Teaching kids with learning disabilities is a challenging task. It requires a lot of planning, innovation, and specialized tools to identify their issues and teach accordingly. Up to 10% of students globally are affected by learning disabilities, suffering from dyslexia, and autism. In such situations, tutors must be able to design a curriculum that suits the child’s needs. In this article, we discuss ways through which teaching disabled kids can become easier. Let’s discuss this.
Become a Friend
Kids with learning disabilities generally have a very low amount of confidence. They find it very difficult to accept any adverse criticism from their teachers. Tutoring these kids requires special attention and build a relationship with the student in a free learning environment. These kids may be slow learners, this will require teachers to further try and understand their areas of discomfort and redesign the teaching methods accordingly. The students’ attention span is minimal, so tutors will need to switch over to chapters that the students might find interesting without showing any frustration. Even if the syllabus is not completed, a tutor will still have to continue the classes to ensure the student will be able to pass their exam.
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Be Creative
Creativity is an essential part while tutoring students. For those with learning difficulties, it is even more important. Typical classroom setup where you explain everything on board and then give him/her notes to write doesn’t work here. You have to make learning innovative and interactive. Using slides, for example, can be a good way to teach, as the visuals help improve the students’ attention span. For those having a writer’s block, you can tell them to draw their ideas first. It will be a morale booster, and the students will be able to learn faster. If you are teaching someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), reading becomes an arduous process after some time. You need to use audio-books, to make things simpler for them. These unique techniques help students with learning disabilities to grip the subject better and improve their performance.
Encourage Collaborative Learning
Learning with friends improves the confidence levels of those having learning and attention disabilities. This is because, instead of an isolated environment, 3-4 people together can make the classes fun. Roleplay, for example, is a perfect way to understand the psychology of a student. Group tasks that encourage teamwork and the sense of collective responsibility help them grow mentally. As a tutor, you need to ensure that the classes are benefiting the students. Moreover, discussions between kids of the same age group make the class very interesting. Teachers can get some perspectives from their side as well.
Avoid Distractions
Distractions are a big turn off for kids with learning disabilities. With the level of concentration they own, with a major distraction, it would be difficult for tutors to be able to get the subject across to the students. As a home tutor in India, you need to avoid speaking on the phone, chit-chatting with friends through social media and other disruptive activities that create an additional problem for the child.
People with learning disabilities need to be taught in a calm environment and arrangements must be made so that outside noises like vehicle honking, public speaking, etc. are done away with. This will help improve the attention level and improve the class’s productivity in a shorter period. MyFavTutor has some fantastic tutors who are specialized in teaching kids with these problems. If you are a parent reading this, go ahead and get an experienced tutor from the portal.
Simplify the Course
Students with learning disabilities cannot comprehend lengthy instructions and often miss out on important points. So as a tutor, you need to break the instructions into small sets, making it simpler. Using bold wordings, markings and smart visuals, a teacher can make the content clearer, concise, and to the point. Attracting the attention of students will be easier and hence, solving questions accordingly becomes comparatively less stressful.
Ideally, every student who has problems in understanding the course material should be given a customized one. Introducing time breaks can also be very useful in segmenting the courses (like 20 minutes for chapter 1) and make the kid more comfortable. With simple time-bound instructions, dealing with the student becomes much more manageable.
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