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Doesn’t raise hand or contribute to class discussions

Appears zoned out or distracted during lessons

Rarely asks questions or seeks clarification

Consistently scores below average on quizzes and exams

Shows little improvement despite studying or reteaching

Gets tripped up by same concepts/skills on multiple assessments

Regularly turns in incomplete class assignments or homework

Work is rushed or sloppy, with lots of errors

Relies heavily on peers or teacher to get work done

Appears frustrated, stressed or overwhelmed in class

Lacks energy and motivation for schoolwork

Becomes withdrawn from peers or class activities

They interrupt other students and teachers in class

Student often daydreams and is inattentive in the classroom

They are generally disruptive in the classroom and in other academic settings

Student refuses to push through tough subject matter. Often uses phrases like; 'My stomach is aching', 'I need to go to the toilet' (can stay in the toilet almost the whole lesson), 'I need to see the nurse', 'This is too hard', 'This is too boring', 'I am tired'

They consistently try to monopolize classroom discussions

Student gives inappropriate responses when asked a question

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2. Identify a Struggling Multilingual Student

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2. Identify a Struggling Multilingual Student

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Lack of English vocabulary

They struggle to express themselves

They are usually quiet

They avoid social interactions with peers and teachers

They usually communicate using the language they know

They tend to enjoy their own company

They are easily frustrated because they find it challenging to communicate with their peers and teachers

They lack confidence

They hardly participate in class

They fear to contribute during class discussions or small groups because they are embarrassed and anxious

Their pronunciation of words is different

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3 Hidden Struggles Newcomer ELLs Face (and How You Can Help Right Away)

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3. Identify a Student with a Learning Disability

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3. Identify a Student with a Learning Disability

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Pronunciation problems

Difficulty learning new facts or skills

Difficulty linking letter combinations with sounds

Consistently mixing up letters and words when reading or writing (using "b" for "d" or "tack" for "cat," for example)

Short attention span

Difficulty following directions

Poor grasp of a pen or pencil

Poor physical coordination, prone to bumping into things and falling down

Problems with school performance from week to week or day to day

Speaking like a younger child; using short, simple phrases; or leaving out words in sentences

Having a hard time listening

Problems dealing with changes in schedule or situations

Problems understanding words or concepts

Trouble telling time

Problems staying organized

Poor memory

Trouble following direction

They will struggle to follow the school routine

They have difficulties with handwriting, recognizing words and letters

These signs alone are not enough to determine that a student has a learning disability. Only a professional can diagnose a learning disability.

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How Do You Know If You Have a Learning Disability?

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How do you know if you have a learning disability? Discover the signs, struggles, and issues of this condition. Seek professional assessment for intervention and support.

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4. Learning Interventions for a Struggling Multilingual Student

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4. Learning Interventions for a Struggling Multilingual Student

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Introduce and reinforce key skills in child's home language

Start the student from the basics of English Language- ten minutes a day will make a big difference

Make use of the Learning Support Department in the school if it is available so that the child makes steady progress

Keep on assessing the child's progress informally and formally to monitor the student's progress

Design play-based projects that focus on language interactions.

Use scaffolds during book reading

Help students to develop vocabulary by previewing and teaching academic vocabulary as well as unfamiliar vocabulary

Engage in conversations so that they can build on oral language and proficiency

Encourage team work so that as they work in small groups, the spotlight won't be on them and slowly as they develop more vocabulary, they will gain confidence in sharing their ideas

When reading, ask questions that check comprehension

Build on background knowledge

Collaborate with the parents so that they can learn how to support and encourage their child

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6 Strategies to Help ELLs Succeed in Peer Learning and Collaboration

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Peer learning can be a powerful tool in the classroom, particularly for English language learners (ELLs). Encouraging peer interaction and collaboration not only provides opportunities for language use and practice — it builds community in the classroom! ELLs also benefit from observing how their peers learn and solve problems.However, most students, especially ELLs, will need guidance and lots of practice with group work. This article offers some ideas you can use to get started.Reflection Questions: What benefits have you seen from peer learning with students?How are some important considerations when planning peer activities for ELLs?1. Give students lots of practiceRelated researchLearn more about peer learning in Dr. Diane August’s article “Educating English Language Learners” in American Educator.Whenever you introduce new strategies that involve pair or group work, assign ELLs’ roles carefully. Use modeling, clear directions, and comprehension checks to ensure students understand:how the activity workstheir role in group workthe objective of the activityany key vocabulary or phrases they should be using.Here are additional other tips on group work for ELLs that Judie Haynes and Debbie Zacarian share in their book Teaching English Language Learners Across the Content Areas:Assign students group roles that match their language ability (37).Promote students to new roles as their language skills improve (42).Make sure that all students understand that they will be working in diverse groups and that everyone’s contributions are important (41).Keep an eye on the balance of student participation; if some students are speaking more than others, ask them to think of some ways to even participation out (42).Ask students to reflect on their group work after they have finished an activity. Haynes and Zacarian include a chart in their book with some guiding statements for student reflection (48).Increasing ELLs’ comfort with group workGive students lots of opportunities to express themselves and practice discussion in smalls group and the larger group. Small groups may be especially beneficial for ELLs.Keep in mind that some ELLs may be apprehensive about speaking out in a group and afraid to make mistakes in front of their peers.In addition, keep in mind that ELLs may be trying to use English with their English-speaking peers but their peers may not be engaging with them. This was a common occurence that Dr. Diane August noticed in her research into ELLs’ peer learning.Stay positive and patient with your ELLs, and remind other students to do the same.If needed, use some activities to build empathy and respect for ELLs, such as talking about the benefits of being bilingual, asking students to teach their peers a few words in their language, or asking a bilingual teacher to teach a lesson in another language to the class for a few minutes.If you decide to assign each student in a team a role (such as reporter, recorder, time keeper, and materials manager), you might want to rotate roles each week or by activity. This prevents what typically happens if students select their own roles — the same students wind up performing the same tasks. By rotating, students develop the skills they most need to practice.Using group work early and oftenLearn more about cooperative learning strategies and Total Physical Response activities to use with ELLs.Use group work through hands-on activities, project-based learning, and lesson plans across the curriculum all year round.Consider ways to make group work more successful in virtual settings or hybrid settings, such as trying the station rotation model or pairing in-person students with students learning remotely for group work.Look for ways to increase students’ opportunities for speaking in online environments.Video: A success story from virtual learningELL teacher Omar Salem shares an unexpected success story of peer collaboration from a group of his students on an asynchronous learning day. 2. Encourage use of students’ home languagesUsing students’ home languages in the classroom can:help build comprehensiondeepen understandingbuild confidencegive students the chance to express themselves.Some activities that may be appropriate for using home language include:brainstorming background knowledge about a topicdiscussing a particularly rich topic first with peers.Educators can set parameters, such as time limits, and put scaffolds in place for reporting out in English. Allowing students to work in their native languageTeachers often worry that students will be off-task if they are working in their native language. In my experience, students are more focused because they can engage naturally with the content and delve deeper into the activity together. I set parameters and put scaffolds in place for reporting out in English. When students are “off-task” or misbehaving a teacher can tell more from body language and noise level than actual words.— Kristina Robertson, EL Administrator, Roseville, MN3. Be intentional with your grouping Be mindful of how you group students. Give ELLs opportunities to work both with peers who speak their language as well as native English speakers.Consider situations when using the home language might be beneficial, as noted above. On the other hand, there will be times when you want students to have more direct time to practice their English skills. If students are practicing some new vocabulary words or specific language structures, putting students in mixed groups might make more sense.Look for partners who will be patient and supportive of ELLs when pairing them with native English speakers.Video: How I group ELLs for peer learningHigh school ELL teacher Michelle Lawrence Biggar describes the way she uses peer learning groups with her ELLs. 4. Look for ways to increase oral academic languageAsk students to show work and explain their processes to others in order to practice academic language.Use sentence frames that students can practice with lighter topics related to their daily routines, likes and dislikes, etc. Continue using these on a regular basis, including them as part of academic conversations. If the time comes that you need to address a difficult topic or event, your students will have a familiar activity to use.Try structuring student conversations with tips such as these from Tan Huynh’s Empowering ELLs blog or Valentina Gonzalez’s description of the QSSSA method (Question-Signal-Stem-Share-Assess).Keep in mind Kristina Robertson’s helpful formula: When introducing new language, use old content. When introducing new content, use old language.See more ideas in the following resources:Video Series: Engaging ELLs in Academic ConversationsUsing Pair and Group Work to Develop ELLs’ Oral Language SkillsSocratic Circles and the Common Core: Activity Ideas for ELLs (Part III)Video: Writing a cooperative paragraphAlbuquerque teacher Ali Nava walks her students through a cooperative paragraph summarizing the beginning, middle, and end the children’s book Burro’s Tortillas and uses the exercise as an opportunity to practice their writing skills. 5. Remember the ‘silent period’It is very common for students who are learning a new language to be ‘silent’ for a period of time, when they are listening to the language around them without speaking yet. This is considered the first stage of language acquisition. Be patient, and give the student opportunities for small successes in speaking with you and individual peers before speaking in front of larger groups.6. Don’t forget cultureCulture can play a big role in how students collaborate and interact with peers. For example, students who come from a more “collectivist” culture (one that is oriented more towards the group than the individual) maybe be particularly successful in group work. They may be used to working cooperatively on assigned tasks — so much so that they may need to learn what your expectations are for independent work. Use this to your advantage with group work and projects, and share guidance on when independent work is appropriate and expected.In addition, keep in mind that students may have specific cultural norms around interacting with peers, and ELLs who have the same racial background, speak the same language, or hail from the same country may not have all that much in common. In some cases, they may actually come from groups with histories of conflict. Consult with family liaisons if you have questions about what is appropriate in your classroom.Collective vs. individual orientationA teacher struggled over whether to use a student star chart to show mastery of multiplication tables because she didn’t want any student to feel excluded. When she asked the class for their input, the students, who were mostly Latino, decided that it would be a great accomplishment for the whole chart to be filled in with stars. This would mean that everyone in the class had learned their times tables.The students took the challenge upon themselves and created a buddy system to tutor classmates who were struggling. The results were so successful that the students learned even more sets of multiplication tables than the teacher had originally planned.This vignette is included in Managing Diverse Classrooms: How to Build on Students’ Cultural Strengths by Dr. Carrie Rothstein-Fisch and Dr. Elise Trumbull.Closing ThoughtsLike anything new, peer learning takes trial and error. However, once you figure out what works for your students, the benefits to your ELLs (and their peers) will be well worth it. You may even find some ideas that your colleagues can use!So grab a graphic organizer or sentence frame — and pretty soon you will be on your way to making peer learning an integral part of your work with English language learners.Video: Building a cereal dispenser with ELLs4th-grade teacher Michelle Iadevaia tells the story of her students’ efforts to build a cereal dispenser through the Rube Goldberg project.

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5. Learning Interventions for a Student with a Learning Disability

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5. Learning Interventions for a Student with a Learning Disability

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Break down lessons into small chunks that build upon one another. Each block should reference material from previous ones to connect concepts and utilize repetition

Organize information visually. For instance, after reading a chapter in a book, ask the student to draw a picture representing what they read

Incorporate all the five senses in order to improve comprehension and retention

Create an inclusive learning environment so that the students can feel welcome and appreciated

Know your students. Figure out where their strengths lie and which areas they find challenging. Positively reinforce their strong points and be more intentional when teaching difficult topics

Have an intentional classroom seating. It provides students with their own space, so they don’t feel uncomfortable. It also keeps their attention directed forward

Consistently add diversity to your lesson plan to keep students interested and engaged

As you practice these interventions, collaborate with the Head of Department and Learning Support Unit and parents in order to voice your observations and conduct various assessments to identify and support the student

Systematic assessment and documentation that the interventions used were implemented with fidelity

Allow student to provide oral responses rather than written ones

Use sequential, simultaneous structured multi-sensory approach

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Are you a parent or teacher with students who have learning differences? Children with ADHD, reading disabilities, dyslexia and other disorders can experience more struggle than their peers. They may have difficulty performing tasks, focusing on lessons, remembering concepts and adapting to changing routines.

Fortunately, you can help students who are struggling. Here's how to support a child with learning difficulties in school.

1. Use Chunking Technique

According to Harvard psychologist George Miller, people can only handle between five and nine pieces of information at a time. Chunking, however, is a learning technique that allows you to take advantage of long-term memory and handle more concepts.

Teachers can aid students in the learning process by breaking down lessons into small chunks that build upon one another. Each block should reference material from previous ones to connect concepts and utilize repetition.

For example, if students must read a long chapter for the night's homework, you can divide it into manageable sections, and end each with a task where the student summarizes what they read. After reading the entire chapter, have them reread each summary.

VIDEO: A Teaching Technique for Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities

2. Organize Information Visually

Many students with learning difficulties process information visually. Teachers and parents can use those skills with comprehending lessons. For instance, after reading a chapter in a book, ask the student to draw a picture representing what they read.

You can also take advantage of visual organizers to help students process their thoughts. When the class reads a novel, have them chart out a cause-and-effect organizer. The effect is the big event in the story, the climax where everything comes to resolution. The causes are what led to that event and made it happen. ( Cause and Effect Chart: https://prnt.sc/stutol).

3. Appeal to Multiple Senses

To improve comprehension and retention when studying, incorporate multiple senses.

For children who are visual learners, you can try:

Hanging up pictures and setting up models

Highlighting information in different colors

Asking students to create lesson-based art

For those who prefer audio-based lessons, you can:

Listen to books on tape or read aloud

Watch a video with accompanying audio

Utilize rhymes, chants and language games

Some kids are kinesthetic learners, those who learn through:

Lessons with finger paints, puzzles or sand

Modeling objects or designs in clay

Using small objects to represent numbers

Tactile teaching involves the sense of touch, such as:

Pairing counting with clapping or other movements

Using a highlighter to color-code passages while reading

Manipulating materials, like blocks, to visualize a scene

4. Personalize Online Tutoring

Outside of the classroom, online tutoring can mimic in-person sessions and help students solidify their understanding of certain concepts. Before the meeting occurs, students can upload materials, including previous quizzes, tests, and homework. The tutor can then review them and bring along any additional items that may prove helpful.

With personalized tutoring, students can ask questions and receive feedback that meets their specific needs. Online professionals are well-versed in adapting their strategies to students with learning disabilities. Despite sessions taking place on the computer, kids can still use text chat, write on a virtual whiteboard, share their screen and record lessons to review later.

5. Incorporate Mnemonics

Mnemonics are techniques that help students understand and organize the information they read through visual and audio cues. They typically rely on the use of keywords, rhymes and acronyms. For example, most of us learned about the Great Lakes in school with the mnemonic device HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Eerie, Superior.

Don't use an acronym for all concepts. Instead, pick out keywords you can relate to visuals. For example, the scientific name for the common frog is Ranidae. The keyword you pick out might be "rain." To help students remember the name, you can show a picture of frogs hopping in the rain.

Cater to Every Student in the Classroom

If you want to learn how to help students with learning disabilities, follow the strategies above. By adjusting how you present topics and provide information you can ease their anxiety and encourage their quest for lifelong learning.

About the Author: Alyssa Abel is an experiential education writer who covers a variety of topics from learning styles to emerging methodologies. Read more of her work on her blog, Syllabusy.

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Strategies For Teaching Children With Learning Disabilities

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Learn the strategies and how to help a child with learning difficulties in school. Use these tips to encourage their quest for lifelong learning.

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https://ws.edu/student-services/disability/teaching/learning/index.aspx

https://www.ldatschool.ca/tiered-approaches-to-the-education-of-students-with-learning-disabilities/

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https://brookespublishing.com/resources/newsletters/early-childhood-newsletter/10-tips-for-teaching-young-dual-language-learners-effectively/?

srsltid=AfmBOorveL2sCg5jpHZah4k4iX0IHwUZYvnyTTElneGlAlrmCtmSZu18

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srsltid=AfmBOor7byGWgab3fyF1VDh8trhOaqfny2LiCghMsKOkWwGawrmHW7d2

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpRlByWubDA

https://medium.com/@joinquickcampus/observing-students-to-identify-struggling-learners-724cac5e0817

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYefuSxFM1A

https://www.babycenter.com/child/learning-and-education/early-warning-signs-of-a-learning-disability-grades-1-to-3_67978

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5 Tips to support your child with learning difficulties.