Akanksha curriculum - centre

Basic Curriculum for Akanksha

Centre

By Taneeya Rele

What is the need for an improved curriculum?

• 80% of students with a learning disability have trouble reading.

• 90% percent will read normally if they receive help by the first grade.

• 75% percent of children who receive help after the age of nine will have some difficulty throughout life

• In India, around 13 to 14% of all school children suffer from learning disorders.

• The sooner we can help such children, the better. Addressing this early on can help such students with special needs cope better with their studies.

Identifying Children with Special Needs.

Primary School • Speaks later than most children• Trouble learning numbers,

alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes

• Extremely restless and easily distracted - cannot focus in class

• Difficulty following directions or routines

• Cannot understand topics inspite of multiple explanations

• Unwilling to study and tries to avoid class

Grades 1-4

• Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds.

• Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d), inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home) after repeated teaching of such English words and letters

• Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)

• Difficulty in simple addition or subtraction

• Slow to remember facts

• Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization

• Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

Grades 5-8

• Reverses letter sequences (left/felt) • Avoids reading aloud• Trouble with word problems• Avoids writing assignments• Slow or poor recall of facts• Trouble understanding body language and

facial expressions

Grades 9-12 Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word

differently in a single piece of writing Avoids reading and writing tasks Trouble summarizing Trouble with open-ended questions on tests Weak memory skills Difficulty adjusting to new settings Works slowly Poor grasp of abstract concepts Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much Misreads information

RECOMMENED SOLUTONS

GENERAL SOLUTIONS TO TEACHERS: If possible, it would be beneficial for students with

learning disabilities to be taught in a separate classroom to ensure that they neither hold back those students who grasp concepts faster, nor do they get held back by the fast-pace of the classroom

It is also essential that different methods are employed in teaching the same curriculum to kids with learning disabilities - This could be by way of stories, art, pictures, acting etc.

STEP 1: GET STUDENTS ATTENTION • Show a picture, tell a little story, or read a related poem to

generate discussion and interest in the upcoming lesson.

• Vary your tone of voice: loud, soft, whispering. Try making a louder command "Listen!" followed by a few seconds of silence before proceeding in a normal voice to give directions.

• Use visual signals: flash the lights or raise your hand which signals the students to raise their hands and close their mouths until everyone is silent.

• Make sure the class is properly seated before beginning to teach, then clearly signal that the class is about to begin.

• Color is very effective in getting attention. Make use of colored pens on white boards or coloured chalk on black boards.

• Make eye contact. Students should be facing you when you are speaking, especially while instructions are being given. If students are seated in clusters make sure all students are facing you before giving any directions.

STEP 2:ENSURING STUDENT'S FOCUS

Maintain your visibility and project your voice and make sure you can be heard clearly by all students. Position all students so that they can see the board.

Incorporate demonstrations and hands-on presentations into your teaching whenever possible. Use visuals. Write key words or pictures on the board. Use pictures, diagrams, gestures as much as possible.

Make sure that more mischievous students are seated separately while instructions are being given and new concepts are being taught to minimize distractions

Decrease the amount of time you are doing the talking. Question students after a concept is taught to ensure that students have understood.

Do not make very frequent use of group or unison responses. Students with learning disabilities often get distracted in groups and fail to understand concepts.

Provide concrete instructions. Students with learning disabilities can often be confused by vague directions.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS FOR ENGLISH

• Teach the ABCs or other grammar rules through song to ensure students remember (this method has been especially effective in the first std. in the Abhudaya Nagar School)

• Read fairy tales like Cindrella, Red Riding Hood to maximise interest in learning the language

• Read each page slowly and carefully explaining grammar rules encountered. Repeat each sentence twice if necessary.

• Write down tough words on the board and explain them – use the keyword approach.• Allow children to write with coloured pens/pencils to increase interest in work• Allow five-minute breaks every 45 minutes to maximize focus while the subject is being

taught.• Encourage children to engage in role-plays in class. Give them time to learn small

english pieces by heart. However, ensure that they completely understand the piece rather than just memorizing it. This improves understanding of the english language as well as pronunciation and conversational skills

• Encourage students to speak in English instead of Hindi in classrooms (Although teachers have been implementing this, it is not being done effectively. Children still often speak in Hindi or broken English. This needs to be implemented more strictly to be effective.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS FOR MATH

• After teaching a concept, solve some sums on the board of varying difficulty to ensure students understand the process of solving a sum

• Allocate 5-10 minutes of each class to revise previously taught concepts

• Assign limited number of sums in class, so that no work is left to complete at home. Students may not have the opportunity to complete work at home

• Play math games once a week to increase understanding and interest in math

• (several ideas for games are found on the following website : http://www.multiplication.com/teach/classroom-games )

• Assign study partners if possible.

UNDERSTAND