Learning Disabilities

Three strategies that I would readily apply in my classroom with regards to Learning Disabilities:

1.  Project-based work – My last school was a huge fan of this approach.  Often, we were given a project (that was theme-based) that each class needed to complete.  For example, in celebration of the great author Roald Dahl, each class had to study one of his books and then create a piece of art to put in the corridor.  Another example of this is that we would have a ‘Science Week’ whereby each class studied a particular part of Science with a theme. For example, our theme last year was ‘Move-It’ so my class studied the science behind roller-coasters then had to create one out of foam tubing. These projects were incredibly beneficial to all students!
2. Cooperative Learning – Small group work composed of students with different abilities and talents. Tasks are created in a way that they cannot complete on own.  This final point is crucial and I find that this can sometimes be the failing part to a group.  I have found that sometimes a group is seen (by their peers) as the one that will be successful but because of personality and inability to adapt to different roles and characters, these groups don’t end up as the most successful.
3. Explicit Instruction – This would include structured learning, clear direction and specific processes. Modelling by teacher is frequent. I am a big fan of this method that I feel is often frowned upon.  We are teachers at the end of the day and modelling/explicit teaching does have its place in education. In part of the book, ‘Inclusion of Exceptional Learners in Canadian Schools,’ (p. 69) I found it incredibly interesting to read: “Research supports insufficiently developed phonemic awareness as a characteristic of primary children with reading disabilities.  Phonemic awareness   includes the awareness that words can be segmented into component sounds, identifying sounds in various positions in words, and manipulating sounds in words Explicit, systematic instruction of phonemic awareness is necessary for most children and does no harm to those for whom it is redundant, and phonemic awareness interventions are effective in helping most children with LD to learn to read.”  Explicit learning definitely has its place!

One concern that I have is that although my cooperative learning description above lists working with children with different abilities (from the Learning for All document), I feel that there is definitely a place for having cooperative learning with groups of the same ability.   For the Science project of making a roller coaster (listed in my 1^st point), I decided to put four children (all with LDs that happened to be all boys) into the same group. I enlisted my TA’s help to sit with the group.  I asked that she simply observe and only intervene if need be.  She did this and noted that one boy, who I usually found to be extremely quiet, took charge immediately.  I feel that he wasn’t intimidated by others in the class and had so much to add.  It was incredible and very nice to see him shine with peers of the same ability!