Strategies for differentiation in the classroom Students with specific learning may have difficulties with: Reading Spelling Copying and recording Understanding Attention and concentration Listening. Slower to respond to questioning Difficulty remembering sequences of instructions Each child despite having some areas identified may present with different „patternsâ€&#x; of strengths and difficulties. Many children with one specific learning difficulty often have overlap with others. Some symptoms that are seen in the classroom such as answering out aloud may be because of poor attention, poor working memory and /or speech and language difficulties. In order to support the learner a differentiated approach may need to be considered in order to maximise success. The following ideas are divided up a number of different subject areas in order to provide some ideas for differentiation. There are repetitions of ideas and strategies from subject to subject as this reflects some common themes as well as some specific to the subject area.
GENERAL STRATEGIES Develop self esteem 1) Learn about the student‟s interests and achievements outside of school and use these to motivate and reward learning and behaviour. 2) Send positive notes home – as this will boost self esteem of the student and will encourage parents to keep motivated and involved in supporting the student and the school. Frequently compliment positive behaviour and work product. 3) Be aware of the possibility of bullying. Monitor exclusion or teasing from peers, correct appropriately. Organisation 1) To improve organisation and planning assist the student with personal organisation such as providing checklists for their school diary, books or equipment needed. 2) Reward tidiness and organisation rather than penalising for sloppiness or misplaced books, etc. However some students may require a scaffold in order to learn to be organised. Don‟t expect this to be a skill readily learnt by all. 3) Colour-coded timetables are very useful- award each subject a different colour and encourage colour coding of books and files to correspond to the timetable colour. 4) In classes with a lot of practical aspects it is vital that containers and instruments are clearly labelled and kept in the same place all the time. 5) Use timetables, flow charts, mind-maps and handouts to support poor memory and organisation skills. Handouts are very useful as the student can be asked to highlight the key parts and to summarise these at the bottom of the page rather than copying it all from the board. 6) Use structural indicators in lessons to assist with the sequence and flow e.g. use concepts such as „firstly‟ and „lastly‟ to conclude. Recording 1) Do not penalise poor handwriting. Instead seek out alternative forms of recording such as encouraging the learning of keyboard skills to redress handwriting difficulties. 2) Keep worksheet format simple and keep materials needed to hand. 3) Consider using alternative ink colours rather than red when marking work e.g. green, and be specific about how improvements can be made, using positive language. 4) Some school and homework tasks should be marked for content rather than presentation and spelling accuracy, to avoid constant negative feedback. 5) When there are errors it is more useful for the student to review the errors rather than rewriting the whole piece.
Discussion /Questioning 1) Developing a „questioning culture‟ in the classroom through brainstorming, teacher modelling of „thinking out loud‟ and heavy reinforcement of student‟s contributions should encourage students to offer their opinions in class. 2) Use the whiteboard so that students can see the progression of thoughts and key points and use colour to separate out sections. 3) Provide opportunities for small group discussion allowing all students to have a say, and utilising possible strengths in oral discussion to think through a topic.
Instructions 1) When giving instructions, be clear and concise and emphasise main points with visual cues/prompts in the order you want them carried out. 2) Follow up oral instructions with written reminder – preferably on the whiteboard. 3) Keep checking that students understand what is expected of them by inviting constant feed-back. Rules/ Behaviour 1) Have a few rules, stated in simple positive format. e.g. „do your seat work quietly‟, rather than „no talking in class‟. 2) Set up clear and specific classroom rules/behaviour contracts with the students in your classroom. Ensure that each student is aware of the rules and of the repercussion when rules are broken. 3) Use an agreed reminder cue e.g. a hand signal to bring the student back on task rather than calling out the name these may be specific to a student or for use with the whole class/group. Task Completion 1) Allow sufficient time to complete tasks, especially for students with difficulties. 2) Use self evaluation approach to set goals for task completion. 3) If an interactive white board is available use a visible timekeeper whilst the class is working. 4) Regular questions like, “What are you going to do next?” help with planning and organising movement responses. Prompt “First I will…. and then I am going to….” type answers. Classroom environment 1) When making your room inclusion friendly consider the use of charts, diagrams and pictures with texts and displays. At the same time, make sure it doesn‟t look too busy. 2) Check your classroom layout. For example: 3) Is there space to manoeuvre around the room? 4) Are all visual aids positioned where they can be viewed in comfort? 5) Is mains power available for specialist equipment? 6) Is the furniture placed where possible for maximum effect? 7) Have lists of subject specific words on display in teaching rooms.
8) Leave writing on the whiteboard long enough to ensure the student doesn't rush and has finished copying. Write legibly, use large script and avoid cluttering the board with non-current / non-relevant information.
Teaching style/assessment 1) Share teaching and classroom management strategies with colleagues across the curriculum areas. 2) Reflect on your teaching style and approaches and consider how they may differ from your students. Differentiation 1) Differentiate your expectation for students to allow for different abilities. Review the learning goals and outcomes to ensure that they are as inclusive as possible. 2) If a student has a completed an assessment by a professional such as psychologist, review the recommendations and implement recommended classroom strategies where possible. Refer to the IEP if there is one.
MOVEMENT BREAK IDEAS 1) Chair push-ups- grasp either side of the chair seat and push up to lift your bottom from the seat 2) Chair pull-downs – grasp either side of chair and pull your bottom down into the seat .Press into the back of chair 3) Knees waves – place feet on floor, hands on knees; move your knees in and out rapidly while resisting it with their hands 4) Foot stomps – while seated in desk and grasping sides of seat with your hands, quickly raise and lower each leg with knees bent to “stomp” feet 5) Quick Tug o’ War – grasp hands with student beside you and tug (gently) back and forth 6) Hand Presses – turn to the peer beside you, place your hands together, and then push or press 7) Hand Hugs – clasp your own hands together (without interlocking fingers) and squeeze; alternate hand on top 8) Leg Raises – while seated in your desk with your hands holding each side of the chair seat, lift your legs off the floor with legs straight and hold for a count of 5-10 seconds
9) Reach and stretch – standing beside your desk, reach to the sky 10) Chair Leg Pulls – hook your feet around the legs of your chair/desk, pull the chair legs together 11) Power March – march in place beside desk 12) Rhythmic Body Claps – clap hands, clap hands on knees, clap hands on shoulders and other body parts 13) Wall Push –ups – stand with feet together, one large step from wall, place hands on wall at shoulder level, touch nose to wall and then push away Additional movement breaks may include going for a drink, running errands, getting up to sharpen pencils, handing out papers/books, recess and gym class.
HOMEWORK 1) Set homework at the beginning of the lesson rather than at the end or allocate a specific time to record this in journals. Be aware of students who have writing difficulties and allow extra time. 2) Encourage the pupil to write down in front of the homework book telephone numbers of a of friend/learning buddy so, if there is any doubt over homework, they can ring up and check, rather than worry or spend time doing the wrong work. 3) Discuss strategies with the parents/carers, such as breaking homework into blocks and having some „letting off steam‟ time in between. 4) Only set homework that is of real benefit and explain the rationale for the work. 5) Make sure that all students have a buddy system so that they can check if unsure on homework tasks.
ATTENTION, CONCENTRATION DIFFICULTIES Students with attention and concentration difficulties may have all or just some of the following difficulties. They may have poor listening skills, a tendency to interrupt and have difficulty with turn taking. They may also be easily distracted and have difficulties with starting, staying on and completing tasks. These students often have a high level of motor activity, including a tendency to fidget and the need to move about. They may also have weaker organisational skills such as losing equipment and difficulty remembering homework. General principles Routine and structured days are essential for the student with attention difficulties. Lessons and school days should be structured with set procedures for carrying out activities. If the routine is due to change, it may be necessary to: give warning to the students and supervise them closely during such times, such as break /lunch. Try to avoid sitting the student beside other students with attention difficulties, near windows, aisle ways or close to areas of the room where they are subject to more distraction. It is probably best to remain in close proximity to the student so that they are easily accessible for prompting, correction or reinforcement. It is also advisable to seat them near a good peer role model. If the student struggles with concentration, consider the benefits of using earphones/plugs, and/or a study carrel, quiet place, or preferential seating. Ensure that each student is aware of the rules and of the repercussions when rules are broken. Make sure the rules are stated in simple positive format. e.g. „do your seat work quietly‟, rather than „no talking in class‟. Provide opportunities for „movement breaks‟ for example running an errand to another classroom – send with a class mate or TA. Consider allowing the student to have something to fidget with, such as a stress toy or a pencil
Lesson organisation 1) When presenting a lesson begin with a review of previous lessons on the topic. If there are a series of lessons on a topic- show what will be learnt by the end and the stages within each lesson. 2) Allow time at the end of a lesson for review/recap. 3) Keep tasks within a lesson short and interesting in view of attention span problems. Try to vary the pace. 4) Use multi-sensory approaches and/or IT. Movement, recording, discussion, making on the computer, seeking out information for example. 5) Within a class it can be useful to have different activities going on at different table/groups for example map reading at group 1, worksheet completion on map skills at group 2 and map drawing at group 3, allowing students to move around and breaking up the activities to keep interest, attention and motivation.
Task Completion 1) Before you give directions to the student, it may be necessary to call their name and to make eye contact with them, to ensure that they are listening. It they seem unsure get them to repeat the directions back. Use short, simple directions, organised in sequence so as to avoid confusion. Give the student concrete examples of what you want them to do. 2) Students with attention difficulties often have trouble setting goals, starting and carrying out and completing assignments, especially long-term projects. It may be necessary to: o Make a plan to start with the student- so he/she can see how it is broken down. o Divide large projects into smaller parts. o Use a task checklist which can be ticked off as components are completed. o Provide writing frames to help the student initiate and complete tasks. o Use prompting, self-monitoring and reinforcement to help the student to stay on task. Improving behaviour and concentration 1) The student may have a harder time than some other students „winningâ€&#x; teacher approval and developing a positive relationship. It is advisable to: o Attend to their pro-learning behaviour, recognising efforts at achievement and praising any attempts as well as successes o Try to ignore minor negative behaviours. o Spend a few minutes each day talking with them about what has been successful or difficult for them and discuss strategies for improvement. 2) Use the interest of the student and/or their competencies as a starting point during lessons, or as reinforcement or completed work. For example, if he/she is interested in computers, you could use computer time as reinforcement for good behaviour at times during the school day. 3) Use positive encouragement, frequent, immediate and consistent feedback about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Provide feedback in a calm and unemotional manner, and accompanied by explanation of the appropriate alternative behaviour. Always follow through with regard to agreed consequences to misbehaviour, such as loss of privilege, time-out, or loss of points (if a token system is used). 4) Be aware that impulsiveness may be a response to a difficult interaction or situation. It is likely not to be intentional but may have negative consequences. 5) Encourage the student to jot down ideas as he/she has them to reduce answering out of turn.
BEHAVIOUR Behaviour difficulties may be exhibited in varying ways ranging from being easily frustrated and lacking self esteem, to being uncooperative and not wanting to attempt tasks or follow teacher instructions. The difficulties might also result in verbal and/or physical aggression.
1) Look for signs of stress build-up and provide encouragement or reduced workload to alleviate pressure and avoid temper outburst. Look for what has happened before the difficulties especially if this is a common occurrence. 2) Investigate any inappropriate behaviour by reflecting on why the student is acting so. For example: o Is the task too hard or too easy? o Is the task too long? o Is the work suitably differentiated? o Does the student understand what is expected? o Has the student understood the instructions or were they too long? 3) Be specific when asking students to stop a particular behaviour - address the student by name, when they hear, „stop thatâ€&#x;, they may not know what behaviour they are to stop. The student should be informed of exactly why the teacher is pleased or displeased. Keep praise and disapproval short. 4) Encourage a problem-solving approach, so that the student can learn through interaction. 5) Conflict situations can rapidly escalate and early intervention can help to defuse this. 6) Encourage the student to notice when he/she needs to take a break or to walk away for a breather (with the agreement of the teacher). 7) Seat the student in a quiet area near the teacher, but be mindful of not isolating the student. 8) Shorten assignments or time on tasks to avoid work overload. 9) Look for quality rather than quantity during class time and remember this when assigning homework tasks. 10) Ignore minor inappropriate behaviour, such as low level mumbling, comments and ongoing questioning. 11) Praise compliant behaviour and give immediate feedback. 12) Give extra time to complete tasks, especially for students with slower tempo.
READING AND SPELLING A student with reading difficulties may read slowly or hesitantly and struggle to recognise or decode words. They may need to re-read written information more than once and have a poor understanding of what has been read. The student may avoid answering out aloud or avoid reading out aloud to the rest of the class. Spelling and writing may be worse than expected for age. 1) Shorten assignments or time on tasks to avoid work overload. 2) Review instructions when giving new assignments to make sure the student understands the task. Ask the student to relay back to you what has been asked, but without exposing the difficulties to the other students. 3) Introduce and teach „Attunement Strategies‟ which encourage students to check –„Do I understand this task, if yes move on, if no what will I do?‟ 4) Try out different study skills to determine which ones work with the student. 5) When designing worksheets, use a „dyslexia-friendly‟ font, such as Arial, Comic Sans, Century Gothic. 6) Make sure worksheets are not crowded, leave as much blank space as possible between words, lines and paragraphs and use visuals where necessary. 7) The use of pastel coloured paper can also aid reading for handouts, worksheets (cream can be a good colour but colour preference varies so try a few options). Highlight, or embolden key words and phrases so that the pupil can find these easily when re-reading text- this helps the pupil read for key information and develops skim reading skills. 8) Checklists/writing frames can be used where worksheets are causing difficulty this provide a framework for review and responses. 9) When making your room inclusion friendly, consider the use of charts and diagrams and pictures with texts and displays but make sure it isn‟t too busy. 10) Use colour to highlight key words, and label all diagrams and charts on handouts. 11) Mapping and webbing – have the student create a map as they are reading to use as a reference when answering questions. It will act as their personal account of text read or activity completed, if that is their style. 12) Charts, timelines and other visual aids can help highlight the bigger picture and provide a visual overview of a topic. 13) When tackling new learning, start by presenting the key points using a chart or on the board. 14) Chunking- make a list of the key pieces of information relating to the topic such as phrases or single words, then group these pieces of information, looking for common factors. 15) Vocabulary that is very specific to a subject should be introduced at the start of lesson. 16) Create a „Key Task Glossary‟ providing clear explanations, e.g., calculate = find a numerical answer, list = provide a number of items in sequence, define = give a precise description or meaning of something. 17) Mnemonics are useful ways to both learn spellings and chunk information for quick recall. The above can be taught in a fun way through word games
such as Word Bingo, crosswords, word searches and scrabble. Encourage students to construct their own. The more ridiculous, the easier will be for them to remember, common ones include, „walk - we all like ketchup’ or stationery is spelt with an ‘e’ for envelope.’ 18) Try to avoid too much copying from the board, if it is essential then use different coloured markers/chalk for each line and leave adequate spaces. 19) Use a reading window or clear perspex ruler to aid reading. 20) Avoid asking the pupil to read aloud without preparation. 21) Support and develop study skills such as skimming, scanning, selecting key words. 22) Consider using software such as a screen reading on the computer to read work back to the student. 23) Consider the purpose of the task, if it is for the student alone; don‟t worry so much about format. 24) If using a laptop or computer, consider setting computer icons to larger size and use a screen reader. This tool reads text out loud (E.g. www.readplease.com).
SPEAKING, LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING These difficulties may be seen in a number of different ways such as difficulty or reluctance with expressing themselves verbally. The student may have poor listening skills and difficulty with understanding the content of verbal instructions/information. Difficulty understanding rules of the game, may mean they have fewer friends. Understanding the ‘social rules’ of the classroom may also be harder for the student. 1) Review instructions when giving new assignments to make sure the student understands the task. 2) Keep instructions short and broken down into small steps, clearly presented in sequence. 3) Outline the structure of the session, then recap by going over key points using multi-sensory methods – show pictures rather than text, or run a short video. 4) Pre-task/topic discussion- provides information of the students‟ current knowledge of the topic and provides a framework for the topic. 5) Keep sentences short and vocabulary simple and support with visuals where possible. 6) Checklists/Writing Frames can be used where worksheets are causing difficulty this provide a framework for review and responses. 7) Use colour to highlight key words and label all diagrams and charts. 8) Charts, timelines and other visual aids can help highlight the bigger picture and provide a visual overview of a topic. 9) Chunking- make a list of the key pieces of information relating to the topicphrases, single words, then group these pieces of information, looking for common factors. 10) Vocabulary that is very specific to a subject should be introduced at start of lesson. Students with reading difficulties could design their own spelling dictionary or use the JCSP Keywords Subject Notebook. 11) Create a „Key Task Glossary‟ providing clear explanations, e.g., calculate = find a numerical answer, list = provide a number of items in sequence, define = give a precise description or meaning of something. 12) New or unusual vocabulary should be spelled out and keywords displayed on wall chart/board. These should also be highlighted on handouts/notes. 13) Mnemonics are useful ways to both learn spellings and chunk information for quick recall. 14) Teach also through word games such as Word Bingo, crosswords, word searches and scrabble. Encourage the student to construct their own. The more ridiculous the easier they‟ll be to remember, common ones include, „walk - we all like ketchup’ or stationery is spelt with an ‘e’ for envelope.’ 15) Any text or diagrams written on the board or on overhead projections or given in PowerPoint presentations should be read aloud. 16) If text is to be written on board should be written in different colours on alternate lines to help student find their place. 17) Use the child‟s name in a question or in the material being covered to keep their attention. 18) Repeat and rephrase questions posed by others, and if appropriate, contextualise. 19) Speak slower and in smaller phrases.
20) Keep instructions short and precise, and make sure the first one‟s carried out before you move to the next. 21) Give the pupil more time to frame and answer questions. 22) If there are going to be questions after some teacher input let the students know before hand and establish a signal that indicates that someone is going to have to answer a question about what is being said. 23) Frame questions as alternatives ("Do you think x or y?"), rather than as open questions ("What do you think?). 24) Use „The Mystery Approach‟, in which students are presented with fragmentary or contradictory information about a subject and are then asked to examine available evidence and develop own hypothesis. 25) For assignments that demand some creativity it can be useful to supply the answer and ask the students to create an appropriate question. 26) Within a class it can be useful to have different activities going on at different table/groups for example map reading at group 1, worksheet completion on map skills at group 2 and map drawing at group 3, allowing students to move around and breaking up the activities to keep interest and attention. 27) Avoid asking the pupil to read aloud without preparation. 28) Do not expect the pupil to read an article at speed in order to discuss it. 29) Provide pupil with copy of reading material with main ideas underlined or highlighted.
WRITING, RECORDING AND USING TOOLS/APPARATUS Students with these difficulties may have a slow writing speed and/or reluctance to commit information to paper. Their handwriting may be illegible and/or poorly formed. They may also have difficulties with manipulating and using tools and apparatus. 1) Allow the student to stand at times while working, allowing alternative movement or seating where possible. 2) Mark for content and not for appearance. 3) Allow additional time to complete a task. 4) Copying off the board may be harder- use handouts to minimise recording and keep copying to a minimum. 5) Offer information to be copied at desk top level rather than from the board to reduce eye movements and visual recall time. 6) Specific tools such as long looped scissors, and ridged rulers may be of assistance in CDT. 7) Small group work in Science with other students if fine motor tasks need to be undertaken. 8) Provide alternative means of answering questions/assignments such as: o Underline/ring correct answers o Spot the difference in pictures o Use oracy techniques such as, hot seats, listening triangles, mini presentations, debates o True/false answers o Story boards- show a series of actions in a pictorial format o Bullet points o Idea mapping/ spider/spidergrams o Design a poster/advert or have a graffiti wall (on paper ) o Create photo essays. o Tape-recordings of responses o Match words/pictures and definitions form column A with column B o Which sentence best describes the picture, put a title on the story. 9) Consider the use of technology such as computers, digital recorders to support writing. 10) Allow for shorter assignments (quality vs. quantity). 11) Use a story/ideas generator cube if the pupil needs help to come up with ideas for an extended piece of work. 12) Use writing frames for factual or creative written work, these provide a starting point with structure for completion. These are useful across all subject areas. 13) Divide writing paper into sections to indicate amount or writing required. 14) Give all pupils a list of subject specific words to be stuck into their exercise books for reference/copying. 15) Pace any dictation appropriately, include repetition and ensure vocabulary is understood. 16) If the pupil makes frequent crossings out in work book try using erasable pens.
17) Some pupils lack the fine motor control or cursive script or have established poor handwriting patterns. Allow them to use printed script as this may be more productive. 18) Allow pupils to write on every other line rather than every line. 19) Be aware of commercially available pens which offer integral grips rather than „special gripsâ€&#x; which pupils may feel, makes them look different. 20) Some pupils benefit from writing on a sloped surface. A lever arch file turned on its side is a useful for this if they feel conscientious about using a more specialised writing slope.
ORGANISATION OF SELF AND WORK Students with these difficulties may not remember to bring the correct equipment and books to and from school and may also lose equipment.They may also have difficulties with getting to class on time as well as starting, planning and completing classroom tasks. Finally they may also have difficulties with completing homework and assignments to deadlines. 1) Develop a mentor programme so the student can ask for help if he/she requires it. 2) Encourage clear labelling of all the student‟s property, and weekly checks in school „Lost Property‟. 3) Have clear plastic pencil cases and coloured folders to ease identification of items. 4) Colour code subjects and link this to the timetable which can be displayed on corridors and in classrooms for easy reference for all. Teach timetable reading skills and use the timetable to remind students of where they are going next in the school day. Have year planners on the wall to see an overview of the week, month and year. 5) Use visual icons/images on the timetable along with words. 6) Allow the student to store books and belongings in a designated place – such as locker. Equipment/books can be collected for relevant lessons. 7) Facilitate lunch-time/break-time clubs for the student to use if these times prove difficult from a social perspective. 8) Assist the student in keeping materials in a specific place in the classroom to aid organisation. 9) Ensure that extra pieces of equipment and copies of books are always available in the classroom for use by students who forget items. If they are centrally stored the student can easily select a replacement for the lesson without drawing too much attention. 10) Offer a desk with additional surface space to aid organisation. 11) Use „Post It Notes‟™ to enable the student to write his/her ideas for the task and then encourage him/her to organise them in order. The „Post It Notes‟™ can then be removed one by one as the elements are complete. Alternatively use a to-do list on the computer or create one for all the students to use. 12) Meet with the student on a regular basis to create a time table with deadlines etc, so he/she knows when tasks need to be completed.
Subject specific advice English Potential difficulties: o o o o o
Difficulties with planning and writing essays. Misspellings. Shorter pieces of work with limited use of vocabulary compared to peers. Avoiding reading out aloud in class. Slower to respond to questioning.
Suggested strategies: o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o o o
o o o
Allow the student to listen to books on tape. Consider using mind maps to plan essays to minimise writing Use Cloze procedures. Use dramatic improvisation. Hot-seat characters studied in class books. Worksheets and handouts should be presented with key words highlighted, font size 14 if possible and 1.5 spacing between lines, do not justify the text and use Arial or comic sans font. Teach spelling rules. Revisit, recap and repeat teaching points using different teaching styles. Do not insist on reading aloud, make it an option. Teach subject-specific words. Vary activities and break up sustained activities into small tasks. Model how to write a particular piece of work. Explicitly teach reading techniques such as skimming and scanning. Use writing frames. Have dictionaries and thesaurus in class (teach children how to use and model). Text restructuring (showing the information in some other way). Text sequencing. Select a suitable text and ensure that children are familiar with the text; Cut up the original text into meaningful chunks and mix them up for the children to re-read and sequence, based on the information they have about the text; Remind children of the key text features, recalling prior knowledge and encouraging re-reading for meaning. Ask questions which require explanations for their choices; Use text prediction…what‟s next in a story? Tape details of texts using the student‟s own voice and use this for revision. In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety.
Maths Potential difficulties: o Difficulty using specific equipment such as rulers and protractors. o Difficulty managing dual operations where these are unclear. o Difficulty when the language of mathematics is not clear such as understanding the different meanings for adds, plus, sum etc. o Difficulty when the maths is „wrapped up‟ in the mathematic problems. o Difficulty when needing to understand concepts that are not „real‟. Suggested strategies o Use practical real-life mathematic examples where possible. o Display words and their meanings around the classroom and provide students with a „maths dictionary‟ including terms such as +/Add, sum. o Use larger squared paper and graph paper if spacing is difficult. o Encourage the use of rulers to keep work tidy. Use ridged rulers or a ruler with a handle of co-ordination is poor. o Establish correct understanding of the task though questioning, self talk and examples, before leaving the student to complete the task alone. o Read aloud and paraphrase the problem – the student visualises the problem and hypothesis a strategy to solve the problem, estimates the answer, and then checks answer and get feedback before completing the operation(s). o Allow extended use of calculator. o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety. o Use real examples of shapes for the student to show orientation- don‟ t rely on „minds eye‟ ( e.g. www.numicon.co.uk ) o Use real examples to teach concepts such as times tables, fractions. o Highlight the different operations in a maths task so the student can clearly distinguish the task at hand and the operation required. Point out redundant words that are not related to the task in hand.
History Potential difficulties: o Problems ordering things sequentially, particularly dates. o Understanding timelines. o Subject-specific words. o Reading sources. Suggested strategies: o Use dramatic improvisation –role play. o Projects – grouping students together to complete different aspects of a task. o Teach subject-specific words. o Use timeline to display all topics in context. o Use JCSP –Keywords Subject Notebook. o Use templates for key concepts, dates, essential vocabulary o Use of tapes/CD and video/DVD to complement sources, film remakes, documentaries to supplement reading. o Accept taped assignments and presentation of oral assignments in class. o Do not give verbal instructions when students are copying off the board/books. o Worksheets and handouts should be presented with key words highlighted, font size 14 if possible and 1.5 spacing between lines, o Do not justify the text and use Arial or comic sans font. o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety.
Music Potential difficulties: o Directional difficulties in following music. o Weak phonological awareness. o Difficulty learning to read music. o Difficulty with specific instruments requiring balance and co-ordination while reading music (e.g. violin) Suggested strategies: o Use colour coding for note recognition to start with. o Break words down to phonemes to match music. o Give time to practise and develop confidence. o Music may aid memory – learning off a rhyme as a memory aid or putting a sequence to music will assist recall. o Mnemonics to learn key words, sequences or musical notes- every good boy deserves favour (EGBDF) o Reminders may be needed for laterality, i.e. left hand on top of right on an instrument. o Limit the amount of directions or instruction given at any one time. o Singing and choral experiences can be supportive, as they involve the separation of syllables – one of the main areas of difficulty in reading itself. o Practising finger movements, patterns of notes to be repeated to reinforce learning. o Use a metronome to emphasise rhythm. o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety o Consider alternative music instruments such as percussion, where the individual could be sitting down to play them. o Play music several times to students before starting to read it and practice it.
Geography Potential difficulties: o Visuo-perceptual disturbances when map reading. o Reading graphs and extracting information from them. o Drawing/producing maps and graphs. Suggested strategies: o Display words and their meanings around the classroom or provide students with a „geography dictionary‟. o Use a variety of different methods to teach such as the use of Videos/DVDs, National Geographic Programmes. o Use colour, visual presentations. o Pair pupils to help/support one another. o Encourage active discussion before starting writing. o Try to use textbooks that have a high visual content. o Read pupil‟s work for content, not always marking for accuracy of English. o Allow pupils to word process course work rather than expecting hand produced drawings to be made. o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety.
Science Potential difficulties: o Subject-specific vocabulary. o Writing in the necessary style. o Sequencing of ideas. o Laying out practical write-ups correctly. o Extracting key information when there is language and numbers involved. o Drawing specific experiments. Suggested strategies: o Teach subject-specific words and teach the specific writing style, i.e. writing experiments and factual report writing. o Provide science templates to draw specific items such as test tubes. o Display terms used in the unit of work. o Provide writing frames for write up of experiments and assignments. o Practical work may aid memory of experiment/topic. o Consider the use of colours - colour code different topics, question and definition/response in different colour print/background. o Encourage the use of highlighter pens identifying key pointâ€&#x;s when extracting information. Be aware that you may need to teach the skill of highlighting i.e. only highlighting the key points and not everything! o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety. o Map reading and orientation may be difficult. o Producing maps and graphs may be difficult- extracting and drawing the information- use a computer as an alternative rather than by hand. o Use documentaries/video to reinforce the class based learning where possible.
Foreign Languages Potential difficulties: o Difficulty spelling unfamiliar words. o Difficulty in languages with a different basis to the home language. o Better orally than in written format. . Suggested strategies: o Some languages such as Italian and Spanish which are more „phonologically transparent‟ should be easier to learn. o Use ICT, such as language CD‟s, TV/video. o Active role play to practice skills such as conversation. o Play games such placing up words on the board, and then calling out the word and the students have to run up and find it. o Teach speaking and listening skills with multi-sensory approach (hearing, speaking, reading and writing the language). o Teach grammar rules specifically and check for understanding. Allow the student to apply them in a conversation. o Include repetition as part of the weekly class content. o Use visual aids along side teacher instruction/text books, for example use pictures/collages and displays to teach vocabulary. o Differentiate between grammatical and spelling errors and quality of content/ideas when correcting work. o Offer an alternative to written homework when possible, for example the option to present a topic orally, by debate or in picture format, i.e. story board, poster, etc o In exam years, use the examination question format to reinforce the format for the student – allowing practice and reducing anxiety.
ICT Potential difficulties: o Child does not know which spellchecker suggestion to select. o Slower accessing websites etc. o Slower keyboard skills slow down child and may lead to clerical errors. Suggested strategies: o Check the student understands the basic terms of operations on the computer/keyboard. o Teach keyboards skills, using software such as „Type to Learnâ€&#x;.(see www.boxofideas.org for list of free typing programmes) as an alternative form of recording. o Talkback software-computer programmes with headphones to allow independent work with verbal feedback. o Use speech to text software so the student can hear what they have written. o Be willing to try a range of software such as text to speech, speech to text software -the individual needs to dictate the best software for him/her. o Use of spell checker and grammar highlighter will benefit the child in developing editing and quality work.
PE and Games Potential difficulties o Avoidance of team games o Slower understanding the rules of the game o Slower changing for PE o Weaker with ball skills than peers.
1) Discuss with parents/carers/ care team any necessary adaptations to clothing to help any difficulties with changing for P.E. and to speed up the process– e.g. velcro fasteners rather than laces. 2) If a student is struggling in a team, do the activity in a smaller group. 3) Change the teaching method – „show‟ them the action, let them „feel‟ what needs to be done as well as see. 4) Change the environment e.g. the set up of the room, space being used. 5) Slow down the speed of the activity so the student has a chance for success. 6) When using continuous activities be mindful that individual differences may become more noticeable. 7) Check for exercise tolerance. Use alternate active and passive involvement. 8) Be mindful of the implications of using competition in activities. Encourage the student to improve on their own personal best. 9) Be aware of student groupings where a student may be discouraged to join in because of poorer skills. 10) Use „learning gardens‟, „practice spots‟ where students can demonstrate skills in small groups rather than expose to a whole class. 11) Use peer teaching/coaching to support skill acquisition/mastery. 12) Consider alternative P.E. options which are not team based such as swimming. 13) EDIP- explain, demonstrate, instruct and practice. 14) Give short instructions, demonstrate, and check for understanding.