"Do we say learning difference or learning disability?" one of my 4th Grade students asked, in the midst of a simulation about learning and attention issues, courtesy of the amazing Understood.org. I said something along the lines of, "You'd need to ask the person - it all depends on their perspective," and left it at that. But the question stuck with me. It does matter which term we choose, because it frames our own perspective about the children we are teaching. It also matters how a student feels about the way that they learn; brain research and the work by Carol Dweck and Jo Boaler show clear links between mindset and achievement. Curiosity and joy arise from authentic confidence and, in my classroom, I have the power and the responsibility to create the classroom environment that frames every child's mindset positively.
This year, 50% of my students were classified as requiring learning support, for Dyslexia, ADHD, Anxiety, and Language Processing Disorders. While there are some structural and systemic questions to be answered about why so many, every student matters, so how should we ensure that 'atypical' students access the educational experience they deserve? What makes learning valued, visible, and accessible when a student doesn't play by the expected rules of engagement? What comes next is not a list of what actually happened all year, although I wish it was. It is a list of what should have happened. And it is a manifesto for an inclusive, growth mindset, classroom environment.
This year, 50% of my students were classified as requiring learning support, for Dyslexia, ADHD, Anxiety, and Language Processing Disorders. While there are some structural and systemic questions to be answered about why so many, every student matters, so how should we ensure that 'atypical' students access the educational experience they deserve? What makes learning valued, visible, and accessible when a student doesn't play by the expected rules of engagement? What comes next is not a list of what actually happened all year, although I wish it was. It is a list of what should have happened. And it is a manifesto for an inclusive, growth mindset, classroom environment.
1. Demystify the Learning Process |
2. Make Thinking Visible |
3. Make Clear What Students Need To Do To Be Successful |
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4. Incentivize Goal Behaviors |
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5. Add in some targeted small group instruction.
While I prefer a universal classroom design approach, sometimes it helps to group students who face similar issues, especially if they develop their own support network as a result. |
6. Offer Universal Scaffolds 7. Find Authentic Opportunities to Flip The Perspective. |
“Tell me and I forget. |