What Can a General Education Teacher Do?

As you work with the children in your class, you will find that some struggle more with basic skills than others. What can you do to help them succeed?

Different kids learn best in different ways and in different situations. Some understand what they hear better than what they see or read; others need to "do something" in order to truly grasp a concept. Some kids learn best on their own; others do well in group or team situations. Some seem to thrive in chaos; others are distracted by everything.

Most good teachers deal instinctively with these challenges. They are careful

to provide explicit instruction to be sure all students grasp concepts. They may manipulate their classroom's layout to suit unique needs or, perhaps, present information using a variety of approaches. This enables students to "collect" their understanding from the sum of their experiences. But it often helps to be explicit about the process, planning for the ways in which one method can support another. For instance, depending upon the age and developmental levels of a group of students, you might choose to:

• Change the structure of the classroom so kids can interact in a variety of ways
• Change the pace of instruction
• Vary styles of presentation
• Tie instruction to previous learning
• Provide choices for work done in class or at home
• Check for understanding in a variety of ways
• Group students for specific skill instruction
• Review frequently
• Seek student feedback
• Encourage different kinds of student participation

These strategies reinforce learning and maximize every child’s ability to retain the material you present. They also help engage the kids that might be left out by more narrow approaches.

"Courtesy of the Schwab Foundation for Learning at http://www.schwablearning.org

1997, 1998, 1999 Schwab Foundation for Learning All Rights Reserved
Any interested person or organization may copy or reprint portions of this article provided such copy may not be sold or otherwise used for commercial purposes and any such copy must contain the above stated copyright notice.

Free JavaScripts provided
by The JavaScript Source

The most valuable reward in teaching is hearing a student say, "Thank you for understanding me."

* Home - Outside the Box!*
*For Teachers* *For Parents*
* Encouragement* * Site Map *