How do we modify the crucial collaboration strategy to efficiently teach Intermediate Students with Learning Disabilities?
What are Learning Disabilities?
What are Learning Disabilities?
Now... What is collaborative learning?
Collaborative learning is a teaching approach that includes co-operative learning and problem solving in pairs and groups and that usually involve student groups of varying abilities and skills, that is, heterogeneous groupings (Inclusive Classrooms In Ontario).
Increasing numbers of students are being educated in inclusive general education classrooms; the challenge is to provide appropriate instruction to support student success. Traditional instruction approaches too often fail to engage learners with disabilities, to address their individual needs, and to ultimately support academic success (Childre, 2009).
The importance of peer acceptance in adolescents
The importance of feeling connected with peers, with and without disabilities, seems to be a dominant theme (Hutchinson, 2012). ‘Friends are what get me through school I guess you could say. They’re always there to support me…, so they’re very important.’ These are the words of Lynn, a grade 11 student with LD. Matt, a grade 11 student with LD and ADHD states ‘Ah, just sometimes I just don’t know how to relate to a lot of the people anymore… Maybe they just don’t like me or, you know, they find me annoying’ (Lévesque, 1997). It is clear that some students with LD do not need an extra push regarding collaboration in the classroom, but for other, this social network doesn’t come naturally.
The positive impact of collaboration
The strategy of collaboration was the first one we were taught upon our arrival into this world. Since birth, we were expected to learn something incredibly complex; the stunning intellectual achievement of learning a language (Cambourne, 1995) and this was to be accomplished together. Vygotsky (1978, p. 168) wrote that ‘social-relations underlie all higher functions and their relationships’ and that ‘all learning is first carried out between the individual and others in the environment’. Now, regarding adolescents, research confirms that adolescents are more likely to be influenced by their peers than by adult authority (Williamson, 2000). You may feel that it is beyond your responsibilities as a teacher to facilitate friendships amongst your students. However, facilitating friendships will make the classroom a better place for your students and for you.
What does research show regarding collaboration and intermediate students with LDs?
Article: Peer Network Strategies to Foster Social Connections among Adolescents with and without severe Disabilities.
This article explains how to alter the collaboration strategy to fit those with learning disabilities in the intermediate age group (and we could modify it to be efficient for other age groups as well).
In this journal article, the authors start off by stating what recent Research says about the social relationships of students with disabilities. They back the course readings by also saying that peer relationships are so important to adolescent development and are often elusive for students with severe disabilities. These students report of having few interactions with their classmates and feel lonely and disconnected from the others.
It is our duty as educators to foster peer-acceptance in our classroom in order for collaboration to be a winning strategy. Here are a few tips suggested by the authors of this article:
Tips that are given for educators are to teach students with or without severe disabilities are to make initial introductions, connect students with shared interests, provide regular opportunities to develop a friendship, select enjoyable social activities and lastly, we also need to teach the students how to communicate with students with disabilities.
The book ‘Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools’ also underline simple steps that teachers can take to enhance collaboration in and outside of the classroom:
During preadolescence, helping and confiding replace playing and many students need assistance with conversational skills. Involving students in co-operative activities throughout these elementary and middle school years gives you an opportunity to teach social skills as part of regular curriculum activity.
During adolescence, friendships are about trust, intimacy, and the sharing of deeply personal thoughts. These close friendships are complemented by membership in larger groups identified by taste in music, clothing styles, and vernacular expressions. (Hutchinson, 2012).
To conclude, social development and social acceptance are critical to inclusion because they refer to exceptional students’ ability to take part in the social academic life of the classroom and to be accepted by classmates. Schools are social environments and teachers can choose a wide range of collaborative strategies to enhance learning for all their students.
Page designed by Renee Deschenes
References
Carter, E. W., Asmus, J., Moss, C. K., Cooney, M., Weir, K., Vincent, L., et al. (2013). Peer network strategies to foster social connections among adolescents with and without severe disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(2), 51-59. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1448819424?accountid=15115
Childre, A., Sands, J., & Pope, S. (2009). Backward design: Targeting depth of understanding for all learners. Teaching Exceptional Children, p.6-14.
Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry. The Reading Teacher, 49(3), 182-190.
Lévesque, N. L. (1997). Perceptions of friendships and peer groups: The school experiences of two adolescents with learning disabilities. Unpublished master’s thesis, Queens University, Kingston, ON.
Hutchinson, N. L. & Martin, A. K. (2012). Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools. Pearson Canada Inc.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Williamson, S. (2000). Positively Adolescent! P.30. Music Educators Journal
Course Readings and Discussions
Collaborative learning is a teaching approach that includes co-operative learning and problem solving in pairs and groups and that usually involve student groups of varying abilities and skills, that is, heterogeneous groupings (Inclusive Classrooms In Ontario).
Increasing numbers of students are being educated in inclusive general education classrooms; the challenge is to provide appropriate instruction to support student success. Traditional instruction approaches too often fail to engage learners with disabilities, to address their individual needs, and to ultimately support academic success (Childre, 2009).
The importance of peer acceptance in adolescents
The importance of feeling connected with peers, with and without disabilities, seems to be a dominant theme (Hutchinson, 2012). ‘Friends are what get me through school I guess you could say. They’re always there to support me…, so they’re very important.’ These are the words of Lynn, a grade 11 student with LD. Matt, a grade 11 student with LD and ADHD states ‘Ah, just sometimes I just don’t know how to relate to a lot of the people anymore… Maybe they just don’t like me or, you know, they find me annoying’ (Lévesque, 1997). It is clear that some students with LD do not need an extra push regarding collaboration in the classroom, but for other, this social network doesn’t come naturally.
The positive impact of collaboration
The strategy of collaboration was the first one we were taught upon our arrival into this world. Since birth, we were expected to learn something incredibly complex; the stunning intellectual achievement of learning a language (Cambourne, 1995) and this was to be accomplished together. Vygotsky (1978, p. 168) wrote that ‘social-relations underlie all higher functions and their relationships’ and that ‘all learning is first carried out between the individual and others in the environment’. Now, regarding adolescents, research confirms that adolescents are more likely to be influenced by their peers than by adult authority (Williamson, 2000). You may feel that it is beyond your responsibilities as a teacher to facilitate friendships amongst your students. However, facilitating friendships will make the classroom a better place for your students and for you.
What does research show regarding collaboration and intermediate students with LDs?
Article: Peer Network Strategies to Foster Social Connections among Adolescents with and without severe Disabilities.
This article explains how to alter the collaboration strategy to fit those with learning disabilities in the intermediate age group (and we could modify it to be efficient for other age groups as well).
In this journal article, the authors start off by stating what recent Research says about the social relationships of students with disabilities. They back the course readings by also saying that peer relationships are so important to adolescent development and are often elusive for students with severe disabilities. These students report of having few interactions with their classmates and feel lonely and disconnected from the others.
It is our duty as educators to foster peer-acceptance in our classroom in order for collaboration to be a winning strategy. Here are a few tips suggested by the authors of this article:
Tips that are given for educators are to teach students with or without severe disabilities are to make initial introductions, connect students with shared interests, provide regular opportunities to develop a friendship, select enjoyable social activities and lastly, we also need to teach the students how to communicate with students with disabilities.
The book ‘Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools’ also underline simple steps that teachers can take to enhance collaboration in and outside of the classroom:
During preadolescence, helping and confiding replace playing and many students need assistance with conversational skills. Involving students in co-operative activities throughout these elementary and middle school years gives you an opportunity to teach social skills as part of regular curriculum activity.
During adolescence, friendships are about trust, intimacy, and the sharing of deeply personal thoughts. These close friendships are complemented by membership in larger groups identified by taste in music, clothing styles, and vernacular expressions. (Hutchinson, 2012).
To conclude, social development and social acceptance are critical to inclusion because they refer to exceptional students’ ability to take part in the social academic life of the classroom and to be accepted by classmates. Schools are social environments and teachers can choose a wide range of collaborative strategies to enhance learning for all their students.
Page designed by Renee Deschenes
References
Carter, E. W., Asmus, J., Moss, C. K., Cooney, M., Weir, K., Vincent, L., et al. (2013). Peer network strategies to foster social connections among adolescents with and without severe disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(2), 51-59. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1448819424?accountid=15115
Childre, A., Sands, J., & Pope, S. (2009). Backward design: Targeting depth of understanding for all learners. Teaching Exceptional Children, p.6-14.
Cambourne, B. (1995). Toward an educationally relevant theory of literacy learning: Twenty years of inquiry. The Reading Teacher, 49(3), 182-190.
Lévesque, N. L. (1997). Perceptions of friendships and peer groups: The school experiences of two adolescents with learning disabilities. Unpublished master’s thesis, Queens University, Kingston, ON.
Hutchinson, N. L. & Martin, A. K. (2012). Inclusive Classrooms in Ontario Schools. Pearson Canada Inc.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Williamson, S. (2000). Positively Adolescent! P.30. Music Educators Journal
Course Readings and Discussions