Teaching SENs (Special Educational Needs)

[Irina Sh]

10. Teaching stratagies

В этом упражнении предлагается сопоставить потребности ученика с ADHD и стратегии учителя (8 групп)

 

The learner needs:

◦support in remembering what to do and how to learn

◦a clear structure and consistent rules

◦to feel safe and secure

◦to believe that the teacher likes them even when their behaviour is annoying

◦help with managing inappropriate behaviour and restlessness

◦help with developing relationships with other learners

◦help with short term memory

◦help with understanding and managing time.

 

Teaching strategies

 

Strategies group 1

◦Have a few clear classroom rules and remind learners of them.

◦Have a clear reward system and involve the learners in designing it.

◦Set clear time limits for work and give warnings when time is nearly over e.g 1 minute to go, teacher counts down to finish of activity 5,4,3,2,1.

 

Strategies group 2

◦Use individual laminated whiteboards so that learners can show their answers rather than having to choose when to speak.

◦Allow the learner to work with headphones on or to imagine putting headphones on to cut out distractions and to be able to focus on own work.

◦Let the learner doodle or stand up and stretch when needed.

 

Strategies group 3

◦Notice and praise when the learner is on-task and behaving appropriately, for example, use a 'Catch me being good card.'

◦Focus on the learner's strengths, for example, let them draw pictures you need on the board.

◦Send home good reports.

 

Strategies group 4

◦If you cannot come back to the learner when you said you would, acknowledge the anxiety the learner might be having "Maybe you thought I had forgotten you, but I had not."

◦Have a worry box,where learners can write down privately any worries they want the teacher to know.

 

Strategies group 5

◦Use timers for learners to see the time they need to focus, for example an egg-timer or watch with large face.

◦Let the learner know how long they have before you come back to them "OK, try the first 3 questions and then I will come back to you."

 

Strategies group 6

◦Encourage study buddies, learners who can work together and help each other.

◦Encourage everyone to notice each others strengths.

 

Strategies group 7

◦Sit the learner near the teacher and away from distractions such as windows, heaters.

◦Have computers available for extra activities.

◦Allow the learner to go to a designated area if classroom getting too stressful so that they can cool down.

◦Have a signal for the learner to use when they need to escape , for example, a card which can be put on the desk.

 

Strategies group 8

◦Use visual memory aids , for example, a visual timetable.

◦Use positive language and say what you want to happen, For example "Look at the board" rather than "Don"t turn around."

 

Feedback

Some of these strategies meet more than one need of the learner with ADHD. For example, allowing a learner to doodle or stand up primarily supports them to manage their learning so that it keeps them focused but it does of course also help with their restlessness.All of these ideas are good strategies which will help most learners with ADHD in some way. They will also help other learners improve their learning skills, behaviour and memory.

Schools often set behaviour targets for learners with ADHD. If we only use this behaviourist approach, we are addressing the symptom not the cause of the problem. The behaviour of these learners is showing us their needs. We need to address the needs behind the behaviour if we want to help learners with ADHD to succeed with learning. The English classroom provides many opportunities to practise and develop the skills which learners with ADHD find difficult, for example, listening, waiting, working together.

 

Далее идут два видео с играми. И ссылки на сборники игр.

Watch the video of the children doing an activity called 'How long is a minute?' and think about the purpose of the activity.

Learners with ADHD have problems with waiting in class. They call out, they interrupt others, they cannot sit still for long. This shows that they cannot measure time in their head. They think they have been waiting for a long time with their hand up to answer a question, but they probably have only been waiting a few seconds. This activity helps them to understand that they need to measure time more slowly. Learners with ADHD will often sit down in this activity after 20-30 seconds and are amazed at how long a minute actually is. They can learn from other learners in this activity and will need to practise it several times. Other useful games to develop social and learning skills can be found in Mosley, J. (1996) Quality circle time in the classroom Lda Publishers

 

As we have seen the English classroom offers excellent opportunities to practise learning skills in fun games and activities. For more good language games see:

Rinvolucri, M. and Davis, P. (1985) Grammar Games CUP

Rinvolucri, M. and Davis, P. (1995) More Grammar Games.

[Irina Sh]

А вот case-study. Попробуйте сделать.

Case study_document - ADHD.doc

[pjkeirf]

Спасибо за полезные материалы.

[Irina Sh]

Подготовила материалы по Дислексии. Пока разберусь, как загрузить файл, выкладываю часть "Факты и мифы о дислексии". Пишите в личку, вышлю файл.

 

1 Facts and myths about dyslexia

This section will help you consider your own feelings about teaching learners with dyslexia and focus on some of the main characteristics of dyslexia. What do you know about dyslexia and how do you feel about teaching people with dyslexia?

 

True or false?

 

Question 1

Learners with dyslexia think mainly in pictures and not in words.

 

Question 2

Learners with dyslexia are less intelligent than their classmates.

 

Question 3

Learners with dyslexia enjoy using their hands to understand things.

 

Question 4

Learners with dyslexia have trouble understanding time and tense.

 

Question 5

Learners with dyslexia have a colourful imagination and like to be creative.

 

Question 6

Learners with dyslexia often suffer from anxiety and lack of self-confidence.

 

Question 7

Learners with dyslexia like reading aloud.

 

Question 8

Learners with dyslexia are not likely to be successful in life.

Feedback

 

1. They often have strong visual thinking skills and memory.

The correct answer is 'True'.

2. There is no link between dyslexia and intelligence. Learners with dyslexia are often highly intelligent.

The correct answer is 'False'.

3. Touching and playing with physical objects appeals to the kinaesthetic learning style that children with dyslexia tend to prefer.

The correct answer is 'True'.

4. Ideas of time and tense can be difficult for learners with dyslexia to understand. This is one of the challenges for English teachers to overcome.

The correct answer is 'True'.

5. Creativity and imagination are strengths often found in children with dyslexia.

The correct answer is 'True'.

6. Difficulty learning to read and making repeated mistakes can lead to feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem.

The correct answer is 'True'.

7. Reading aloud is often something that children with dyslexia fear as it draws attention to their difficulties.

The correct answer is 'False'.

8. There are many famous people with dyslexia who have been extremely successful in different walks of life.

The correct answer is 'False'.

 

It is very encouraging for a learner with dyslexia to see that many famous and successful people also have dyslexia. They include Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Bill Gates. You can find examples of other famous people with dyslexia who may be positive role models for your learners on the British Dyslexia Association website. http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

[Irina Sh]

2 Definition

Dyslexia is a spectrum which includes children of all abilities. It is thought to affect about 10% of the population. It is an information processing difficulty. It leads to problems with the verbal codes and symbols that make up language. It is a combination of strengths and difficulties that may affect learning, reading, writing, spelling and word finding. Dyslexia also relates to difficulties with organisation, sequencing, number skills and memory.

There is a smaller percentage of people known to have dyslexia in countries such as Italy, where spelling is phonetically consistent. However, trying to learn English with all its inconsistencies can sometimes reveal that a learner has dyslexia.

 

 

2.2 Could the child have dyslexia?

An initial assessment checklist of dyslexia indications

Often one of the first signs that a child may have dyslexia is when you notice a big difference between that child’s general intelligence and their poor performance in reading and writing tasks. This discrepancy can seem surprising or hard to explain.

Look at the check list for indications of dyslexia. If you teach a child who you think may be dyslexic you can tick the signs which apply to them. If there are 5 or more ticks, there is a high chance the child could have dyslexia and it would be useful for him or her to have a formal assessment. If not, it may be useful to keep the list for future use.

 

Dyslexia:

what to look for:

 

written work surprisingly poor when compared with speaking

reads slowly and hesitantly and misreads words

has difficulty linking sounds to letters

reverses and flips letters or parts of words

has limitations in short term or working memory

is slow at processing language

may be clumsy

has trouble keeping time

is often disorganised and messy

suffers from low self-esteem.

 

It is important to remember that this list is only for guidance and that dyslexia can only be diagnosed by an expert.

[Radislav Millrood]

2 Definition

Dyslexia is a spectrum which includes children of all abilities. It is thought to affect about 10% of the population. It is an information processing difficulty. It leads to problems with the verbal codes and symbols that make up language. It is a combination of strengths and difficulties that may affect learning, reading, writing, spelling and word finding. Dyslexia also relates to difficulties with organisation, sequencing, number skills and memory.

There is a smaller percentage of people known to have dyslexia in countries such as Italy, where spelling is phonetically consistent. However, trying to learn English with all its inconsistencies can sometimes reveal that a learner has dyslexia.

 

 

2.2 Could the child have dyslexia?

An initial assessment checklist of dyslexia indications

Often one of the first signs that a child may have dyslexia is when you notice a big difference between that child’s general intelligence and their poor performance in reading and writing tasks. This discrepancy can seem surprising or hard to explain.

Look at the check list for indications of dyslexia. If you teach a child who you think may be dyslexic you can tick the signs which apply to them. If there are 5 or more ticks, there is a high chance the child could have dyslexia and it would be useful for him or her to have a formal assessment. If not, it may be useful to keep the list for future use.

 

Dyslexia:

what to look for:

 

written work surprisingly poor when compared with speaking

reads slowly and hesitantly and misreads words

has difficulty linking sounds to letters

reverses and flips letters or parts of words

has limitations in short term or working memory

is slow at processing language

may be clumsy

has trouble keeping time

is often disorganised and messy

suffers from low self-esteem.

 

It is important to remember that this list is only for guidance and that dyslexia can only be diagnosed by an expert.

Интересно бы узнать о наблюдаемых Вами симптомах дислексии у российских учащихся. Поделитесь, пожалуйста, на примере обучения английскому языку.