"Are you looking? Are you listening?"by JoAnna Brandi
Feedback from either employees or customers is a gift. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving if you use it well. My experience is that most people are not in the proactive process of looking for feedback, are you?
In today’s hyper-competitive B2B world, customers are changing as I write. What was a standard yesterday is yesterday’s standard. The customer’s requirements for speed, accuracy, delivery, customization and competency increase or change every time a new model of business appears. And that is pretty frequent these days.
Last week I was having lunch with the CEO of a successful conference firm. He said to me (the Customer Care Coach who deals in lots of the “soft” skills) that he LOVED buying books from Amazon.com. LOVED it - better service then he ever received in a bookstore, and he never had to leave his desk.
I, gathering defenses, countered with, “Of course, if you know what you want, and you don’t need help, that’s great, but...”, “No buts” he said, I find all the help I need online and I can read the reviews other people put in there, I don’t have to interact with a human being, and I have NEVER had a better experience” and then he added, for my benefit, “Sorry.”
His buying pattern had changed, and he was perfectly happy in the new model. I wonder what store or catalog just lost his business. I’ll bet they didn’t even know that he was gone. And who is losing the business that is going to all the other companies that offer such elegant online ease, without the uncertainty of dealing with real human beings? Could it be you? Are you competing adequately?
It is more important then ever before to be getting feedback from your customers on how their buying habits are changing and what it is they are doing in other areas of their lives that could impact their buying habits in the future.
Are your customers falling in love with the concept of self-service?
Are they bidding for airline tickets on Priceline?
Are they researching for things you could be providing them?
Have you checked?
This is the first time in history that the very models of business are changing at a breakneck speed. It is more important than ever before that we ask our business customers for feedback and set up “Customer Listening Systems” so everyone in the organization is working towards understanding more about what will help you keep the customer.
There are lots of ways of doing it, each way providing a different kind of information:
Total Market Surveys - Measure the overall assessment of your company’s service and includes both your customers and competitor’s customers.
Transactional Surveys - Happen right after the service interaction; they focus on the most recent experience.
Point of Service Feedback - A great way to ask the “How did we do?” kinds of questions. I like to ask “Is there any way we could have made it easier for you to do business with us?”
Mystery Shopping – Measures individual behavior. It’s useful for coaching, but it’s not one of my favorites, unless it is used without judgment. I’d rather see it done on an informal basis.
Have your brother-in-law shop your company, have a friend call in and see how long they are left on hold. Use it for general impressions.
New Customer / Lost Customer Surveys – Determine why they select, reduce buying, or leave. Assess the role service quality plays in patronage and loyalty.
Focus Groups – Usually focus on specific topic. Most effective when used in combination with projectable research.
Customer Dialog – Visits with customers to discuss and assess the service relationship and dialog about where their business is going in the future. I use a formal process with some common set of questions, capture of responses, and follow-communication with customers.
Customer Advisory Group – A group of customers recruited periodically for feedback and advice.
Complaint / Comment systems – Processes to retain, categorize and distribute customer complaints and comments, identify most common service failures and opportunities to improve.
Employee Surveys – Great for measuring internal service quality and identifying employee-perceived obstacles to improving service, track morale and attitudes.
And then of course, there is the conversation. That’s the ongoing dialog we can have with a customer every time they call or order that seeks to listen deeply, and sometimes from the heart, to really hear what the customer is asking for. Because sometimes it is the human element of kindness, or caring or empathy that even our business customers need.
Stenhouse Newslinks
May 16, 2006
C O N T E N T S
1) Launching literacy work stations
2) Teacher working conditions
3) PD Corner: From craft to profession
4) Living in a world filled with fear
5) Patricia Polacco controversy
Launching literacy work stations-How do you set up 10-12 literacy work stations in a small classroom?
What problems arise and how can they be avoided or solved?
How can mini-lessons be used to help manage stations, introduce new materials, and constantly build connections to current events, student interests, and the literacy curriculum?
Demonstrating key principles and practices from the best-selling book Literacy Work Stations, Launching Literacy Stations is a new three-part video series by Debbie Diller.
Primary teachers Patty Terry and Vicky Georgas work with Debbie as they launch new stations together, develop lessons and strategies for managing stations, and help students sustain interest and high-quality, independent work.A 24-page
Viewing Guide complements the video series, providing discussion questions, classroom extensions, suggestions for short PD workshops, and 11 reproducible handouts including "The Most Common Mistakes Teachers Make in Launching a New Station and How to Address Them."
Follow this link to download the entire Viewing Guide and watch three sample video clips:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0443.asp?r=n89Launching Literacy Stations: Mini-Lessons for Managing and Sustaining Independent Work, K-3 * Debbie Diller3 30-minute programs + Viewing Guide * $295.00DVD format (includes 12 minutes of extras):
http://www.stenhouse.com/0443.asp?r=n89VHS format:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0420.asp?r=n892) Teacher working conditions----------------------------------------------------------------
In 2002, 2004, and again this year, North Carolina surveyed teachers as part of the state's Teacher Working Conditions Initiative. The questions address five areas: professional development, leadership, facilities and resources, teacher empowerment, and time. Results are used to shape state and local policies, recruit and retain teachers, and evaluate school leaders.
Data from the 2004 survey were used by the Center for Teaching Quality to develop the Teacher Working Conditions Toolkit, a website that provides recommendations and resources for each of the five areas of the survey, with links to hundreds of web resources for teachers, leaders, policy makers, and community members:
http://www.teacherworkingconditions.org3) PD Corner: From craft to profession---
*May Quote of the Month* If you are committed to your own lifelong learning, to an ongoing study of the art and science of your craft, then consider being a teacher.--Rick DuFourTwo recent articles reflect on teaching as a profession and explore the challenges that teachers and schools face to assess practices and professional development. "Examining the Teaching Life" (Education Leadership) suggests that school staff members develop a set of learning principles and use them as a basis for peer review, self-assessment, and evaluation of professional development:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdteachinglife.htm"The Buddy System" (Teacher Magazine) asks how educators can go beyond professional learning communities to create ongoing models of collaborative problem solving:
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2005/01/01/04view.h16.html(Free registration required; if you are not already a registered user, click on the red "Register now" button.)
Is teaching a true profession, or merely a skilled occupation? How does it compare to established professions such as medicine, law, engineering, and social work? In "The Development of Teaching as a Profession," Vince Connelly and Michael S. Rosenberg attempt to define what distinguishes professions from other occupations, tracing the evolution of established professions and comparing them to education. They conclude that teaching is "not quite a profession" and present several factors that may determine whether it will become one:
http://www.coe.ufl.edu/copsse/docs/RS-9E/1/RS-9E.pdf(9-page executive summary)
http://www.coe.ufl.edu/copsse/docs/RS-9/1/RS-9.pdf(34-page full paper)----------------------------------------------------------------
4) Living in a world filled with fear
"Increasingly we are living in a world filled with fear. It's a world in which the majority of children are stored away in warehouses called schools and daycare centers, and in which great pains have been taken to remove the risks from everyday life."Chris Mercogliano, codirector of the Albany Free School, describes one person's suspicions about meeting him at a downtown bus stop with six kindergarteners during a bagel run, and goes on to explore how fear in our society affects the ways we raise and teach children:
http://great-ideas.org/Mercogliano191.pdfThis essay is from the Spring 2006 issue of ENCOUNTER: Education for Meaning and Social Justice. Published quarterly, selected articles of the current issue are posted here:
http://great-ideas.org/enc.htm-
5) Patricia Polacco controversy
The dispute between children's book author Patricia Polacco and SRA/McGraw-Hill involving the cancellation of her appearances at the IRA convention surfaced in the general interest press over the weekend. Here's an account from Saturday's New York Times:Critic of No Child Left Behind Was Disinvited From Meeting
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/13/us/13author.html(Free registration may be required.)An open letter by Polacco fueled the story, circulating widely via e-mail, listservs, and blogs. The letter is posted on her website, along with her response to McGraw-Hill's position:
http://www.patriciapolacco.com/"-
Please send comments and questions to Chuck Lerch, Newslinks Editor, at
or call (800) 988-9812.View archives of past issues here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/nlindex.aspTo subscribe to Stenhouse Newslinks, please send an e-mail with your request to
or visit our Web site at
http://www.stenhouse.com.Stenhouse respects your privacy, and we never share e-mail addresses with anyone. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail communications from us, just forward this message to
.Stenhouse PublishersP.O. Box 11020Portland, ME 04104-7020Tel (800) 988-9812Fax (800) 833-9164
http://www.stenhouse.comCopyright (c) 2006 Stenhouse PublishersPrices are subject to change without notice
Intense focus on math, science works for Illinois schools
Using intention and determination, a former low-performer emerges as one of the best in its district
By Karel Holloway
Results, May 2003
Copyright, National Staff Development Council, 2003. All rights reserved.
Teaching reading and social studies are no problem for most elementary school teachers. But, when it comes to math and science, many of those teachers say they aren't so confident.
Eighty-two percent of elementary teachers say they are well-qualified to teach reading, but only 15% feel that way about the ability to teach physical and earth science. Over half took their last science class more than 10 years ago.
The Teachers Academy of Math and Science was formed in 1991 in Chicago to address these problems by using intensive professional development. During that time, TAMS has developed a track record of helping its partner schools improve their test scores in math and science. The academy uses an integrated approach working with all the teachers in an elementary school to change their teaching environments, improve teachers' math and science knowledge, provide new teaching methods, and offer in-classroom follow-up to aid teachers in applying the new lessons.
The goal is to change what teachers teach and how they teach, and to improve what students learn as a result, said Darlene Ulrich, the program's manager.
The state-funded TAMS has worked with about 430 elementary schools in Chicago, Joliet, East St. Louis and several other Illinois districts at no cost to the schools. "The vision for our program was never really the suburban, the affluent schools. The vision was for the schools with low test scores," Ulrich said. TAMS works only with elementary schools because of the foundation it provides for the upper grades.
In order to participate in TAMS, at least 80% of teachers involved in teaching math and science must agree to the partnership. The school also must gain support from parents and non-instructional personnel.
TAMS delivers its program initially through workshops held at schools or other convenient locations for teachers, sometimes during the school day, sometimes after-school or on Saturdays, depending on the school's needs. Follow-up classroom visits by one of the TAMS instructors is part of the package.
"All my classroom teachers participated in 120 hours of staff development, even my gym teacher, art teacher, librarian, everyone participated," said Alice Vila, principal of John Barry Elementary School in northwest Chicago. "We felt we needed them to be very aware of the principles of teaching math and science."
The wide participation was important, Vila said, because it infused the 900-student school with new goals and new teaching methods. She's seen teachers use the methods to reinforce math and science skills in other disciplines. "The gym teacher makes sure the kids know their angles and the kids do them with their bodies," she said.
TAMS workshops have a dual purpose--to improve teachers conceptual knowledge and provide new teaching techniques. "We are as much of a method class as we are a content class. They are learning as they go. This is the same type of instructional strategy that we want with their children. It's as much process as information," Ulrich said.
For instance, when teachers arrive for one class they find a skein of yarn on their tables. As a group, they must use the yarn to make geometric figures. Even something as simple as making a rectangle prompts a conceptual discussion. Are the angles at the corners right angles? Are parallel sides the same length? The discussion gets more intense as they move into more complicated shapes such as an isosceles triangle.
"Then it gets into 'who remembers what an isosceles triangle is?' " Ulrich said. Teachers get retrained in the basic math concepts, and also learn hands-on ways to teach the ideas.
As important as the actual exercises, the process discussions about them are even more important, Ulrich said. Led by trainers, teachers discuss how this approach could be used in the classroom--what age group it is appropriate for, what knowledge students would need before beginning the exercise.
Teachers also experiment with using instructional stations and talk about what topics could be covered, how they relate to state and school standards, and how materials would be managed.
"The most important part is the processing afterward," Ulrich said.
After teachers work with manipulatives and other materials in workshops, they take them back to their classrooms. These belong to the school and teachers who leave the school must leave the materials.
Once in the classroom, teachers receive seven one-on-one follow up sessions at their schools. Each visit covers a specific topic. A trainer meets with the teacher to talk about a topic and a classroom lesson. The trainer then goes into the classroom with the teacher and they meet afterwards to discuss what happened.
"We tell the teachers we don't want to see their best lesson," Urlich said. The point is to help teachers work on improving.
The follow-up visits allow the teacher to get a professional critique of what went well, what could be improved, and how to improve it.
Principal Vila called the classroom visits the most significant part of the program. The visits followed no single model--in some, the trainer led the class; in others, the trainer acted as a co-teacher, and in still others, the trainer observed. "They tended to do the observation in later visits," she said.
TAMS teachers seem more willing to open their doors, to be observed, critiqued, and to work together. At Metcalfe Community Academy in southside Chicago, teachers have a much better attitude about their classrooms, Principal Michele L. Barton said.
"There is a willingness to participate in staff development. They are not intimidated with people coming in and working with them. The attitude of teachers to accept change is different," she said.
TAMS has achieved solid results. Students at TAMS schools consistently do better on the state achievement test than their peers. For instance, from 1999 to 2002 the percentage of students meeting state standards statewide rose 6%. In East St. Louis and Joliet schools, where most teachers completed TAMS training, the number meeting state standards rose by 20 percentage points.
"They [school officials] attribute this almost wholly to the academy," said Armando Triana, TAMS chief planning officer.
Triana said the program clearly improves teachers' knowledge and classroom performance. He offers an analogy. "A scientist is not someone who knows the formulas and the steps in the experiment. A real scientist enjoys making the discovery," he said. To help students, teachers need to rediscover the process and joy of learning.
Engage all of the senses to increase learningBy Nusa Maal
Tools for Schools, February/March 2005
This article was originally published as "Learning via multisensory engagement," by Nusa Maal, Association Management, November 2004. Reprinted with permission, American Society of Association Executives, Washington, D.C. Copyright November 2004.
If you really want to engage learners, try taking a multisensory approach. Presentations that appeal to auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modalities simultaneously connect more deeply and have a lasting impact. Everyone has a dominant learning style. Much like cross-training works for athletes, developing programming in other styles enhances learning. Learners will get more benefit from exercises, and they'll feel energized along the way.
Talk to them. Only 20 to 30% of people are auditory learners, but most people have grown accustomed to auditory teaching because it's the way schools work, with learners listening to and recalling information in sequence. Orderliness appeals to auditory learners. They understand ABCDE, but if you jump to Q and back to F and then to R, it can frustrate their thinking processes.
Show them. While visual learners - representing 20 to 40% of the population - appreciate images, charts, and diagrams, their perspective and recall can be interrupted when the graphic is removed, as is common in PowerPoint or slide presentations. To remedy this, speakers create a graphic wall by physically securing images to the wall with one image leading to the next in sequence. Studies have shown that hand-drawn, imperfect graphics are more appealing than perfect, computer-generated ones so go ahead and use your doodles. Photos, particularly close-ups, can evoke emotional empathy, but speakers should be judicious in their use to avoid shutting down circuit breakers of emotional-intimacy tolerance.
Let them participate. Kinesthetic learners need movement and action. They like practical applications and process information best from hands-on, team activities and animation, including changing seats and moving around. The kinesthetic modality is the farthest from language. Kinesthetic learners relate to family (groups, belonging), friends (interaction, dialogue), and fun (colors, boldness, changes).
To balance your presentations so that they engage all types of learners, try this sequence:
1. Prepare. Identify and qualify yourself to establish credibility and integrity. Tell the audience what you expect them to think, feel, and do in the session. Be truthful: body language reflects falsehood, and inconsistency undermines your message.
2. Generate. Ask questions and encourage group interaction to uncover the audience's issues and problems. Use the brainstorming principle that there are no wrong questions or answers. Then focus on content and new ideas.
3. Incubate. Allow time for reflection. Give participants alone time to write down personal applications or schedule breaks during which content can be absorbed individually. Humor plays a role in presentations, too. It creates instant incubation by breaking people out of their dominant learning modes.
4. Evaluate. Assess what is useful and what is not, what works and what can be tried. Consider the various domains of culture and personality.
5. Organize. Direct learning and engagement. Use groups or pairs and then change them to modulate between learning styles.
6. Act. Involve the group in planning next steps and implementation of new ideas.
Teachers are broad-bandwidth, two-way broadcasters. To create meaningful presentations, span different learning modalities. And remember this paradox: Communication is a repetitive act; speaking is an act of listening; and teaching is an act of learning.
This article was originally published as "Learning via multisensory engagement," by Nusa Maal, Association Management, November 2004. Reprinted with permission, American Society of Association Executives, Washington, D.C. Copyright November 2004.
Nusa Maal, SenseSmart Consulting International, 8315 N. Brook Lane, Suite 1007, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-8464, fax (888) 228-6323, e-mail:
nusa@sensesmart.com.
Why You Cry at the Movies
Brain researchers have figured out what makes you cry at the movies. Mirror neurons make you do it. Your brain, somewhat confused about reality, responds to the tear-tapping scene as though you were the actor you have empathetically connected with.
The discovery of mirror neurons by an Italian research team is considered by some to be one of
the potentially most important discoveries in brain science in at least a decade.
Like many great discoveries, the existence of mirror neurons was revealed accidentally.
Researchers had been tracing brain activity in macaque monkeys generated by physical activity such as reaching for a peanut. One day one of the researchers reached for a peanut while a macaque was stilled wired but sitting idly by. Immediately the crackling sounds of electrical activity generated by the macaque’s brain was heard through the monitors as though it was the macaque reaching for the peanut.
Once again I raise the perennial question: What does this have to do with marketing?
Well, just about everything.
It is clearly self-evident that when one person demonstrates an empathetic connection with another person, the second person’s response is most likely a positive one that pulls the two people closer together. That is what marketing is about: closing the space between consumer and marketer.
Now it would seem, based on discovery of mirror neurons, that communication objectives include triggering the firing of mirror neurons. If what you have to say doesn’t do that you’ll find it harder to arouse and retain the attention of the consumer.
PBS’s Nova recently did a 14-minute piece on mirror neurons which you can access at on the
PBS website. Take 15 minutes out of your busy schedule to watch this short film. You’ll find it worthwhile.
The Real Goals of EducationDennis Littky/The Big Picture*Be lifelong learners
*Be passionate
*Be ready to take risks
*Be able to problem solve and think critically
*Be able to look at things differently
*Be able to work independently and with others
*Be creative
*Care and want to give back to their community
*Persevere
*Have integrity and self-respect
*Have moral courage
*Be able to use the world around them well
*Speak well, write well, read well, and work well with numbers
*AND TRULY ENJOY THEIR LIFE AND WORK
“What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” —George Bernard Shaw
“We have plenty of people who can teach what they know, but very few who can teach their own capacity to learn.” —Joseph Hart, educator
"At the core you will find the key components of success - Passion, Commitment, Desire, Ideas, Can-Do Thinking, Belief, Encouragement and Synergy!"
The ABCDEsof Co-TeachingSharon Vaughn, Jeanne Shay Schumm, and Maria Elena ArguellesThe Council for Exceptional ChildrenTeaching Exceptional ChildrenVol. 30, No. 2 - Nov/Dec 1997reprinted with permission
Tiffany Royal is a fifth-grade teacher at Flamingo Elementary School in Miami. For the past 3 years she has co-taught language arts and social studies for part of the school day with Joyce Duryea, a special education teacher. For both teachers, the idea of working collaboratively with another teacher was not part of their original plan for teaching.
Joyce said:
When I was preparing to be a special education teacher it never occurred to me that I would need to know how to co-teach in a general education classroom. I always thought I would have my group of students with special needs and that is the way it would be.
Tiffany felt the training she received to become an elementary teacher did little to prepare her for her present position. She commented:
I was taught about curriculum and classroom management, but not co-teaching. I suppose these changes took everyone by surprise.
Tiffany and Joyce are part of a growing number of teachers whose "solo" teaching roles have changed in the past few years. For both Joyce and Tiffany, the changes are for the better.
Tiffany said:
We learn so much from each other. Really, Joyce has taught me how to implement strategies that are good for other students in the class, not just the students with special needs. It is wonderful to have a partner to bounce ideas off who really understands the kids.
Joyce put it this way:
I think I'm a better teacher now, and I definitely have a much better understanding of what goes on in the general education classroom and what kinds of expectations I need to have for my students.
Both teachers agree that their co-teaching has had real benefits for the students. They are convinced that the benefits are not just for students with special needs but for all students. As
Joyce, the special education teacher, said:
I am able to provide some support for all of the students in the class. Mind you, I never lose sight of why I'm in here, to assist the students with identified special needs, but there are benefits for other students, as well.
Both Joyce and Tiffany feel lucky to work with each other, but are also aware that co-teaching is not always so mutually satisfying. They know of other teachers who are working in co-teaching situations where the partnerships are not nearly as successful. Co-teaching is a bit like a marriage. Both partners have to feel that they are giving 100 % and have to want things to work out. This is particularly true when their philosophies about teaching and discipline are different (see box below "Common CoTeaching Issues").
Common Co-Teaching Issues
Based on extended observations and interviews with more than 70 general education/special education teacher teams, we have identified several issues that co- teachers must address if they are to be successful.
Whose students are these?
Address this issue before co- teaching begins: Who is responsible for the students in the classroom? The general education teacher is responsible for all of the students in the class, but how do these responsibilities change when the special education teacher is in the room? Who is responsible for the students with special needs? Under what conditions do these responsibilities change?
Who gives grades? How do we grade?
Perhaps the issue that warrants the most discussion prior to co - teaching is grading. Special education teachers are accustomed to grading based on the effort, motivation, and abilities of the students. General education teachers are accustomed to grading based on a uniform set of expectations that is only slightly adjusted to reflect issues of effort, motivation, and student abilities. Making joint decisions about how grades will be handled for in- class assignments, tests, and homework will reduce the frictions frequently associated with grading special education students in general education classrooms. Working together, teachers can develop guidelines for grading to use with both students and parents.
Whose classroom management rules do we use?
Most general and special education teachers know the types of academic and social behaviors they find acceptable and unacceptable. Over the years, they have established consequences for inappropriate behaviors. Rarely is there disagreement between teachers about the more extreme behaviors. The subtle classroom management difficulties that are part of the ongoing routines of running a classroom, however, can cause concerns for teaches. Often, the special education teacher is unsure about when he or she should step in and assist with classroom management. Teachers should discuss their classroom management styles and the roles they expect of each other in maintaining a smoothly running classroom.
What space do I get?
When special education teachers spend part of their day instructing in general education classrooms, it is extremely useful to have a designated area for them to keep their materials. A desk and chair that are used only by special education teachers provide them with a "base" from which to work and contribute to their position of authority.
What do we tell the students?
An issue repeatedly brought up by teachers is how much information should be given to students. Should students be informed that they will have two teachers? Should students know that one of the teachers is a special education teacher and that she will be assisting some children more than others? The students should be informed that they have two teachers and that both teachers have the same authority. We think it is a good idea to introduce the special education teacher as a "learning abilities" specialist who will be working with all of the students from time to time. It is our experience that students willingly accept the idea of having two teachers and like it very much. In interviews we have conducted, many students who have participated in co- teaching classrooms tell us that having two teachers is better because everyone gets more help.
What do we tell the parents?
Teachers are often unsure of how much they should tell parents about their new teaching arrangement. One of the concerns that teachers have is how parents might react to having a special education teacher in the classroom for part of the day. It is our experience that these programs are most successful when parents are brought in early and are part of the planning process. Thus, parents are part of the process from the beginning and are able to influence the development of the program. Parents of average to high-achieving children may express concerns that their chudren's education may be hampered because students with special needs are placed in the classroom. Teachers report that these students fare as well or better, academically and socially, when students with special needs are in the general education classroom; and all students benefit from the support provided by the special education teacher (Arguelles, Schumm, & Vaughn, 1996).
How can we get time to co-plan?
The most pervasive concern of both general and special education teachers in co-teaching situations is obtaining sufficient time during the school day to plan and discuss instruction and student progress. This is of particular concern for special education teachers who are working with more than one general education teacher. Teachers report that planning often comes on their own time. Even when a designated period is established for co- planning, teachers report that this time gets taken away to be used for meetings and other school management activities. Teachers need a minimum of 45 minutes of uninterrupted planning time each week if they are likely to have a successful co- teaching experience. One suggestion made by several of the teacher teams with whom we have worked is to designate a day or a half- day every 6- 8 weeks when teachers can meet extensively to plan and discuss the progress of students, as well as changes in their mstructional practices.
Modifying Models for Co-Teaching Roles
Tiffany and Joyce are not unusual in that they had little preparation for co- teaching. As experienced teachers, both had good ideas about how they would establish their classrooms and instruct their students. They were just not clear about how they would do it together.
What roles do teaches often implement when co- teaching? Having observed in more than 70 co- teaching classrooms, we have identified several typical practices that teachers implement. We feel that when these practices are refined, they provide more effective and efficient uses of teachers' time and skills. Two practices that need modification are grazing and tagteamteaching.
Grazing
In grazing, one teacher stands in front of the room providing an explanation or instruction, and the other teacher moves from student to student checking to see if they are paying attention or following along. Often, in co- teaching situations, teachers are involved in grazing; and yet they report to us that they are not sure it is a good use of their time. Unfortunately, they are uncertain about what else they could be doing during this time that would be more effective.
We suggest that teachers replace grazing with "teaching on purpose" - giving 60 second, 2- minute, or 5- minute lessons to individual students, pairs of students, or even a small group of students. Teaching on purpose often involves a follow- up to a previous lesson or a check and extension of what is presently being taught. Teachers who implement "teaching on purpose" keep a written log of information for each special education student who needs follow- up. Sometimes this follow- up work is related to key ideas, concepts, or vocabulary from the lesson or unit. Teachers may realize that selected students are still unsure of critical information; during "teaching on purpose" lessons, they approach the student, check for understanding, and then follow up with a mini- lesson.
You may wonder how students can pay attention to the presentation at hand if the co- teacher is moving from student to student and "teaching on purpose." Students quickly adjust to the role of the second teacher and, in fact, often want the teacher to check in with them.
Tag-Team-Teaching
In this familiar scenario, one teacher stands in the front of the room providing a lesson or presentation, and the other teacher either stands in the back of the room or sits at a desk involved in another activity. When the first teacher has completed the lesson, he or she moves to the back of the room or sits at a desk, and the second teacher takes over. Teachers often use tag- team- teaching because they are unsure of how else they can deliver instruction to the class as a whole. Further, they have been provided few alternative models for how two teachers might effectively teach together.
We have identified several alternative models - Plans A through D - to grazing and tag- team- teaching. We suggest that you try all the models- not just select the one that makes most sense to your teaching team (Bauwens, Hourcade, & Friend, 1989) .
A: One Group - One Lead Teacher, One Teacher "Teaching on Purpose"
As we previously suggested, "teaching on purpose" is an effective alternative to usual models of co- teaching. Also called "Supportive Learning Activities" (Bauwens & Hourcade, 1995), Plan A provides effective roles for both teachers.
In this structure, the general education teacher does not always assume the lead role, nor does the special education teacher solely serve in the role of teaching on purpose. Teachers can use the Planning Pyramid Unit or Daily Lesson Form (see Schumm, Vaughn, & Harris, 1997; Schumm, Vaughn, & Leavell, 1994) to record the key ideas they want every student to know and then monitor the progress of students with special needs through teaching on purpose. Teachers can also use the CoTeaching Daily Lesson Plan Form (Figure 1 shows sample items from this form with teachers' plans added) provided in Figure 2.
Figure 1
Co-Teaching Daily Lesson Plans
General Educator:
Special Educator:
Date
What are you going to teach?
Which co-teaching technique will you use?
What are the specific tasks of both teachers?
What materials are needed?
How will you evaluate learning?
Information about students who need follow-up work
10/5/97
Roots and stems
Plan D:Assign students to different groups.
Ms. D: Work with one groupMs. R: Monitor the other group
Celery stalks, carrots, colored water, lab notebook, short video
-Completion of lab report.-Following procedures
Raul: Have Raul paraphrase steps before beginning procedures.
10/6/97
Photosynthesis
Plan B: Two heterogeneous groups; wrap-up last 10 minutes.
Each teacher works with one group of students.
Various types of plants, library books on plants, colored transparencies.
-Weekly quiz-Learning logs
John and Julie: Review vocabulary words one-on-one with partner. Sally W.: Reread library book to improve fluency.
10/7/97
Leaves: transpiration and water regulation
Plan A: One lead, one teaching on purpose. Plan C: One re-teaches, one teaches alternative information (last 30 minutes).
Ms. D: LeadMs. R: Teach on purpose
Ms. D: Re-teachMs. R: Alternative information
TextbookBroad-leaf plants, Vaseline, lab notebook, colors.
-KWL Sheet-Diagram of observation.-Lab report
Pablo T. and Joan: Retype lab report on computer using spellcheck to assist with handwriting and spelling.
Figure 2
Co-Teaching Daily Lesson Plans
General Educator:
Special Educator:
Date
What are you going to teach?
Which co-teaching technique will you use?
What are the specific tasks of both teachers?
What materials are needed?
How will you evaluate learning?
Information about students who need follow-up work
B: Two Groups: Two Teachers Teach Same Content
In Plan B, the students in the class form two heterogeneous groups, and each teacher works with one of the groups. The purpose of using two smaller groups is to provide additional opportunities for the students in each group to interact, provide answers, and to have their responses and knowledge monitored by the teacher. This co- teaching arrangement is often used as a follow- up to the whole- group structure in Plan A. Because small- group discussions and teacher instruction always result in somewhat different material being addressed in each group, teachers may want to pull the groups together to do a wrap- up. The purpose of a wrap- up is to summarize the key points that were addressed in each group, therefore familiarizing the whole class with the same material. A wrap- up also assists students in learning to critically summarize key inforrnation.
Some teachers wonder whether students must always be heterogeneously grouped or if it ever makes sense to group students based on their knowledge and expertise about the designated topic. We feel that it does; the next co- teaching model addresses that issue.
C: Two Groups: One Teacher Re-teaches, One Teacher Teaches Alternative Information
In Plan C, teachers assign students to one of two groups, based on their levels of knowledge and skills for the designated topic. Although students with special needs are often in the group that requires re- teaching, this is not always true. The criterion for group assignment is not ability but skill level on the designated topic. Though ability and skill level for the designated topic are often related, they are not the same. This is often referred to as flexible grouping because the group to which students are assigned is temporary and relates solely to their knowledge and skills for the designated topic. As the topic and skills that are addressed change, so does group composition.
In a co- teaching situation, it is tempting to have the special education teacher always provide instruction for students in the re- teaching group and to have the general education teacher provide instruction for students who are ready for alternative information. In our experience, the special and general education teachers find it most effective to alternate between groups. This allows both teachers an opportunity to work with the full range of students and curriculum content.
D: Multiple Groups: Two Teachers Monitor/Teach; Content May Vary
Plan D is much like using learning centers or cooperative learning groups. Activities related to the topic or lesson are arranged in designated areas throughout the classroom. (One area may have computers, another may have audio equipment, etc.) Groups of students either alternate working in each of the designated areas, or are assigned to work in a particular area that responds to their specific needs. Teachers can perform one of several roles:
Monitoring student progress.
Providing mini- lessons to individual students or small groups of students.
Working with one group of students during the entire period while the other teacher monitors the remaining students and activities.
This multiple- group format allows all or most students to work in heterogeneous groups, with selected students pulled for specific instruction Plan D can be particularly effective in language arts when students with specific reading disabilities require specific and intensive small- group instruction.
E: One Group: Two Teachers Teach Same Content
Plan E is perhaps the most difficult to implement and certainly extremely challengung for teachers who are first learning to co- teach. In Plan E, two teachers are directing a whole class of students, and both teachers are working cooperatively and teaching the same lesson at the same time. For example, in one classroom where this was implemented, a general education science teacher was presenting a lesson on anatomy; and the special education teacher interjected with examples and extensions of the key ideas. The special education teacher also provided strategies to assist the students in better remembering and organizing the information that was presented.
A Co-Teaching Plan of Action
As mentioned earlier, these five approaches to co- teaching are part of a coordinated effort to implement multiple types of co- teaching and grouping procedures that can and should be implemented.
Let's visit Tiffany and Joyce again to see how they are planning for effective co- teaching.
Tiffany and Joyce co- plan to determine the critical information they want to cover for selected units. Using a pyramid plan, they consider information they think all students should know, most students should know, and some students should know. They organize this information in writing (see Schumm et al., 1997). Tiffany and Joyce then consider the activities that they will implement to ensure learning on the part of all students. While considering classroom activities, they think about the materials they need and the co- teaching structures they intend to use. Because both teachers are highly familiar with the five co- teaching alternatives described in this article, they refer to them by their letter names (A, B. C, D, or E) and then decide which teacher will play which role. Decisions about the co- teaching structure Tiffany and Joyce will implement are closely related to learning goals and activities. The following is a typical plan for a unit of study:
1. Plan A is commonly implemented during the first and second day of a new unit. In this way, one teacher can provide critical information to the class as a whole, and the second teacher can provide mini- lessons.
2. On the third day of the unit, Tiffany and Joyce have decided to use Plan B. which allows most students to interact with the new material. The teachers can also ascertain which students understand the new material and at what level of understanding they are operating. Plan B provides key opportunities for the teachers to expand, clarify, and extend learning.
3. On Days 4 and 5, the teachers decide to implement a whole- class project in which students are asked to work in heterogeneous groups (Plan D). One teacher takes the lead to explain the project, while the second teacher assists the students with special needs to ensure they are following the directions. When students form small groups, both teachers work actively with each group. At the end of Day 5, the teachers provide a brief quiz covering the material presented during the week. The information from this quiz is then used to determine their co- teaching activities for the following week.
4. Because six students performed poorly on the quiz, the teachers use Plan C on Day 6. While one teacher re- teaches the students who performed poorly, the other teacher provides an alternative lesson to the rest of the class.
5. During Day 7, they return to the whole- group structure of Plan A.
6. For Days 8 and 9, the teachers use learning centers and small groups (Plan D) .
Thus, designing the co- teaching structures they intend to implement each day is an integral part of planning and instruction for Tiffany and Joyce. When planning for the unit as a whole, both teachers consider how they will teach the critical information and the roles each teacher will play. Like most teachers, Tiffany and Joyce often have to make changes as they teach, but they always feel they have a common roadmap or understanding of where and how they want students to learn and the roles they can play to facilitate that learning.
Tips for Co-Teaching
GradingDieker and Barnett (1996) suggest having both teachers check, discuss, and then assign grades for student work. This process allows teachers to become familiar with each other's standards and is especially helpful when student's work is borderling.
Space
To avoid issues related to territory, both teachers should move into a different classroom rather than one teacher moving into the other's space (Bauwens & Hourcade, 1995; Kluwin, Gonsher, Silver &, Samuels, 1996)
Planning
Asking community volunteers or university students who are majoring in education to direct certain classroom activities or accompany students to schools assemblies may allow for some extra planning time (Bauwens & Hourcade, 1995).
More Teaching StrategiesReferences
Arguelles, M., Schumm, J. S., & Vaughn, S. (1996) . Executive summaries for ESE/FEFP Pilot Program. Tallahassee, FL: Report submitted to Florida Department of Education.
Bauwens, J., & Hourcade, J. J. (1995). Cooperative teaching: Rebuilding the schoolhouse for all students. Austin, TX: ProEd.
Bauwens, J., Hourcade, J. J., & Friend, M. (1989). Cooperative teaching: A model for general and special education integration. Remedial and Special Educntion, 10(2), 17- 22.
Dieker, L. A., & Barnett, C. A. (1996). Effective coteaching. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 29(1), 57.
Kluwin, T. N., Gonsher, W., Silver, K., & Samuels, J. (1996). The E. T. class: Education together. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 29(1), 11- 15.
Schumm, J. S., Vaughn, S., & Harris, J. (1997). Pyramid power for collaborative planning for content area instruction. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 29(6), 62- 66.
Schumm, J. S., Vaughn, S., & Leavell, A. (1994). Planning pyramid: A framework for planning for diverse student needs during content area instruction. The Reading Teacher, 47(8), 608- 615.
Sharon Vaughn (CEC Chapter #121), Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Texas at Austin. Jeanne Shay Schumm (CEC Chapter #121), Professor; and Maria Elena Arguelles, Graduate Assistant, University of Miami Office of SchoolBased Research, Florida
Address correspondence to Sharon Vaughn, Department of Special Education, UniversuyofTexas at Austin, School of Educanon SZB 306, Austin TX 787121290 (email: SRVAUGHNUM@aol.com).
Copyright 1997 CEC
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/tec_coteaching.html
Five Homework Strategies for Teaching Studentswith DisabilitiesThe ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC)The Council for Exceptional Children1110 N. Glebe Rd. Arlington, VA 22201-5704Toll Free: 1.800.328.0272 E-mail:
ericec@cec.sped.orgInternet:
http://ericec.org/ERIC/OSEP Digest #E608Author: Cynthia WargerMarch 2001
Homework is one aspect of the general education curriculum that has been widely recognized as important to academic success. Teachers have long used homework to provide additional learning time, strengthen study and organizational skills, and in some respects, keep parents informed of their children's progress. Generally, when students with disabilities participate in the general education curriculum, they are expected to complete homework along with their peers. But, just as students with disabilities may need instructional accommodations in the classroom, they may also need homework accommodations.
Many students with disabilities find homework challenging, and teachers are frequently called upon to make accommodations for these students. What research supports this practice? This digest describes five strategies that researchers have identified to improve homework results for students with disabilities.
Strategy 1. Give Clear and Appropriate AssignmentsTeachers need to take special care when assigning homework. If the homework assignment is too hard, is perceived as busy work, or takes too long to complete, students might tune out and resist doing it. Never send home any assignment that students cannot do. Homework should be an extension of what students have learned in class. To ensure that homework is clear and appropriate, consider the following tips from teachers for assigning homework:
Make sure students and parents have information regarding the policy on missed and late assignments, extra credit, and available adaptations. Establish a set routine at the beginning of the year.
Assign work that the students can do.
Assign homework in small units.
Explain the assignment clearly.
Write the assignment on the chalkboard and leave it there until the assignment is due.
Remind students of due dates periodically.
Coordinate with other teachers to prevent homework overload. Students concur with these tips. They add that teachers can
Establish a routine at the beginning of the year for how homework will be assigned.
Assign homework toward the beginning of class.
Relate homework to classwork or real life (and/or inform students how they will use the content of the homework in real life).
Explain how to do the homework, provide examples and write directions on the chalkboard.
Have students begin the homework in class, check that they understand, and provide assistance as necessary.
Allow students to work together on homework.
Strategy 2. Make Homework AccommodationsMake any necessary modifications to the homework assignment before sending it home. Identify practices that will be most helpful to individual students and have the potential to increase their involvement, understanding, and motivation to learn. The most common homework accommodations are to
Provide additional one-on-one assistance to students.
Monitor students' homework more closely.
Allow alternative response formats (e.g., allow the student to audiotape an assignment rather than handwriting it).
Adjust the length of the assignment.
Provide a peer tutor or assign the student to a study group.
Provide learning tools (e.g., calculators).
Adjust evaluation standards.
Give fewer assignments.
It is important to check out all accommodations with other teachers, students, and their families. If teachers, students, or families do not find homework accommodations palatable, they may not use them.
Strategy 3. Teach Study SkillsBoth general and special education teachers consistently report that homework problems seem to be exacerbated by deficient basic study skills. Many students, particularly students with disabilities, need instruction in study and organizational skills. Here is a list of organizational strategies basic to homework:
Identify a location for doing homework that is free of distractions.
Have all materials available and organized.
Allocate enough time to complete activities and keep on schedule.
Take good notes.
Develop a sequential plan for completing multi-task assignments.
Check assignments for accuracy and completion before turning them in.
Know how to get help when it is needed.
Turn in completed homework on time.
Teachers can enhance homework completion and accuracy by providing classroom instruction in organizational skills. They should talk with parents about how to support the application of organizational skills at home.
Strategy 4. Use a Homework Calendar
Students with disabilities often need additional organizational support. Just as adults use calendars, schedulers, lists, and other devices to self-monitor activities, students can benefit from these tools as well. Students with disabilities can monitor their own homework using a planning calendar to keep track of homework assignments. Homework planners also can double as home-school communication tools if they include a space next to each assignment for messages from teachers and parents. Here's how one teacher used a homework planner to increase communication with students' families and improve homework completion rates: Students developed their own homework calendars. Each page in the calendar reflected one week. There was a space for students to write their homework assignments and a column for parent-teacher notes. The cover was a heavy card stock that children decorated. Students were expected to take their homework planners home each day and return them the next day to class.
In conjunction with the homework planner, students graphed their homework return and completion rates-another strategy that is linked to homework completion and improved performance on classroom assessments. The teacher built a reward system for returning homework and the planners. On a self-monitoring chart in their planner, students recorded each time they completed and returned their homework assignment by
Coloring the square for the day green if homework was completed and returned.
Coloring the square for the day red if homework was not done.
Coloring one-half of the square yellow and one-half of the square red if homework was late.
If students met the success criterion, they received a reward at the end of the week, such as 15 extra minutes of recess. The teacher found that more frequent rewards were needed for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Strategy 5. Ensure Clear Home/School CommunicationHomework accounts for one-fifth of the time that successful students invest in academic tasks, yet students complete homework in environments over which teachers have no control—which, given the fact that many students experience learning difficulties, creates a major dilemma. Teachers and parents of students with disabilities must communicate clearly and effectively with one another about homework policies, required practices, mutual expectations, student performance on homework, homework completion difficulties, and other homework-related concerns.
Recommended ways that teachers can improve communications with parents include
Encouraging students to keep assignment books.
Providing a list of suggestions on how parents might assist with homework. For example, ask parents to check with their children about homework daily.
Providing parents with frequent written communication about homework (e.g., progress reports, notes, letters, forms).
Sharing information with other teachers regarding student strengths and needs and necessary accommodations.
Ways that administrators can support teachers in improving communications include
Supplying teachers with the technology needed to aid communication (e.g., telephone answering systems, e-mail, homework hotlines).
Providing incentives for teachers to participate in face-to-face meetings with parents (e.g., release time, compensation).
Suggesting that the school district offer after school and/or peer tutoring sessions to give students extra help with homework.
Summary
The five strategies to help students with disabilities get the most from their homework are
Give clear and appropriate assignments.
Make accommodations in homework assignments.
Teach study skills.
Use a homework planner.
Ensure clear home/school communication.
Resources
Bryan, T., Nelson, C., & Mathur, S. (1995). Homework: A survey of primary students in regular, resource, and self-contained special education classrooms. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 10(2), 85-90.
Bryan, T., & Sullivan-Burstein, K. (1997). Homework how-to's. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 29(6), 32-37.
Epstein, M., Munk, D., Bursuck, W., Polloway, E., & Jayanthi, M. (1999). Strategies for improving home-school communication about homework for students with disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 33(3), 166-176.
Jayanthi, M., Bursuck, W., Epstein, M., & Polloway, E. (1997). Strategies for successful homework. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 30(1), 4-7.
Jayanthi, M., Sawyer, V., Nelson, J., Bursuck, W., & Epstein, M. (1995). Recommendations for homework-communication problems: From parents, classroom teachers, and special education teachers. Remedial and Special Education, 16(4), 212-225.
Klinger, J., & Vaughn, S. (1999). Students' perceptions of instruction in inclusion classrooms: Implications for students with learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 66(1), 23-37.
Polloway, E., Bursuck, W., Jayanthi, M., Epstein, M., & Nelson, J. (1996). Treatment acceptability: Determining appropriate interventions within inclusive classrooms. Intervention In School and Clinic, 31(3), 133-144.
ERIC/OSEP Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated, but please acknowledge your source. This digest was prepared with funding from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education, under Contract No. ED-99-CO-0026. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OSEP or the Department of Education.
Copyright © 2001 ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Educationhttp://ericec.org
Posted October 2, 2002
http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/teaching_techniques/five_homework_strategies.html
Adjustments in Classroom Managementexerpted fromClassroom Success for the LD and ADHD ChildSuzanne H. Stevens1997
Table of Contents
Finding the Right SpotThe "Good Neighbor"Time Limits and SchedulesDealing with DisorganizationControlling DistractionsAvoiding Social ProblemsOne child with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder can keep a classroom in constant uproar if nothing is done to counteract his trouble with attention, organization, time, and social acceptance. In these areas, the youngster does not have the ability to control and change his own behavior. Teachers have to deal with these problems by adjusting his environment. Careful classroom management can prevent the LD/ADD student from becoming a strongly disruptive influence.
Students with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder usually find the normal hum of classroom activity extremely distracting. Even such tiny, unavoidable sounds as turning pages, shuffling feet, and whispered conversations catch their attention and draw their minds away from schoolwork.
When left to their own devices, LD/ADD students tend to use background music to filter out normal environmental noises. They usually like to play the radio, the stereo, or the television when they want to concentrate. They also find it helpful to work in an area where they can spread out, move around, and be comfortable. Body postures other than sitting up straight at a desk help them to "get into" what they are doing. Standing at the blackboard, kneeling on the floor, leaning back in a chair, perching on a stool, pacing around the room, or hunching over a workbench, a countertop, or a drawing table-any position that increases wholebody involvement is likely to help these youngsters pay attention to their work. When studying at home, they tend to prefer spreading out on the dining-room table or sprawling on couch, bed, or floor.
By taking note of the modifications these youngsters provide for themselves, teachers can make adjustments in the classroom environment to help LD/ADD students overcome many of their difficulties with paying attention in class. In a carefully controlled atmosphere, the LD/ADD pupil has his best chance for successful learning.
Distractibility and a short attention span are major causes of the LD/ADD youngster's classroom disasters. The child who is not paying attention to his work is usually doing something else. And as often as not, that something else produces noise or movement that disturbs the rest of the class.
Thus, the teacher's first objective is to establish firm limits on the LD/ADD student. His difficulty with focusing attention must not become the entire class's problem.
Top of the PageFinding the Right Spot
Regardless of age, LD/ADD students usually have an attention span significantly shorter than that of their classmates. Because their periods of concentration are so brief, they frequently look up from their work and check on what's going on around them. If there is something interesting nearby, it captures their attention so that they never return to their work.
Claude was an extremely bright, extremely active firstgrader. He loved school; he loved people. He was curious about everything. First-grade work should not have been terribly difficult for Claude. His learning disability was mild, he was getting excellent therapy, he was on stimulant medication, and he very much wanted to learn.
But in the classroom, the youngster never got his work done. He barely even got started on most of his schoolwork. "He's off in the clouds," his teacher complained. "Staring off into space. He just won't get down to business. The boy doesn't even try."
The LD specialist spent a morning in the classroom observing Claude. Just as had been recommended, the boy was seated at the end of the front row next to the teacher's desk. Unfortunately, this location placed him beside an aquarium and a row of windows that provided a fabulous view of a busy playground.
Claude wasn't "off in the clouds." Every time his attention broke and he looked up, there was something fascinating going on in the fishtank or on the playground.
It took several moves to find the right spot for this wide-eyed first-grader who found everything interesting. One seat provided a neighbor who enjoyed fooling around with him. Another was so close to the door that he kept watching the activity in the hall. Finally, when seated off to the side by a blank wall, with two studious little neighbors and no interesting animals or vistas nearby, Claude found his ideal location. His surroundings were so boring that schoolwork was the most interesting thing available.
Everything in the LD/ADD child's environment competes for his attention. And extreme distractibility makes his focus very fragile. Even among highly motivated LD/ADD students who develop adequate study skills, difficulties with concentration cause lifelong problems.
For the teacher, the trick is to seat pupils with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder where there is little of interest to hold their attention when it's not focused on schoolwork. A seat in the front of the room is often best. This limits what's in the student's line of vision. Instead of seeing a whole room of interesting bulletin boards plus thirty or more active bodies, he sees only the front third of the room, the blackboard, and a few class-mates. If the pupil is situated on the extreme left or right side of the front row, distractions can be cut to a minimum. However, frontrow corner seats present special problems which must be taken into consideration. Areas of heavy traffic and frequent activity should be avoided. If the teacher's desk, the wastebasket, and the pencil sharpener are on one side, the LD/ADD child should be on the other. When the choice is near the door or near the window, the door is usually the less distracting of the two.
College students with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder almost always have less trouble paying attention in class when seated in the front of the room and off to one side. When seated in the middle or back of a lecture hall filled with two hundred or three hundred students, they notice every person-what they're wearing, what they're doing, where else they've been seen around campus-and little attention is left for watching the instructor, listening to the presentation, and taking notes.
In young children, this tendency to notice everything going on around them can be a tremendous handicap. For those few who simply cannot screen out the sights and sounds around them, any class of more than six or eight students makes concentration totally impossible! No amount of medication, classroom modification, or one-to-one instruction can enable them to tune out the other students and keep their minds on their schoolwork. Such children can make a shambles out of a tranquil classroom. With "inclusion" the law and small LD classes rarely available, parents of these highly distractible youngsters are faced with the choice between homeschooling and private school. Leaving severely distractible children in regular classrooms is far too destructive to the child-not to mention to his teacher and his classmates-to be given serious consideration.
Some LD/ADD students should not be placed in the first row of a classroom. For those who are hyperactive and those with serious behavior problems, sitting in front of an entire class makes them actors with an audience. When the distractions that disturb them are limited, they become the distraction that disturbs everyone else. This must not be allowed. Overactive children-whether medicated or not-wiggle, bounce, tap, twist, hang out of their chairs, wander around the room, and race to the teacher's desk. Most of the time, they are playing with something in their hands. Almost always, they are in motion. Medication often helps them contain their excess energy, but as a general rule it is pointless to try to control their level of activity. The most effective approach is to limit their territory.
Hyperactive students usually are least disruptive if seated at one end of the back row. This location also provides them the extra amount of physical freedom they need. Rather than wasting her time and energy trying to keep such youngsters in their seats, the teacher can concentrate on confining their activity within reasonable but specific bounds. It is effective to give such young sters an adjusted set of rules: "You may move freely about this area of the room, provided you do your work, don't do anything dangerous, and don't disturb others." The exact limits of their territory should be made absolutely clear. With young children, it may be necessary to mark off their space with a chalk line or a strip of tape so they know exactly where the boundaries are. This approach enables a teacher to exert a reasonable amount of control over hyperactive pupils. But it will work only if the adjusted rules are strictly enforced.
It is also helpful to give these wiggly children something to play with in their hands. They almost always bring an item from home to fill this purpose, but it is usually a toy that is so much fun that it demands all their attention and keeps them and their neighbors from work. A piece of modeling clay, a big rubber band-anything they can twist and squeeze without distracting their classmates-can help them sit still and focus. For testing, a private place is almost always essential.
LD/ADD students who cause constant discipline problems should also be seated in the back. With them, the teacher's objective is to protect the rest of the class from the disturbances they create. Situating these youngsters in a corner of the back row has the effect of separating them from the other children. No one has to watch their antics, and there is only one neighbor to be disturbed.
For more complete separation, a disruptive boy can be surrounded by girls who will not interact with him. He should not be given the enlarged territory allowed the hyperactive child. And he should not be placed in some remote corner that isolates him entirely. (Although total isolation may be in the child's best interest, a teacher should not take this type of action without first consulting the LD specialist, the psychologist, the school's counselor, the principal, or some other administrator who is intimately acquainted with the legal ramifications of such actions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 and other current legislation that might apply.)
Children's preferences can be a great help in determining the ideal location and type of seating. The learning styles research of Drs. Rita and Kenneth Dunn is also useful in analyzing the five environmental factors that must be considered when choosing an appropriate study locale.
1. Noise.The noise level is of primary importance. For many pupils, deep concentration is so easy that they stay engrossed in their work despite even loud sounds. Very few LD/ADD youngsters have the ability to tune out the smallest background noises. It's usually difficult-and sometimes impossible-to provide the degree of quiet they need when there are other students nearby. For those who can tolerate looking "different," soundinsulating earmuffs like those used at airports may be helpful. Earplugs and stereo headsets playing white noise offer the same benefits at less expense.
Many learners actually need noise in order to concentrate. Background sounds from a radio, stereo, or television help such students filter out the intrusive background noises that would otherwise disrupt their concentration. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that certain types of classical music can be an aid to concentration and learning. For LD/ADD students who find music helpful during study sessions, a small cassette or CD player with a headset can be extremely valuable.
2. Light.
The amount of light in the work area can have a strong effect on concentration. Some students find that dim lighting makes them sleepy and sluggish, while bright light helps them stay alert. Others find that low light helps them feel calm and focused, while intense light makes them fidgety and nervous. Several studies have shown that poor readers and rightbrain thinkers tend to prefer dim light for study. As might be expected, many LD/ADD students find it easiest to learn in a room with lowintensity lighting. Perhaps baseball hats should be allowed in classrooms as a socially acceptable form of eyeshade.
3. Temperature.
Personal preferences concerning room temperature vary widely. While some students fan themselves and complain of the heat, others seated nearby shiver. There is a limited temperature range within which the human brain functions well. When the classroom thermometer registers above eighty degrees, the mind becomes sleepy and sluggish; when the reading falls below the midsixties, discomfort disrupts serious thinking. Youngsters with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder seem especially susceptible to extremes of cold or heat. Consequently, the teacher's personal comfort level shouldn't dictate what's right for an entire classroom. Students need to be taught to adjust their clothing according to the temperature so they can remain clearheaded and alert. It is essential that classroom temperature be monitored closely.
4. Seating.
Standard classroom seating isn't ideal for all pupils. Mozart wrote his music standing up at a high table. Others do their best thinking stretched out on the floor. Some can't concentrate unless they're in motion. While it's more convenient for the teacher to have the entire class sitting in chairs lined up in neat rows, LD/ ADD students should be encouraged to explore alternate postures.
5. Oral stimulation.
Many people find that the machinery of thinking works best when accompanied by movements of the mouth. When concentrating, they chew on a pencil, smoke a pipe, eat, drink, chew gum, or bite their fingernails. Some experts believe that such activity "integrates" the nervous system. Although food and drink aren't normally available in a classroom, many youngsters with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder could benefit from such intake.
A former student of mine recently waited on me in the glove department of a local department store. As we exchanged news, Rose said, "You know, it's because of you that I graduated from college."
This lovely young woman's flattering comment caught me by surprise. As a fifthgrader, Rose had experienced such severe problems with reading comprehension that I assumed she was going to have trouble just getting through high school. It hadn't occurred to me that she might actually make it through college. Unable to remember what I had taught her that proved so valuable, and eager to hear about my great skill as a teacher, I asked, "What did I do that was so helpful?"
Rose replied, "You were right. That one trick you taught me made all the difference. I haven't had any more trouble understanding what I read."
Trying not to show my confusion, I wondered what "trick" I'd taught her so many years earlier. Fortunately, Rose continued. "Yes," she said, "as long as I chew gum when I read, I have no trouble with comprehension."
The Dunns' learning-styles research makes it clear that some very small adjustments in the classroom environment can make a gigantic difference in a student's academic achievement.
Always, in selecting the ideal seat for an LD/ADD student, the teacher needs to look for a quiet spot with little traffic, a limited view, and few neighbors. The neighbors can be as important as the location. A youngster with a learning disability and/ or an attention deficit disorder should got be seated near children who pick on him or tease him. Talkative students and those who fool around a lot should also be avoided. The LD/ADD child's distractibility is bothersome enough without noisy classmates nearby to make it worse. A seat beside a pleasant, quiet, good student can have a very steadying effect.
Top of the PageThe "Good Neighbor"
"What page are we on?" "What row are we supposed to do?" "What were the directions?" A student with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder has many such questions. Traditional classroom rules force him to either figure out such things for himself or go to the teacher for help. Figuring them out for himself seldom leads an LD/ADD student to successful completion of an assignment. Asking the teacher would be fine if the situation didn't occur so often. Constantly trotting up to the front embarrasses the child and becomes an inconvenience to the teacher.
The questions routinely asked by LD/ADD children can almost always be answered by any good student in the class. By choosing the right neighbor and carefully controlling an adjusted set of rules, the teacher can see to it that pupils with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder have a ready source of information available right there at their elbow.
The teacher, the LD/ADD child, and the neighbor must all have a clear understanding of the special arrangements they're making to create a "good neighbor plan."
1. The two youngsters are allowed to talk openly and freely but quietly during class.
2. The LD/ADD student is not permitted to pester his neighbor or use the conversations as an excuse for socializing.
3. The "good neighbor" must maintain a cooperative, understanding attitude.
4. To make sure that the children understand the difference between a "good neighbor plan" and a partnership, the teacher must establish clear and specific guidelines. The youngsters must know what kinds of questions the LD/ ADD student may take to his neighbor. "What does this word say?" or "Do the answers have to be in sentences?" would probably be allowed. "What's the answer to this question?" would definitely not be acceptable. The two children also have to understand exactly what kind of help the neighbor may provide. Is he to copy arithmetic problems from the book? Does he supply answers to basic questions such as "How much is 14 take away 6?" Is he responsible for reminding the LD/ADD child about capital letters and punctuation? There must also be a clear understanding of special situations when their talking will not be allowed. Does the policy remain in effect during tests? Does it apply only in one classroom or anywhere in the school?
Most LD/ADD students ask two questions repeatedly: "What's that word?" and "How do you spell ?" They need to know where to turn for answers to these questions no matter what the situation. Most difficulties can be avoided if the full details are settled at the time the agreement is made.
By the fifth grade, Mike had overcome almost all of the problems caused by his learning disability. In most areas, he was a good student. He was especially patient with himself about his poor spelling. Whenever he got stuck on a word, he went quietly to the teacher to ask for help. But Mike did not deal with his copying problem so effectively. Copying things off the blackboard caused him serious difficulties. Every time he made a mistake, he got terribly upset. Erasing and correcting his errors made him furious. It got to the point where Mike caused at least one ugly scene every day.
In mid-November, a new boy, Tim, enrolled in the class. For no particular reason, the teacher gave him a seat next to Mike.
An outgoing child, Mike took it upon himself to help the new student get into the routine of the class. In hushed tones, he answered questions about the way the teacher wanted things done. He told Tim where to find supplies. Quickly, the two became friends.
Sometime in December, the teacher realized that Mike no longer had problems copying things off the board. He hadn't had one of his outbursts in weeks. She had no idea what had caused the change in her LD pupil but assumed it had something to do with sitting next to Tim.
One afternoon, right in the middle of a social studies test, the teacher caught Tim handing a note to Mike. Positive that the two boys were cheating, she snatched their papers away, demanded that Mike give her the note, and dragged the two criminals into the hall.
On the scrap of paper Tim had given Mike, there was only one word: democracy. Waving the evidence, the teacher challenged sternly, "Other than cheating, I can't imagine any possible reason for this note!" Her eyes flashed as she glared first at one boy, then the other. "I will give you gentlemen one minute to explain exactly what this note means."
Gulping and stammering, both boys tried to talk at once. "I asked him how to spell democracy," Mike muttered at precisely the same time Tim said, "He asked me how to spell democracy." Since it seemed unlikely that two children would tell the exact same lie simultaneously, the teacher heard her students out. Their stories fit perfectly. And they clarified several things she had found puzzling.
Mike and Tim had developed their own version of the "good neighbor plan."Tim explained simply, "Mike don't spell so good, so I help him sometimes." "And he copies stuff off the board for me," Mike added. Shrugging, he confessed, "That's how come I don't mess up and get so mad anymore."
The teacher's broad smile made it easy to see that she approved of the system the two friends had devised. Her curiosity led her to ask her LD student one final question: "And what do you do for Tim in return?"
Before the learning-disabled pupil could reply, his buddy cut him off. "He don't have to do nothin' in return. It's okay. He's my friend."
In his own simple way, that eleven-year-old boy stated the whole theory behind the "good neighbor plan": when given an opportunity, most children will gladly help a classmate without expecting anything in return.
Selecting the right child to act as a helping neighbor can be difficult. It's often wise to let the LD/ADD student take part in the process. Sometimes, a rotating team of "good neighbors" is most practical. With that system, the LD/ADD pupil has a regular seat, and one desk immediately beside him is reserved for his special neighbor. Week by week or month by month, students rotate in and out of that seat. Regardless of the system used, only students who are willing to be an assistant should be considered for the role. Recruits have the wrong attitude. They tend to see their role as a chore rather than a privilege.
Top of the PageTime Limits and Schedules
Many children with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder race through life at high velocity; they are hyperactive. Some slowmoving LD/ADD youngsters are referred to as hypoactive.
Regardless of LD/ADD students' preferred pace, time tends to slip through their fingers. Whenever they're allowed out of the classroom, it's unlikely they'll be seen again soon. A two-minute trip to the bathroom takes them five minutes-or often fifteen. For a short errand to the office or library, they'll be gone twice as long as seems reasonable. Much of this is to be expected and tolerated, but a few tricks can help.
Many teachers impose a time limit on students who leave the classroom for a trip to the lavatory, their locker, the drinking fountain, and so on. This is usually done with a signout sheet on which students record their name and the time they left the room. Since most LD/ADD children (of all ages) have a poor concept of time, this standard method doesn't always work for them. They seem to have no internal "feel" for time. With no mental clock to pressure them to move along, they use up the allotted time on a sightseeing trip through the halls. Those who have a watch and are willing to use it rarely have any skill at figuring out what time it will be when their time is up. More than their classmates, LD/ADD students need something to force them to hurry along on their errands.
The signout approach can work for an LD/ADD student if he uses an hourglass, a cooking timer, or a stopwatch instead of a clock. When leaving the room, the student takes the hour-glass or timer from a shelf near the door, starts it running, and places it on his own desk. If he returns before the sand runs out or the bell goes off, he merely puts it back on its shelf and returns to his seat. If he's late, he suffers some standard penalty. With all types of students in grades one through twelve, this method gives the teacher a way to enforce rules governing how long pupils are allowed out of the classroom. It has two distinct advantages: it's no trouble to the teacher at all, and it does not single out LD/ ADD children for special treatment. The time limits apply equally to all. For those youngsters who are repeatedly late with the timer, some other system must be devised.
Brian was hypoactive; he was a chronic slow mover. If allowed out of the classroom, this pleasant eighthgrader stepped into a time warp and lost track of time altogether.
The bathrooms and drinking fountains were right across the hall from my second-floor classroom. All my students could visit both and be back before our three-minute timer ran out of sand.
All my students, that is, except Brian. I tried letting him use a timer that gave him an extra two minutes to allow for his shuffling pace. I tried having him carry a timer with him so he could see the time running out. I even sent a student with him as an escort. Nothing worked. Always, he came dragging back shame-faced and late.
Much as the other pupils liked Brian, his delayed returns always prompted a few digs.
"Out there watching the girls, ah, Brian?" someone would tease.
"What'd you do, man, use the sink to wash out a few things? "
The jokes embarrassed the youth terribly. They were much worse than any punishment I'd have ever thought of. In desperation, I gave up. Unless it was a real emergency, Brian was not allowed out of the room.
The stalemate continued until a January day when Brian had a legitimate reason for leaving the room and I had an equally valid reason for insisting he be back in no more than five minutes. On an inspiration, I pulled my pocket calculator out of my purse, set its timer for four minutes, and shoved it into Brian's hip pocket. "When that beeper goes off, you drop whatever you're doing and run back to this room," I warned.
The boy grabbed a hall pass and scurried out the door as though carrying a bomb in his pocket. He completed his mission and made it back to class before the alarm even went off. I guess Brian didn't want the embarrassment of having people see him with beeping noises coming out of his jeans.
It takes a tremendous amount of patience to work around LD/ADD child's non-adjustable pace. In most situations, the only answers are compromises that work around the problem.
Whenever the teacher takes her students outside the classroom it is necessary to guard against the LD/ADD child's problem with pace. Like most other youngsters, he pushes and shoves to get to the front of the line. Yet once the group is on the way to its destination, that same LD/ADD child lags. If he's at the end of the line, he may get left behind altogether. This is particularly troublesome on field trips.
There are no surefire cures for this problem. A sturdy nametag (giving address and phone number for both home and school) is a necessity for young LD/ADD children being taken off the school grounds. A buddy system can also be effective in such situations. It is not wise to let LD/ADD youths be the last one in line at any time. If not kept under a watchful eye, the quick ones dart off to explore, while the slow ones become engrossed in something and stop entirely.
As part of their nonvariable pace, most LD/ADD youngsters have trouble shifting from one activity to another. "It's time for music." "Turn in your sentences and get out your dictionary." "Put away your math and go wash for lunch." The school day is full of abrupt changes. Some students develop a habit of pleading, "I'm not done yet." Others just ignore the requested action.
LD/ADD students are particularly prone to causing trouble when concluding one activity and beginning another. In the first place, they frequently fail to complete their work within the period allotted. Also, their faulty concept of time makes it difficult for them to gauge how many minutes they have left for a particular activity. For them, the order to turn in their paper comes as a total surprise. No mental timer has made them aware of the looming deadline. If LD/ADD youngsters are not mentally prepared, they balk. Instead of making an agreeable, efficient change from math to reading, they keep right on with math, or begin horsing around, or stare off into space, or get angry and rip up their paper. Orders that come like a bolt out of the blue simply do not produce the desired responses.
The regular use of a five minute warning can work wonders. Within the classroom, a simple "Five minutes left for the health project" can help the entire class get into the right frame of mind for the coming change. On the playground or in the lunchroom, the teacher can signal by holding up five fingers. Even homeschoolers have to deal with activity shifts and need to give advance notice to set the stage. Then, when the moment for the change arrives, everyone knows the time for action is now. No excuses are accepted. The five-minute warning makes it possible for a teacher to impose the added structure needed to get LD/ ADD youngsters to live within some kind of schedule.
Top of the PageDealing with Disorganization
The school day is a procession of varied activities requiring frequent transitions which pose no problem for most students. For LD/ADD children, each task shift provides a new opportunity for the mind to drift. Long after the new assignment has been given and the rest of the class has settled down to work, students with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder can be found staring off into space-without ever having gotten out the necessary materials.
It isn't a matter of not doing good work. If left to their own devices, LD/ADD students don't do any work. They never get started.
Traditional methods of dealing with this difficulty can stimulate the child to action, but they rarely keep the situation from recurring. Instead of undergoing a lasting change of behavior, the child learns to wait for others to force him into motion. He doesn't learn techniques for selfmonitoring and selfdiscipline. He has little chance to develop organizational skills, initiative, and independence.
Both student and teacher are damaged by continual conflict The teacher's patient optimism wilts, while the youngster comes to view authority figures as enemies.
Standard corrective measures can make matters worse. Many of them deprive the student of an opportunity for real success with the work assigned. Removing the child from the classroom can solve the problem, provided that the alternate location is quiet and well supervised. But that is rarely the case in the cloakrooms, corridors, back corners, and office spaces that are readily available in today's schools.
Sometimes, in an attempt to force a pupil to get his work done, teachers unintentionally reward him for being unproductive in the normal setting. Teachers should abandon any efficiency enhancing techniques that allow the youngster to get out of doing his work and have a great time while he's not doing it.
Truly effective solutions come from recognizing the root of the problem and making adjustments there. LD/ADD children are dreamers. That can't be changed. But it is possible to avoid or alter situations that send them off into the clouds.
A child with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder almost always has trouble
shifting gears and getting started on a new activity. A large part of this difficulty can be attributed to the fact that he is so disorganized. He doesn't get his book out because he can't find it. Or in the process of looking for it, he discovers some long-forgotten treasure buried at the bottom of his desk. Every time an LD/ADD youngster looks into his desk or locker, he takes a trip to never-never land.
Many problems can be solved by simply keeping the student out of his desk and his locker. His rummaging time can be limited to a five-minute period first thing every morning. Within that time, he must get out everything needed for the entire day. A schedule and a list of daily supplies should be taped close at hand for easy reference. For some LD/ADD children, a materials partner is necessary to help with the process of "getting it together" for the day.
While an LD/ADD child is learning to get control of time and supplies, it is sometimes best to have him keep all books, notebooks, and equipment on an open shelf or in a cabinet within easy reach. This eliminates the need for (and breaks the habit of) desk digging entirely. In extreme cases, a teacher can keep custody of all his materials. That sounds impractical, but it's actually more efficient than the repeated confrontations that develop when disorganization becomes a chronic problem for a student.
Smart teachers do not allow a child with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder to take textbooks out of the classroom. They see that he has duplicate copies at home for use on homework and projects. It is also wise to monitor the LD/ ADD student's inventory of school supplies on a regular basis so that pencil and paper are always available for use in class. Ideally, the pupil provides these materials and always has them with him.
Even with careful control, a backup system will be necessary. An old coffee can full of pencil stubs will usually suffice for emergency needs. No matter what measures have to be taken, make sure an LD/ADD youngster never has to leave the room to go in search of supplies. Sight-seeing trips around the building take much more time than can be allowed.
Notebooks are a special source of difficulty. Unless some kind of system is forced upon them,
LD/ADD students do their English assignment in their science notebook, leave worksheets at home on the kitchen table, and never have what they need with them in class. A notebook control system is absolutely essential if these disorganized youngsters are going to have the faintest hope of being properly prepared for class. The basics of such a system are outlined below.
1. For each subject, the child should have a separate spiral notebook with pockets for storing loose papers. Each subject has a notebook of a different color. For severely disorganized types, it is best if these notebooks never leave the schoolroom.
2. Two pencils should be kept in the notebooks' storage compartments. As they wear out or disappear, they should be replaced immediately.
3. A calendar and a schedule should be taped to the inside of the front cover of the notebooks. The student should use these to keep track of the regular routine as well as due dates for special assignments.
4. A small spiral notebook should be kept on the student at all times. In it are assignments and reminders about the things he's likely to forget. For young children and the extremely unreliable, the notations should be made by the teacher or a study buddy. As one of the world's absent-minded types, the LD/ADD child needs to be taught how to compensate for his unreliable memory.
5. The student should carry a large looseleaf binder from class to class. He should also take it home every night. It should contain the spiral notebooks for each subject and also provide a safe place for transporting papers, assure a steady supply of fresh paper, and give the student a place to store additional pencils. A calendar taped to the inside of the back cover should help keep track of due dates for projects, book reports, and other longrange assignments.
6. Other supplies that are absolutely necessary - rulers, erasers, ballpoint pens, a checking pencil, paper clips, etc.- should be kept in a zippered plastic pocket permanently fastened inside the looseleaf binder.
This notebook control system does not require close cooperation between home and school. A teacher can use it without the help of parents. The family can set it up without involving the school. Either way, it takes at least six weeks of close monitoring to help the student develop the habit of using the system. During this break-in period, the entire binder must be checked daily, night and morning. At this time, missing items should be replaced, inaccurate notations corrected, and important messages made current.
Checks on a calendar in connection with some system of rewards can supply the motivation needed to get the student cooperatively involved. It also helps if the youngster adds personal touches in accord with his own tastes and interests. Stickers, artwork, monograms, and slogans can convert a distasteful form of discipline into a source of personal pride.
Be sure every piece of the binder is clearly labeled with the student's name, address, phone number, school, teacher's name, and grade. If misplaced, easily identified materials are likely to be returned.
Many LD/ADD students are highly resistant to setting up such a materials control system, yet they are the very ones who need it the most. If it is imposed by the authority in charge, designed by the youngster, and monitored closely with an enforcement system based on positive rewards, it leads almost all students to develop the desired organizational habits within six to eight weeks. With those few truly scatter-brained youngsters who are totally unable to develop orderly habits, teachers have to monitor the system for the entire year. That sounds like a lot of work - until the alternatives are considered.
If active supervision is not available for the first few weeks of this materials control system, it should not be started. This program can produce the desired behavior change only if the student is provided with the necessary materials and is systematically taught how to use them.
Top of the PageControlling Distractions
Modern electronic equipment offers some amazing alternatives in controlling the distractions in the LD/ADD student's learning environment.
Ed was in an individualized ninth-grade program with an open-classroom environment. Because of his attention deficit disorder, such a busy schoolroom was not ideal for him. His short attention span and high level of distractibility made it impossible for him to concentrate while other students were conferring with the teacher, using files, setting up filmstrip machines, building models, and so forth. Most of Ed's class time was spent chatting with his neighbors.
When assigned a page of easy problems, Ed would ask permission to put on a headset and listen to rock'n'roll while he worked. He said the music helped him concentrate. Despite some early skepticism, Ed's teachers agreed to the arrangement. As long as the youth had rock music blasting through his headset, he was attentive and productive.
Ed's teachers tried to think of a way to extend his success with concentration into other areas. But the youth could study to music only when the assignment involved easy, routine work. The sense of isolation produced by the headset made it possible for him to tune out distractions. But if he had to read or use language, the music drowned out his inner processing. After trying the headset in English class, Ed complained that he couldn't hear himself think. The boy's teachers searched for some kind of music that would allow concentration during reading activities.
Several types of soft, repetitive music were considered. Even the selections of Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi suggested by studyskills experts proved to be a distraction rather than an aid. Finally, one of the teachers discovered a recording of the ocean. As long as this tape played, the listener heard only rolling breakers and crashing surf. The cyclic ebb and flow sounded so realistic that you could almost taste the salt in the air.
Ed loved it. He found that the gentle rhythms of the sea not only screened out all the distracting sounds of his classmates but also gave him a sense of calm. And he loved what it did for his concentration. Ed's family got him a Walkman to carry around from class to class. Other students heard about his special background music and began asking to try it out. By the end of the semester, at least a dozen students were using a tape recorder and headset as a means of improving concentration.
Through the use of a headset, the auditory level of a student's environment can be almost completely controlled. Distracting noises in the classroom can be masked by neutral, nondisturbing sound. Although many types of music produce the masking effect, research has shown that classical music, particularly Bach, actually enhances the brain's processing capacity. When selecting the music for a classroom Walkman or portable CD player, it's not a matter of matching the student's personal taste; the goal is to find the music that does the best job of building concentration.
Computers offer an even more powerful aid to overcoming distractibility and short attention span. Since they are so visually stimulating clad offer tactile and kinesthetic involvement, they can rivet a student's attention to the screen and get him immersed in instruction. Youngsters with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder often have a strong talent for computers. The languages and methods of processing make sense to them in world of written language does not. For many LD/ADD pupils, sitting down to mouse or keyboard triggers the "hyperfocus" mechanisms that make them get totally absorbed in whatever activity is on the screen. Since it produces a state that is the extreme opposite of their usual classroom distractibility, it can be helpful in all academic areas.
Top of the PageAvoiding Social Problems
Any student who takes more than his fair share of the teacher's time . . . any pupil who ruins the peaceful atmosphere of the classroom with strange or disruptive behavior . . . any child who gets away with ignoring rules, schedules, and assignments . . . any youngster who keeps the entire classroom in turmoil is resented and rejected by his classmates.
Thus, prevention must be the teacher's first line of defense against the LD/ADD child's social problems. Through careful classroom management and all the special adjustments, the teacher must help children with a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder succeed with their schoolwork. If they can do their math, they won't have the tantrums that make other children think they're weird. If they can finish their assignment on time, the others won't grow restless and angry because they're constantly being kept waiting for this one slow worker. Everything that makes it possible for LD/ADD students to function satisfactorily within the classroom makes them more acceptable to their classmates.
While using this indirect approach to achieve longrange goals, teachers need to be on guard against issues that require firm, direct intervention. "I don't want to sit next to her." "I don't want him on my team." "I)oes he have to be on our committee?" Statements like these hurt, but LD/ADD youngsters often feel a stronger level of rejection than is intended. As long as there is no namecalling or open ridicule, the issue is best treated as a social snub. For the offender, the routine lecture that a dassroom is not a social club is appropriate. Then the matter should be dropped.
Rejection that includes name-calling and cruel teasing needs to be treated as a major offense. Just as a teacher does not allow anyone to use ethnic slurs in referring to minorities," she must not tolerate children calling an LD/ ADD child "stupid" or "retard." Such name-calling calls for strong, immediate corrective action.
Teachers need to keep in mind that children mirror the attitudes and behavior of the adults around them. If the teacher hounds and scolds a child constantly, the students in the class tend to do the same. If the teacher shows a lack of patience, understanding, or respect for a student, the other children follow her example.
Meg came to the LD resource room with a small group of her classmates from Miss Johnson's fourth grade. The frecklefaced youngster was energetic, cooperative, and eager to learn. She had the short attention span typical of LD/ ADD children her age. The girl acted just about like the other youngsters who came with her from Miss Johnson's class. But the other children treated Meg as though she were different. They criticized her constantly.
"Meg, stop tapping your foot."
"Meg, quit jiggling the table."
The little girl's classmates often corrected her for some small disturbance even when I felt she had done nothing wrong. The situation was very puzzling.
It was likely that Meg's homeroom teacher knew why the other children picked on her. But Miss Johnson and I couldn't seem to get together for a conference. While waiting for the meeting date we finally agreed upon, I kept watching for clues that could explain this group's strange behavior.
A day or two before the conference, as the class wrote a dictated paragraph, Meg did something that irritated Leonard. (It was so slight that I didn't even notice!) The little boy slapped his pencil down, scowled at Meg, and snapped, "Can't you see I'm trying to get my work done? You just stop all that disruptive behavior."
"Disruptive behavior?" I said to myself. "Since when does a fourth-grader talk like that?" As I stared at the boy who'd just used such an unexpected expression, the realization dawned: "That's an adult expression. He heard that somewhere." Suddenly, the whole picture became clear: the children treated Meg the same way their teacher did!
At our meeting, Miss Johnson was very open about her feelings toward Meg. Her voice edged with frustration, she told me what her days were like. "All day long, it's 'Meg, get back to work,' 'Meg, get back in your seat,' 'Meg, quit pestering Melissa.' I get so sick of trying to make that kid behave I could just scream." Miss Johnson stopped abruptly, looked earnestly at me, then asked, "Have you ever had a student you just plain didn't like?"
"Yes," I said. "Every few years, there's one that just rubs me the wrong way." Grinning, I added, "But I prefer to call it a 'personality conflict."'
Miss Johnson was too upset to appreciate my attempt at humor. With a heavy sigh and a look of shame, she concluded, "Every day on the way to school, I hope Meg will be absent."
Children adopt attitudes similar to those of the adults around them. Thus, to improve the relationship between a child and his classmates, the teacher must start by changing her own relationship with the youngster. It is the teacher who takes the lead in developing an atmosphere of acceptance toward an LD/ADD student.
Any person who does not recognize the talents as well as the weaknesses that make the LD/ADD child different will find it difficult to be supportive. The classroom teacher involved with a student who has a learning disability and/or an attention deficit disorder is faced with a three-step process: first, she must learn to understand and accept the child; then she must develop strong positive expectations of success for the youngster; and finally, she must lead the class to do the same. The key is in developing a firm belief that this child, too, can grow into a happy, productive adult.
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