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Encourage flexibility in learning maths

In working out a word problem, inchworm thinkers might work things out step by step.

A grasshopper thinker might provide the right answer without any working out. Frustratingly for a teacher, and when asked how they solved the problem, the learner might respond, "I just knew".

"I just knew" can be an issue for questions that require pupils to show their working out. Grasshopper thinkers can struggle at higher levels because this evidence is often needed. The flexibility in learning is essential. Try to encourage your grasshoppers to try inchworm methods and vice-versa.

Grasshopper may excel at mental arithmetic, whereas algebra is more inchworm friendly.

Many children use both cognitive styles. But keep in mind, it might be harder to reach extreme inchworms and extreme grasshoppers. Teaching to their style may be more beneficial than trying to force flexibility.

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Do you know your students' maths learning style?

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In working out a word problem, inchworm thinkers might work things out step by step. A grasshopper thinker might provide the right answer without any working out. Frustratingly for a teacher, and when asked how they solved the problem, the learner might respond, "I just knew".

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Focus on Basics last issue (in particular pp 16-19)

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Concept Cartoons as a Way to Elicit Understandings and Encourage Reasoning about Decimals in Year 7

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Students need opportunities to practice Global Competencies like Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Innovation, and Influencing across networks. This is why working in teams gives them the opportunities to practice these skills and to get coaching by the teacher and others. Yet one challenge with teams is the fear that some students will dominate, while others will stand aside while the others do all of the work. While supporting teachers at a Project Based Learning school in Michigan, this challenge came to a head when a teacher team wanted to abandon using student teams altogether. "It doesn't work!" They stated with a look of determination that one gets from being an eyewitness to seeing something go wrong in action.

I started to suggest that each student needed a role, like project manager, editor, and-but the team leader cut me off by saying that they already did this, and it did not help. So, I asked them to describe what does a class session look like from the beginning to end. The leader sighed, but decided to indulge me. At the beginning of class the students gather in their teams for the initial instruction. When they start working on their project, one person gathers the necessary materials and brings them to the team.

"Is that a role or responsibility?" I asked.

"It's one of the team roles," was the response. "That's the Logistics person."

"Are the people in this role typically the ones not helping with the project work?" I asked.

The teacher team looked at me with astonishment. The leader asked, "How did you know?"

Once the logistics person brings the materials. Their job is done until the end of class, when they must return the materials. Each team member needs an academic responsibility. This gives them value and purpose throughout the learning and product work within the project.

How do you ensure that every student on a team will be active and contribute to the ongoing work and final outcome?

One part of the equation is to ensure that every student has an academic responsibility, or a qualitative role. Whether the learner is gifted, struggles with the subject matter, or has an IEP for Special Education support, they need to believe that they can contribute. Also within the team, the students have to believe that each person has something academically to contribute.

Learning Preferences Cards ( PDF handout link) is a great strategy for collecting perceptual data about students' strengths in subjects and approaches to learning. Students self-evaluate so that their perspective is recorded about themselves as learners. Once completed, teachers can add annotated information about the students that further informs them on team formations that can lead to success with Global Competencies and learning standards.
Learning Profile Cards

Target Grades: All

Applicable: Differentiated Instruction, Project Based Learning, and Team Formation

Activity Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials: index cards and a pen or pencil (one per student)

Activity Steps

1. After passing out the index cards to each student, have them write on the back of the card their contact information. At a minimum, this would include their name and personal phone number.Figure 1: Back of the Card
Sometimes the phone number the student provides is not the one on file with the school, and is usually a more reliable connection. The purpose of this information is for when student teams need to contact an absent member about work that needs to be submitted. Since it appears that students use email far less, having other means of contact is important within Social Media.Figure 2: Front of the Card

2. The next steps will occur on thefront of the card. In the center, students list 3 to 4 interests that they have outside of school. This could range from recording themselves as they play video games to talking or texting with friends. This information helps for showing context of subject matter to things that matter to students. Also, when designing projects and lessons, I've created learning experiences around the interests of 1-2 students in the class. There are those "Triage Patients" who if we do not make learning meaningful, they will fall further and further behind, until they eventually lose faith in the education system and stop trying.

3. In the top left corner, students list the subjects and skills. For each, rate them from a 4-I'm great at this skill/subject and I love it-to a 1-I'm not very good at this skill/subject and I do not like it. Some teachers use a wider range such as an 8 pt or 10 pt scale. That's fine so long as the range is an even number. Otherwise, students tend to choose the middle number such as 3 out of 5, or 5 out of 9.It's also important to note that the score is far less important than if the student rated themselves in the top half or bottom half. This speaks volumes about their perception of themselves, which we'll see repeated with the other categories to follow. When I learned that some of my students rated themselves low in my content area, that indicated that I would need to mediate their self-perception of their skills if I hoped for them to make a strong effort.Saving the best for last, this information informs on what academic strengths students may have. A student who struggles in Science or Math, but is average to good at writing, becomes the Writing Editor. Their job is not to write the papers or scripts. It is to facilitate the reflection and revision process that each person must do on their own work. Someone who knows social media or video recording becomes the Media Editor. Their job, through facilitation, is to help teammates evaluate how messaging is being effectively done of content to media. As you can see, each role has an academic responsibility. Their role is one of facilitation-monitoring and tracking their team's work using the academic criteria list and/or guidelines (ex. rubric).

4. The other corners are for tracking learning styles and personality inventories. Students use the 4 pt scale to self assess for each category. Teachers can choose any style/inventory that they find to best meet the learning needs of their students. It's important to track at least two. This helps to avoid typecasting students into one learning container. Such as, John is a Visual learner. Well...that probably depends on the situation. More importantly, how would John rate himself. For each learning styles/inventory categories used, the teacher needs to describe them in terms that relates to students. For example, if I asked for directions to the nearest coffee shop, a visual learner would give directions as they saw themselves making the trip.I strongly recommend using the Internal and External reflection styles listed in the bottom right corner. Some people need to process their thinking along before they are ready to share or act. While others need to think aloud their ideas as means to make connections. The team make-up between these two styles can have positive implications when deliberately included in formation decisions.

Once the students complete the cards, the teacher collects them to use for making teams and differentiating lessons and projects. Because the students completed them, teachers may add or update information on the cards based on observations.

For early elementary students, teachers might bring in parents or student buddies from an upper grade level who acts as the younger students' secretaries, and transcribe their answers. Thus saving time.

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Students need opportunities to practice Global Competencies like Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Innovation, and Influencing across networks. This is why working in teams gives them the opportunities to practice these skills and to get coaching by the teacher and others.

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Here are five IOS math apps that can help dyslexic children improve their reading, writing, and number crunching skills.

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Last Updated on January 8, 2021 by Editorial Team

The intervention of technology in education is one of the marvelous phenomena that happened in this era. Things possible now with available gadgets could have never be imagined 10 years ago. From regular student's wiki to braille assistance, technology has achieved great heights in the sector.

We curated a list of top 10 free mobile apps for people with dyscalculia. Our focus in this post is on the apps that are directly or indirectly related to dyscalculia and its impact on our daily lives. We tried to reach every corner of it and thus, coming up with apps that help in tackling the issues with ease.

Other than Mathematics, Socratic also supports Science, History, English, and Economics. The app uses vision technology to read the submitted image and AI to figure out the concepts for solving it.

Simple but interactive UI makes it really easy to use. The ability of the machine to spit out the results in just a few seconds is pretty impressive. However, the app itself is limited by its dependence on optical character recognition.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Photomath is another super popular app sharing a similar goal to Socratic. However, Photomath is buffed with additional great features that make it lucrative to use over Socratic.

It has a scientific calculator to edit equations right there in the app. An interesting find in the app is that it not just explains the answer, it also shows multiple methods of tackling the problem. Furthermore, the app supports more than 30 languages, which is really impressive considering the limitation of OCR technology. We tried comparing the functionality aspects of Socratic with Photomath, the machine learning of the latter's turns out to be more powerful than former.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Improving mental math is one of the main practices necessary in overcoming Dyscalculia. Mental Math is our ability to do mathematical calculations in our mind without the help of any device, such as calculator and mobile phones, etc. The more we develop mental math skills, the faster our brain will have computational power. The mental Math Practice app is here to serve that purpose.

Mental Math Practice app aims at improving mental math skills by using flashcards. Some of the features mentioned :

200 mental math flashcards crafted by an expert math tutor

Concept explanations of shortcuts used.

Detailed insights and progress tracking

The app is developed by an online test prep company, Magoosh. It currently sits at 4.5-star ratings with more than 100k downloads on play store.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Flow Free is a widely popular addictive game that involves connecting dots based on their colors. This app demands spatial reasoning and planning to complete all of the color matches without crossing or overlap of the lines or pipes.

People with dyscalculia generally have trouble with spatial awareness, this game can be really beneficial in training their minds about it. It has over 2500 free puzzles for kids to try and challenge their visual-motor skills. The app is developed by NoodleCake Studios with over 100 million downloads on play store.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Smartynote is a notepad app with powerful features like OCR, Voice recognition, and Text to speech. Although the app is made specifically for dyslexics, people with dyscalculia can also take the benefit as it can read numbers as well.

It really makes note taking so much easier. All you have to do is click a photo of a page or some text, it will extract the text and save it to your note. You can use voice recognition if you want the app to write a note while you speak. You can also let the app dictates the saved note to you. Different color combinations and fonts are available to suit your needs. Around 20k people use this app worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore

Puzzles and games are curated according to the user's training habits and preferences. Moreover, users can check detailed insights into their training process and analyze the progress. The app is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, and Korean. More than 90 million people use this app worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

NeuroNation is another brain training app with tasks and exercises similar to Lumosity. However, it majorly targets people with weak memory and concentration power (as in the case of dyscalculia).
At the moment, the program consists of 27 exercises. More than 15 million people use this app worldwide.

UI is pretty simple and easy to understand. Users can personalize activities according to their potentials. Just like Lumosity, the Neuro nation also provides detailed insights into training progress. A daily 15 minutes of exercise with the app is recommended.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Prodigy Game is the perfect example of 'learning while playing'. It lets you practice concepts of mathematics in an interactive way. As per the description, Prodigy delivers a unique learning experience through an interactive math game where success depends on correctly answering skill-building math questions. Players can earn rewards, go on quests, and play with friends - all while learning new skills.

The app mainly targets kids age up to 6-12. Its user base comprises of over a million teachers and 50 million students around the world. Parents can monitor their child's progress through the levels and understanding of the concepts. Teachers should allow students a 10-minute play in class as a reward of completing a task. This will motivate students and give them a sense of achievement.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

Although apps like google maps may have eased the burden still a complete solution is required to ensure driving safety. Well, there are no such apps which you could blindly trust for driving as it depends upon your own practice and experience and we recommend to include driving expert if you have alarming issues while driving. Car Dashdroid, however, aims to serve the one-stop platform for complete driving assistance while you are on road.

Car Dashdroid gives you quick, easy access to things you'd normally want on the road. That includes navigation, music, contacts, messages, voice commands, and more. It has a smart dialer so you won't have to search for your contacts anymore. It can read text messages out loud and it supports popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and others. It also comes with a compass, speedometer, and plenty of other useful features. There is even Tasker support.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore (Alternative iCarmode)

Abacus is a manual aid for calculating that consists of beads or disks that can be moved up and down on a series of sticks or strings within a usually wooden frame. Practicing abacus is to consider one of the best ways to develop number sense. Numbers are physically constructed and manipulated in Abacus. Practicing 10-15 minutes daily can effectively build your math calculative skills.

One problem with an abacus is that its difficult to carry it everywhere. Know Abacus app is here to serve this purpose. You can carry virtual abacus on your smartphones and play with it anytime you want. You have to perform steps on Know abacus according to the tasks given by the app. The app is developed by the developer, Kittipong Mungnirun and over 500k people use it worldwide.

Links: Android Playstore | Apple Appstore

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Top 10 must-have free apps for Dyscalculia [2021] - Number Dyslexia

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A list of top 10 free mobile apps for people with dyscalculia. Apps that directly or indirectly related to overcoming dyscalculia and its impact to our daily lives. We tried to reach every corner of it and thus, coming up with apps that helps in tackling the issues with ease.

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Using Concept Maps to Teach Dyslexic Students Science- The Educators’ Approach

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Support for Students with Dyslexia in Science

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Accommodating students with Dyslexia in Science

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Teaching Chemistry to students with Dyslexia

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Teaching Chemistry to students with Dyslexia

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Secondary students are undergoing a lot of changes and they have behavioral problems like being playful, challenging authority, not interested in studies etc..

However, these behaviours also appeared in students with LD as they cannot understand the lesson..

Sometimes it is tough to differentiate the situation and therefore implementing the wrong solutions.

What would you advice? It is so tiring as a teacher to constantly differentiate instructions and tackle behavioral problems at the same time

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Science requires students to use certain key words and to understand the concept of variables.

However, from the worksheets, it seems that students with dyslexia have problems writing down the key words even after numerous drilling practice.

Second, to understand variables as a concept is rather tough for them as it is very abstract.

Are there examples / pedagogy that could engage students with LD? (dyslexia and language impairment?)

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Students with LD have problems matching the instructions on the paper with the actual experimental set-up. They ended up to be quite frustrated.

How can we design effective practical lessons for them?

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Is there a list of apps / software that could help dyslexia students to be better at reading online text? or with easier inputs?

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Whenever we design resources, should we always design another set of resources for the dyslexia / dyscalculia students?

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Design considerations for online resources

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Design considerations for online resources

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Are there recommended design guidelines for dyslexia students?

E.g. Recommended dsylexia font, colours, size, spacing, bold etc?

Are there examples on how Ppt, worksheets, online SLS packages are designed?

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Dr Elizabeth,
Context:
12 out of 24: adhd
10 of 24: dyslexic
1 of 24: DS
2 of 24: GDD
3 of 24: autism
8 of 24: unknown SEN but high progress
All of SEN students are low progress

Concern:
1. APIE is for individual. Are we expected to draw the APIE plan for ALL of my students? In an ideal world, I would love to do it...

2. Parents are worried that child will get U grade despite all interventions. Dr Elizabeth, with your authority, are you able to discuss with SEAB and revise the grading for NT Examinations? Similar to revamped PSLE grading system, can we lower passing grade to 45%? We cannot deny that bulk of SEN kids in Spore are taking NT examination in sec4.

3. This is our situation. With SMM guidelines, pair work and group work is tough. Sharing of concrete resources is tedious.

Do you suggest that we should go back to CPA approach?
We are applying digital approach too but is that the only way? Digital approach: SLS, decktoys, flippity (gamification)

Please advise.
Thank you.

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Could we have some local SEN case studies on the teaching of Mathematics? Examples on tools and strategies used to help SEN students  on the learning of Mathematics.

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Could we have some local SEN case studies on the teaching of Mathematics? Examples on tools and strategies used to help SEN students  on the learning of Mathematics.

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Currently, we conduct our own assessment/diagnosis using the SEN profile, PSLE results and their class tests for Mathematics. Are there any diagnostic tools that we could use for Mathematics?

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Currently, we conduct our own assessment/diagnosis using the SEN profile, PSLE results and their class tests for Mathematics. Are there any diagnostic tools that we could use for Mathematics?

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Our students (especially those with SEN) have difficulty with memory, visualisation and drawing. These are some basic skills that are required for Math. For example students would need to be able to visualise diagrams; able to draw or construct figures. What strategies could we use to help these students?

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Our students (especially those with SEN) have difficulty with memory, visualisation and drawing. These are some basic skills that are required for Math. For example students would need to be able to visualise diagrams; able to draw or construct figures. What strategies could we use to help these students?

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How could the strategies used for literacy could be also used for the teaching of Mathematics?

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How could the strategies used for literacy could be also used for the teaching of Mathematics?

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There was a lot of focus on literacy like Dyslexia, SLI, etc but not on Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia. Could we have more information on tools, strategies, resources related to Dyscalculia and Dsygraphia so that we could help the students with the learning of Mathematics?

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There was a lot of focus on literacy like Dyslexia, SLI, etc but not on Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia. Could we have more information on tools, strategies, resources related to Dyscalculia and Dsygraphia so that we could help the students with the learning of Mathematics?

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Employment Services

Persons with disabilities can seek employment assistance from SG Enable. Job-ready persons with disabilities will be supported for job placement and job support through SG Enable's appointed partners i.e. Autism Resource Centre (ARC), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled Singapore (MINDS) and SPD.
Submission of applications to SG Enable
You may submit your application in the following ways:

Please click on the link below to login via SingPass.
For jobseekers who have yet to register with SG Enable If you are not a registered jobseeker, upon login, select "For Jobseeker" and click on "Register Here" to first register your particulars. For registered jobseekers For registered jobseekers, upon login, please select your role as a client, and under "For Jobseeker", click on "My Dashboard" to view available opportunities and manage applications.

or
Download the application form, print and send together with the required documents

By Post
SG Enable - Employment Team
20 Lengkok Bahru
#01-01
Singapore 159053

By Email
employment@sgenable.sg

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Employment Services Persons with disabilities can seek employment assistance from SG Enable. Job-ready persons with disabilities will be supported for job placement and job support through SG Enable's appointed partners i.e. Autism Resource Centre (ARC), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled Singapore (MINDS) and SPD.

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A 16-week programme where students with disabilities from the IHLs are matched with business leaders from corporates, MNCs, and other inclusive employers. Through the programme, the students can gain a better understanding of their skills and abilities, build professional networks, and learn from their mentor's wealth of experience.

Hear more about the programme from the mentees and mentors:

The next run will take place from early September to end December 2020 - submit your interest by filling up the form here.

If you have any queries, please contact us at mentorship@sgenable.sg or 1800 8585 885.
*Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents only. Disabilities supported by SG Enable for adult services are: autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, physical impairment, hearing impairment and visual impairment. IHLs refer to universities, polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education and other private institutions.

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A 16-week programme where students with disabilities from the IHLs are matched with business leaders from corporates, MNCs, and other inclusive employers. Through the programme, the students can gain a better understanding of their skills and abilities, build professional networks, and learn from their mentor's wealth of experience.

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Assistive technology at work

Assistive technology (AT) devices and software can help reduce, or even remove, challenges which persons with disabilities may face at work.

Employers of persons with disabilities can tap the Open Door Programme's Job Redesign Grant. It subsidises the cost of making accommodations for the employee, and covers the purchase of equipment, workplace modifications and redesigning of jobs or processes.

Persons with disabilities can approach a facility like Tech Able to learn more about the potential of assistive technology devices to improve their productivity at work. Assistive technology assessors can recommend suitable assistive technology devices or software and help apply for subsidies, if any. Check out our service directory for a list of places to get an assistive technology assessment.

The Tech Able Web App provides more information about AT devices that may suit persons with disabilities and their caregivers. For a guided tour experience of Tech Able, users can select the relevant virtual guide in the web app to learn about the various AT devices in the centre. Users who are interested to purchase or find out more about the AT device may contact the vendors directly. Vendors’ details are listed within.

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More Support in Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)

To develop inclusive communities in our IHL, these arrangements have been made:

A  Special Education Needs (SEN) Support Office in each publicly-funded university, polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College, since 2014.

The SEN Support Office coordinates holistic support for students with SEN, including transitional support, in-class learning assistance and access arrangements.

A SEN Fund for polytechnic and ITE students with physical or sensory impairment to purchase educational assistive technology devices & support services, since 2014. Publicly-funded universities provide the same support.

More than 1,500 polytechnic and ITE staff trained in basic SEN awareness and support. All polytechnic and ITE academic staff will be trained similarly over the next five years.

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SEN Support in Higher Learning

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The Learning Accessibility Office (LAO) at each ITE College is set up to support students with Special Education Needs (SEN) in their learning process so that students with SEN can have a holistic...

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Consistency and Handing Over of APIE Model

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Consistency and Handing Over of APIE Model

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When a student transits from Lower to Upper Sec or even Primary to Secondary students,  how do teachers use the current model and dovetailing it for the particular student?
Reply:
Compare the current competency and ability to access the new curriculum and environment (Use EF and APIE to map out the student's strengths and areas for support, as well as the requirements and expectations in the new environment / level - Look for Gaps and plan to transition based on the gaps identified.

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Feasibility on bridging large reading age gap

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Feasibility on bridging large reading age gap

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Some Sec 1 students are having an 8-year reading age gap and many more with at least a 4 or 5 age gap. How feasible is it to bridge a 12 year age gap by the time the Sec 1s reach Sec 4? Is it realistic to set N level national average as a benchmark to hit for these students?
Reply: This would mean intensive support for these students to ensure that they can at least be narrowing the gap -  and to focus on key literacy areas to access the level curriculum.  Your APIE plan should indeed span 4 years (with periodic review). Structured teaching can be a way to help with this as well. https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/issue57-classroom03/

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How do we cater to the needs of SEN in the National Examination consistently?

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How do we cater to the needs of SEN in the National Examination consistently?

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Example: Provision provided in secondary school: prompter, reader, separate room, extra time but prompter and reader are not provided in tertiary institution.

Reply: Compare the current competency and needs of the students and the 'Must-Haves' (to enable fair access by student) in the National Examination - which may include examination techniques, literacy competency etc. Using APIE to plan a 4 year (Year 2-5) plan (first year (Year 1) in the 5 year school plan is to better understand students and close basic more urgent gaps to enable access to the basic curriculum in school, build confidence and trust etc) and to close the gap but with gradual stage by stage removal (after ascertaining such that student is ready for removal) semester by semester or year by year. The process must start from Year 1.

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How we could help these SEN students in the future – transitioning from Secondary to ITE or even the real world. How prepared are these students / are they ready to move to the real world?
Reply: Please refer to the column on the left of support beyond Secondary.

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How to address the needs/disruptive behaviour for the selected students with SEN and still carry on with lessons for the rest of the class?

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How to address the needs/disruptive behaviour for the selected students with SEN and still carry on with lessons for the rest of the class?

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Reply:
1. Good teaching approaches and positive classroom culture (with routines etc) to ensure that learning is enabled and conducive for all
2. Prevention is better than cure - work on prevention of possible triggers for disruption ( disruption means there is a mismatch of learning needs with curriculum / class expectations )
3. Use of TSR (teacher-student relationships), TTR (teacher-teacher relationships), PTR (parent-teacher relationships) and SPR (student peer relationships)
4. Build in a plan for the 'SOP' (standard operating procedure) when there is such a disruption or meltdown etc - if it is still happening despite above measures

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ICT work assigned. Dyslexia - cannot read instructions off SLS. Cannot type, spell, find recognise the letters on keyboard. Frustrated, submitted gibberish. Verbally strong. Break down the tasks further but time-consuming. Classmates helped but the student felt withdrawn because he felt less confident.

Getting the class used to the signs and signals used in class. Student is affected by noise. May make the situation worse. Class did not understand the student very well and verbalised their unhappiness. After explaining to the class by FT, students are more accommodating and understanding towards student.

1st goal - happy coming to school and able to adjust to us. Empower students.

Equip students with the right skills and able to lead a fulfilling life.

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What strategies can I adopt for a class with more than 4 SEN kids of differing needs?

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What strategies can I adopt for a class with more than 4 SEN kids of differing needs?

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I have tried to simplify the instructions on presentation slides, and even in SLS. Yet these cases still faces issue reading and comprehending the task, and completing the task despite given more time.
Reply: I can address this as an additional lecture to be ready before next session in April.

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Challenges in Applying APIE and EF effectively (2)

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Challenges in Applying APIE and EF effectively (2)

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1) Physical Setting/ Environment: Safety concerns not resolved to implement an inclusive education. (E.g. Some students cannot get near sharp objects/knives at all, hence this excludes them from certain modules like culinary kitchen work. More time and modifications are needed for such students for an inclusive learning environment.)
2. Time Constraint: Number of students that a teacher has to handle. A very short runway to know all students and provide them with the necessary. E.g. Music (2 cohorts, see students only once per week), teacher has time only to differentiate instructions and try out modifications that he is more familiar with/has more contact with. E.g getting students to play percussion instead of string instruments as the string instruments require more  psycho-motor coordination.
3. Peer Factors: Relative success in implementing the peer support/buddy system in the class as this allows students who needed more assistance to feel more comfortable in participating in class and also to ask for help. However, observations have been made that there is a tendency for some students to over-rely on their buddies.
4. Student Factors: Students with selective mutism, could not communicate their needs, hence posing a challenge in the feedback loop. ('A' and 'E" segments of the APIE)
5. Use of Instructional visual cues and physical props are sometimes good for a lesson package only. There is a need to either  come up with more ever-green props that could be used for a longer period of time; or more time and effort has to be spent on the creation of such props and cues. Of course, team effort would help alleviate such a challenge.
Reply: Do work as a team and not alone in such APIE planning. This will enable consistency and sustainability. This will require level planning in general and CMT planning for those with more severe needs.

P.S. For students who do not open up e.g. with selective mutism, do note the following:-

Students with selective mutism may:

need preferential classroom seating near the teacher or a friend

need to use nonverbal communication to answer questions (pointing, nodding their heads, using thumbs up or down, or facial expressions, etc.)

need to complete verbal assignments on a one-to-one basis with a teacher or use adaptive equipment (video or photo presentations created at home, for example)

need to take tests in a special, comfortable area outside the classroom

need small class sizes or small-group learning environment

Teachers can help students with selective mutism by:

developing warm, supportive relationships, even if the interactions are nonverbal

easing anxiety in the classroom by pairing them up with a buddy

using small-group instruction and activities

encouraging participation, independence, and assertiveness in all classroom activities without pressuring them to speak

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How do we ensure the effectiveness of 3-tier approach in our T&L consistently?

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How do we ensure the effectiveness of 3-tier approach in our T&L consistently?

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Example:
1. For PE we use 3-tier assessment tool for PE grades to help students with SEN who have psychomotor challenges.
2. We also have rubrics to assess students differently.

Reply: Some ideas for your consideration below on possible access arrangements and grading. Do refer to the Notes that was prepared on Summarised strategies to support LD for students in the Secondary school.

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How to wean off support and help students transit to tertiary institution? 

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How to wean off support and help students transit to tertiary institution? 

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Reply: Whatever plan for scaffolded support that we give our students, we must also plan for gradual removal when preparing our plan. We must also plan in how we may wish to ascertain / assess the readiness of our students for such a gradual removal. This can be part of your plan via the use of APIE.

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Challenges in Applying APIE and EF effectively to Student C

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Challenges in Applying APIE and EF effectively to Student C

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1) Physical Setting: Unable to retrieve full information/history of the student from guardian/parents for complicated family background. Lots of speculation and assumption. Information mainly received through observation.
2) Student Factors: Student unable to express him/herself accurately of what he/she have underwent or feelings.
3) Curriculum & Resources: Depends of family setting. If a family doesn't speaks English, its difficult for the student to do well in the subject.
4) Teachers Factor: Lack of information to work with the student.
5) Peer Factors: Due to speech impairment, peers found him weird. Eventhough we try to buddy him up, friends are just tolerating him.

Reply: 1. Source of information include the student himself/herself.  Expression can be via visual cues like drawing, informal interviews to both build rapport to understand the student and to get the student to build trust in the teacher(s). The student can be encouraged to express via EL or whatever language (even non-verbal - via actions) he or she is more comfortable with, during the data collection time of APIE. What are the strengths of the student?
2. For Peer - is there a celebration of differences in a class with positive classroom culture and the promotion of empathy in class (led by the teacher).
3. Teachers- wise, ensure the understanding for speech impairment and of the student :-e.g.
-Be patient when the student with speech impairments is speaking. -Be a role model to your other students about the importance of not interrupting and letting people finish their own sentences
-Ask questions in a way that lets the student give a brief answer, or consider substituting written work for oral presentations.
4. Additional support to enable student to better access curriculum - who, what and when to provide such support

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Is the intervention for LD too late to be done in Secondary School? Can students who were diagnosed late in Secondary School improve their LD?

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Is the intervention for LD too late to be done in Secondary School? Can students who were diagnosed late in Secondary School improve their LD?

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Reply: It is true that early intervention would be best for students with LD. However, it is still important to get a proper diagnosis as this will help to provide a more concise analysis of the issues faced by the students and in this way, more accurate interventions can be used to support the students. If the student is willing to work together, and with good consistent support from school and coupled with home support, improvement is definitely possible.

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Is there a possibility the conditions of LDs worsen as our students mature into their old age?

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Is there a possibility the conditions of LDs worsen as our students mature into their old age?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD-vZ9vbPaE

in this clip, would you say that the old lady was actually hard of hearing due to her age or would you say that this may be an actual example of an individual who suffered from an Auditory Processing Disorder?

Reply: With age, one's hearing capacity naturally would decline. Without knowing this old lady's background and other context, I would not be able to make any further comment on whether she has APD. For one with LD and with APD in particular, if the person is supported and has learnt to cope well with the relevant strategies and support, he or she may improve with age as coping skills are better then. But of course, with the physical condition like hearing capacity worsening due to age or or other health reasons, this may impede the person's ability to process auditory information. Hope this clarifies. Thank you.

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Pak Mat Tempeh Berlanggar Dengan Motokar | P Ramlee Seniman Bujang Lapok 1961

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IEC 4003 STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES