As a CRT you don't often get the chance to get to know the students or plan for a lesson. Each lesson could have different students in a working day you could see over 100 students. If a student has severe learning difficulties there should be a teachers aid with you in the classroom but this isn't always the case.
Identify students with learning difficulties
CRTs have a limited time with the same students and there are things you will need to do before you can identify students with learning difficulties.
Get the students to enter the room, settle down, mark the roll and introduce the topic/work that has been left. On top of that you may not be trained to teach the subject.
Each school will have a system in place with notes for the students that will need assistance. After reading the notes make sure you identify these students. Don't make a big deal of it but make sure you ask them during the lesson how they are going. In a Secondary setting there isn't much time between lessons.
Be pro-active, walk around the room to make sure these students are on task and not wasting time. Sometimes students with learning difficulties can act out in class with bad behaviour as they don't understand or are not getting the help they need.
Make sure you give feedback to the regular teacher if there are any issue with these students during the lesson.
In a primary setting or if you are in a school on a regular basis you will have more time to assist students with learning difficulties. If you have the opportunity, try some of our top tips below.
Consider how to give instructions
Provide clear and explicit instructions
Model tasks and the underlying strategies or thinking
Provide concrete examples
Monitor and check understanding
Provide students with extra supports and strategies
Teach students to self-monitor
Provide opportunities for peer tutoring
Give them extra time to complete tasks
Engage other senses and make learning fun
Use visual supports
Try music, rhythm and touch strategies
Give students brain breaks
Provide lots of opportunities to practice
Useful Links
Click on this link for Education NSW to view a more in-depth look at how to teach students with learning difficulties.
The Australian Disability Clearing House on Education and Training also identifies teaching strategies for students with a Specific Learning Disability (SpLD) and offer tips for inclusive teaching strategies that engage students with SpLDs.
Students with a specific Learning Disability (SpLD) typically benefit from a range of inclusive teaching strategies to support with their sense of educational inclusion.
Head to their website for more details.
