1. Impact of the Child’s Background and Characteristics on the Student’s Academic Progress
Anna is capable of cognitive learning, but she lacks the behavioral temperament that allows for learning. Education, the modern means of gaining formal learning, is a process, not an event. In the regular system, both the instructor and the learner have a significant role to play. Among the roles of the learner is to maintain a conducive behavior for learning (Lyon, 1996). First, the learner needs to pay attention to the instructor during lessons. Secondly, the learner needs to avoid interfering with other students during the lesson. Finally, the learner needs to help along in the learning process by using the amenities available in the classroom, such as learning materials and illustrations. Ann’s behavioral limitations make her incapable of the functions outlined above, which debilitate her learning capabilities. Despite attending classes, Ann may not make any academic progress due to her behavioral limitations.
2. Cognitive and Social-emotional Characteristics of the Impairment and Resultant Learning Issue
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Ann has a learning impairment due to Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neuro-developmental disorder (Flynn, 2015). For clarity, she is an intelligent child who is already creating her own mechanisms for dealing with learning limitations. For example, she states that if she finds a difficult word, she will wait for someone to explain it to her. Based on the above and under the right circumstances, Ann can learn. However, due to her ADHD-caused learning disability, the standard classroom is not a conducive environment for Ann’s learning process.
Several specific prerequisites of ADHD limit Ann’s ability to learn in the standard classroom. First, as the name suggests, ADHD makes it hard for a child to pay attention to the same issue even for a short while. The child will often visibly fidget and squirm, more so for boys (Flynn, 2015). The limited attention for girls is not necessarily visible, but they will daydream or otherwise become distracted. Failure to pay attention to the lesson limits the ability to learn. Secondly, ADHD limits the ability of the child to follow instructions and organize tasks, a key component of the modern learning process. In most cases, modern learning involves activities where children will learn actively. Either the child with ADHD will fail to capture the instructions about the learning activities or fail to organize them in a manner that makes learning possible (Lyon, 1996). As reported in Ann’s case, she is unable to use resources or manipulatives in part due to this prerequisite of ADHD.
The third limitation of ADHD is discipline, which includes the inability of the child to await their turn or remain in place during lessons and activities. Unfortunately, due to these prerequisites, Ann is both unable to learn and disruptive to other learners. With Ann being in a class that combines four grades, her propensity to disrupt the class can be debilitating for a larger number of students. Finally, the child will also regularly lose items and fail to complete tasks (Flynn, 2015). For Ann, this prerequisite involves either not completing her homework or leaving her books at home. She would also be prone to losing personal items in school due to the condition.
3. Administration of Assessments
Some of the prerequisites of ADHD are reactive and involve the child responding to some stimuli. For example, the propensity for distraction emanates from another event or activity taking place near the child. Similarly, being afraid or frightened can interfere with the concentration of reasoning capabilities of the child. Secondly, most of the child’s assessment tests have administrator-based inferences and errors or omissions by the teacher administrating the test that can interfere with the results. Therefore, the administration of assessment is as important as the nature of the test itself. It is incumbent upon the teacher to create a conducive and tranquil environment for the child to take the test. Where possible, each child should take the test alone to prevent inferences from other children.
4. Two Specific Assessments for Academic Skills
Two assessment tests would be suitable especially for Ann, based on her specific learning limitations. The first is the Performance Assessments, also called the assessments of authentic tasks, which tests the practical abilities of the child (Benchmark Literacy, 2015).
Under this test, the instructor will come up with common tasks involved in the learning process, such as setting up the components of a three-dimensional puzzle, as shown in the picture above. The instructor will assess the child based both on the process of carrying out the task and the extent that the child completes the task. Available research shows that practical work covers a substantive segment of modern early learning. Performance Assessments will evaluate the child’s ability to learn (Benchmark Literacy, 2015).
The second type of assessment is the Informal Reading Assessments. Under this assessment, the instructor gives the child some reading-related assignments and tests the child’s abilities. Examples of assignments include concepts of print, rhyming, and phoneme segmentation (Reading Rockets). Based on available research, language is a significant component of all learning since it is the means of instruction (Reading Rockets). The Informal Reading Assessments will assess the linguistic capabilities of the child, thus enabling the teacher to understand what the child has learned and the child’s learning abilities.
5. teaching Strategies for Improving the Child’s Academic and Social-emotional Skills
I. Placing Children with Similar Needs Together
The Performance Assessments will provide data about the behavioral abilities of the child. These abilities include the capability to listen to and follow instructions and a propensity for disturbing others (IES> WWC, 2009). Using such data, the instructor can place children with similar learning needs, such as the need for closer supervision or the need for special assistance together. Moreover, placing such children together will reduce the human talent needed to provide special attention for them and limit interference to the rest of the class. Clustering children based on their learning needs will also allow for the most qualified instructor for their specific learning needs.
II. Condensing Lessons into Small sections
The second significant strategy for improving the learning abilities of Ann is to condense lessons into small sections, based on her concentration abilities. ADHD results in regular loss of attention for the learning process. This strategy works around this problem by building the learning process around the attention span of the child (IES> WWC, 2009). The duration of each lesson will depend on the results of the Performance Assessments that will show how long the child can concentrate at a time.
III. Schedule Multiple and Extended Instructional Sessions Daily
Reading is one of the most vital components of the learning process, despite the subject or course. Available research shows that improvement in the reading process leads to improved general learning (IES> WWC, 2009). For children with learning disabilities that affect reading abilities such as Ann, extended instruction and reading is vital. While keeping the sessions short as outlined in the strategy above, the overall reading time and instructional sessions for reading should increase exponentially.
IV. Making Lessons More Practical
Finally, to mitigate the impact of language limitations on the learning process even in the learning of language, the fourth strategy is making learning more practical. Practical learning increases the propensity for longer concentration spans for the children, leading to more learning per unit time (IES> WWC, 2009). Secondly, practical learning has a higher predisposition for cognition and understanding, thus increasing the rate of generating and storing knowledge for the students. The four strategies outlined above will work best for Ann and students with similar needs when used contemporaneously.
References
Benchmark Literacy. (2015). Informal and Informal Assessments . Standardized Criterion-referenced Tests Norm Referenced Tests Informal Reading Inventories Miscue Analyses Portfolio Assessment Running Records . Pelham, NY: Benchmark Education. ISBN: 978-1-4509-0545-9
Flynn, J. (2015). ADHD and LD. https://youtu.be/D1JSZX93U1M
IES> WWC. (2009). Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades (download PDF) https://www.ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/3
Lyon, G. R. (1996). Learning disabilities. Special Education for Students with Disabilities . 6 (1). 55-76.
Reading Rockets. Informal reading assessments, examples. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/informal-reading-assessments-examples
