Time Management

Great question! I have been a fourth grade teacher for only three years and have encountered this issue on numerous occasions. I find it challenging to dedicate time to individual students without taking away from the rest of the class. However, I have found that modifying assignments to meet individual student needs is essential. In doing this, I can group the students and assign them a task to complete so that I can assume the role of a facilitator, moving about the room, to observe and communicate with small groups and/or individual students as necessary. This allows for me to address all students, not just those that may have a learning disability.

I teach in a middle school setting. In that setting, I try to work with my ld students during their study halls or after school. I try to recognize the needs of ld students in my planning and to teach in an ld friendly manner.

Are we talking elementary school?

Some things can be done with the whole class. If you have enough copies of a book for everyone to have a copy, you can read to the class. After a few paragraphs you can stop and draw a name of a random student from a jar. If that student has be paying attention, she or he can get a prize. You find out who can pay attention, and who can’t.

Some things can be done as individuals. Math worksheets are easy to make. Everybody can be doing a different worksheet.

Sara McName

Gee, I hope you aren’t having the dyslexic kids read out loud. This has been a constant source of stress for my son and is making him hate school. I have asked his teacher on numerous occasions not to do this to him, he gets plenty time reading out loud to his tutor and myself. I think what she is doing to my child abusive.

I meant that the teacher can read and the students can listen.

You’re note says, “I think what she is doing to my child abusive.” Do you mean the teacher is abusing your child?”

Sara McName

Writing is another area in which students can get individual attention. I’ve worked in classrooms where the students wrote a compositon per week. They got a topic on Monday and turned it in by Friday. Several years ago I worked in a classroom with a boy who couldn’t write, but he could dictate and rewrite the dictation. For the last three years I’ve worked in a classroom where the English teacher makes the students keep a journal. Some of the students who couldn’t manage two lines at one sitting are up to several paragraphs per session.

Sara McName

Thank you for your personal experiences and advice. I will keep them in mind as I will soon be graduating from college with a teaching degree.

Thank you for sharing your experiences as a teacher. I will soon be a teacher myself and will keep in mind what you have shared.

I find that the use of different learning centres, an extremely helpful strategy. By creating student centred activites that are self monitored and self corrected, I am then able to spread myself around the classroom to different groups of children. This not only is beneficial for me, but it builds social skills, indepent skills and self motivation in the students. I have successfully done this with children in preschool, year 1 and year 2.

The setting up can be a lot of work, but the results are worth it.

Bridget Rillie

If you single out children for not paying attention with a prize it could be quite demeaning to the child with APD who quite possibly can not follow along with a verbal story. This child is excluded from the prize because of her disability. She has been singled out for something she can’t really control. This is the exact opposite of what a child with a disabilty needs.

There are systems available that would help such a child pay attention.

I think teachers should take an oath similar to the one required for physicians. First do no harm.