Include Students: Subject Strategies
As the spring arrives and we begin to prepare for the conclusion of the year, we should continue to think about ways in which we can include our students in the learning process. Can they help determine ways to review material? What about having them make a portfolio of their best work from the year? How can we continue to help them understand their learning styles and teach them accordingly?
See the attached strategies for ways to include students within Language Arts and Mathematics classes.
READ MOREInclude Students in the Learning Process
Landmark’s sixth teaching principle calls us to include students in the learning process. We contribute to their academic success when we help them understand that people learn in different ways and guide them to identify their own learning style. Additionally, we enhance their motivation when we invite students to participate in planning how they will learn and how they will demonstrate their learning. See the attached strategy for more reasons to include students, recommended resources, and suggestions for teaching.
READ MORE
Provide Models
From infancy onward, we all need models to learn new skills. Infants’ babbling mirrors the sounds of caregivers and lays the foundation that enables them to develop spoken language. Children learn by watching models and mimicking—to dress themselves, show manners, and swing on a swing set, for example.
Ensure Automatization through Practice and Review
Automatization is exactly what it sounds like—the ability to perform a task without conscious effort. From tying our shoes to scanning the headlines, we depend on automatic skills to get us through our days efficiently. Imagine what mornings would be like if we could not automatically shower, dress, eat, make coffee, and get to work. We’d have to get up hours earlier to review the process for each task, and correct our missteps along the way. We’d start the day tired and stressed, and be less effective in our work and social interactions.
READ MORE
Micro-Unit and Structure Tasks
A bumper sticker that appears occasionally reads, "Assume Nothing."
While we don’t need to buy into its cynical view of the world, it does remind us that we often assume a lot about what our students know and what they can do. Poor work quality from students with learning disabilities most often reflects their lack of knowledge or skill. While it is true that some students don’t seem to put in the effort we’d like to see, it is most often because they’re overwhelmed, or have experienced so many failures that they’ve stopped trying. Putting Landmark’s third teaching principle (Micro-Unit and Structure Tasks) into action is one excellent way to help students learn and demonstrate what they know.
Use Multisensory Approaches
At the most basic level, our brains perceive stimuli through the five senses—seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Some people’s sensory perception is stronger in one area than another, and most of us learn best when information and ideas are presented in a multisensory fashion. Novice teachers are often advised to let the wisdom of Confucius guide their planning: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” When a student is involved in an activity, all the senses are engaged.
READ MORE
Provide Opportunities for Success
It's December. Class work has progressed from review to new material. Homework is getting harder. Some of your students may be struggling. Our mission is to empower students through their teachers. Landmark Outreach shares thinking and strategies that support all students’ efforts to become independent learners and develop a strong sense of self-efficacy.
READ MORE
