Information for Instructors and Support Staff
General Strategies For Teachers and Professionals
- Give directions in writing as well as orally
- Write difficult or unusual words to promote understanding
- Allow tape recorders which assist some people’s memories
- Provide study questions or examples which are relevant
- Be organized
- Review at the beginning of each session and sum-up at the end
- Use an outline or list of points to cover so you and the student know where you are and where you’re going
- Make sure students know what is expected before you turn them loose to work on their own
- Whenever possible, use the multi-sensory approach to teaching with lots of examples
- Remember that learning is sequential and accumulative. Review often
- Allow calculators and/or spelling dictionaries to improve accuracy
- Encourage students who are not doing well to get extra help early
Helping Students Help Themselves
- Show the student how to break tasks into small, sequential steps
- Talk about how to do the task and WHEN it’s appropriate
- Help the student keep schedules similar throughout the day or week, and encourage the individual to write a daily/weekly plan
- Suggest tutoring or study groups during the learning process
- Show how to break long reading and writing assignments into workable parts
- Keep directions short and clear
- Speak directly to the individual
- Take time to see if there is understanding before moving on
- Encourage the use of aids and tools – calculators, highlighter pens, note cards, computers, tape recorders, charts, etc.
- Use visual aids whenever possible, helping to create a picture in the "mind’s eye" (show more than tell)
- Ask open questions when possible, such as "How are you feeling about your school/clinical experiences?"
- Provide information that allows the individual to assess his or her skill levels, and determine what steps to follow for any weaknesses
- Be sensitive to the individual and help provide the necessary support by identifying his or her strengths, while working on any deficits. By creating an atmosphere in which the person will feel positive about learning, whether it be academic or job-related, many successes will be realized.
Adapted by Joyce Kirst, Bakersfield College Learning Disabilities Coordinator, from The Learning Disabled In Employment and Training Programs (1991) by Nancie Payne. Research and Evaluation Report Series 91-e. U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.