Mary Kay Wolfe

I learned that I have both qualities as a manager and leader.  One area that stuck out was the statement regarding spending more time & attention on weaker performers vs. top performers.  It was curious to me that leaders place their attention on those who are the best at what they do, while managers tend to spend more attention on weaker performers.  It seems as though one would need to apply both leader and managerial components in order to address both sides of the equation.  

It is possible that accommodations may not be deemed "reasonable."  And that's OK!  As educators we have to keep in mind the mental and physical demands of our professions and also keep that in mind when considering if an accommodation is reasonable. 

Psychological disabilities will present in various ways.  People may/may not need accommodations.  Either way, best practice is to treat student with respect, be patient, don't shout or lose your temper with student.   

Clearly students with learning disabilities can be high achievers.  There are numerous resources to aide in their success:  providing instructions verbally and in writing; having student listen to textbook in audio format; having student sit close to instructor & breaking tasks into smaller steps.

There are very helpful tips when instucting student who may be Deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have vision impairments.  Additionally, there are specific accommodations people need with physical disabilities.  Being knowledgeable about the best practices to use when teaching people who need accommodations is necessary for student success.  

A student must self identify as having a disability.  Accommodations must be reasonable and need to be approved before putting them in place.

There are a wide range of disabilities.  Medications can help but they aren't going to solve the problem.  As educators it's important that we know how a disability uniquely affects an individual, pay attention to their accommodations and be supportive.

Motivation increases as students see more applications for what they kearned.  Connecting this to the real world careers helps them see what they will soon be doing in their career. It also boosts their confidence and they can begin seeing themselves outside the classroom setting. 

Something that continues to stand out is keeping the educational environment engaging.  Dont' get hung up on long lectures.  Brain gets distracted after 10-15 minutes.  Story telling, when used correctly is also a good techinique in the learning process. 

Help students find personal meaning and value in the material. Also, students lean by doing so having any activity followed by a short lecture will help retain information and make lerning engaging.