Wow, now that I've done those LD simulations I can understand why student's with learning disabilities become so frustrated. I can also understand why so many of them resist even just attempting to do their academic work. I must admit that I stopped short of completing a couple of the exercises. It's like you don't want to put forth all of that energy and effort to try to understand and complete something that you know will probably not be correct in the end anyway. I can certainly see how it would be easy to give up. It must be so exhausting trying to complete classwork.
I found a couple of the exercises to be especially frustrating. The Auditory Activity under the Attention section was difficult. All of the background noise was such a distraction and it got so bad that I could not even hear what the teacher was saying. I ended up only getting about half (or less than half) of it completed and correct. Another activity activity that was difficult for me was the Reading: Memory and Recall. I was so focused on reading each line quickly before it disappeared that I wasn't even really comprehending what I was reading. I can honestly say that this is something I actually struggled with when I was in school. Reading and comprehension is the basis of learning in school so if this is a student's area of disability school all around must be such a huge challenge. The other activity that I struggled with was the Math Sequencing activity. There were so many steps to each problem and I had trouble following along and doing each step.
After doing these simulation activities, I realize what kind of evironment I need to have in my classroom. I know that classrooms can get a little chaotic and off schedule at times, but a structured, routine environment is very important. When a student is acting out, teachers must realize that it may not just be a behavioral problem but that the root of the problem may be a learning disability. Teachers really need to show support and patience to students with learning disabilities as they are experiencing much frustration with their school work. This activity certainly has provided me with a new aspect on learning disabilities.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I totally agree Katie! I got so frustrated with some of the simulations that I actually threw the towel in myself. I think that we as teachers need to have a little more compassion for some of these students. They legitatmately have problems paying attention or comprehending the task at hand. I think all to often we lose track of what these students are actually going through and look at them as just another typical child.
ReplyDeleteWe just need to remember to take a step back and when a child is having problems,lend them the habd they are asking for.
I think it's really important to evaluate a student's behavior and take into consideration that it may be more than just "acting up" and that it could be the result of a learning disability. I agree, these simulations really make you take into consideration the frustration children with learning disabilities face. It makes you want to think of any way possible to prevent them from getting to the point where they want to give up academically.
ReplyDeleteit seems like you had a really common experience here while completing these activities. I liked your comment, "It's like you don't want to put forth all of that energy and effort to try to understand and complete something that you know will probably not be correct in the end anyway." How often do you think this happens? What can we do as teachers to support students who may feel this way?? Nice work!
ReplyDelete