©2006 landmark college from surviving to thriving: supporting students with adhd in the classroom ...

©2006 Landmark College

From Surviving to Thriving:Supporting Students with ADHD in

the Classroom

Linda HeckerLandmark Institute for Research

and TrainingRenton Technical College

September, 2007

[email protected]


Goals

Learn How ADHD affects academic performance How routines and structure support

students Strategies to enhance student motivation How to vary classroom practices to

maintain student engagement The importance of reflection and

metacognition in building student resilience


ADHD and Its Effect on Learning


Executive Functioning


Brown’s Model of Executive Function

Executive Functions(work in various combinations)

Organizing,

prioritizing,

&

activating

to work

Focusing,

sustaining, &

shifting

attention

to task

Regulating

alertness,

sustaining

effort, &

processing

speed

Managing

Frustration &

modulating

emotions

Utilizing

working

memory &

accessing

recall

Monitoring &

self-

regulating

action

1. Activation 2. Focus 3. Effort 4. Emotion 5. Memory 6. Action

Brown, T. E. (2001) Manual for Attention Deficit Disorder Scales for Children and Adolescents


Activator

Turn to the person next to you Discuss how you think each of the 6

Executive Function areas impacts student behavior and performance in the classroom


Activation

Poor organizational skills result in– Inability to organize and store notes and

handouts – Lost papers, assignments, textbooks,

notebooks, etc.

Difficulty prioritizing and activating– Difficulty managing assignments, papers, and

projects– Difficulty deciding which tasks are more

important– Difficulty starting and finishing assignments


Focus

Difficulty sustaining attention results in:– Papers and projects that have inconsistent

quality due to inconsistent focus– Distractions that pull attention away from

learning– Gaps in learning due to inconsistent attention to

readings, lectures, assignments

Difficulty shifting attention results in:– Inconsistent performance from course to course– Inconsistent quality within assignments that

require multiple steps to complete


Effort

Difficulty sustaining effort and alertness results in:– Incomplete assignments– Poor study habits– Frequent drowsiness when not engaged– Poor sleep hygiene, even for college students– Apparent lack of motivation

Slow Processing results in:– Excessive time to complete tasks– Poor written output


Managing Emotions

Low threshold for frustration results in– Irritability– Angry outbursts– Inability to accept another’s point of view– Constant arguing

Difficulty regulating emotions results in– Insensitivity to others– Disproportionate emotional response to the

comments or actions of others– Moodiness


Working Memory

Chronic difficulty holding and processing current information results in– Difficulty holding onto relevant thoughts in

order to express them in discussions– Interrupting others due to fear of losing a

thought– Difficulty recalling information in test situations– Reading comprehension gaps– Difficulty with writing tasks


Self-Regulation

Impaired ability to self-regulate results in– Inappropriate comments in social situations– Inability to monitor how others perceive them– Difficulty slowing down– Difficulty following directions– Impulsive acts

Universal Design for Instruction (UDI)

“…an approach to teaching that consists of the proactive design and use of inclusive instructional strategies that benefit a broad range of learners including students with disabilities. The nine Principles of UDI provide a framework for college faculty to use when designing or revising instruction to be responsive to diverse student learners and to minimize the need for ‘special’ accommodations and retrofitted changes to the learning environment.”

Scott, McGuire, & Embry, 2002 (Retrieved on March 12, 2007, from http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/udi_factsheet.cfm)


Principles of UDI

Equitable use Flexibility in use Simple and intuitive Perceptible information Tolerance for error Low physical effort Size and space for

approach and use A community of

learners Instructional climate Shaw, Scott, & McGuire, 2001 (Retrieved on March 12, 2007,

from http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/UDI_examples.htm)


Routines and Structure


Create Course Structure

Teach and model planning systems– Daily planner for tracking assignments– Computer based planners

Outlook/Groupwise PDAs Inspiration Software

– Spend 5-10 minutes per day at the beginning of the course to record, track, and prioritize assignments


Create Course Structure (2)

Use Agendas– Daily– Weekly alternative

Break long assignments into component parts with graded due dates for each part

Review progress frequently and make adjustments to strategies that don’t work

Use assessment rubrics to clarify what is expected


Set Clear Expectations

Start with a clear syllabus

Use rubrics for assessing student projects

Set a policy on work deadlines

Provide frequent and timely feedback on student assignments, projects, exams

Use coaching techniques to support planning and goal setting


Motivation: Key to Learning


Create a Positive Learning Environment

Establish a classroom culture of mutual respect– Explain how course design reflects your values– Adopt a neutral, non-judgmental approach to

interacting with students– Coach students to find their own rewards and

reflect on what motivates them– Approach failure as an opportunity for learning


Positive Learning Environment (2)

Success breeds success– Create assignments that allow students to

achieve some immediate goals– Vary the complexity and types of assignments

to accommodate multiple learning styles

Use a variety of assessment formats to measure progress


Variation and Novelty: Keys to Engagement


Strive for Active Engagement

Cooperative learning results in– Active engagement with other learners

– Deep processing of information Supports long term memory encoding

– Individual and group accountability

– Targeted social skills practice

– Student reflection


COVER: to enhance engagement

Connect– Use mnemonics to learn arbitrary information– Example: HOMES for the Great Lakes; COVER

Organize– Provide ways to organize and categorize

information– Example: Graphic organizers

Visualize– Use graphs, diagrams, pictures, concept maps– Brains think in pictures more easily than words


Partial Graphic Organizer

GestaltPsychologyLaws:

______ Similarity ______ Pragnanz

Definition: People tend to perceive as a unit those things that are close together in space.

________________________________________________

People tend to fill in missing pieces to form a complete picture.

____________________________________________________

Example: ________________________________________________________

A person sees the word Texas in a stadium because some fans wear orange shirts, while others wear white shirts.

____________________________________________________________

Mary falsely remembers that a shape she saw was round when it actually was oval.


COVER (2)

Elaborate– Provide opportunities to use information and

relate it to new ideas– Examples: discussions, visual mapping

Rehearse– Provide opportunities for

practice and repetition to support encoding of new knowledge in long term memory

– Teach and model test preparation strategies


Fight the Power


Use Multisensory Instruction

Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Kinesthetic– Promotes more activity and engagement

through the use of multiple senses– Include a visual component with lecture – Promote innovative note taking through student

collaboration and modeling

Provide multiple learning activities that engage students actively– Discussions, varied questioning, graphic

organizers, manipulatives


Reflection and Metacognition


Build in Opportunities for Reflection in Course Curriculum

Use rubrics to allow students to measure their work against clearly stated expectations

Plan activities within course units to allow students to reflect on their expectations and performance of unit assignments

Model reflection through oral evaluation of course lessons and activities


Best Practices for Supporting Students with ADHD in the Classroom

Understand the ways that ADHD affects learning

Create structure through routines Create a positive learning environment to

enhance student motivation Vary classroom activities to promote active

student engagement with course material Build reflection activities into course units

to encourage self-awareness and self-regulation


References Barkley, R. (1998). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A handbook for diagnosis

and treatment, 2nd. edition. New York, Guilford Press.

Brown, T. E. (2005). Attention Deficit Disorder: The unfocused mind in children and adults. Yale University Press.

Burns, et al (2007). Teaching and Learning with the Net Generation. Innovate on line http://www.innovateonline.info/print.php?id=382&view=html

Feden, P.D. and Vogel, M.R. (2003). Methods of teaching: applying cognitive science to promote student learning. New York, McGraw Hill.

Hinckley, J & Alden, P. (2005). Women with attentional issues: success in college learning. Journal of Developmental Education, Vol. 29, Issue 1. 10-17.

Hinckley, J. (2007) Best practices for teaching students with ADHD in the community college. Putney: Landmark College for Research and Training online module, in progress.

Johnson, R.T. and Johnson, D.W. An overview of cooperative learning. In J.S. Thousand, R.A. Villa, and A.I. Nevin (Eds.) Creativity and collaborative learning: A practical guide to empowering students and teachers (pp. 31-44) Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.


References Meltzer, Lynne (2007). Executive function in education from theory to practice. New

York, Guilford Press.

Quinn, P.O., Ratey, N., Maitland, T.L. (2000) Coaching college students with ADHD: issues and answers. Silver Spring, MD, Advantage Books.

Rose, D, et al (2006). Universal Design for learning in postsecondary education: reflections on principles and their application. Journal of Postsecondary Eduction and Disability. Vol. 19, No.2 Fall 2006.

Svinicki, M. (2004). Learning and motivation in the postsecondary classroom. Bolton, MA, Anker Publishing.

Van Zile-Tamsen, Carol (1997). Examining metacognitive self-regulation within the context of academic tasks. ERIC reports. U.S. Department of Education. ED 416739.

Vohs, K.D. and Baumeister, R.F. (2004). Understanding self-regulation. In Vohs, K.D. and Baumeister, R.F., eds. Handbook of self-regulation: research, theory, and applications, New York: Guilford Press.

Zimmerman, B.J. (2000). Self-efficacy: an essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 82-91.

©2006 landmark college from surviving to thriving: supporting students with adhd in the classroom ...

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