ESOL Instruction, Part 14

Question 1: Discuss strategies to ensure that students with speech impairments have an equal opportunity to learn and participate fully.

Answer 1: Speech impairments include stuttering, chronic hoarseness and difficulties in determining the right word or expression to use. These impairments can cause problems with pronunciation, enunciation and voice strength; the student may be unable to speak at all and use a speaking machine or rely on body language to aid communication. However, they are no different from other students in ability, personality or mental capacity. Teachers and fellow students should always use normal speech patterns, avoid supplying words and finishing sentences and never appear impatient for a speech-impaired student to complete his thought. Teachers should accept written questions and comments and never require participation in a class discussion or require an answer to a question unless the student initiates the response. Create ways for these students to participate in classroom activities. For example: he could design a display for a bulletin board or write a report for fellow students to read, review and critique.

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Question 2: List some general strategies that will help all special needs students.

Answer 2: Accommodating special needs students in a mainstream classroom can be a challenge. Here are some helpful hints that create the opportunity to learn no matter what the needs of individual students:Write daily objectives on the board or use an overhead projector. Break complex assignments into manageable parts. Require students to copy the information into their notebook for reference.Build background knowledge by defining unfamiliar words and outlining historical facts or other pertinent information before introducing new material.Use a variety of presentation methods to accommodate different learning styles. Seeing the written words appeals to visual learners; verbal explanations helps auditory learners; taking notes aids tactile learners; and the light of an overhead projector helps all students focus. Design evaluation methods to fairly assess every student. Give oral tests. Limit choices by offering only three possible answers on a multiple-choice test; include a list of words with a fill-in-the blank test.

Question 3: Discuss some strategies to help students who have difficulties with reading.

Answer 3: There are specific things a teacher can do to help students who have problems with reading comprehension. Teach them to recognize the five Ws: who, what, when, where, why. Help students learn to identify the key words, ideas, and concepts and show them how to organize the information in a logical sequence. Teach them how to summarize and paraphrase the data and use various graphic organizers to help remember important points. Develop activities that prepare students for new material (e.g., explain unfamiliar vocabulary, idioms, terms) and after the topic is presented, create activities to review and reinforce the data. If a student is having problems reading out aloud, encourage him to read with a partner, read quietly to himself (sub-vocalization), and practice by reading popular magazines and appropriate web sites on the Internet. Allow all the students to read selected passages silently before asking individuals to read aloud to the class.

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