a -_ Teaching and Assessing Students with Learning Disabilities olen have very specie difficulties with nog, cognitive processing that surategy us rh Bal in writings the ability to perceive auditory, visual, or written ly tion; or the ability to integrate abstract ideas (Berch & Mazzocco, 2007), Although, vf strateges that work for one child may not work for anothen gy some general ideas that ean helps you plan instruction For students With special egg or planning: ; Students with learn speak or express ide: 4 learning needs a ald guide y following questions sh 1. What organizational, behavioral, and cognitive skill special needs to derive meaning from this activity? esses in any of these skills or concepas? are necessary for the studens i nt wea 2. Which students have significa 3. What are the children’s strengths? 4. How can I provide additional support in these areas of weakness 50 that stay, with special needs can focus on the conceptual task in the activity? (Karp & Hoygp 2004, p. 119) : Each phase of the lesson evokes specific planning considerations for students wig, disabilities. Some strategies apply throughout a lesson. The following discussion is base on Karp and Howell (2004) and although not exhaustive provides some specific sugges. tions for offering support throughout the lesson while maintaining the challenge. 1. Structure the Environment + Centralize attention. Move the stadent close to the board or teacher. Face students when you speak to them and use gestures. Remove competing stimuli id confusion. Word directions carefully and ask the student to repeat them. Give one direction at a time. Use the same language for consistency. For example, tak about base-ten materials as ones, tens, and hundreds rather than interchanging those names with “flats,” “rods,” and other words about their shape rather than their value. + Create smooth transitions. Ensure that transitions between activities have clear direc- ited chances to get off task. tions and there are li 2. Mdentify and Remove Potential Barriers + Help students remember. Recognize that memory is often not a strong suit for students with disabilities and therefore develop mnemonics (memory aids) for familiar steps or write directions that can be referred to throughout the lesson, For example, STAR is mnemonic for problem solving: Search the word problem for important information; ‘Translate the words into models, pictures, or symbols; Answer the problem; Review your solution for reasonableness (Gagnon & Maccini, 2001) + Provide vocabulary and concept support. Explicit atten tion to vocabulary and symbols is critical throughout the lesson. Preview essential terms and related priot knowledge/concepts, create a “math wall” of words ané , and connect symbols hE ee Goa ie ome ef . word approach” is not effective: symbols to provide visual cu . their precise meanings. + Use “friendly” numbers. Instead of using $6.13 use $6.00 to emphasize concep understanding rather than mixing computation and conceptual goals. Incorporate technique when computation and operation skills are nor the lesson objective-