Helping LD students

I enjoyed reading this article and not only getting some ideas for teaching LD students, but also learning some key things about these students that I did not know. Steele helps teachers of ... See More

I enjoyed reading this article and not only getting some ideas for teaching LD students, but also learning some key things about these students that I did not know. Steele helps teachers of students with learning disabilities understand that there are a variety of different learning disabilities, as well as processing deficits that go along with those disabilities. Each of those characteristics comes with its own set of challenges for the students and therefore, strategies for helping those students. Most of the strategies are ones that teachers could implement with all of their students, such as specific test-taking strategies, ideas and tips for reading textbooks or other informational sources and ways to organize note-taking. Additionally, throughout the article, Steele recommends a close, collaborative partnership with a special education teacher to provide continued support beyond what the teacher can do in a whole group setting. I appreciate the reasonableness of her strategies and how they can be implemented in all classrooms.

Practical Approaches

This article is very effective in describing the different types of learning disorders a student might have when labeled LD. I was unaware that this description could be used to identify su... See More

This article is very effective in describing the different types of learning disorders a student might have when labeled LD. I was unaware that this description could be used to identify such a variety of different deficits in their learning abilities. The author then presents ways to overcome each of the different types of LD and compiles a chart of practical things a classroom teacher can do to address students with these deficits. These suggestions cover lecture and class time, textbook reading, homework assignments and assessments. This article is practical and very useful to an overwhelmed classroom teacher with inclusion students.