| Students
With Written Output Difficulties by
Sharon Longert
Many students
with learning disabilities have difficulties with their ability
to produce acceptable/grade appropriate work on paper and
to demonstrate their knowledge in written form. There is a
great discrepancy between what they know, what information
they have and can express verbally, and what they are able
to actually put down on paper. These difficulties present
themselves as fine motor and handwriting difficulties, numerous
erasures, disorganization of written product, immature letter
spacing and formation. Often the written output for these
students is far below the average output for the grade level.
Your job
as teacher is to find strategies so these students can express
what they know and understand. Following are some ideas adapted
from Sandra Reif and Julie Heimburge’s book, How
to Reach and Teach All Students in the Inclusive Classroom,
(The Center for Applied Research In Education, 1996).
- Substitute
oral reports for written assignments.
- Give
options and choices that draw on students strengths –
building, investigating, drawing, constructing, simulating,
experimenting, researching, retelling – and don’t
require extensive writing.
- Provide
worksheets with extra space for answers.
- Enlarge
the space for written work especially in math and on tests.
- Assign
a buddy to take notes, share, compare.
- Make
photocopies of teacher notes for students who have difficulty
copying form the board easily.
- Follow
written exams with oral exams and average the grades.
- Allow
oral responses for assignments.
- Permit
dictation of responses to a transcriber or tape recorder.
- Provide
access to word processor, speech to print computer programs.
- Accept
homework that is typed, encourage readable and large fonts.
- Prompt
the students with the first two or three sentences.
- Allow
students to share their work with the class using transparencies
for the overhead.
- Encourage
all students to only use one side of the paper.
Giving
students alternatives instills them with a sense of empowerment
and provides you with a more realistic view of their capabilities.
And since student work is a product of how well students understand
the concepts, it is also a reflection on the teacher's effectiveness.
If you have a question or suggestion,
don’t hesitate to e-mail
me.
|
