Supporting Students with Intellectual Disabilities in the Classroom
Strategies for Conceptual Difficulties in Classroom
The following suggestions are recommended for students with conceptual difficulties in the classroom:
- New teaching should be presented in as concrete a format as possible. Real-world examples and materials will prove helpful.
- When introducing a new concept, relate it to what has been previously taught, and highlight relationships, similarities, and patterns.
- To teach abstract concepts, present many examples, exaggerate the relevant characteristics, vary the types of examples used, and use real-life examples when possible.
- Your client may likely benefit from having oral information supported by visual and concrete material (e.g., manipulatives, models, and/or handouts with keywords or information highlighted).
- Help your client to learn daily routines by working with him/her to create organizational cards for each subject area or daily activity.
- These would serve as checklists or visual reminders (they could involve drawings or photographs) to help them get successfully through their day.
- Teach classroom social expectations clearly. All expectations should be expressed in simple, observable, and demonstrable terms. Posters or pictures could also help to make expectations clear.
- Be sure to provide encouragement and positive reinforcement frequently. Also, encourage your client to reward himself/herself using self-talk such as, “I did a good job,” and “I’m happy with myself.”
- If your client tends to have a short attention span, have him/her work for brief periods, followed by short breaks when they can engage in more motivating activities. Encourage him/her to build up the length of time they are able to work before earning the break as a reward.
- Your client may need directions or information reworded in a variety of ways to ensure understanding.
- They will need a longer time to absorb and synthesize verbal information and concepts.
- Your client may will learn best when ideas and concepts are tied into concrete personal experience.
- When teaching new concepts or skills, begin with concrete examples before moving to abstract concepts.
- Provide short assignments so that concentration is not taxed, and feedback can be given often and regularly. Provide feedback regarding the students’ efforts on a regular and consistent basis.
- Make program adjustments in keeping with the students’ skill and ability level in the core areas.
Suggestions for Math
■ Use concrete manipulatives for math, and when completing match calculations on paper, have your client draw shapes or check off lines as they do each item. Concrete materials are likely to improve overall performance in math, as they give students a hands-on or visual model with which to work and better understand the underlying concepts. An abacus may prove to be helpful adjunct to teaching and learning math.
■ Manipulatives also involve tactile and visual senses that help to improve memory and learning. These types of materials should be used whenever possible. At the very least, pictures and visual images should be used.
■ When using paper, have your client draw shapes (e.g., circles or stars) on the page to represent each number that they are using. They can also cross off each one as he/she counts them.
■ Break an arithmetic operation into steps, and use cue cards with symbols or words representing subsequent steps in solving the problem (e.g., first step, second step, etc.). This will then provide a guide for students to follow when doing math calculations or solving word problems.
■ The use of a calculator is suggested for students to be able to check their answers for accuracy. In addition, if their ability to remember basic facts is extremely compromised, the calculator would allow them to perform arithmetic functions without taxing their recall.
■ Encourage students to verbalize arithmetic operations while performing them.
■ Have students verbalize successive steps in mathematical operations prior to doing them. This verbalization should be done quite softly so as not to disturb other students, but should be done first so that they are clear on exactly what they will be doing.
■ Your client would likely benefit from memorization of basic math facts (including addition and multiplication tables). A good way to learn this is through the use of a multiplication grid or addition matrix. Your client could have these on their desk for quick reference when doing math calculations.
■ In addition, they could use a highlighter to colour in the basic facts that he/she has memorized and can recall quickly. This would help them to see what they have actually learned, while helping him/her and the teacher to set clear goals for what to work on next. They will likely require more frequent rote practice than others in order to commit basic fact to memory.
■ In addition, it will be important for your client to have error-free learning so that he/she learns the basic facts properly from the start.
■ They can practice basic facts with a peer or with an older student who could correct him/her as soon as they make an error. This form of practice could easily be turned into a game by keeping track of the number of times that they get the right answer, with your client earning one point for every correct response, and their partner earning one point for every incorrect response.
■ This would help to challenge them while maintaining a positive focus. If this approach is used, it will be important to have them start with facts that they know well, while adding in a small group of new facts that they are in the processing of memorizing. This approach will also help your client to see their own growth over time, which will help to build their self-confidence and self-esteem.