Characteristics of Learning among Pupils with Learning Difficulties

Pupils under IRTP usually have one or more than one of the following learning difficulties:
 poor memory
 short attention span and are easily distracted by other things
 relatively poor comprehensive power
 lack of learning motivation
 lack of self-confidence and relatively low self-expectation
 weak in problem-solving power
 fail to grasp information effectively and mix things up easily
 have difficulty in understanding new/abstract concepts
 fail to transfer knowledge to the related learning areas appropriately
 need more time to complete assignments or tasks

Principles of Helping Pupils with Learning Difficulties

3.5
Teaching preparation

Before preparing for their lessons, remedial teachers should identify pupils' diverse
learning needs as soon as possible so that they may design appropriate teaching plans to
facilitate pupils' effective learning.

3.6
Devise various learning activities

Since pupils have different characteristics in learning, teachers must devise different
learning activities with the same teaching objective to develop pupils' varied abilities and
skills in problem solving. It is more effective for teachers to adopt a series of relevant and
simple teaching activities than assigning one long teaching activity since pupils may
acquire the required knowledge and skills through diversified activities.

3.7
Design meaningful learning situations

Remedial teachers should specifically design meaningful learning situations, language

environments (especially for English subject), games or activities so as to provide
personal learning experiences for pupils and stimulate their interest and initiative in
learning.

3.8
Teaching approaches

Teachers should give concrete examples before proceeding to abstract concepts by way
of simple and easy steps at a pace in line with the learning abilities of students. Teachers
may teach new concepts from different perspectives by various approaches so that pupils
can grasp the ideas through meaningful and repeated illustrations. Teachers should
encourage pupils' active participation by more frequent use of teaching aids, games and
activities. They can also make use of information technology and all the teaching
resources available to help pupils understand the main points.

3.9
Provide clear instructions

Pupils with learning difficulties are less competent in understanding written language.
Therefore, remedial teachers should give pupils short and clear instructions to avoid
confusion. They must explain clearly the arrangement of each learning activity. If
necessary, they may ask pupils to repeat the steps of activities so that every pupil may
understand the instructions.

3.10
Summarize the main points

At the course of teaching, teachers should always sum up the main points in teaching and
write the key phrases on the board to enhance pupils' audio and visual memories.
Teachers can guide their pupils to link up the knowledge they learn from class with their
life experiences so as to enhance the effectiveness of learning. Besides, guiding pupils to
repeat the main points in verbal or written form is also an effective way of learning.

3.11
Enhance learning interest and motivation

Suffering from frequent frustrations in their work, pupils with learning difficulties may
gradually lose their interest in learning. Therefore, teachers should adapt the curriculum
to meet the needs of pupils. With less pupils in the IRTP, teachers can design interesting
activities coupled with reward scheme to stimulate pupils' interest. It is most important to
help pupils overcome their learning difficulties so that they may gain a sense of
achievement and recover their confidence and interest in learning.

3.12
Encourage pupils' active participation in class activities

Pupils with learning difficulties usually lack self-confidence and are more passive in
class. They seldom ask questions or express their views. Remedial teachers should
patiently encourage active participation in class. Pleasurable learning experiences may
help enhance pupils' interest in learning.

3.13
Focus on the learning process

Teaching should not only focus on the transmission of knowledge. It is also important to
see that pupils are benefited from the entire learning process. Teachers should provide
ample opportunities in class for pupils to practise and think what they have learnt, and
 allow them to solve problems by different means. Teachers should also carefully observe
the performances of pupils and give them appropriate assistance, feedback and
encouragement so as to help them acquire the learning skills, solve their problems and
understand their own capability, thus enhancing self-confidence and improving their
learning skills.

3.14
Show concern for the performances of individual pupils

Pupils may encounter different problems in their studies, therefore, teachers should
carefully observe the learning process of individual pupils in class. Whenever necessary, they
should provide individualized remedial teaching before and after class, during recess or
lunchtime, so that they can remove their learning obstacles as soon as possible. When marking
assignments, teachers should take note of the common errors of pupils and deliver the
correct concepts and knowledge to them promptly.

Activity 2. Design your own learning activities that will help students develop their reading
comprehension. Be creative with your learning activities. Make a name of that certain
activity.

Pre-Reading Activities
1. “Find The Word” Reading Aloud Activity (Pair Work)
Put students in pairs and provide them with one copy of a text. Have a secret list of words at
the ready and call them out, at random, one at a time. Allow time for students to scan the text
for the word they hear. The first person in the pair to point correctly at the word in the text
gets a point. Make sure you set sound level rules, as well as clear guidance on how the class
should be silent ready for the next round.
2. “Reading Aloud” Task (Pair Work / Small Group Work)
Provide students with a ‘chunky’ text split into paragraphs. Advise that each student in the
pair/group must read one paragraph aloud. If the person has an issue pronouncing a word,
he/she must circle it and if they come across a word they don’t understand, they must
underline it. Allow students to discuss their problem areas in pairs and then in fours. Go around
making a note of the common issues and write on the board with whole group choral work and
discussion at the end.
3. “Team Reading Aloud” – Pronunciation Reading (Whole Group)
Split the classroom in two and assign all students in each team a number and repeat (using the
same numbers) with the other team. Provide students with a ‘chunky’ text for reading and set
each team off with 20 points. The aim of the activity is to be the team to finish with the most
points after the text has been read. Flip a coin to see which team begins. Randomly choose a
number and that student must begin reading. If the other team spots a pronunciation error, as
the student is reading, a member of the team must put their hand up. If all others in the team
agree, everyone’s hand must go up – this should keep everyone focused. If they spot a genuine
pronunciation error, they can help the reader make the correction receive a point (provide
support if their ‘help’ isn’t quite accurate). However, if the whole team has made a mistake and
picked a word that was correctly pronounced, they will lose a point and the other team will gain
a point. Each time an error in pronunciation is correctly spotted, swap the reading team. Deduct
points for talking or misbehaviour.
4. “The Last Word” Reading Activity (Pair / Small Group Work)
As a group, the team chooses how many words each student should read. For example, 3
words. In addition, allow students to choose the order of reading. Once the students begin
reading, the winner is the student who follows the rules and manages to be the person to read
the last word.
5. “Avoid The Line” – Reading Aloud Activity (Pair / Small Groups) When you prepare a
text, underline words at random. Students start with 5 points. Each student must read 5
words at a time, but must avoid actually saying any words that have been underlined.
Should they read the underlined word by accident, they lose a point. Students with with
the most points at the end of the reading activity win.
Post-Reading Activities
1. True or False? – Post-Reading Activity (Alone)
Once students have read the text through properly, allow them 5 minutes to create a list of true
or false statements. These can be given to a peer to answer if time allows.
2. Summarise The Text – Post Reading Activity (Individual)
Once students have read the text, advise that they must underline the key messages,
depending on the size of the text. I recommend advising a maximum number. Students must
then combine and re-word these ideas to summarise the whole text in a set number of words.
3. Re-write The Text – Reading Activity (Alone)
After reading (and depending on the length of the whole text), students must re-write the text
in the first, second or third person singular. If the text is long, then advise that they should pick
out a certain number of paragraphs.
4. Walking Text – Reading Comprehension Activity (Individual)
Instead of getting students to read the texts in their seats, print out a few copies. Ensure the
text is enlarged and in paragraphs with line numbers. Then, chop them up with numbers,
indicating the paragraph number on each and stick them around the room. I recommend doing
a few copies to ensure that no more than 2 students are at one paragraph of text at a time.
Give them some pre-printed comprehension questions to answer as they go around. You can
support learners who need it with an indication of the paragraph number, correlating to the
question, written on their sheet.