with young children apply to many disabilities.
ReplyDeleteFor this blog I also chose the student learning disorder of ADHD. I used to have difficulty believing that attention deficit hyperactivity disorders were more of a made up label for a replacement of not being able to use discipline like they did years ago. However, this semester, I have a student who is diagnosed with ADHA and sitting still is a difficult task for him. The text mentions that students who have ADHD also have a hard time standing in line, taking turns or asking for permission to do things. I haven’t noticed this yet but I did recently learn that little things like having a ball during warm ups or a piece of gum helps him stay focused. He loves basketball so I allow him to hold on to the ball while we stretch and during warm ups. I also put him up front as a stretching leader so he can mirror the stretches and he has done very well thus far.
ReplyDeleteI too am ashamed to admit I thought ADHD was a way of making excuses for the child. I then decided to go into the teaching field. I witnessed with my own eyes the inability to sit still, to hold their hands and arms still, or to even concentrate for a few minutes. I then took compassion on this learning disorder. I now believe it really exists and it exists in many degree. I then realized how uncomfortable it has to be for that student. To know they cannot control the emotion of not sitting still or concentrating enough to complete an assignment is eye opening. I now allow my students to move, if it not hurting others or interrupting learning. I also allow them something to hold on to when sitting during circle to keep their hands busy. I try to seat them where there are less distractions and objects that might be fiddled with. I now have a new compassion for ADHD and I myself have become better educated about it.
DeleteFor this blog I selected to look at strategies for a kinesthetic learner but will also cover some of learning disabilities since it is such a large umbrella that covers so many issues.
ReplyDeleteMy son is in fourth grade and is dyslexic although we did not know that for a long time. He was labeled as a having a “Developmental delay” in kindergarten then when they saw he was fine in all areas outside of language arts the school switched it to a “general learning disability” we spent 1-2 trying to find ways to teach Ashton that worked then one day I realized that everything that he did with movement he retained at a much greater rate. This began our journey to diagnosing him with severe to profound dyslexia. Having dyslexia means that Ashton does not use the same side of his brain when reading but uses different parts on both sides. He has to involve movement for him to make any time of connection to what he is learning. I have started him on a multi sensory tutoring program that has helped tremendously. He has to use wooden tiled to spell his words and phrases and this requires many movements that his body memorizes just like a person who is not dyslexic would memorize the shape of a word to quickly retrieve it when reading.
Movement should be integrated whenever possible to help these learners make since of what they are learning. My son learned to skip count by jumping on the trampoline and saying 2,4,6,8… at every bounce. He has learned his multiplication tables through a system called “Times Tales” that makes a character out of each number 0-9 and then creating a story that states the problem. For example 7x4 would be “Mrs. week (7) X sat on a chair (4) and caught (2) boots and (8) trout =28. you have to learn the stories in order but once you do you know the multiplication table. I love this system and can see using it in my own classroom in the future.
I would choose visual learner because that is how I learn best. I usually have to see some sort of demonstration or diagram of how something is done to have a much better understanding of it. Like algebra for example if the teacher just explains how to do a problem it without giving an example on the board or out of the book. I have a tough time trying to figure it out. As a teacher it is important to try and cover different types of learning. Although it may be a simple task to understand, some students may still need to see it visually rather than just orally.
ReplyDeleteWhen a teacher is preparing a lesson, and he knows there is a student in his class with a behavior disorder, the teacher might take a few of these suggestions to heart:
ReplyDelete1. Break long presentations into smaller segments, and have students’ responds in some way at the end of each segment.
2. Extend the amount of time students have to complete a task.
3. Break assignments into mini assignments, and scaffold the following assignments off the previous one.
4. Reduce the amount of practice problems once the student has mastered a concept.
5. If a student makes a mistake help him learn from it.
6. Follow low-interest activities with high-interest activities to keep all students involved.
These are just a few ways to keep students with behavioral disorders excited and interested in your class.
Kasey, those are all great suggestions for teachers to consider when they are developing their lessons. Even making little modifications in the classroom can make a world of difference to a child with a behavior disorder. It is also a good idea to write down certain situations that might set that child off, and then make sure that they are not put into those types of situations while they are in the classroom.
DeleteI am going to discuss the visual learner. The visual learning needs to see what he/she is learning. this can be done through visual displays, films, illustrated books, handouts, and graphic organizers to name a few of the ways to help this learner learn. One particular way to help the visual learner is by having a picture schedule. A picture schedule will a visual learner to realize what is coming next in the day. They see that the first picture is over so they remove that picture and the next picture that is there is what will come next in their schedule. Of course picture schedules are used in the lower grades, especially when the children do not read yet. I have a used a picture schedule to help a child learn the routine of the day and it worked great. The child would go remove the top one and settle right into the next part of the day. Picture schedules can be used for many different forms of learning, not just visual learners. They do not just help with routines but in many other areas by using different pieces on the schedule.
ReplyDeleteFor this particular blog I chose to include strategies that would help a child with Asperger Syndrome. I got the opportunity to briefly work with a child that was diagnosed with this last year when I was a special education paraprofessional. Something that I remember the most about working with him is that we had to make sure that his schedule was consistent every single day and if something changed we had to notify him as soon as we could. He was very smart and was taking a lot of hard classes and he would get overwhelmed at times so, when it was necessary, we would pull him out of class and let him work on his homework in a very quiet room so there weren’t any distractions. Otherwise, he stayed with his peers most of the day. Another strategy that can help a child with Asperger Syndrome is to challenge them to say “hi” to a certain number of people every day to help them with their social skills. Once they are comfortable with that, they can add more people and more social interactions along the way.
ReplyDeleteI am a kinesthetic learner, so I decided to chose that. Most of the information that one can find is that kinesthetic learners need to have movement of some kind when they are learning. This can be anything from actual hands-on manipulation of materials to just writing notes. I didn't know anything about kinesthetic learners until I started taking classes at FHSU. In a couple of other classes, I had to take quizzes to see which type of learner I was and every time it stated I was predominantly kinesthetic. It made sense to me after that in how I learned in classes. Until I started taking virtual classes, I had never read a textbook. I always went to class and took notes but then never looked at them again and I had a pretty high GPA (on the Dean's list). I realized that by just writing the information down was enough for me to absorb the material. So teaching students how to take notes can be an effective way of learning for a kinesthetic learner, it has worked for me.
ReplyDeleteEveryone's strategies are excellent! I chose ADD because I suffer from ADD as an adult and have battled the disorder my entire life. ADD was not something that was accepted or considered a "disability" when I was a young child. I spent many a recess, fun day, or free time working on school work or doing extra work as punishment due to my lack of organization and/or focus. My parents refused to believe that I couldn't help the problems I was having in class, so I also felt that I was being punished at home because of my difficulties at school. However, I now thank my parents each and every day because they instilled in me the self-discipline to "take care of business". My parents worked with my teachers to create sticker charts for task completion at the elementary level and, at the secondary level, planners and to do lists became second nature for me. To some it may seem as though the ADD student needs rewards for doing expected tasks, but for the ADD student completing tasks and meeting deadlines can be so difficult that without a goal (or reward) it may seem impossible. Celebrating small successes can motivate children who suffer from ADD. It is also important to break up large assignments into smaller more seemingly manageable tasks. This is a strategy I still use in my day to day life both at work and at home that makes the completion of big projects, from rolling out new technology on my campuses to seasonal decorating, much more managable. Students will be more likely to meet deadlines and complete work when they have goals that are seemingly more attainable.
ReplyDeleteI picked the Kinesthetic Learner category because this is the furthest learning style from my own. I cannot move and learn - probably because I'm incredibly clumsy! The Kinesthetic area is one of the hardest areas for my to learn, therefore requires more of my attention. One strategy that I have seen used frequently is a song or chant that has hand motions. For a lot of kids, the hand motions trigger the memory of the words, which help with whatever the student is working on. In the school I'm interning in, the math teacher teaches the students several of these chants. It's cool to see them quietly whispering it at their seat and moving their hands!
ReplyDeleteI want to discuss strategies for English Language Learners (ELL students) because I have had some experience working with international students when I was a teaching assistant and instructor at K-State (2008-11). Additionally, I feel that it is very important for teachers to be able to teach to all types of students, and students who speak a different language often feel like a big challenge to English-only teachers.
ReplyDeleteIn my classroom, one of the first strategies in my English classroom (though it can be used in other classrooms) was to allow students to write in their first language in their journal or bellwork freewrites at the beginning of class. When students can be supported in their proficiency of their first language instead of being asked to give it up, it helps encourage them. Those grades were essentially participation grades and were based on completion, so it was not entirely necessary for me to grade what the students had written in terms of understanding their opinions, but rather that they had opportunities to use their first language.
Additionally, I encourage my students to take notes in their first language—again, those notes are specifically for the students, so they might as well be able to understand their notes to more effectively study. It may seem like a small thing, but students appreciate the encouragement of understanding rather than simply English language use.
By far the most important strategy I have used in classrooms with ELL students is one that I call, “talking to the alien.” I found that because of cultural differences in writing, ELL students would often rely heavily on sources and did not fully explain complex ideas. I found out that this was because in some cultures, using sources to the point of almost using too many is giving respect to those experts who are more learned in a topic than the writer is, and so someone else’s ideas are more valuable because they are experts.
As for thorough explanations, in some cultures, explaining ideas thoroughly is a slap in the face to the audience; you are assuming they are not intelligent enough to figure something out when you provide a lot of explanation. In the U.S., writing teachers encourage a lot of explanation without realize that it may not be a culturally-based value.
So, to help my ELL students with both of these issues, I asked them to imagine that they were not writing their paper to me, but rather to an alien from outer space. That alien would be unaware of the “obvious” things we do on the Earth, and would need thorough explanations for everything discussed. Additionally, that alien would not be able to understand why people were experts, and so the writer’s point of view and explaining the expert was just as important as what he/she was quoting. Students were told to ask themselves, “What would the alien ask about this?” and then write it out. Two of my Kuwaiti students used this strategy throughout the semester, and to my great excitement, found that their understanding of writing and of audience increased when they talked to the alien. Additionally, Chinese and Korean students felt more comfortable in expressing their own ideas in addition to an expert’s when they told the alien about them.
I still use this strategy with students who have trouble using sources and development, so they have multiple uses in the classroom, but they are particularly effective with ELL students. For more resources, I highly encourage you to check out http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/language/teaching-ell.html. They have other strategies such as using visual resources and speaking and listening techniques. Best of luck! The most important thing is to not be afraid to teach ELL students—equip yourself, don’t get discouraged, and be on the lookout for new strategies. Just because you may not speak that student’s first language doesn’t mean that you can't help them to learn. :)
I'm going to talk about the gifted learner, simply because I was a gifted learner and while I was working on my MS in Instructional design and technology I took 12 hrs in gifted education because it spun my wheels.
ReplyDeleteThe gifted learner according to our book is "significantly higher than usual ability or aptitude in one or more areas."
I'm not a big fan of this definition. I believe a better definition is that a gifted learner has a significantly higher than usual ability or aptitude to learn a subject or task. Even then it's not the best because of the gifted underachiever, someone who has the ability but does not necessarily put in a great deal of effort.
Great example of the gifted underachiever, they will not read the book, they go from prior knowledge and the bits and pieces they put together from a lecture. They pass tests with an passing grade but had any effort been put in they likely would get an A, but they are fine with a C because they didn't have to work at it, they could do what did interest them instead.
So how do we modify lessons for these learners. Depth of knowledge is a great thing to look at. They can learn the same material but might get done sooner. Pushing them to learn more and learn alone is a great way to help the gifted individual.
Giving them the tools to push further and look at the subject deeper. Using blooms and pushing further in questioning and relating it to something they already know and defending how they relate.
Something I feel compelled to state, the gifted student should never be used as a tutor to struggling students. This is done often and every class I have had on the matter, from my own personal experience as a gifted student, and having two relatives in my family who are master level gifted facilitators, this is wrong and unfair to the gifted student. Some might enjoy it but it does not help them at all and should be avoided.
My choice is kinesthetic learning. I know there are many different types of learning and students vary in the best way to pick up what they are being taught. I have always been more hands-on and I think that would be best in the field of art. In the past I've found that art is rather boring when it is read about directly from a textbook. Most students who are interested in art would tend to be more active in learning through hands-on experience. Actually creating color value charts by adding separate amounts of either white or black is much more appealing than reading about shades of grey. I also believe that students would have a better idea of different paint brushes, strokes, clay, canvases, and many other materials by actually working with them by hand. Art is something that children do as a means of studying so kinesthetic learning would be more appropriate. I personally learn better by doing something by hand with a little supervision. I think with safety in the art room it would be best to show the students how to properly handle materials and then have them do it as opposed to simply telling them and having individual interpretations as to the correct way to do something.
ReplyDeleteI chose to discuss the visual learner because I feel it is the most appliciable to my study of physical education. Visual learners learn by seeing the activity done in front of them. They are better able to learn by seeing the details of the activity done by another teacher or classmate. They can then emulate these motions and perfect them overtime by performing them on their own. As a physical education teacher I can cater to my visual learners by first demonstrating the activity we will be performing in class on given day. I can do this either showing them myself of having other students perform the task in front of the class. I myself am I more visual learner and thus I relate better to methods that strive to teach by showing the students.
ReplyDeleteI chose students who are kinesthetic learners because I think in my subject (math) most classrooms do not help students who learn best this way. Most math classes are designed to be best for students who are auditory learners or even visual learners but not usually kinesthetic learners. I think reaching these students will be my biggest challenge as a math teacher. Because of this, I need to find activities so that students can get out of their chairs while still learning. One strategy I will try in classroom is acting out word problems. For example, when working with rate of change, I could do an experiment where the students have to get up and so the experiment to see if the math matches up with the application. I think this would really help the students who need to learn through moving and doing.
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ReplyDeleteI chose kinesthetic learners. I am going to be a Ag teacher and so most of the learning that takes place in that type of class is going to happen by hands on learning and actually doing something besides listening to a lecture. I am a kinesthetic learner myself and I believe it is important for students to be able to see the practical side of learning and not just listening to a teacher lecture for an hour.
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