Link Crew: Supporting Students Who Have Learning Differences Presented by Ms. Kessler Head of Guidance and Special Education October 19, 2009

Agenda Introduction Student Characteristics Strategies Discussion

Celebrity Quiz He’s the star of the Mission Impossible movies who learns his lines by listening to them. Tom Cruise

This famous woman was a prolific writer of mystery stories and novels, but all her work had to be dictated to a secretary. Agatha Christie

As a child, he was labelled as being mentally ill and was removed from school. He went on to invent the phonograph. Thomas Edison

This noted Englishman had difficulty in school. He later became a national leader and prime minister of Great Britain. Sir Winston Churchill

Who’s Who at SRB Students with learning disabilities (LD) English Language Learners (ELL) Students with attention difficulties (ADHD) Students with weak literacy and numeracy skills

Students with LD Characterized by information processing difficulties Average to above average abilities Creative thinkers Often mature more slowly than their peers Two broad categories of LD: Language LD and Nonverbal LD

Students with a Nonverbal LD Characterized by pattern recognition and reproduction difficulties Usually have an excellent vocabulary and general knowledge base Stronger auditory learners Often have fine motor skill difficulties

Students with a Language LD Characterized by receptive and expressive language difficulties Usually excel at nonverbal problem solving Stronger visual learners Often athletic and well coordinated

English Language Learners Students whose first language is other than English May be Canadian-born or newly arrived from another country (includes children from Aboriginal communities) Social language ability is often more advanced than academic proficiency

Students with Attention Difficulties Great at multi-tasking Difficulty sustaining attention, or attend to the wrong things Tend to have poor listening skills Difficulty remembering the lesson or what he/she has read due to poor short-term memory

Students with Weak Learning Skills Poor literacy and/or numeracy skills May have gaps in their education Discouraged, unmotivated Easily overwhelmed Fear of failure is very common

Effective Instructional Coaching Activate prior knowledge when introducing new learning – help students build connections Model good learning habits Support learners through guided practice Promote independent practice and application

Top Strategies 1.Vocabulary Instruction 2.Visual Supports 3.Task Analysis 4.Support for Organization and Time Management

1. Vocabulary Instruction Identify key words from the lesson or unit Have students explain terms in their own words Focus on the most important and transferable words

2. Visual Supports Visual representations that aid in the organization of thoughts and ideas Graphic organizers also reduce the amount of writing for students Examples include charts, timelines, story maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts

3. Task Analysis The process of breaking down tasks into small steps Sequence information for students Keep instructions simple and clear

4. Organization & Time Management Notebook organization Use of a tool to track assignments and due dates (e.g., agenda, calendar) Planning backwards from due dates

Final Thoughts Celebrate little successes Try to have fun ….