Explicit instruction is an evidence-based practice for teaching students with learning disabilities (LDs). This means that a vast amount of research, conducted over many decades, support the use of this practice with students with LDs.
Project Based Learning (PBL) is “a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge” (Buck Institute for Education, n.d.). PBL brings authenticity to the classroom in that the problem is easily connected to the world outside of the classroom, and students are challenged to collaborate, communicate and think critically as they approach the problem.
The right technological tools can make a significant difference to students who struggle with word recognition as well as reading comprehension.
A sense of belonging and school connectedness is central to promoting well-being for students with learning disabilities (LDs). Educators play an important role in creating and advocating for a safe and supportive school environment.
“Activated Learning” (AL), also called the “EFs2theRescue Pedagogy” in Guare and Dawson’s 3rd edition of Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, is an adaptive executive function (EF) intervention that aims to facilitate high-impact teaching and learning that is necessary for some and good for all in typical classrooms. AL is a self-regulated learning pedagogy that, among other benefits, allows teachers to support students with learning disabilities (LDs) as part of their everyday teaching. It was developed in 2014 by a special education teacher (the author) and has been championed by hundreds of educators in several school boards in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
Independent reading provides students with an opportunity to practice the decoding and comprehension strategies and skills learned during class time on self-selected materials. Not only does independent reading provide additional practice time for students, but it also fosters independence (Johnson & Keire, 2010). TeachHub (n.d.) cites independent reading as the opportunity for students to “dive [...]
The team has made the decision; an IEP will be developed to further support the student. The process begins and sometimes those collaborating in the development of the IEP can end up feeling quite overwhelmed. The timelines, the decisions that need to be made, familiarity with the software and the conscientious desire to develop a [...]
This article is an excerpt from the LD@school learning module Supporting the Well-Being and Mental Health of Students with Learning Disabilities. Click here to access this module. Everyone experiences stress from time to time. It is a natural reaction to certain events in our lives, such as demands at work or at school, uncertainty around [...]
One of the main reading difficulties people with LDs have is in decoding printed words. People without LDs often use a phonics approach to sound out unfamiliar words but that does not work as well for many people with LDs who have difficulty in phonological processing – that is, in hearing the different sounds in words. They may also have difficulty associating sounds with letters (Lyon, 1995). This, in turn, interferes not only with the ability to sound out unfamiliar words but it also strongly affects spelling – for how could someone spell a word accurately when they do not hear all of the sounds in the word?
Social competence requires more than just social skills; it is a complex and interconnected set of skills that enables us to navigate social interactions and initiate and maintain relationships with others.
