May 2, 2010 - UDL & LD Inservice

8/3/2019 May 2, 2010 - UDL & LD Inservice

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N a t h a l i a O l i v i e r a

B o b R y b k a

M e l a n i e R u i z

Learning Disabilities at the

Writing Center


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Little Red Riding Hood

Take some time to silently read throughthe story.

Things were very, very difficult, but I wasable to figure them out and do them. And allit took was my realization that its OK that

things are going to be difficult. Notimpossible, just difficult. Then I kind of builtmyself back up. Mark


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What is a Specific Learning Disability (SLD)?

A neurologic disorder that causes difficulties in learningthat cannot be attributed to poor intelligence, poormotivation, or inadequate teaching. It is a persistent,chronic condition rather than a transient developmentallag. Learning disabilities may occur in the followingacademic areas:

Language, both spoken and written and,

Arithmetic (difficulty in performing arithmetic functions or in

comprehending mathematical concepts).

ADA. gov

American Disabilities Act Learning Disabilities Factsheet


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What is SLD?

y It may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen,think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematicalcalculations, including such conditions as perceptual

disabilities, brain injuries, minimal brain dysfunction,dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

y The term does not include learning problems that are

primarily a result of visual, hearing, or motordisabilities, of mental retardation, of emotionaldisturbance, or of environmental, cultural, oreconomic disadvantage.


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How DePauls PLuS Program Helps

y Exam Proctoring

Extended time, separate room to eliminate distractions

Reader to read the exam's questions

Transcriber to type the student's responses Computer for the student to type his/her responses

y Coordinating with Professors/Staff

y Weekly meetings with Clinician

y Help for other issues high co-morbidity rates

Depression, Insomnia, Anxiety

y Advocacy


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Misconceptions about SLDs

y Get an unfair advantage

different, necessary route to goal

y Manipulative and lazy

y Slow or other euphemism for mentallydisabled

Students have different strengths

y

They dont exist Legally obligated

Julie Neff LDs and the Writing Center / Talma Levy Social Functioning of College Students with LDs


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Learning Disabilities Impact on Reading

Some writers with LDs have difficulties Decoding:

y Applying strategies to decode unfamiliar words Difficulty decoding technical terms or foreign words (prefixes

and suffixes) Difficulty decoding multi-syllable words

y Reading fluently and quickly (major problem in highload courses)

y Difficulty skimming and scanning for information


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Learning Disabilities Impact on Reading

Some writers with LDs have difficulties Comprehending:

y Due to reading deficits in vocabulary development

y Reading without grasping or retaining as a result ofdeficits in attention and concentration

y Deficits in ability to reading actively (thinking whilereading)

y Comprehending the organization of the text due todeficits in spatial organization


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Darrell - LD

Using the internet isnt easy, because most pagesare so completely crammed with tiny print andgraphics. Especially pages on dot.com sites withall those ads that move and flash I can do it, buttrying to make sense of all that is exhausting. Myroommate just zips around the internet like hewas born with a mouse in his hand, but for me, itshard work... I use a screen reader a lot for theinternetjust to conserve my energy.


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Other Characteristics of SLDs

Problems with:

y Retrieval of words and phrases to express oneself

y Long explanations or lectures

y Keeping up with conversation in a groupy Mastering technical vocabulary on an unfamiliar topic

y Understanding sarcasm, irony, and language-based humor

y Comprehending long sentences when grammar is complex

y Perceiving, remembering informationy Multitasking, taking notes during appointment or in class

y Attention, concentration, organization (sequencing)


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What can we do?


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Promote Accessibility

y Setting aside time during a tutorial to talk about the writer'sspecific difficulties will make the writing center more accessiblefor not only LD students, but for anyone who has trouble with

written expression.

y The tutor and tutee can discuss reoccurring issues in the writer'spaper and how the writer has addressed the issues in the past,

what has worked, what has not.

y If this is done throughout the tutorial, as problems arise, we canadjust our tutoring methods according to the writer's needs.


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y Talking about writing habits, methods, and skills will

get writers thinking about their own writing. Astutors, and as experienced writers, we could talkabout our own habits, and suggest tips and tricksthat have worked for us.


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y Standing appointments with a struggling writer allows us tounderstand the writer's specific difficulties.

y Trying to set up standing appointments with writers might feel

awkward: "this was great! Wouldn't you want to see me everyweek?"

y We can more comfortably suggest standing appointments if we

talk about tutees' specific difficulties throughout the tutorial - bythe end of the tutorial, they know that we know them, we knowtheir issues, and we can help them more effectively the next time.


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Discussion


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AC C E S S I B L E T U T O R I N G M E T H O D S

M

ultimodal Approach toTutoring


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The Benefits ofMultimodal Accessibility

yAccessibility for different goals

Captions on TV

y

Learning styles for DePauls Diversity:Writers with learning disabilities

English Language Learners

Writers who like really seriously hate WRD

103

y Accessibility for justice


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TheMulti-Modal Approach

y Takes into consideration the senses and the manner awriter processes information, tapping all parts of thebrain:

y Differentiated Instruction: meets the needs of the various

learning styles.

Visual Learners: one who learns best by seeing visual cues, prompts,images

Auditory Learners: one who learns best by receiving informationorally/verbally

Kinesthetic or Tactile Learners: one who learns best by moving,experiencing/doing things, hands-on learner


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The way anindividuallearns can be

as unique astheindividualsfingerprint.

(CAST.org)


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Multi-Modal Tutoring Strategies

y Important to have on have a variety of methods ofgetting information across to the Writer, whetherthey have an SLD or not.

y Most likely those Writers that we are going to see atthe Writing Center are those that have learned somecoping mechanisms to deal with whats likely

expressive language, receptive language,organization and sequencing difficulties.


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Multi-Modal Tutoring Strategies

y Scaffolding

y Modeling

y Templates

y Visual Exemplars

y Sentence starters

y Note Taking

y Read aloudy Checklists for organization

y Meta-cognition (Think aloud about what yourthinking)


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Possible Quotes

"...its bad enough that I have difficulty doing X, and that the other person is annoyed with me, but then on top of that I have to explainmyself. And then when you explain, the other person may do all kinds of strange overcorrecting. Expecting less, finding excuses forme.Maybe it makes other people feel inadequate, because they dont know what to do. Then they think, Why are you in my class

in the first place? -- Sonja

"Id have to double study to memorize the words that were going to be on the test so I could spell them and look like everyone else. Id

have to put in six hours where other people would put in three hours. In one sense I was like the A students, because I was one ofthe boring guys up in the library all the time... If Id taken even a day off, Id be in deep trouble. I got detected that first year at

DePaul. They found me out because I went downstate for a weekend, I believe for a basketball game, and I only did three hoursworth of studying instead of six. So I took the test on Monday and I knew the material, but I couldnt spell any of the words. I gotan 86 on it, but the words were all misspelled. And they couldnt figure out if I was a dummy or what. I was like one of the dolphins

that got in with the tuna nets. You know, whats he doing here if he cant spell these simple words? And thats when my professorreferred me to the PLuS program. --Mark

"Even though it's difficult for me to talk about my learning disabilityI mean, let's face it, who wants to talk about your shortcomings?But Ive found that it does help when people understand that it's a disability I'm dealing with." -- Darrell

"...because of my visual spatial problems, Im a slow reader because looking at print is very tiring for me, so I have to take frequent

breaks. Ive tried books on tape, but the pace is very slow, even when you speed up the tape, so that hasnt worked very well forme. I love reading...learning new ideas, thinking about things! But I learn more quickly when I can talk over ideas with otherpeople. I always try to find classes that have lots of discussion, because thats the way I learn best. Hey! I got an A- in a philosophyclass ! " -- Darrell


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To do:

Print copies of Red Riding Hood

Print copies of takeaway strategy sheet

May 2, 2010 - UDL & LD Inservice

Documents

Transcript of May 2, 2010 - UDL & LD Inservice