How can we help students with learning differences?

1. How can we help students with learning differences? Estefania Medina Martinez

2. Presentations Estefania Medina Martinez

3. Our objectives today • Understand learning differences • Share and discover assistive technology that can help our students • Understand how we learn in order to be able to reflect and improve our teaching practices Estefania Medina Martinez

4. PART 1Understand learning differences Estefania Medina Martinez

5. Mindmap In part 1, you will take notes by making a Mindmap. Estefania Medina Martinez

6. What are learning differences ? Origin : from neurological differences in brain structure and function Definition : are an umbrella term for a wide variety of learning problems. Synonym : learning disorders, learning disabilities Do not include problems that are primarily due to : ≠ visual, hearing, or motor disabilities ≠ intellectual disabilities (formerly called “mental retardation”) ≠ emotional disturbance ≠ autism spectrum disorders, although children who fall within these diagnostic categories can also have learning disabilities. Note: even though students with those types of diagnostic categories can also have LD. Estefania Medina Martinez

7. Difficulties The most common types of learning differences involve problems with : They struggle with the executive functions (which are a set of mental processes that helps us connect past experience with present action) : Estefania Medina Martinez

8. Executive functions There are three basic dimensions of these skills: • Working memory — The ability to hold information in mind and use it. • Inhibitory control — The ability to master thoughts and impulses so as to resist temptations, distractions, and habits, and to pause and think before acting. • Cognitive flexibility — The capacity to switch gears and adjust to changing demands, priorities, or perspectives. OrganizingPrioritizingShifting / Thinking FlexiblyAccessing Working MemorySelf-Monitoring/ Self-Checking Estefania Medina Martinez

9. 5 common types of learning differences Estefania Medina Martinez

10. Dyslexia Dyslexia is a learning disorder that impedes the student’s ability to read and comprehend a text. • Phonemic awareness, which means they fail to recognize the way words break down according to sound. • Phonological processing, wherein students cannot distinguish between similar word sounds. • Fluency • Spelling • Comprehension Students may experience one reading issue or multiple issues when struggling with dyslexia. Estefania Medina Martinez

11. 2. Dyscalculia Dyscalculia is a disorder that specifically affects one’s math capabilities : • inability to order numbers correctly • limited strategies for problem solving • trouble performing basic math calculations • may have difficulty with concepts like time, measurement or estimation. Estefania Medina Martinez

12. 3. Dysgraphia Dysgraphia is related to the physical act of writing. • often cannot hold a pencil correctly • posture may be tense while trying to write. ⇒ leads them to tire easily • trouble organizing their thoughts coherently in written expression • writing may be redundant or have obvious omissions that affect the quality and readability of the text. • struggle with basic sentence structure and grammatical awareness. Estefania Medina Martinez

13. 4. Processing Deficits Processing Deficits is a disorder that affect the capability of making sense of sensory data. • most often auditory or visual • slow • difficult to process more than one information at the same time. • they can make it hard for students to distinguish and remember important information that is needed to succeed. Estefania Medina Martinez

14. 5. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) Students who have ADHD have difficulty • paying attention and • staying on task. These students can be easily distracted and often have difficulty in traditional school settings. ADHD can be successfully treated with medications and behavioral therapies. (Can have side effects.) VIDEO Estefania Medina Martinez

15. link Celebrities with learning differences

16. TRUE or FALSE Stand up if it is TRUE. 1) LD affect individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact diminishes thanks to effective teaching and strategies. 2) Someone with LD can have a high IQ because LD does not affect intelligence. 3) Because their brain is wired differently they receive and process information differently. All this affirmations are TRUE.

17. Part 2 : Share and discover assistive technology that will help our students Estefania Medina Martinez

18. Estefania Medina Martinez

19. Activity • Think about assistive technology that you use and write it down on the posters • Find an assistive technology that will help students in these different areas https://www.understood.org/en • Write it down on the posters Estefania Medina Martinez

20. Attention Interactive teaching : • Kahoot • GAFE • Socrative • Brainpop.com (sciences videos, quizzes, mindmaps) • https://web.speakup.info/ Estefania Medina Martinez

21. Organisation & Task management • Drive • Google agenda • Managebac • Google Keep • Pomodoro • Cold TurkeySelf Control • Stick Workflow (Chrome extension) Estefania Medina Martinez

22. Note taking • Evernote • Wacom tablets • Paint • Mindmaster Estefania Medina Martinez

23. Writing and reading • Dragon • Tap Touche • Audacity • Antidote • audiobooks • Talking pen (C-Pen exam reader) • NaturalReader http://www.naturalreaders.com/ Estefania Medina Martinez

24. Test revisions • Quizlet.com • Lucidchart Diagrams (concept formation) Estefania Medina Martinez

25. 5 MINUTES BREAK !

26. Part 3 : Understand how we learn in order to be able to reflect and improve our teaching practices Estefania Medina Martinez

27. Defining learning Estefania Medina Martinez

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29. What do you want them to learn? For planning a lesson or for assessments Estefania Medina Martinez

30. Vark’s Learning styles Estefania Medina Martinez

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33. Active learners Give them time for reflection… Estefania Medina Martinez

34. Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting curve Estefania Medina Martinez

35. Teach study skills Estefania Medina Martinez

36. The relation & the classroom culture • Show them you care about them • Share the good things, the strenghts • Offer opportunities to think and learn • Do not focus on performance but on learning • Create an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) action plan Estefania Medina Martinez

37. https://web.speakup.info/ Think & share : What are the disadvantages of teaching without interacting with our students? How should we deal with students’ mistakes? What could we do to show our students we care about them? What kind of person are my students becomingas a result of their time with you? Estefania Medina Martinez

38. Examples of accommodations in our school for tests and exams • Extra time • Computer with or without spell check • Calculator • Talking pen (link 4:08) • Readers • Writers Estefania Medina Martinez

39. “Learning disabilities are not a prescription for failure. With the right kinds of instruction, guidance and support, there are no limits to what individuals with LD can achieve.” Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D., Director of LD Resources National Center for Learning Disabilities Estefania Medina Martinez

40. Think - Pair - Share • Think about three things that you want to remember from this presentation • Pair : talk about it to your colleague • Share with everyone

41. for your attention & participation

42. Sources Cortiella, C., & Horowitz, S. H. (2014). The state of learning disabilities: Facts, trends and emerging issues. New York: National Center for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved fromhttps://ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2014-State-of-LD.pdf. Kemp, G., Smith, M., & Segal, J. (Last updated: January 2019). Learning disabilities and disorders: Types of learning disorders and their signs. Helpguide.org.Retrieved fromhttps://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/learning-disabilities-and-disorders.htm?pdf=12930. Kluth, P., & Schwarz, P. (2008). "Just give him the whale!": 20 ways to use fascinations, areas of expertise, and strengths to support students with autism. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Kusnyer, L. & Stanberry, K., (Eds.) (2013). Executive function 101. The National Center for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/~/media/040bfb1894284d019bf78ac01a5f1513.pdf. Ritchhart, R. (2015). Creating cultures of thinking : The 8 forces we must master to truly transform our schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Video: Brown, R. (Last updated: March 2019). The good things about ADHD: 'It's my superpower'. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-47630021/the-good-things-about-adhd-it-s-my-superpower Website: CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved fromhttp://udlguidelines.cast.org Estefania Medina Martinez

43. EXTRA SLIDES - BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES You will find what we discussed in the following slides. How can we deal with repetitive behavioural problems ?(Question from a Teacher from Buthan)

44. EXTRA SLIDES - BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES From the book, Social Behavior Mapping : Connecting Behavior, Emotions and Consequences Across the Day by Michelle Garcia Winner. www.socialthinking.com Have a conversation with your student... • Explicit the situation (ex : waiting for a class to start or taking notes in class…) 3) Do the same table for “Unexpected behaviors you produce”

45. EXTRA SLIDES - BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES 4) After this conversation, you can also make a contract with your student. The contract should have • an explanation of the issue (why is that an unexpected behaviour?) • the new goals/resolutions • the consequences if the contract is not respected. • If all parts agree, they will sign the contract (student(s), teacher(s), parents)