A “Slow Learner” Revisits Her Learning Experience
“If you’ve told a child a thousand times and he/she still does not understand, then it is not the child who is the slow learner” – Walter Barbee
How a slow learner perceives her learning disabilities:
The first words that catch your eye might be the label, “Slow Learner”. A Grade 12, who was identified as a slow learner at a young age, recently revisited some of her challenges while growing up “different” compared to her peers in the classroom. She explains that “slow” refers to the things that she is not good at such as the skill in remembering facts.
She defines a learning disability as “a thing that a student is born with”. To her, a student with a learning disability means “someone who has an IEP” (an Individual Education Plan), and “someone who learns differently than other students…they would ask the teacher to slow down for them”.
When revisiting her biggest challenges, activities like writing full sentences and playing the clarinet were on the top of the list. Specifically in math, challenges include multiplication, subtraction, completing word problems in math, understanding money and understanding fractions.
“I am not good at these because I can’t memorize everything in my brain”, she said.
Aimed for the moon and landed on the stars, so to speak, this Grade 12 student was hoping to enroll in university coming September, but applied and got accepted into a college program for advancement first. She aspires to become an early childhood educator. She said that she wishes to learn more about learning disabilities to better accommodate students who learn differently than others.
How to make math more accessible to students with learning disabilities:
1) Provide explanations for specific terminologies
Having a list of terminologies could help alleviate the stress in trying to comprehend the problem by deciphering specific words.
For example, imagine solving the problem “Determine the bleg between 15 and 30”.
How do you solve if you don’t know what a “bleg” is?
To some students, reading some math terminologies is the same experience as yours when you wondered what “bleg” is.
It could be much easier if it was:
Determine the GCF between 15 and 30
(GCF means greatest common factor, the largest number that divides into both of the given numbers)
A reference sheet works well in providing definitions of terminologies.
2) De-clutter worksheets or pages on a test
Leave lots of blank space on a page. Use spacing as a guide for the reader to understand the problem especially when there are multiple parts.
“Determine the indicated angle and the unknown sides of the triangle rounded to 1 decimal place.”
should be written as:
Determine the indicated angle.
Determine the unknown sides of the triangle.
Round all answers to 1 decimal place.
with ample space between instructions and ample space for the student’s written solution.
3) Provide diagrams. If visual is a 3D object, provide a hands-on 3D object.
“If 6 cubes are glued together to create a column. How many faces are exposed?”
Provide students with cubes and give them ample time to solve the problem.
Hands-on objects are very useful. Ideally, teach and encourage students to self-select manipulatives for a given math problem. After reading a math problem, model how students should select the appropriate manipulative to help them solve the problem.
.
.
4) Provide scaffolding
The problem “If 6 cubes are glued together to create a column. How many faces are exposed?” could pose as a challenge to some students as there are many steps.
Provide scaffolding so that they have some stepping stones:
a) How many faces are there in one cube?
b) How many faces are exposed if 2 cubes are glued together to create a column?
c) How many faces are exposed if 3 cubes are glued together to create a column?
d) Is there a pattern that could be observed?
e) Make an estimation. How many faces are exposed if 6 cubes are glued?
5) Limit stimuli to allow processing
Depending on the needs of the student, allocate more wait time to allow for processing.
In situations where students are looking at the board/screen and writing things down, or observing a manipulative in front of them and writing down ideas, try to limit verbal stimulus.
In other words, avoid giving verbal instructions or having verbal conversations simultaneously as their visual and motor processes are engaged.
Try this for yourself:
On a piece of paper, copy the sentence you are reading on your screen now.
Do this with your dominant hand first. Then, use your non-dominant hand.
Notice the challenge? Now imagine trying to process verbal instructions while writing with your non-dominant hand. This is a challenge that some students face everyday.
Written by Mandy Lam
Comments