- Maintain eye contact when giving instructions.
If the child isn't looking at you, he is not really hearing you.
- Develop a signal that will be your special
code that you desire his attention. You will need it not only in the
classroom, but when you are out in public.
- Gently touch the shoulder or rub the back to
help them refocus. This works wonders in calming their nerves and
helping them to concentrate.
- Use color to catch attention. Colored chalk,
markers, highlighters, papers you don't want them to lose.)
- Organize their workspace. Clear off their work
areas of ALL distractions. (Yes, that pencil topper is a distraction as
well as 20 sheets of paper when they only need one.)
- Use positive reinforcement and behavior
modifications.
- Reduce lag time by always being prepared
before you begin the school day. If you have to hunt for something or do
something before proceeding into another subject, you've lost their
attention. You will have to regain that and that is not always easy. By
the way, just because they are looking at you and shaking their head in
agreement doesn't necessarily mean you have their attention.
- Allow them five seconds of wait time before
beginning to talk once you do have their attention.
- Organize their notebooks. Give assignment
sheets that they can mark off. Give them calendars of all upcoming
events so they can prepare for them. In our house, the rule is, "If
it isn't in writing, you didn't tell me."
- Write assignments down for the student. Don't
just tell them based off the same rule in item 9.
- Teach the child to write a daily "things
to do" list. If they are too young, have them to do a pictograph
"to do list."
- Set up ROUTINES. Do the same things at the
same time each day. Set up specific time slots for doing subjects Starting school today at 8 and tomorrow at 11 will
doom you to failure. (Trust me, I know from experience.) Have a bin for
turning in completed papers. Routines become things that are automatic
and do not need valuable concentration energy.
- Have a weekly reorganization time to clean
desk, work areas, and rooms.
- Teach consistent standards such as headings on
paper, dates, skip lines, begin numbering, etc. This works with rooms as
well. Drawer a is for socks, drawer b for
sleepwear, etc.
- Make sure all worksheets and tests are dark copies,
double or triple spaced, and easy to read. In other words, they don't
look cluttered. Also, limit your use of worksheets and written tests.
- Teach to all learning styles. One third of all
students are auditory and over 60% learn better with tactile-kinesthetic
approaches (hands-on learning in layman's language.) Traditional
teaching is primarily all visual.
- Use the computers as much as possible.
- Allow a choice of paper for math. Regular
paper, graph paper, or regular paper held sideways so problems can be
worked using the lines are all alternative choices.
- DO NOT give timed tests. It will not create
speed for this child. It will, however, create chaos and mental
meltdown.
- Highlight processing signs, color dot the ones
column to remind students where to begin, give only one page and one
assignment at a time.
- Don't teach sitting all the time or standing
in one spot. Move around and speak with passion. Catch their enthusiasm
by demonstrating some of your own.
- Let students stand, walk, and stretch often.
- Tell instructions once and always have the
child repeat back to you.
- PRAISE them often. They know they struggle at
times. They don't need to be told that, but a little praise will lighten
up their whole day.
- Don't be mastered by grades. If your child
doesn't correctly answer something, ask them again tomorrow. If they
missed an answer on a paper, asking them orally. If your child truly
doesn't know the answer, teach it again.
- Teach outlining and underlining to your
students. This is one of those coping skills they will use throughout
their whole lives.
- Wait 10-15 seconds when asking your child a
question. Yes, it does seem awfully long at times, but it sometimes
takes that much time for them to sort through all the stimuli to give
you an accurate answer.
- Ask questions like, "Do you know what you
just did?" to help the child think about their actions. If their
action was negative, model for them what is acceptable.
- Target only a couple of behaviors at a time to
work on. Anything more will be too overwhelming.
- Start the day with physical activities such as
PE, house cleaning, or yoga stretching.
- Teach test taking skills and memory devises.
They won't come naturally to your child.
- Tell children what you are going to say, say
it, tell them what you've just said, and then write it down for them.
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