How, as a general education teacher in a class of 20, can I reach all the students everyday if five of them have a learning disability? Or is this possible?
Re: Reaching all Students
Jason,
You can reach all of the students. You may have to re-think the way you approach and teach your lessons. Do you incorporate learning styles/multiple intelligences into your lesson plans? Do you rely on reading and lecturing for introducing material and teaching concepts or do you allow for projects (group and individual) for hands on learning? Many students with cognitive disabilities benefit from a group learning or exploration activities. As a teacher of English for 6th through 8th grades, I developed an outcomes-based curriculum which incorporated short, whole-group teaching segments at the beginning of class and individual or group practice afterward for grammar, composition and spelling. I use a lot of manipulatives, visuals, “smart charts”, and small group activities for everyone. The students are able to achieve at their individual paces. And because everyone is using the same “modifications” (although some rely on them more heavily than others) no one student feels singled out because of a disability. Of course, there are high-achieving students in these classes as well but they are not “held back” in their learning at all.
Jason,
You can reach all of the students. You may have to re-think the way you approach and teach your lessons. Do you incorporate learning styles/multiple intelligences into your lesson plans? Do you rely on reading and lecturing for introducing material and teaching concepts or do you allow for projects (group and individual) for hands on learning? Many students with cognitive disabilities benefit from a group learning or exploration activities. As a teacher of English for 6th through 8th grades, I developed an outcomes-based curriculum which incorporated short, whole-group teaching segments at the beginning of class and individual or group practice afterward for grammar, composition and spelling. I use a lot of manipulatives, visuals, “smart charts”, and small group activities for everyone. The students are able to achieve at their individual paces. And because everyone is using the same “modifications” (although some rely on them more heavily than others) no one student feels singled out because of a disability. Of course, there are high-achieving students in these classes as well but they are not “held back” in their learning at all.