Your child’s teachers may use a variety of teaching strategies in their classrooms. But do these strategies help kids who learn and think differently? Show
There’s no one way for teachers to deliver instruction to their students. However, some strategies are backed by research and are more effective than others. These approaches and techniques can benefit all students. But they’re especially helpful to kids who learn and think differently. They can make a big difference in how well struggling students take in and work with information. (Some may even be used as formal accommodations in and .) You may have heard of one or more of these strategies from your child’s classroom or special education teachers. If not, you can ask the teachers whether they use the strategies and how you might adapt them to use at home. Here are six common teaching strategies. Learn more about what they are and how they can help kids who learn and think differently. 1. Wait time
“Wait time” (or “think time”) is a three- to seven-second pause after a teacher says something or asks a question. Instead of calling on the first students who raise their hand, the teacher will stop and wait. This strategy can help with the following issues:
2. Multisensory instructionMultisensory instruction is a way of teaching that engages more than one sense at a time. A teacher might help kids learn information using touch, movement, sight and hearing. This way of teaching can help with these issues:
3. ModelingMost kids don’t learn simply by being told what to do. Teachers use a strategy called “I Do, We Do, You Do” to model a skill. The teacher will show how to do something (“I do”), such as how to do a math problem. Next, the teacher will invite kids to do a problem with the teacher (“we do”). Then, kids will try a math problem on their own (“you do”). This strategy can help with these issues:
4. Graphic organizersGraphic organizers are visual tools. They show information or the connection between ideas. They also help kids organize what they’ve learned or what they have to do. Teachers use these tools to “scaffold,” or provide support around, the learning process for struggling learners. (It’s the same idea as when workers put up scaffolding to help construct a building.) There are many different kinds of graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams and flow charts. They can be especially helpful with these issues:
5. One-on-one and small group instructionOne strategy that teachers use is to vary the size of the group they teach to. Some lessons are taught to the whole class. Others are better for a small group of students or one student. Learning in a small group or one-on-one can be very helpful to kids with learning and thinking differences. Some kids are placed in small groups because of their IEPs or an intervention. But that’s not always the case. Teachers often meet with small groups or one student as a way to differentiate instruction. This means that they tailor the lesson to the needs of the student. This strategy helps with:
6. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategiesUDL is a type of teaching that gives all students flexible ways to learn and succeed. UDL strategies allow kids to access materials, engage with them and show what they know in different ways. There are many examples of how these strategies help kids who learn and think differently.
Key takeaways
Related topicsWhich type of oral reading should be avoided in the classroom?It's important to develop students' oral-reading skills. But research shows that round-robin reading is at best ineffective. It may even set readers back.
Which strategy is a grid that helps students to understand how vocabulary and concepts are related to one another?The semantic feature analysis strategy uses a grid to help kids explore how sets of things are related to one another. By completing and analyzing the grid, students are able to see connections, make predictions and master important concepts. This strategy enhances comprehension and vocabulary skills.
Which term refers to the act of monitoring one's own comprehension and then taking corrective action?Metacognition is, put simply, thinking about one's thinking. More precisely, it refers to the processes used to plan, monitor, and assess one's understanding and performance.
Which type of assessment evaluates the specific skills strategies or concepts that were taught?Criterion-referenced tests are used to evaluate a specific body of knowledge or skill set, it's a test to evaluate the curriculum taught in a course.
|