# data[].attributes.headline
Observe and assess all students in my Pre-K class at an International school in Thailand

# data[].attributes.subject
Observe and assess all students in my Pre-K class at an International school in Thailand

# data[].attributes.body
At the beginning of the school year, I will give an appropriate Pre-K assessment to all students and keep a closer eye on those who seem to already be struggling.

# data[].attributes.headline
Recognizing students with learning difficulties

# data[].attributes.subject
Recognizing students with learning difficulties

# data[].attributes.body
If the student is constantly interrupting, cannot focus or cannot sit down for a short amount of time, and unable to complete activities or assignments often, this will raise concerns for me as the teacher. This will cause me to ask: Is it a language acquisition problem or could it be a learning difference case...

The website above does a great job of identifying differences between learning acquisitions and a learning disability

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Page 2: Distinguishing Between Disability and Language Difference

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
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: language difference or disability. Teachers attempting to distinguish between a disability and a[.....]

# data[].attributes.headline
Identifying students with language needs

# data[].attributes.subject
Identifying students with language needs

# data[].attributes.body
If I believe it may just be a case of a student not understanding our lessons in English, I will ask their previous teachers if they noticed the same problems when they had the specific student in their classroom.

I will ask the Thai teachers if this student also struggles in Thai class or if they seem to be proficient in Thai language classes.

I will speak to their parents to see how much English they speak at home and if their parents notice their child does not understand English as well.

The website above explains how to identify students struggling with language needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Sharing Our Knowledge: Best Practices for Supporting English Language Learners in Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
16 – Distinguishing Between a Language Acquisition Problem and Learning Challenges in ELL Students – Sharing Our Knowledge: Best Practices for Supporting English Language Learners in Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rationale Working in the high school setting in a resource position, I often collaborate with teachers of students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) regarding…

# data[].attributes.body
If the Thai teacher says the student is proficient in Thai language classes then this will make me believe the student may have more of a special learning need.

If the student has high levels of difficulties in following directions in both Thai and English, this could mean they have a processing issue.

If this is the case, I will meet with my school admin team to talk about the student and request to setup a meeting with the parents.

I will keep a record of behavior and the student's bookwork results to let the parents know why I am concerned.

# data[].attributes.headline
How to help a student with a language need issue

# data[].attributes.subject
How to help a student with a language need issue

# data[].attributes.body
I will use more visual cues and flashcards as well as more movement cues to hopefully help associate their learning with the movements of their bodies.

I will give more one-on-one lessons when possible and try to ask the parents to bring their child to school earlier in the mornings once a week, to have more localized learning with student and teacher.

I will encourage the parents to speak English at home more whenever possible.

I will encourage the student to not give-up and keep trying even when they don't understand something in English.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tailoring Instruction to Support English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.body
As the teacher, I will learn how this student learns best and implement new teaching strategies based on that.

I will request for the student to have a one-on-one shadow or teaching assistant. There is nothing similar to IDEA at my school nor nothing like an IEP. The TA can help to give one-on-one attention to the student so they can hopefully better focus and learn the curriculum.

I will continue to record the student's improvements or deterioration when we have the one-on-one TA helping the student.

I will keep in constant communication with the parents about their child's wellbeing and learning in the classroom.

I will also encourage this child to not give up on themselves and to keep trying their best everyday.

I will also let the other teachers know about this student so they can be aware that this student may need extra help in their classroom as well.

If the learning difficulties still persist, I will ask the admin staff to kindly request for the family to seek professional help so the student can be helped as much as possible. This has to be handled very delicately as here in Thailand, it is not as progressive with accepting learning differences as it is in the USA.

I will continue to encourage my school to improve ways to help all current students and potential students with learning disabilities.