Barbara Islas

With every type of disability, accomodations must be made that address what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they learn it. The method should not compromise the safety of the class.

Psychological disorders can be challenging to work with. Those with Bipolor disorder have a shift in moods ranging from depressive moods to normal and high moods. The student with OCD will have recurrent thoughts, impulses or behaviors that make learning and functioning in the classroom challenging. ODD is a disorder that involves hostile, negative or defiant behaviors over a period of 6 months.

Some of the learning disabilities include dyslexia (difficulty processing the letters on a page or understanding information presented), dyscalculia (difficulty calculating math problems), dysgraphia (difficulty puting their thoughts to text), auditory processing (difficulty processing what is heard), and ADHD (inability to focus their attention, control impulses, and regulate their behavior). One other disability is referred to as the non-verbal disability. This type of learning difficulty refers to the person who has difficulty relating their past experiences to present actions. For each student, teaching methods need to vary, to meet these needs.

Each student who encounters a disability will need special accomodations. The accomodations vary depending on the individual.

There are visable disabilities and disabilities that are not so evident. Regardless of the type of disability, students must be given equal opportunities in employment, housing and education.

There are many different learning styles. From research, I have found that no student has only one learning style. Most have several learning styles that they prefer. When creating lesson plans, I will be integrating ideas to meet the needs and preferences of each type of learning style. 

I do like the 60-second question to learn their preferred learning style.

I will begin our first class by asking the question about the apple or hobby. In this manner, it will be easier to determine the learning styles of my students. I think this method can also work when teaching an Intranet course.

Love the stories. I try to bring in personal stories so that they can visualize the situation. I also think the rap and the acronyms help, as well. I teach Maternal Health. The acronym that all students remember about how to treat preterm labor is "It's not my time". Indomethacin, Nifedipine, Magnesium Sulfate, and Terbutaline.

I think I might integrate the idea of creating your own video about a concept or disease process. I already use mind maps, but could use them more often.

In reflecting on the various learning styles, I can visualize the students in my classroom who display these learning styles. The suggestions provided are very helpful in providing various activities and mentoring tips for each student. I am thinking of my students who are loners. These students will not make appointments with me. Most often, these are the students who sit at the back of the room. They don't talk. They don't like to be called on. One student said that it takes her a while to come up with an answer because she is analyzing the various types of… >>>

It is important to establish the learner's "buy in" to help the learners engage in the learning process. Methods for increasing engagement include: making the information relevant to them, providing background information that piques their interest, and provide activities that meet their own goals. The activities should be personally relevant, culturally relevant, socially relevant, age appropriate, and appropriate for diverse backgrounds and cultural groups. 

When the instructor allows learners to express their knowledge in various methods, this becomes more engaging and relevant to the learner.