I teach Adult ESOL part-time (29 hours per week!) and have a 21 year old student who seems to have learning problems I want to help him to deal with. I have no training in the LDs but feel I can recognize (not diagnose) problems, but I don’t have strategies to help students learn. The situation is further complicated by a language barrier!
I tentatively think he has a processing disorder, but I don’t know how to help him.
This particular student has a job he handles well, and he shows up to class on-time and stays for the full 5 hours of class virtually every day.
He starts with the computer and has used one particular program for almost 4 months. Nevertheless, he continues to forget how to get into the program. He has typed instructions, but has trouble following those instructions. Once I help him get into the program, he is pretty much okay.
His speech and comprehension are good. He understands much English and can understand and speak with early (but good) comprehension. He works with English speakers, so his skills can be good! I see a bright, eager student who should seemingly be at the top of his class.
Some coping mechanisms I observe:
He is always eager to blurt out answers—loudly, right or wrong. He wants to look as if he knows the answer and as if he is the most knowlegable, and if another hispanic student is working through and answer, he supplies it despite consistent classroom management that doesn’t work for him.
With group oral/choral work, he is always a couple of beats behind and much louder. (echoing?).
With book work, where we use a dialogue script and the students vary the dialogue (e.g., calendar on one page showing Sue’s schedule with pictures, script on other page, perhaps:
Let’s have lunch on Tuesday.
I’m sorry, I go to the _____________ on Tuesday.
That’s too bad!
he is unable to fill in the blanks.
He doesn’t “get” the classwork/bookwork, and the other students get exasperated with his confusion as it slows them down.
He CAN read in English but, I think it is called “tracking” is a problem.
When testing from questions in one book (or listening for answers a, b, or c) he gets confused and doesn’t bubble correctly, thus his CASAS scores are bad.
His outward appearance is confident and happy-go-lucky. He is charming and sweet too.
Impulsivity control is often missing, and when we do TPR exercises (total physical response, when I tell them things to do in English and they respond silently by doing) he gets carried away with attention getting and showing off, and really wanting my attention and approval (Of course I understand his wanting this — hey, I’m an aged ADHD person and I remember!)
I am eager to help this fellow, but I am not equipped to do so. Our school is not equipped to test or deal with LDs but I do not want to lose him—I want to help him learn and grow so he can become a really effective adult.
So, I’m turning to you for tips and advice, things I can do to help his self-esteem as well as help him learn, read and write English.
Sigh. I know I cannot “cure” him, but I sure would appreciate hearing ways I might better guide him and teach him.
[Modified by: Phineas on November 11, 2006 08:14 AM]
Hi,
I am currently teaching high school students with sped needs. For a number of years, I have been teaching reading, spelling, and writing multi-sensorily. That seems to help my students improve in those areas.
Your student probably needs to learn to read, spell, and write concretely using all of his senses. He will develop his weaker senses, while using his stronger senses, and will move from concrete learning to abstract learning. Especially because of his age, he needs to do this using any word, any text.
If you have questions about how to do this, email me.
Anita learntoreadnow