Spending last semester as a classroom teacher reminded Cindy that basics matter. Here is a quick round-up of things that were good to remember!
Multi-sensory methods are effective and fun for all students. The traditional learners looked forward to zipper bags with hard science words broken down by syllable just as much as the dyslexic learners. Project-based assessments stretch traditional learners by forcing them to think in creative and inventive ways, which is fun!
Accommodations are a two-edged sword: wonderful when carried out with fidelity and incredibly frustrating when capriciously applied at the teacher’s whim. School is hard enough for a dyslexic student, but teachers can make it worse with inconsistent use of accommodations. Accommodations are an agreement between the school administration and the parents. There is no room for personal interpretation with accommodations, only the pledge to carry them out.
It helps all the students to have vocabulary words from the chapter available to work on as soon as the chapter is introduced. When reading a difficult section in Science, everyone is relieved that they already understand what key terms mean and how to pronounce those words.
Some students are too young to benefit from creating their own study materials, but they are not too young to benefit greatly from using teacher-created materials. If the student’s best efforts are too messy to be read or take so long to create that no time remains for the student to use them, then it would be better to supply the materials already made.
Lesson presentations sometimes go off the rails. The teacher can achieve clarity by asking herself what the main objective is and pursuing that rather than insisting things unfold as envisioned. Taking a breath and quickly deciding between backtracking and reteaching the lesson or plowing forward and planning to spend help desk time with strugglers before the end of the day are both valid conclusions. Which path to follow often depends on what the core objective is, so take just a moment to consider that before moving to one path or the other.
The timing of subject presentations matter. Placing cognitively heavy subjects such as math and reading in the morning allows all students, but particularly dyslexic students,
to tackle the more complex subjects in the morning when they are typically freshest. Consider putting fact-strengthening practice and review activities into the afternoon. This allows students to make the most efficient use of their mental peaks and ebbs. Scheduling the acquisition of new information during the morning hours may seem optional, however, it makes a world of difference. Consider scheduling the presentation of new material and initial practice on that skill in the morning, and a deeper practice session designed to cement the skill in the student’s mind in the afternoon. Allowing a bit of time to pass between initial learning and revisiting the skill forces the student to think hard about exactly how the steps unfold to complete the practice problems, making the new knowledge stickier, and more permanent. Having these practice sessions in the afternoon, when the teacher is available to assist those who need extra, is optimal.
Classroom teachers matter. Teachers make a difference in the lives of their students every hour of every day they are together. The teacher sets to tone for how that entire classes’ year will go, and it is worth the effort to leave the outside troubles on the hook with your coat and bag and find your teacher state of flow with your students each day.
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