In order to be an effective teacher, one must first understand the students that he or she is trying to reach. As a special education teacher I am a firm believer that every child can learn, and it is my job to discover the best methods to reach my students in order to help them grow to their full potential. After reading the various pages of Misunderstood Minds, participating in the activities, and watching the video clips I was left with a greater understanding of some of the difficulties that my students face on a day to day basis. It also helped to validate some of my own feelings that I have as a person with both auditory and sensory processing disorders.
I really struggled with many of the activities on the Misunderstood Minds website, but the one that was the most frustrating for me was the auditory activity on the attention page of the site. Because I struggle with auditory processing, this activity was extremely frustrating for me and required a great deal of concentration. I was able to successfully complete the task, but not without feeling anxiety at whether I was hearing the directions correctly and frustration with the background noise. As a student I remember not doing well in school because I would become so frustrated with my understanding and differentiating of sounds and words that I would simply tune out instruction all together. Eventually in high school I found that I learn best when I work independently, write down all of my thoughts, and study my written notes instead of relying on a teacher to verbally instruct me. As an adult I have to constantly rephrase questions and ask for clarification so that I can be certain that I have understood directions (and I have found that many people are not patient in dealing with this, and that it makes me look like I'm either a) not paying attention, or b) being argumentative.)
One feature of the website Misunderstood Minds that I really liked was the fact that after introducing each topic/learning disability they would offer suggestions for how to better help or teach students. Here are some of the many suggestions listed that I though are great ideas for teachers to use to better reach all students, not just those that have a learning disability.
Attention
Writing
Mathematics
I really enjoyed how this weeks reading, Misunderstood Minds, helps to provide teachers with an opportunity to spend some time (although short) in the shoes of a student with a learning disability. Often times people tend to be stuck in their own minds, and struggle to relate or really empathize with others. The activities in this resource really helped me to see why it is so important to strive to utilize different teaching techniques and tactics to meet the needs of my diverse learners, instead of teaching one way and hoping that most succeed. Another good resource is the film The F.A.T. City Workshop on youtube (the link is to the first chapter of the film, but all subsequent chapters are also available to view.) This movie is outdated in some of it's language and beliefs, but the concept of better understanding a student with a learning disability is still valid. Parents, friends, teachers, and specialists are given the opportunity to spend an afternoon in a workshop where they are not just told, but shown what it may be like to live with various learning disabilities. The film really hit home with me and I think many of you will enjoy it!
I really struggled with many of the activities on the Misunderstood Minds website, but the one that was the most frustrating for me was the auditory activity on the attention page of the site. Because I struggle with auditory processing, this activity was extremely frustrating for me and required a great deal of concentration. I was able to successfully complete the task, but not without feeling anxiety at whether I was hearing the directions correctly and frustration with the background noise. As a student I remember not doing well in school because I would become so frustrated with my understanding and differentiating of sounds and words that I would simply tune out instruction all together. Eventually in high school I found that I learn best when I work independently, write down all of my thoughts, and study my written notes instead of relying on a teacher to verbally instruct me. As an adult I have to constantly rephrase questions and ask for clarification so that I can be certain that I have understood directions (and I have found that many people are not patient in dealing with this, and that it makes me look like I'm either a) not paying attention, or b) being argumentative.)
One feature of the website Misunderstood Minds that I really liked was the fact that after introducing each topic/learning disability they would offer suggestions for how to better help or teach students. Here are some of the many suggestions listed that I though are great ideas for teachers to use to better reach all students, not just those that have a learning disability.
Attention
- Longer and more frequent breaks
- Different methods of instruction (multiple intelligences)
- Preferential seating
- Encourage physical activity
- Simplify materials or steps, not content
- Prepare student/let them know in advance
- Student journal/diary/log to self monitor
- High interest activities
- Monitor factors that may impact student performance (bedtime, food, mood, etc.)
- Highlight key ideas
- Teach/promote listening strategies
- Cue students for upcoming transitions
- Set goals/record progress
- Provide feedback
- Play word games
- Read aloud
- Model reading
- Reinforce sight words
- Preview new words in text
- Teach rules
- Teach decoding techniques
- Use movement to act out words
- Build on prior knowledge
- Break up larger works into smaller text chunks
- Use reading organizers
- Reread texts
Reading
Writing
- Evaluate content and mechanics separately
- Variety of writing activities
- Cooperative writing assignments
- Provide ample time for writing and the writing/revision process
- Find the right writing tool (pen, pencil, crayon, grip, computer, speech to text, etc.)
- Practice handwriting/forming letters
- Write about topics of interest
- Encourage reading aloud when editing
- Break assignments into steps or stages
- Provide writing template
- Sentence starters to kick off ideas
- Graphic organizers
Mathematics
- Teach concepts with concrete objects
- Provide time for checking work
- Provide time for group discovery
- Encourage connecting concepts to prior knowledge
- Teach basic math facts
- Teach math in more than one way
- Use games
- Teach decoding word problems
- Teach rephrasing problems
- Isolate steps
- Reduce amount of information on a page
- Teach drawing pictures to represent problems
I really enjoyed how this weeks reading, Misunderstood Minds, helps to provide teachers with an opportunity to spend some time (although short) in the shoes of a student with a learning disability. Often times people tend to be stuck in their own minds, and struggle to relate or really empathize with others. The activities in this resource really helped me to see why it is so important to strive to utilize different teaching techniques and tactics to meet the needs of my diverse learners, instead of teaching one way and hoping that most succeed. Another good resource is the film The F.A.T. City Workshop on youtube (the link is to the first chapter of the film, but all subsequent chapters are also available to view.) This movie is outdated in some of it's language and beliefs, but the concept of better understanding a student with a learning disability is still valid. Parents, friends, teachers, and specialists are given the opportunity to spend an afternoon in a workshop where they are not just told, but shown what it may be like to live with various learning disabilities. The film really hit home with me and I think many of you will enjoy it!