SN 502

Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities

Welcome to Unit 3 Seminar

Dr. Phyllis Schiffer-Simon

Seminar Agenda

Review of:Course ObjectivesDiscussion RubricMajor Assignments & Due Dates

Unit 3 Seminar Topic: Strategies for Teaching Mathematics

Q & A

Discussion Rubric Knowledge of Content: Student successfully applies concepts,

facts and ideas from readings. 6 Points

Critical Thinking: Student examines the issue from multiple perspectives and makes connections. 6 Points

Contribution to the Academic Exchange: Students’ posts contribute to the depth and evolution of the discussion. 6 Points

Participation: Student provides a high level of reciprocal engagement with other participants and posts throughout the Kaplan week. 6 Points

Writing Mechanics and APA: Students’ posts contain few or no errors and proper mechanics and APA style are used. 3 Points

TOTAL = 30 POINTS

Major Assignments & Weeks Due

Test-Taking Strategy Instructional Plan – Week 4

Research Analysis – Week 6

Final Project – Comprehensive Report on Mike Simmons Week 9

Test-Taking Strategy Instructional Plan

For the Unit 4 Writing Assignment, you will create a test-taking strategy instructional plan to be used with learning disabled students.

Write a paper in which you develop a plan for using a test-taking strategy instruction plan with learning disabled students in your school and grade level.

In your paper, address the following:

* Explain why the chosen strategy addresses a learning need of a student with a learning disability

Test-Taking Strategy Instructional Plan

* Describe the process for teaching this strategy

* Make references to your textbook and other sources, using the APA format, to support your ideas

* Explain how you will measure the successful implementation of this strategy

This assignment is due at the end of Unit 4. Be sure to check your work against the rubric found under Course Home.

What are strategies for teaching a student with a math-related learning

disability?Dyscalculia is a mathematics-related disability resulting

from neurological dysfunction. Students who are diagnosed with Dyscalculia have average to above-average intellectual functioning and a significant discrepancy between their math skills and their chronological-age-peer norms.

For a diagnosis of Dyscalculia, it must be determined that the math deficit is not simply related to issues such as poor instruction, vision, hearing or other physical problems, cultural or language differences, or developmental delays.

In Accommodating Math Students with Learning Disabilities, author Rochelle Kenyon lists the following strategies for teaching a student with math-related learning disabilities:

Avoid memory overload.

Assign manageable amounts of work as skills are learned.

Build retention by providing review within a day or two of the initial learning of difficult skills.

Provide supervised practice to prevent students from practicing misconceptions and "misrules.

Make new learning meaningful by relating practice of subskills to the performance of the whole task.

Reduce processing demands by preteaching component skills of algorithms and strategies.

Help students to visualize math problems by drawing.

Use visual and auditory examples.

Use real-life situations that make problems functional and applicable to everyday life.

Do math problems on graph paper to keep the numbers in line.

Use uncluttered worksheets to avoid too much visual information.

Practice with age-appropriate games as motivational materials.

Have students track their progress.

Challenge critical thinking about real problems with problem solving.

Use manipulatives and technology.

Seminar 3 TopicIn this week's seminar, we will examine research-based

strategies that would prove beneficial for students with learning disabilities. Specifically, we will review two case studies relating to utilizing learning strategies within the math content.

Complete the Case Studies and questions for Sam (Level A, Case 1) and Tyisha (Level A, Case 3)

Use resources within textbook and Iris Module readings to complete the assignments that are located at the end of each case study.

After reviewing the case studies, use the strategies to inform how you would handle such scenarios.

Seminar 3 TopicMath Tutoring with PALS

PALS is Peer-Assisted Learning

How it works:

Students work in teams.

They coach one another and alternate roles as coach and player.

Coaches have guidance sheets that provide answers and clarification. Students have independent math practice followed by weekly tests.

Seminar 3 TopicQuestions to ponder:

Why do you think PALS can be effective with learning disabled students?

Would you consider using this strategy to help your students in math or any other content area?

What might some of the benefits be?

What down sides might this strategy have?

Wrap Up

Questions and Answers