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Notice that a student is struggling with completing his/her homework

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Notice that a student is struggling with completing his/her homework

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Notice that a student is not engaged in class discussions

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Notice that a student is not engaged in class discussions

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Notice that a student scored low on the last few exams.

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Notice that a student scored low on the last few exams.

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Talk to the student in order to determine the reasons 

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Talk to the student in order to determine the reasons 

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Change my instruction to meet diverse students' needs

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Change my instruction to meet diverse students' needs

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Techniques to Help Struggling Students | Teaching Strategies

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What techniques help struggling students? Here are five strategies, such as multisensory instruction, that can help kids with ADHD, learning disabilities, and more.

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Provide support based on a student's needs

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Provide support based on a student's needs

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Specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia can make it difficult and sometimes impossible for a child to achieve the same results as his or her peers in a traditional classroom setting. Some children face a constant struggle with reading and writing and many are at risk for developing low self-esteem, particularly when their condition goes undiagnosed and/or untreated.

The thing to remember is that there are alternative learning approaches, strategies, and tools that can help students with learning difficulties achieve their full potential at school. Moreover, a positive attitude and plenty of encouragement from parents and teachers can do wonders when it comes to inspiring these children to stay motivated and persevere.

Imagine the frustration you might feel if you spent all night studying for an exam and still received a poor mark, despite your best efforts. In the case of a child with dyslexia, he or she might spell a word correctly one day and incorrectly the next or struggle to get through the assigned reading. Dysgraphia can make it painful to hold a pen or pencil so that even writing a short paragraph by hand is a challenge.

It's important for parents and teachers to understand that no two individuals with a learning difficulty will be affected in exactly the same way. The impact may be moderate or severe with symptoms often starting to show when a child begins learning how to read and write.

Some learning difficulties can also co-present with motor skills difficulties like dyspraxia, or attention difficulties like ADHD. It's not unheard of that a child who has ADHD is labeled as lazy, accused of not paying attention in class and/or disciplined for being disruptive in school. The child may have a learning difficulty but it isn't picked up by teachers or parents.

When a condition goes undiagnosed, children are at risk of falling behind. What's worse, consistently underperforming, feeling uncomfortable in front of peers and receiving negative attention from parents and teachers can cause an otherwise highly motivated child to lose interest in school. He or she may develop a poor self-image that can lead to emotional issues in and outside of the classroom.

Encouragement and self-directed learning

With every learning difficulty comes different challenges; that's why parents and teachers can benefit from getting to know what kind of academic and emotional support is needed. Introducing children to the strategies and coping skills they need to be successful is a good start, but it's also crucial to encourage a healthy self-image and foster confidence by nurturing self-directed learning.

By self-directed learning, we mean allowing the individual to be responsible for certain aspects of the learning including how much material is covered in a session and how much time is spent on a given unit.

Modular courses in which learning is broken down into small sections are helpful in this respect because they allow children to proceed at a pace that is right for them, repeating material and reviewing when necessary.

Keeping track of their progress, setting goals and working towards them, and prioritizing different aspects of their studies, are important skills for a child to develop. With more responsibility comes pride in achievement and a boost in self-esteem and confidence. Learn more about building students' self-esteem and self-confidence in these posts.

Tips for educators & parents

1. Praise effort over performance. Children with learning difficulties may not always achieve the best grades, but if they've put in a lot of effort, it deserves recognition. Teachers may wish to focus on the child's study strategy or approach to the assignment. Did they make flashcards, spend time in the library researching, work on drafts or incorporate feedback from past assignments? It can take a lot of courage to try a new approach and it's important to keep them motivated regardless of the outcome in terms of percentages and grades.

2. Put things in perspective. To children with specific learning difficulties, it can seem like achieving a perfect score on an assessment measure is a near impossible goal. Remind them that perfection isn't important and mistakes are a part of learning. When a child begins to embrace his or her mistakes and use them to guide more targeted study, he or she is less likely to attribute errors to any personal failings or deficits. This makes it easier to maintain a positive and healthy self-image.

3. Share your own experience. Children can benefit from anecdotes that help them relate to different aspects of the learning process. Teachers might explain how they dealt with their least favorite subjects or worked around material that proved particularly challenging. Sharing your experience helps to cement a bond with a child, making it more likely they will open up to you about their feelings.

4. Keep them motivated. It can be hard to motivate a child to learn when he or she feels inferior in a particular subject area. That's why it's useful to choose lesson topics that are already of interest to a child. Explain why a particular task is worth doing and allow them a measure of choice in how or what they study. You might also devise reward schemes or plan your day so that fun activities are used to break up more challenging tasks. Learn more about motivation and motivating children to read.

5. Give them time. It can take time for an intervention to work and for new strategies and skills to be acquired. Focus on long-term goals and break larger tasks down into milestones that can be spaced out over a period of time. Remind students that effort and approach count more than the time taken to complete something.

Provide inspirational role models.

There are plenty of success stories of famous figures, including athletes, politicians and celebrities, who have worked hard to overcome the challenges posed by learning difficulties. Pick up a biography or find a video about someone you think the child will relate to and go through it together.

Discuss the individual's path to success and have the child identify several strategies that he or she may be able to benefit from.

Specific learning difficulties

Referred to as specific learning difficulties and differences in the UK, and learning disabilities in the US, these are conditions that affect the way in which an individual learns.

Learning difficulties are not a reflection of intelligence but they often get in the way of academic achievement and can result in feelings of frustration, anxiety and embarrassment for a child who is less able to progress at the same rate as his or her peers in a conventional classroom setting.

Dyslexia

A language based disorder that affects up to 10% of the population in the US and other countries worldwide, people who have dyslexia may struggle to break words down into their component sounds. This can affect reading ability when it comes to decoding, and make spelling more challenging. Learn more about dyslexia.

Dysgraphia

It can be painful for children with dysgraphia to write using pens and pencils and often there is difficulty forming letters, spacing words and generally composing written work by hand. Kids with dysgraphia almost always benefit from using a computer to produce written assignments.

Other issues that can affect learning

ADHD

An umbrella term used for attention difficulties with and without hyperactivity, children with ADHD may have a hard time keeping their attention focused on the task at hand. Written work may be messy, and there can be behavioral aspects such as disruption or impulsivity in the classroom to deal with. For some individuals with ADHD, there is a strong need to move around and expend extra energy between lessons. Learn more about strategies for helping children with ADHD.

Processing Speed

A child with slow processing speed may have a difficult time following instructions and need more time to understand something. It can help to repeat information and present it in alternative ways.

Dyspraxia

While it is not a learning difficulty, dyspraxia can affect planning skills and fine motor skills in a similar way to dysgraphia. It is often recommended that students with dyspraxia be allowed to type assignments on a computer. Learn more about helping dyspraxic children in the classroom.

Additional resources

Many children with learning difficulties can benefit from working through a computer course that supports literacy and teaches them a new skill, particularly one that will help them on written assignments and standardized tests.

Touch-type Read and Spell is a dyslexia-friendly touch-typing course that takes a multi-sensory approach to teaching keyboarding.

As the course is modular, students move through the program at a pace that is right for them, repeating lessons when they feel extra support is necessary. They can also go back to review previous units at any time. There is plenty of built in positive feedback and there are a variety of possible adjustments to display. Fully customizable settings means the course can meet the needs of children with different specific learning difficulties.

Often a child who has been unsuccessful in other areas of school but is able to learn typing will come away with a sense of pride and achievement that does wonders in encouraging confidence and building self-esteem.

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Encouraging children with learning difficulties

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Learn more about encouraging children with learning difficulties by providing academic and emotional support, strategy instruction and motivation.

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Provide students with more time to determine what is causing their struggles

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Provide students with more time to determine what is causing their struggles

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Once it is confirmed that a student has a learning disability, as an educator, I would learn more about how to meet their needs based on their requirements (this article provides useful information)

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Once it is confirmed that a student has a learning disability, as an educator, I would learn more about how to meet their needs based on their requirements (this article provides useful information)

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Support students by implementing one of the  strategies mentioned in this article: 

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Support students by implementing one of the  strategies mentioned in this article: 

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If playing a video remembering to include subtitle to help students' comprehension

Encourage students to draw new vocabulary words

Include images when teaching new topics

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English Language Learners

Teachers of any subject can use these tips to help English language learners be more engaged and at ease in class.

While we bring the mental health needs of our students into laser focus this year, it's still crucial that we keep the social and emotional world of our English language learners (ELLs) front and center. Just like their peers, ELL students come to our classrooms with the burning need to be seen and acknowledged for their unique personalities, life experiences, and talents. But language challenges can obstruct all these amazing facets of their personalities. Additionally, the social pressures of suddenly being in person again and needing to communicate may make them feel anxious, isolated, and embarrassed.

Because of the often-obvious communication difficulties, grade-level and subject-area teachers understandably often rely on ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers to step in and help these students. However, even if you aren't an ESL teacher, there's a plethora of strategies you can use to help these incredible students feel comfortable sharing their strengths and unique perspectives on the world.

Helping ELL Students Across All Subjects

1. Closed captioning isn't just for the hearing impaired. If you're showing video content, turning on closed captioning supports ELL students' comprehension as well as everyone's literacy skills. According to a 2017 study, the simple act of using closed captioning improves learning, even for students without learning challenges.

2. Voice typing in Google Docs (under the Tools menu) provides students with a voice-to-text option that can help learners who have some oral language but struggle with spelling and writing. By clicking the arrow next to the language, students can even dictate a text in their native language, if need be, and then use Google Translate to translate it.

For older students, or for those who are somewhat more advanced in English but need material translated immediately, the Google Translate app also lets you hold your camera (on a smartphone/iPad, etc.) up to a document and instantly see it in another language, no typing required.

3. Offer choices of what students can say if they're called on and aren't sure how to respond. This helpful anchor chart, for example, offers students options other than the ubiquitous "I don't know."

4. Add gestures to reinforce communication.Remember that in order to communicate, we need to ensure that the sounds coming out of our mouth create a mental image or concept in our listener's mind. You can increase comprehensible input (the amount of language that's understood) by using good, old-fashioned gestures. If you want to take it a step further, TPR (Total Physical Response) is a method of teaching vocabulary that uses physical movements to react to verbal input, similar to how young children naturally learn language at home.

5. Draw or write key words frequently as they come up during instruction to help students further decode what you're saying. You can also use Google Image search to help students visualize what your words refer to and share the images.

6. Utilize a chart: A PECS (Pictorial Exchange Communication System) chart can help individuals with communication challenges to express themselves. By pointing to an image on a classroom-themed PECS chart, students can let you know, for example, that they need to go to the bathroom by pointing to an image of a lavatory or that they are thirsty, sad, or confused, need a pencil, and so on. You can give them a laminated copy to tuck into their desk or hang one up on the wall for little learners. You may want to encourage students to say the words aloud as they point to the images to decrease their dependence on the chart. Try searching Google for "PECS chart for classroom" to find a chart that fits your needs.

7. Add images: A picture is truly worth a thousand words, but for ELLs, images are worth exponentially more. Document cameras provide ELL students with much-needed visual input of texts, worksheets, books, and other printed materials or realia. Project pages from a novel or picture book as the students follow along, display handouts and student writing samples, or use math manipulatives to solve a problem together. Document cameras make a world of difference in showing ELL students exactly what you're talking about rather than trying to explain it.

8. Pair up: If you want to pair an ELL newcomer with a bilingual student to help them, ask the ELL student to choose a student or two whom they'd prefer to work with, if possible. This prevents you from inadvertently pairing them up with someone they don't feel comfortable asking for help or with whom they really don't get along.

9. Give students a "language toolbox," a notebook full of pages of illustrated vocabulary words organized by theme that students can use as a reference. This is like a simplified version of an illustrated dictionary that younger ELLs can look through by theme to see vocabulary related to the colors, days of the week, classroom items, family members, and so on. In my classroom, I put these pages in plastic page protectors inside a binder for each student to flip through quickly. They can pull it out to help them fill in missing vocabulary when they write or as an easy reference whenever they need it.

10. Use a microphone or voice amplification system, which can help ELL students hear the nuances of your voice more clearly and understand you better. Record the lesson (if permitted), and digitally share the resulting video or audio with ELL students who might benefit from hearing/watching a replay. Similarly, ELLs have a hard time producing sounds correctly when the speaker's mouth is covered by a mask. Consider sharing posters of mouth formations or videos of you unmasked, creating some of these sounds.

Think about trying these strategies to help alleviate the communication difficulties that can prevent ELL students from becoming fully engaged in their learning and sharing who they are and what they can bring to the classroom.

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10 Strategies That Support English Language Learners Across All Subjects

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Teachers of any subject can use these tips to help English language learners be more engaged and at ease in class.

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If after my actions, a student still shows struggling signs then:

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If after my actions, a student still shows struggling signs then:

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I would talk to the Chinese teacher to determine if a student shows the same type of behavior during the Chinese class (if Chinese is their native language) to determine if a students has a language need

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I would talk to the Chinese teacher to determine if a student shows the same type of behavior during the Chinese class (if Chinese is their native language) to determine if a students has a language need

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Organize a meeting with my PYP coordinator and present the collected evidence to demonstrate special support for my student

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Organize a meeting with my PYP coordinator and present the collected evidence to demonstrate special support for my student

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Invite parents for a meeting - to demonstrate the evidence and discuss if there is any history behind their child's behavior 

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Invite parents for a meeting - to demonstrate the evidence and discuss if there is any history behind their child's behavior 

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Student who participates more in class if translation is provided

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Student who participates more in class if translation is provided

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There should be an official document provided by professional personal to termine a student's disability.

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IRIS | Page 2: Distinguishing Between Disability and Language Difference

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Delays in social and communication development might occur when children are learning two or more languages. Because such delays can be red flags for further developmental problems in the areas of social-emotional development and cognition, early childhood educators must determine their cause: langu…