Students Who Learn Differently
Techniques for Teachers and Administrators
There are many techniques that can be used, some at all levels, to help the learning-differently student in the classroom. Some of these are listed below. Many others can be found in the material in the resources section.
- If you suspect one of your students might have a problem, check with the administration to see if the student has ever been assessed; likewise the administration should see that each teacher concerned is notified of any prior special needs assessment
- sit the student at the front of the class so there are fewer distractions
- match the student to the teacher whenever there is a choice; we learn better from people we like, and we probably like them because they are teaching us in a manner we can learn from
- exemption from taking more than one language; while other students are studying a second language, the learning-differently student can be receiving specialized help
- in so far as possible, make your presentations multisensory in nature; this will be a great help for your students who learn differently and will not harm the performance of the other students
- more time for exams
- oral instead of written exams
- have the exam questions available on tape so the student can listen to them on a Walkman recorder while also being able to see them
- use of computers with grammar and spell check to take exams
- use of tape recorders for lectures
- calculators for math
- have lecture notes photocopied either by the teacher or a friend who takes good notes
- lap-top computers to take lecture notes
- assistance from an "amanuensis" or scribe ( a person who reads the questions and writes down the dictated answer)
- stress strengths over weaknesses
- be very positive when correcting work; an exercise that is returned covered in red marks is most disheartening
- work together with the parents so homework requirements are realistic and clearly understood
- don't make the child read aloud in class unless he is comfortable doing so
- permit the use of spelling dictionaries and/or hand-held, electronic spell-checkers
- educate all the students about what learning-differently means; in so learning, they will not only learn why some of their classmates get special dispensations, they will also learn more about themselves; some schools offer "Theory of Knowledge" courses which might be a good place to start; or perhaps a special section in the Biology course could deal with differences in perception
It should be remembered that not all these interventions are appropriate for all students.
This is, by no means, a complete list. A paper prepared by Marion and Julia Welchman and submitted by the AWC of Edinburgh gives more suggestions for teachers and can be requested from esc@fawco.org. Also recommended is the teacher checklist that can be found on pages 51-53 of Dyslexia A Teaching Handbook by Thomson & Watkins (see Resources/Books).
The Use of the Computer as a Teaching Aid
Practically daily new computer programs are coming on the market designed to help the student who learns differently. Some are for home use (see Resources) and others are to be used at school with the supervision of a tutor. The British Dyslexia Association has a computer subcommittee on the use of computers with dyslexics which puts out a bulletin with reviews of the latest software from the point of view of teachers of dyslexics.
Thomson & Watkins remind us in Dyslexia: A Teaching Handbook that, "What is important is for software, and teaching programs, to be based on sound educational principles. In the case of the dyslexic, this means based on teaching procedures that are used to overcome the dyslexic's difficulties. For example, overlearning and over teaching, structured and systematic teaching, immediate reinforcement and feedback, and multisensory learning." Those that are in the business of developing these types of programs would do well to ask the help of the students themselves.
Many learning-differently students respond well to working and learning with computers because:
- there is an instant response that can correct or reinforce the right answer so that the right connections get made in the brain; the repetition (or overlearning) is continued until the correct response is learned
- the learning is student-led; the student works at his own speed
- the student competes against himself rather than others
- a computer is non-judgmental
- it is predictable; learning-differently students don't like surprises
- computers by their nature are sequential and logical and this helps to reinforce these skills in the user
- computers can be used in any class:
- to correct grammar and spelling errors in any written work, such as note taking and exams
- to correct deficiencies in handwriting
In some countries if the student is properly assessed, they can get grants to help defray the purchase of this equipment, or they might have the equipment loaned to them.
Continuing Education for Teachers
Any teachers who would like to continue or begin specialized training in how to teach children who learn differently via distance learning are advised to contact The Hornsby International Center, Correspondence Course Division (see Useful Addresses.)
In addition to actual courses for credit, there are many web sites available to teachers which contain current articles, lesson plans, worksheets, and interactive question and answer pages. One such site is ProTeacher (http://www.proteacher.com/040009.shtml) for K-6 elementary and special education teachers.
Two summers ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Richard Lavoie at Riverview School on Cape Cod where he currently holds the position of president of this residential facility for adolescents with special needs. He holds three degrees in special education and is perhaps best known as the creator of award-winning videos for PBS. In the course of our conversation, I asked him if he thought that dyslexics make good teachers, and he replied, "I actively recruit them." He went on to explain that dyslexic teachers have a special insight that makes them very effective teachers for learning disabled students.
Recently there was an article in The Times Educational Supplement entitled, "Read this carefully: dyslexia can make you a better teacher:"
Every public performer suffers a variation of the same nightmare. You stand there before a sea of expectant faces but you just cannot deliver. Louise Anderson . . . says that's how it is when you're a dyslexic teacher and you first get your class list.
"I got this list with all these names," she says. "And I couldn't read and pronounce them."It's not that she can't read. It's just that a page of text is daunting, and something she'd rather tackle in her own time in private. Now, with confidence in her ability to do her job, she gets one of the pupils to help her - someone who is delighted and empowered by the knowledge that this excellent teacher, capable of the most exquisite work and with a gift of passing it on, has learning problems of her own. 1
Her colleagues have been a great help. One teacher, Steve Wells, got her to build up a bank of sentences that would describe her student's attainment. "I gave her frameworks for writing."
Now in her second year, Anderson continues to be well supported. She's been given voice-recognition software, for example. "The special needs department have been so supportive . . . last year when I was struggling to write my reports, our special needs co-ordinator said I should have come to her before."
The striking thing about both these teachers is the empathy they have with children who have differing learning needs. Wells sees it in terms of realizing that children learn in different ways. "You have in front of you lots of children with lots of learning styles. That means you have to teach in different ways. The less able children are particularly dependent on the kind of teaching they receive. If the teacher is not sympathetic to their learning needs, they are not going to fulfill their potential.
Anderson, too, talks of trying to present material in a range of ways, "making it easier and accessible, so children are using all their functions and not just sitting and listening." 2
Learn to be a special needs tutor?
Perhaps you find yourself in a part of the world where special needs tutors are few or non-existent. Perhaps you have considered becoming such a tutor yourself. Susan Barton, an instructor in Phonemic Awareness and Multisensory Teaching Techniques at the University of California, and in Learning Disabilities at West Valley College, has developed a video training program for special needs tutors aimed at parents and professionals alike.
She is willing to send a free video giving a full description of the Barton Reading & Spelling System, video clips from the tutor training videotapes, sample pages from the lesson plans, and a ten-minute tutor screening to see whether or not you have what it takes to become a successful tutor using her system. To find out more information, go to http://bartonreading.com or see Useful Addresses.
1 Haigh, Gerald. "Read this carefully: dyslexia can make you a better teacher." Times Educational Supplement. January 12, 2001. pp. 6-7.
2 Ibid.
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Students Who Learn Differently
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