Helping students with learning difficulties

Helping students with learning difficulties

There are four important areas that ought to be considered when working with students have learning difficulties, Those areas are:

v  Identification: How do we asses students for learning difficulties

v  Accomodation : How do we modify the instructional environment to help these students

v  Motivation: How do we encourage students with learning difficulties to achieve

v  Communication: How do we ensure that parents stay involved

Identifying students with learning difficulties

Teacher who has student with learning difficulties must give some assesments for them. Asking older student to take an inventory will help teacher and them learn from their perceptions of how well they perform certain tasks.

But for the younger students, a verbal discussions of these areas may be more effective than the written inventory

The ability – achievement discrepancy

Some school use the result of IQ test to find the discrepancy models, the IQ test can be biased, because the results are not consistent from state to state or even from school district to another.

Schools do not wait for students to fail but attempt to find at risk students as early as possible

A combined model

Debate will likely continue for some time on the best methods for identifying whether a child has a learning dissability. One possibility is to combine portions of several models into one that

• Recognizes the usefulness of the ability-achievement discrepancy
• Incorporates the advantages of a multitier framework
• Includes findings from neuroscience research about brain development and function

Accomodating Students with learning difficulties

Ø  Learn about learning

Ø  Design a learning profile for each student with learning problems

Ø  Use technology

Ø  Modify the learning environment

Ø  Modify instructional strategies

Ø  Modify the curriculum materials

Ø  Get the reluctant starter going

Ø  Maintain attention

Ø  Use group instruction and peers

Ø  Adjust time demands

Ø  Deal with inappropriate behavior

Ø  Modify homework assignment

Motivating students with learning difficulties

Five basics strategies that teacher should consider to help motivate students with learning difficulties

Ø  Structure activities for success

Ø  Set realistic expectations

Ø  Link success to effort

Ø  Communicate positive expectations

Ø  Demonstrate noncontingent acceptance

Communicating with parents

Raising a child with a learning disability can be stressful. There are so many problems can be happen in their home, some parents improved a good activity, such as spiritual growth, family harmony. But mostly, parents report that anger, guilt, blame and frustation.

School personel can help ease parental stress by meeting personally, give some report daily or weekly.Frequent communication with parents is important so that all are working together to assist the student in meeting expectations.