What kind of instructional support is helpful to students with learning disabilities?

Instructional support for students with learning disablities are: Presentation provided on audio tape, provided in large print or designated reader or pesent instuctions orally. Response: allow verbal response, allow answer to be dictated to a scriber, tape recorder, via computer or dirctly into test booklet. Timing: allow frequent breaks and extended time for test. Setting: Provide prefrential seating, special lighting as needed, or accoustics. Material: Provide space between paragrahs underline key words very brief content & get to the point. These Instuctions can be very suppportive for the student with the leaning disablitiy. Vernise Walker

What are some strategies that you have used when working with students with learning needs?

Working with music and art makes the work so much more fun, original and productive.

What are some ways you can assess student learning needs?

I give an assessment on the first day to determine how much additional information should be added or removed from the course. If my students have a strong foundation we can go directly to content. If not, I go through a series of reviews in addition to adding the content.

What are some ways you can learn about the needs of diverse learners?

Communicating directly with the student can give you an idea of where they are in their language and vocabulary abilities. A simple question inquiring about how and why they came to school. In addition to this it is helpful to give a pretest to the entire class. The design of the test should have some short essay and knowledge focused questions so the instructor can gain information into the student's retention thus far in the program. The first question would lead into what motivates them as well.

Why is it important for adult learners to be able to use their life experiences in the classroom?

Giving examples or telling stories can help bring relevance to a subject. Sometimes I also use it to make them laugh- I share my failures so they aren't so hard on themselves.

try to have student idenitfy words by assioation

What are some ways you can help students with reading deficiencies?

Found that the is less of high risk with foreign students, they seem to participate more in this type of setting.

"Two heads are better than one". I find that if I group students together they help each other remember. During a lecture or demonstration each person remembers intricate details of maybe 70% of what I 'm showing (I teach special effects makeup). When they do the hands-on segment, they combine their knowledge and it helps them 'remember' all the steps. It makes their learning more active.

What are some of the positive outcomes of putting students into learning groups?

Some of the challenges that I have seen are: the dislike of certain members of the group; some of the members thinking that their work is not needed, so they will put less effort into the group; lazy members that expect others to do their share of the work, and still expect to get full credit; and certain members that will do all of the work and submit the work when others have not put in their share. These are some of challenges that I have seen with group work.

What are some challenges of having students work in groups?

When students get in groups you have some students who want to get off task, they want to talk about everything except their project. As a instructor it is my job to keep them on task. I may just stand there to see if they get back on task if, not I would remind them of why they are in groups and they are being graded on the project.

What strategies help to ensure student groups will stay on course and be productive?

I always choose the group. If you don't, friends end up working together and the dynamic of one helping the other is often the case. They will also exclude someone they don't care for. I usually count off determined by how many groups.