Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom...Meeting student learning diversity in the...

I B C O N T I N U U M


Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom

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Published May 2013

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Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme and IB Career-related Certificate


IB mission statementThe International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

IB learner profileThe aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

IB learners strive to be:

Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007


Contents

How to use this document 1

Meeting student learning diversity 2

Other considerations for learning 3

Attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) 4

Autism 9

Dyscalculia 16

Dyslexia 19

Dyspraxia—developmental coordination difficulties (DCD), motor learning difficulties 24

Gifted and talented or exceptionally able 28

Hearing impairment/deafness 32

Medical conditions/chronic illness 35

Mental health issues 37

Physical disabilities 40

Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) 43

Visual impairment 50

Appendix 53

IB resources for supporting student learning diversity 56

Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom 1

How to use this document

Inclusion is an ongoing process that aims to increase access and engagement in learning for all students by identifying and removing barriers.

(Learning diversity and the IB Programmes: Special educational needs within the lnternational Baccalaureate programmes, 2010:3)

This publication identifies specific special needs and discusses them in alphabetical order. A summary of the special need is given under the heading of each section, followed by information about possible challenges, suggested teaching strategies and ideas for resources.

This information is for use during planning sessions and workshops when educators are collaborating to meet individual learning needs and to develop inclusive practices. The information is not provided for diagnostic purposes nor is it designed to ensure compliance by schools with any local requirements, legislation or policies regarding educating students with special needs.

Special need terminology has been used to support teachers in better understanding statement and clinical documents and in accessing resources. Students will show diversity within each of the descriptions so it is crucial that educators get to know and understand all of their students’ individual strengths and challenges. Collaboration with medical practitioners or specialists, in addition to each student and their families, may be required.

Educators of students with identified learning needs should be aware of national legal implications and follow mandated laws as well as internal school policies with respect to the rights of the student and the legal implications of meeting identified needs.

The following International Baccalaureate (IB) resources provide support for educators.

• What is an IB education? (2012)

• Candidates with special assessment needs (2011)—specific to the Diploma Programme

• Language and learning in IB programmes (2011)

• Learning diversity and the IB Programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes (2010)

• Programme standards and practices (2010)

Further information can be found on the special educational needs page on the online curriculum centre (OCC).

Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom2

Meeting student learning diversity

Students in IB World Schools come from a variety of backgrounds and will exhibit a range of learning profiles supported by the IB’s approaches to teaching and learning. Programme standards and practices (2010) provides a set of criteria that both the IB World School and the IB use to evaluate success in the implementation of IB programmes. The following practices require schools to demonstrate their support for a diversity of learning.

• A9 The school supports access for students to the IB programme(s) and philosophy.

• B1:5 The school develops and implements policies and procedures that support the programmes.

• B2:8 The school provides support for its students with learning and/or special educational needs and support for their teachers.

• C1:6 Collaborative planning and reflection incorporates differentiation for students’ learning needs and styles.

• C3:10 Teaching and learning differentiates instruction to meet students’ learning needs and styles.

It is expected that all students in IB World Schools will experience positive learning environments based upon the IB’s four principles of good practice: affirming identity and building self-esteem; valuing prior knowledge; scaffolding and extending learning (Learning diversity and the IB Programmes: Special educational needs within the lnternational Baccalaureate programmes, 2010:5). Strengths are celebrated, challenges circumvented.

It is good practice to celebrate the work done with the student by documenting learning progress, school interventions and the learning support procedures that are in place. School documentation should include profiles of individual learning, pertinent policies and lists of resources so that they may support school meetings with students, parents, specialists, school evaluation visits, and collaborative approaches to meeting learning diversity. Please note that the IB requires documentation for purposes of granting assessment accommodations, so these requirements should be considered separately.

Developing a positive classroom climate conducive to supporting the learning of all students requires that students are appropriately challenged by their learning, that expectations of them are high but realistic, where students belong to the community and feel cared for, trusted, understood, valued and safe. Students need to be listened to, have their opinions sought, and be provided with opportunities to succeed. It is important that all students are included in decisions about their learning, have the opportunity to develop the attributes of the learner profile and to understand themselves as learners.


Other considerations for learning

Before assuming that a student needs to be assessed for a learning “difficulty”, it is important to consider if there are any other issues that may be hindering learning or causing students to exhibit challenging behaviours.

• Is the student new to the school? Could sadness, grief, anxiety or culture shock be influencing learning? A peer buddy can support the student in understanding what is acceptable and unacceptable in the new culture, and help the student to find his or her place and promote a sense of belonging.

• Has the student had a consistent learning background? How many schools has he or she attended? It is crucial to look carefully at the previous educational experiences and identify where there may be gaps or overlaps in learning if new learning experiences are to be relevant.

• Are levels of working English being masked by good speaking levels? Some students learning additional languages may not yet be ready to speak but may write well; some learners will speak without fear of making mistakes; other students will not speak until they feel that their spoken language is acceptable. When a student cannot express himself or herself it can threaten their self-image, leaving them without anything to say and with no apparent sense of humour. Language profiles and language mapping (Language and learning in IB programmes, 2011:27) can give information as to the true levels of all-round language development and assist in developing the knowledge of how best to help the student settle in.

• Are medical issues the reason why student learning is not optimal or why challenging behaviours are being exhibited? Screening for sight and hearing should be considered. In cases where students have more complex needs or are non-verbal, consider undiagnosed pain to explain unusual behaviours.

In any of these cases, understanding and patience will be necessary if learning is to progress.

Please note these are suggestions only and are intended to assist you in considering all barriers to learning. It is not an exhaustive list and does not constitute professional or diagnostic advice.


Attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)

While every student can sometimes be boisterous, excitable and inattentive, students with ADHD experience high levels of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsiveness at home, school and in the community. ADD refers to those students whose main challenge is that of inattentiveness. While research into the causes of ADHD and ADD remain inconclusive, they are considered to have a neurobiological basis and a student will have to meet a set of key criteria in order to be identified with ADHD or ADD.



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Autism

Autism is a spectrum disorder and, despite core similarities in areas of challenge, there are vast differences along the spectrum. While students with low-functioning autism may display significant challenges and may be non-verbal, those at the higher end of the spectrum may not be identified because of the hidden nature of their challenges. The difficulties experienced, often described as a “triad of impairments”, affect social interaction, communication and imagination (rigidity of thought).

Many students will experience sensory issues that may impact on emotional and well-being states, and behaviours should be understood in the context of the environment, sensory issues, and modes of effective communication. Challenging behaviours are usually not wilful or intentionally oppositional but may be the result of neurological, internal-processing difficulties or stressors.

Students with Asperger’s syndrome, while on the autistic spectrum and experiencing difficulties with social interaction, communication and imagination, display advanced language skills in areas of vocabulary and syntax but experience difficulties in areas of conversational skills and intonation. They may also display advanced skills in other areas.

Autism


Poss

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g

• w

ww

.asp

erge

r.org

• w

ww

.nas

.org

.uk

• w

ww

.mak

aton

.org

• ht

tp://

ww

w.b

ild.o

rg.u

k/05

links

.htm

(inc

lude

s lin

ks to

oth

er w

ebsi

tes

for l

earn

ing

disa

bilit

ies)

• ht

tp://

sent

each

ers.

co.u

k/lin

ks-f

or-s

en-t

each

ers.

htm

(inc

lude

s lin

ks to

man

y w

ebsi

tes)

• ht

tp://

ww

w.a

ane.

org/

aspe

rger

_res

ourc

es/

educ

ator

s_to

olbo

x.ht

ml (

exce

llent

reso

urce

s, a

to

olbo

x in

clud

ing

visu

al g

uide

s fo

r stu

dent

s an

d vi

deo

reso

urce

s)

• Te

mpl

e G

rand

in o

n TE

D—

appr

ecia

ting

dive

rsity

, ht

tp://

ww

w.te

d.co

m/t

alks

/lang

/en/

tem

ple_

gran

din_

the_

wor

ld_n

eeds

_all_

kind

s_of

_min

ds.

htm

l

• D

r Sho

re—

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d te

achi

ng, h

ttp:

//w

ww

.lear

ner.o

rg/c

ours

es/n

euro

scie

nce/

com

mon

_inc

lude

s/si

_flo

wpl

ayer

.htm

l?pi

d=23

93

Autism


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Soci

al in

tera

ctio

n

• m

ay b

e so

cial

ly is

olat

ed

• so

cial

dem

ands

of o

ther

s m

ay c

ause

anx

iety

• m

ay fi

nd s

ocia

l cue

s di

ffic

ult t

o re

ad

• m

ay b

ehav

e in

a s

ocia

lly in

appr

opria

te w

ay

• m

ay la

ck th

e st

rate

gies

to in

itiat

e, e

stab

lish

and

mai

ntai

n fr

iend

ship

s

• m

ay c

ause

off

ence

with

out b

eing

aw

are

• m

ay a

ppea

r ego

cent

ric o

r ins

ensi

tive

• m

ay n

ot k

now

how

to re

ad in

to o

r rea

ct to

ot

hers

’ fee

lings

.

Spec

ific

stra

tegi

es to

pro

mot

e so

cial

inte

ract

ion

incl

ude

the

follo

win

g.

• Bu

ild u

p aw

aren

ess,

edu

cate

stu

dent

s, s

taff

and

ot

her p

aren

ts s

o th

at e

very

one

can

help

to m

eet

need

s.

• U

se ro

le p

lay

to te

ach

soci

aliz

atio

n sk

ills.

• G

ive

stud

ents

task

s ba

sed

on s

tren

gths

to e

licit

part

icip

atio

n.

• U

se s

nack

and

lunc

h tim

es to

enc

oura

ge tu

rn-

taki

ng a

nd s

ocia

l int

erac

tion.

• Re

war

d ap

prop

riate

beh

avio

urs,

eg

shar

ing,

sh

owin

g co

nsid

erat

ion.

• En

cour

age

inte

ract

ion

thro

ugh

the

use

of

gam

es, s

harin

g an

d tu

rn-t

akin

g.

• Cr

eate

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

dis

cuss

feel

ings

, eg

circ

le ti

me,

per

sona

l, so

cial

and

hea

lth e

duca

tion

(PSH

E) le

sson

s, m

usic

, art

and

dra

ma.

• U

se s

ocia

l ski

lls tr

aini

ng a

nd S

ocia

l Sto

ries™

(C

arol

Gra

y).

• Te

ach

how

beh

avio

ur a

ffec

ts o

ther

s; so

ap o

pera

s ca

n be

use

ful.

• Te

ach

abou

t ton

e of

voi

ce, f

acia

l exp

ress

ions

(T

he T

rans

port

ers)

and

per

sona

l spa

ce u

sing

role

pl

ay a

s w

ell a

s re

al s

ituat

ions

.

• G

ive

a ro

le o

f res

pons

ibili

ty.

• Fo

r Soc

ial S

torie

s™ c

onta

ct Je

ssic

a Ki

ngsl

ey

Publ

ishe

rs.

• w

ww

.thet

rans

port

ers.

com

Autism


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Com

mun

icat

ion

• m

ay h

ave

spok

en la

ngua

ge th

at is

form

al a

nd

peda

ntic

• vo

ice

may

lack

exp

ress

ion

• m

ay n

ot u

nder

stan

d im

plic

atio

ns o

f diff

eren

t to

nes

of v

oice

• m

ay h

ave

diff

icul

ty u

sing

and

und

erst

andi

ng

non-

verb

al c

omm

unic

atio

n

• m

ay ta

ke th

ings

lite

rally

• m

ay b

e un

able

to u

nder

stan

d im

plie

d m

eani

ng

• m

ay h

ave

diff

icul

ties

unde

rsta

ndin

g th

e ro

les

of

auth

ority

.

Spec

ific

stra

tegi

es to

pro

mot

e co

mm

unic

atio

n in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

• Cr

eate

the

need

to c

omm

unic

ate,

eg

aski

ng fo

r tim

e to

exp

lore

a s

peci

al in

tere

st, r

eque

st fo

r fo

od o

r obj

ect,

etc.

• M

ake

expe

ctat

ions

exp

licit.

• U

se s

impl

e di

rect

lang

uage

.

• I n

stea

d of

say

ing

“no”

tell

the

stud

ents

wha

t it i

s yo

u w

ant t

hem

to d

o.

• Re

war

d ap

prop

riate

resp

onse

s.

• Ch

eck

for u

nder

stan

ding

; do

not m

ake

assu

mpt

ions

.

• Li

mit

choi

ces;

too

man

y ch

oice

s ca

n ca

use

conf

usio

n.

• Te

ach

soci

al u

se o

f lan

guag

e, s

uch

as tu

rn-t

akin

g in

a c

onve

rsat

ion.

• Sh

ow v

isua

ls o

f aut

horit

y st

ruct

ure.

Autism


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Imag

inat

ion,

rigi

dity

of t

houg

ht

• m

ay h

ave

unus

ual a

nd a

bsor

bing

spe

cial

in

tere

sts

• m

ay in

sist

on

cert

ain

rule

s an

d ro

utin

es

• m

ay h

ave

a lim

ited

abili

ty to

pla

y an

d th

ink

crea

tivel

y

• m

ay h

ave

prob

lem

s tr

ansf

errin

g sk

ills

from

one

se

ttin

g to

ano

ther

.

Spec

ific

stra

tegi

es to

pro

mot

e im

agin

atio

n in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

• W

ork

with

fam

ily, s

taff

and

pee

rs to

ens

ure

cons

iste

ncy

and

com

mon

exp

ecta

tions

.

• In

corp

orat

e sp

ecia

l int

eres

ts in

to a

ctiv

ities

w

here

ver p

ossi

ble

for m

axim

al s

ucce

ss a

nd

part

icip

atio

n.

• U

se p

rom

pt c

ards

with

pic

ture

s, te

xts

and

sym

bols

.

• P l

an fo

r cha

nge

usin

g vi

sual

tim

etab

les

and

soci

al s

torie

s.

• G

ive

stru

ctur

e to

the

day

usin

g vi

sual

tim

etab

les

and

chec

klis

ts.

• H

ave

clea

r sta

rt a

nd fi

nish

ing

times

for e

vent

s or

ac

tiviti

es; u

se e

gg ti

mer

s or

a tr

affic

ligh

t sys

tem

.

• U

se s

tart

and

fini

sh b

oxes

.

• Cl

early

def

ine

clas

sroo

m a

reas

for c

erta

in a

ctiv

ities

.

• G

ive

clea

r vis

ual i

nstr

uctio

ns a

bout

the

proc

edur

e at

tim

es o

f tra

nsiti

on, e

g ph

ysic

al

educ

atio

n (P

E), b

reak

etc

.

• U

se s

peci

al in

tere

sts

as a

rew

ard.

• Ex

amin

e sp

ecia

l int

eres

ts c

aref

ully

for a

ge

appr

opria

tene

ss a

nd s

afet

y.

• Co

nsid

er th

e en

viro

nmen

t and

the

timet

able

: w

here

are

pro

blem

s lik

ely

to o

ccur

, whe

re a

re th

e ba

rrie

rs to

lear

ning

? Try

and

get

the

bala

nce

right

be

twee

n tim

es o

f str

ess/

dem

and

and

time

out.

Autism


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Oth

er c

halle

nges

that

may

impa

ct o

n em

otio

nal/

wel

l-be

ing

stat

es a

nd le

arni

ng

Chal

leng

ing

beha

viou

rs th

at a

re n

ot w

ilful

or

inte

ntio

nally

opp

ositi

onal

; the

y ar

e th

e re

sult

of

neur

olog

ical

inte

rnal

-pro

cess

ing

diff

icul

ties

or

stre

ssor

s.

Sens

ory

issu

es (v

isua

l, au

dito

ry, t

actil

e, ta

ste/

smel

l, ve

stib

ular

, pro

prio

cept

ive

and

prox

emic

diff

eren

ces

(kee

ping

dis

tanc

e))

• m

ay b

e af

fect

ed b

y hy

pose

nsiti

vity

(und

ertu

ned

sens

itivi

ty)

• hy

pers

ensi

tivity

(acu

te a

nd s

omet

imes

ov

erw

helm

ing)

• in

cons

iste

ncy

of p

erce

ptio

n (le

vels

of s

ensi

tivity

flu

ctua

te fr

om n

ot b

eing

pre

sent

, hyp

o to

hyp

er)

• di

ffic

ulty

in re

cogn

izin

g th

at h

is o

r her

thou

ghts

m

ay d

iffer

to o

ther

s

• m

ay fo

cus

on a

tten

tion

to d

etai

l with

out s

eein

g th

e w

hole

• m

ay b

e un

able

to s

ee “t

he b

ig p

ictu

re”

• m

ay b

e ab

le to

read

with

out c

ompr

ehen

sion

(h

yper

lexi

a)

• m

ay b

e ab

le to

per

form

men

tal a

rithm

etic

and

pr

edic

tion

at h

igh

spee

d

• m

ay e

xper

ienc

e di

ffic

ultie

s in

mak

ing

a pl

an a

nd

wor

king

thro

ugh

the

logi

cal s

teps

to a

chie

ve th

e go

al

Gen

eral

teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

• U

nder

stan

d yo

ur s

tude

nts,

und

erst

and

thei

r ps

ycho

logi

cal f

unct

ioni

ng a

nd n

euro

logi

cal

proc

essi

ng, u

nder

stan

d th

e ch

alle

nges

to

thei

r lea

rnin

g an

d tr

ansl

ate

this

into

eff

ectiv

e st

rate

gies

for t

each

ing

and

care

.

• U

se le

ss ta

lk w

hen

the

stud

ents

are

str

esse

d or

up

set.

• W

arn

stud

ents

abo

ut s

urpr

ises

suc

h as

cla

ss

fest

iviti

es, f

ire d

rills

, etc

.

• Pr

evie

w c

hang

es in

rout

ines

.

• A

llow

ext

ra ti

me

for c

lass

room

cha

nges

and

m

ovin

g ar

ound

sch

ool f

acili

ties

durin

g ch

aotic

pe

riods

.

• Pr

omot

e ha

ving

“a g

o” a

nd m

akin

g m

ista

kes

as

an a

ppro

ach

to le

arni

ng.

• M

ake

daily

act

iviti

es in

to ro

utin

es.

• G

ive

writ

ten/

pict

ure

card

s/tim

etab

le p

rom

pts

to

supp

ort i

ndep

ende

nt le

arni

ng.

• U

se c

arto

ons

and

com

ic s

trip

con

vers

atio

ns to

te

ach

vario

us v

iew

poin

ts.

• H

ave

high

but

real

istic

exp

ecta

tions

.

• G

ive

visu

al c

lues

for l

earn

ing.

• G

ive

mea

ning

ful a

nd m

otiv

atio

nal r

ewar

ds.

• B e

pre

dict

able

, con

sist

ent a

nd re

liabl

e.

• C h

eck

for u

nder

stan

ding

.

• Kn

own

“saf

e sp

aces

” bot

h in

and

out

of t

he

clas

sroo

m.

• Kn

own

“saf

e pe

ople

”.

• A

ltern

ativ

e pl

aces

to e

at lu

nch

with

pee

rs if

the

envi

ronm

ent i

s ov

erw

helm

ing.

Autism


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

• m

ay e

xper

ienc

e di

ffic

ultie

s in

con

trol

ling

impu

lses

• m

ay e

xper

ienc

e di

ffic

ultie

s in

sel

f-or

gani

zatio

n in

ord

er to

set

tle d

own

to w

ork—

this

can

be

a hu

ge h

urdl

e

• m

ay e

xper

ienc

e hi

gh a

nxie

ty le

vels

.

• Av

oid

abst

ract

term

s, jo

kes,

figu

res

of s

peec

h or

sa

rcas

m.

• En

cour

age

the

wid

er s

ocia

l circ

le to

ado

pt th

e sa

me

appr

oach

es.

• P r

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es fo

r the

tran

sfer

of s

kills

.

• Cr

eate

a s

ense

of c

alm

and

ord

er in

the

clas

sroo

m.

• Pa

y at

tent

ion

to a

rtifi

cial

ligh

ting

and

whe

re

poss

ible

use

nat

ural

ligh

t.

Subj

ect d

iffic

ultie

s th

at c

ould

be

expe

rienc

ed in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

Engl

ish—

fine

mot

or s

kills

/han

dwrit

ing,

cre

ativ

ity/

imag

inat

ion,

com

preh

ensi

on, g

ram

mar

, spe

akin

g an

d lis

teni

ng, d

ram

a.

Mat

hem

atic

s—ab

stra

ct p

atte

rns/

conc

epts

, es

timat

ing,

app

lyin

g co

ncep

ts, p

reci

sion

and

dis

like

of

havi

ng “a

go”

and

mak

ing

mis

take

s, m

enta

l arit

hmet

ic

skill

s m

ay a

ppea

r to

be b

ette

r tha

n th

ey a

ctua

lly a

re.

Hum

anit

ies—

liter

al in

terp

reta

tion

of in

stru

ctio

ns,

lack

of e

valu

atio

n sk

ills,

use

of c

olou

r, fin

e/gr

oss

mot

or

skill

s an

d co

ordi

natio

n, c

once

pt o

f spa

ce/t

ime,

the

othe

r, ap

prec

iatin

g th

e w

ork

of o

ther

s, o

ther

cul

ture

s,

time

zone

s, c

limat

e ch

ange

s, v

alid

ity a

nd v

alid

ity te

sts,

ap

plyi

ng c

once

pts,

hyp

othe

ses,

see

ing

som

eone

els

e’s

poin

t of v

iew

.

• R e

gula

rly re

view

exp

ecta

tions

.


Dyscalculia

Despite the provision of appropriate learning opportunities, students with dyscalculia will experience persistent challenges when dealing with numbers. Dyscalculia is to mathematics what dyslexia is to literacy: it is the general term used to describe a specific learning difficulty in mathematics. Significant difficulties will vary from student to student so that some students will be able to multiply but not divide and vice versa, and others may be able to do maths at a high level but find it difficult to subtract simple numbers. What is experienced as a success one day may appear to have been forgotten the following day. The challenges do not always reflect the student’s cognitive abilities and students will display strengths in other areas.

Dyscalculia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

s Re

sour

ces

Und

erst

andi

ng a

nd re

mem

berin

g m

athe

mat

ical

co

ncep

ts, r

ules

, for

mul

as, s

eque

nces

• or

der o

f ope

ratio

ns o

f add

ition

, sub

trac

tion,

m

ultip

licat

ion

and

divi

sion

and

bas

ic

mat

hem

atic

al fa

cts

• m

enta

l arit

hmet

ic

• ab

stra

ct c

once

pts

of ti

me

and

dire

ctio

n

• di

ffic

ultie

s w

ith lo

ng-t

erm

mem

ory,

bot

h re

tent

ion

and

retr

ieva

l

• r e

calli

ng s

ched

ules

• se

quen

ces

of p

ast o

r fut

ure

even

ts

• ke

epin

g tr

ack

of ti

me,

alw

ays

bein

g la

te

• su

bstit

utio

ns, t

rans

posi

tions

, om

issi

ons

and

reve

rsal

s w

hen

writ

ing,

read

ing

and

reca

lling

nu

mbe

rs

• re

mem

berin

g na

mes

• m

atch

ing

nam

es to

face

s

• su

bstit

utin

g na

mes

beg

inni

ng w

ith s

ame

lett

er

• w

orki

ng o

ut c

hang

e w

hen

shop

ping

• m

oney

and

cre

dit

• fin

anci

al p

lann

ing

• te

sts

and

quiz

zes

• w

hole

-pic

ture

thin

king

• un

ders

tand

ing

mec

hani

cal p

roce

sses

• P r

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• C o

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

opt

imiz

e le

arni

ng e

xper

ienc

es.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• Be

aw

are

of s

tate

s of

str

ess

and

have

str

ateg

ies

in p

lace

to s

uppo

rt a

nd d

e-st

ress

.

• Li

nk m

athe

mat

ics

to re

al li

fe.

• Su

ppor

t mul

ti-se

nsor

y le

arni

ng—

writ

e it,

talk

it

thro

ugh,

and

exp

lain

it b

ack.

• Pr

ovid

e te

achi

ng n

otes

to c

ircum

vent

cop

ying

.

• O

ffer

pre

-tea

chin

g to

sup

port

new

lear

ning

.

• O

ffer

pos

t-pr

actic

e se

ssio

ns to

con

solid

ate

lear

ning

.

• O

ffer

sup

port

and

feed

back

on

a re

gula

r bas

is.

• O

ffer

pra

ctic

e m

ater

ials

whe

n ne

cess

ary.

• G

ive

imm

edia

te fe

edba

ck s

o th

at re

cord

ing

and

deco

ding

mis

take

s do

not

inte

rfer

e w

ith

mat

hem

atic

s le

arni

ng.

• O

ffer

to p

roof

read

wor

k to

pic

k up

reco

rdin

g an

d de

codi

ng m

ista

kes.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.s

teve

chin

n.co

.uk/

artic

les.

htm

l

• w

ww

.dys

calc

ulia

info

.org

/

• h t

tp://

ww

w.lb

ctnz

.co.

nz/s

ld/d

ysca

lcul

ia/in

dex.

htm

l

• ht

tp://

ww

w.d

ysca

lcul

ia.o

rg/d

ysca

lcul

ia/le

tter

-to

-mat

h-pr

of (s

tude

nt v

oice

: “Le

tter

to m

y m

ath

teac

her”

)

Dyscalculia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

s Re

sour

ces

• v i

sual

izin

g lo

catio

n su

ch a

s num

bers

on

the

cloc

k fa

ce, l

ocat

ion

of c

ities

, cou

ntrie

s, oc

eans

, etc

• or

ient

atio

n, p

oor s

ense

of d

irect

ion,

losi

ng

thin

gs, a

ppea

ring

abse

nt-m

inde

d

• co

ordi

natio

n—da

nce

step

s, s

port

rule

s, b

all

skill

s, e

tc

• ke

epin

g sc

ore

durin

g ga

mes

• re

mem

berin

g w

hose

turn

it is

whi

le p

layi

ng

gam

es

• st

rate

gic

plan

ning

in g

ames

• s i

ght r

eadi

ng o

f mus

ic

• le

arni

ng to

pla

y an

inst

rum

ent—

finge

ring

diff

icul

ties.

• Be

aw

are

of th

e or

gani

zatio

n an

d th

e pr

esen

tatio

n of

writ

ten

wor

k to

stu

dent

s on

ha

ndou

ts, w

hite

boar

ds, e

tc; k

eep

it si

mpl

e an

d un

clut

tere

d.

• En

sure

that

ass

essm

ents

are

ass

essi

ng w

hat i

s in

tend

ed a

nd d

o no

t clu

tter

with

dis

trac

ting

calc

ulat

ions

, typ

e an

d fig

ures

; kee

p it

sim

ple.

• G

ive

extr

a tim

e fo

r com

plet

ing

wor

k.

• Pr

ovid

e sc

rap

pape

r.

• Be

pat

ient

and

und

erst

andi

ng w

hen

lear

ning

ap

pear

s to

be

inco

nsis

tent

.


Dyslexia

Despite the provision of appropriate learning opportunities, students with dyslexia will experience persistent challenges in learning to read, write and spell. Significant challenges will vary from student to student and these challenges do not always reflect the student’s cognitive abilities; usually a student will display strengths in areas outside of the written curriculum. What is experienced as a success one day may appear to have been forgotten the following day.

The material for this table has been reproduced with the kind permission of the British Dyslexia Association, www.bdadyslexia.org.uk.

Dyslexia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

• l o

w s

elf-

este

em

• h i

gh s

tres

s

• un

dera

chie

vem

ent

• a t

ypic

al b

ehav

iour

• sl

ow s

peed

of p

roce

ssin

g: s

poke

n an

d/or

writ

ten

• po

or c

once

ntra

tion

• di

ffic

ulty

in fo

llow

ing

inst

ruct

ions

• fo

rget

ful o

f wor

ds

• di

ffic

ulty

in re

mem

berin

g an

ythi

ng in

seq

uent

ial

orde

r

• po

or h

and-

eye

coor

dina

tion.

Youn

g st

uden

ts m

ay h

ave

cont

inue

d di

ffic

ultie

s in

ge

ttin

g dr

esse

d an

d pu

ttin

g sh

oes

on th

e co

rrec

t fee

t, di

ffic

ulty

with

cla

ppin

g a

sim

ple

rhyt

hm a

nd e

xhib

it de

laye

d sp

eech

dev

elop

men

t.

Old

er s

tude

nts

may

con

tinue

to e

xper

ienc

e th

e sa

me

prob

lem

s as

in th

e pr

imar

y/el

emen

tary

sch

ool a

s w

ell

as h

avin

g di

ffic

ulty

in p

lann

ing

and

writ

ing

essa

ys.

They

may

suf

fer p

oor c

onfid

ence

and

low

sel

f-es

teem

, ha

ve is

sues

with

org

aniz

ing

life

arou

nd a

tim

etab

le

and

have

obv

ious

goo

d an

d ba

d da

ys.

• Pr

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• B e

aw

are

of s

tate

s of

str

ess

and

have

str

ateg

ies

in p

lace

to s

uppo

rt a

nd d

e-st

ress

.

• Li

nk w

ork

to re

al li

fe a

nd in

tere

sts.

• Su

ppor

t mul

ti-se

nsor

y le

arni

ng—

writ

e it,

talk

it

thro

ugh,

and

exp

lain

it b

ack.

• O

ffer

pre

-tea

chin

g to

sup

port

new

lear

ning

.

• O

ffer

sup

port

and

feed

back

on

a re

gula

r bas

is.

• O

ffer

pra

ctic

e m

ater

ials

whe

n ne

cess

ary.

• G

ive

imm

edia

te fe

edba

ck s

o th

at re

cord

ing

and

deco

ding

mis

take

s do

not

inte

rfer

e w

ith

lear

ning

.

• T e

ach

phon

olog

ical

asp

ects

.

• Pr

omot

e at

tent

ion

and

liste

ning

.

• D

evel

op s

poke

n la

ngua

ge.

• D

evel

op fi

ne m

otor

ski

lls a

nd h

andw

ritin

g,

sequ

enci

ng a

nd d

irect

iona

lity.

• D

evel

op s

hort

- and

long

-ter

m m

emor

y sk

ills.

Stud

ies

from

the

Nat

iona

l Ins

titut

e of

Chi

ld H

ealth

an

d H

uman

Dev

elop

men

t (U

S D

epar

tmen

t of H

ealth

an

d H

uman

Ser

vice

s) h

ave

show

n th

at m

ulti-

sens

ory

teac

hing

met

hods

and

reso

urce

s pr

ovid

e th

e m

ost

effe

ctiv

e ap

proa

ch to

teac

hing

.

Mul

ti-se

nsor

y te

achi

ng m

etho

ds a

re c

hara

cter

ized

by:

• vi

sual

, aud

itory

, kin

esth

etic

and

tact

ile

invo

lvem

ent

• a

sequ

entia

l, st

ep-b

y-st

ep a

ppro

ach

• cu

mul

ativ

e pr

ogre

ssio

n w

ith th

e pr

evio

us s

teps

pr

ovid

ing

a fo

unda

tion

for t

he n

ext s

tep

• o v

er-le

arni

ng—

a se

ries

of re

petit

ive

activ

ities

to

help

the

lear

ner a

chie

ve m

aste

ry.

Mul

ti-se

nsor

y te

achi

ng m

etho

ds in

clud

e:

• A l

pha

to O

meg

a Pa

ck: T

each

er’s

Han

dboo

k an

d St

uden

t’s B

ook

by H

orns

by, S

hear

and

Poo

l

• Th

e Ban

gor D

ysle

xia

Teac

hing

Syst

em b

y El

aine

Mile

s

• T h

e H

icke

y M

ultis

enso

ry L

angu

age

Cour

se b

y M

arga

ret C

ombl

ey.

Dyslexia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Stud

ents

may

exp

erie

nce

chal

leng

es w

ith w

ritte

n w

ork

com

pare

d w

ith o

ral a

bilit

y. T

his

may

be

seen

th

roug

h on

e or

mor

e of

the

follo

win

g.

• W

ork

may

be

mes

sy w

ith m

any

cros

sing

s ou

t an

d w

ords

trie

d se

vera

l tim

es, e

g w

ippe

, wyp

e,

wie

p, w

ipe.

• Pe

rsis

tent

con

fusi

on w

ith le

tter

s th

at lo

ok

sim

ilar,

part

icul

arly

b/d

, p/g

, p/q

, n/u

, m/w

.

• Po

or h

andw

ritin

g w

ith “r

ever

sals

” and

bad

ly

form

ed le

tter

s.

• M

akes

ana

gram

s of

wor

ds, e

g tir

ed fo

r trie

d,

brea

ded

for b

eard

ed e

tc.

• D

iffic

ultie

s se

ttin

g ou

t writ

ten

wor

k w

ith th

e m

argi

n ig

nore

d.

• Po

or p

enci

l grip

.

• Pr

oduc

es p

hone

tic a

nd b

izar

re s

pelli

ng n

ot

typi

cal o

f age

or a

bilit

y.

• M

ay s

how

unu

sual

seq

uenc

ing

of le

tter

s or

w

ords

.

• Be

aw

are

of th

e or

gani

zatio

n an

d th

e pr

esen

tatio

n of

writ

ten

wor

k on

the

boar

d an

d in

han

dout

s.

• U

se p

lann

ing

stru

ctur

es (g

raph

ic o

rgan

izer

s or

M

ind

Map

s®) t

o de

velo

p w

ritin

g.

• Su

ppor

t and

enc

oura

ge th

e us

e of

ass

istiv

e te

chno

logy

.

• Pr

ovid

e w

ritte

n ph

otoc

opie

d no

tes

of k

ey id

eas

cove

red

in c

lass

.

• A

ccep

t tha

t spe

lling

is a

diff

icul

ty.

• M

ark

only

key

voc

abul

ary

whe

n co

rrec

ting

and

offe

r a c

orre

ct m

odel

whe

n w

rong

.

• Co

nsid

er th

e us

e of

alte

rnat

ive

met

hods

of

pres

enta

tion

and

asse

ssm

ent s

uch

as ta

pe

reco

rder

s, D

icta

phon

es a

nd v

oice

-act

ivat

ed

soft

war

e.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

Und

erst

andi

ng d

ysle

xia:

• ht

tp://

ww

w.le

arne

r.org

/cou

rses

/neu

rosc

ienc

e/co

mm

on_i

nclu

des/

si_f

low

play

er.h

tml?p

id=2

451

• w

ww

.inte

rdys

.org

(US

web

site,

go

to

Info

rmat

ion>

Inte

rven

tion

s & In

stru

ctio

ns a

t the

to

p le

ft fo

r tea

chin

g in

form

atio

n)

• ht

tp://

ww

w.in

terd

ys.o

rg/e

web

editp

ro5/

uplo

ad/

Mul

ti-se

nsor

y_St

ruct

ured

_Lan

guag

e_Te

achi

ng_

Fact

_She

et_1

1-03

-08.

pdf (

a pa

per t

hat d

iscus

ses

mul

ti-se

nsor

y ap

proa

ches

)

• ht

tp://

ww

w.th

edys

lexi

a-sp

ldtr

ust.o

rg.u

k/ (e

xten

sive

UK

web

site

with

acc

ess t

o on

line

trai

ning

mod

ules

)

• w

ww

.dys

lexi

aact

ion.

org.

uk (i

nfor

mat

ion)

• w

ww

.dys

lexi

a-te

ache

r.com

(tea

cher

reso

urce

web

site)

• w

ww

.bda

dysl

exia

.org

.uk

(UK

web

site

)

• ht

tp://

ww

w.b

dady

slexi

a.or

g.uk

/file

s/df

s_pa

ck_

Engl

ish.p

df (t

each

ing

pack

)

• w

ww

.dys

lexi

aass

ocia

tion.

org.

au

• w

ww

.dys

lexi

aass

ocia

tion.

ca

• w

ww

.dys

lexi

acan

ada.

com

• ht

tp://

ww

w.d

ysle

xia-

inte

rnat

iona

l.org

/WD

F/Fi

les/

WD

F201

0-Ti

bi.p

df (r

efle

ctio

ns o

n “G

ood

Prac

tice”

in

Dys

lexi

a in

Ara

bic,

UN

ESCO

pub

licat

ion)

• ht

tp://

ww

w.n

ichd

.nih

.gov

/Pag

es/in

dex.

aspx

Dyslexia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Read

ing

chal

leng

es m

ay in

clud

e:

• po

or re

adin

g pr

ogre

ss, e

spec

ially

usi

ng lo

ok a

nd

say

met

hods

• di

ffic

ultie

s bl

endi

ng le

tter

s to

geth

er

• di

ffic

ultie

s in

est

ablis

hing

syl

labl

e di

visi

on o

r kn

owin

g th

e be

ginn

ings

and

end

ings

of w

ords

• un

usua

l pro

nunc

iatio

n of

wor

ds

• p o

or e

xpre

ssio

n w

hen

read

ing

• po

or c

ompr

ehen

sion

ski

lls

• he

sita

nt a

nd la

bour

ed re

adin

g

• m

issi

ng o

ut w

ords

whe

n re

adin

g, o

r add

s ex

tra

wor

ds

• fa

iling

to re

cogn

ize

fam

iliar

wor

ds

• lo

sing

the

poin

t of a

sto

ry b

eing

read

or w

ritte

n

• ha

ving

diff

icul

ty in

hig

hlig

htin

g th

e m

ost

impo

rtan

t poi

nts

from

a p

assa

ge.

• U

se s

impl

ified

text

whe

reve

r pos

sibl

e.

• D

ivid

e re

adin

g in

to s

ectio

ns a

nd c

heck

for

unde

rsta

ndin

g af

ter e

ach

sect

ion.

• En

cour

age

and

allo

w th

e us

e of

a ru

ler o

r pap

er

guid

e w

hen

read

ing.

• Pr

e-te

ach

or p

rovi

de s

ubje

ct-s

peci

fic v

ocab

ular

y.

• A

llow

ext

ra ti

me

for b

oth

read

ing

and

com

preh

ensi

on.

• Re

adin

g al

oud

shou

ld b

e on

a v

olun

tary

bas

is.

• I n

crea

se p

rint s

ize

to h

elp

the

read

er.

Soft

war

e su

gges

ted

by IB

sch

ool p

ract

ition

ers

but n

ot

endo

rsed

by

the

IB

• w

ww

.incl

usiv

e.co

.uk

• w

ww

.kirz

wei

ledu

.com

• w

ww

.text

help

.com

• w

ww

.free

olog

y.co

m (g

raph

ic o

rgan

izer

)

If ap

prop

riate

, allo

w th

e us

e of

com

pute

rs a

nd p

orta

ble

writ

ing

aids

to c

ircum

vent

han

dwrit

ing

diff

icul

ties.

Use

form

at o

ptio

ns o

n co

mpu

ter s

cree

ns a

nd

inte

ract

ive

whi

tebo

ards

.

Add

spe

ech

func

tions

to h

ardw

are.

Rese

arch

info

rmat

ion

abou

t sof

twar

e av

aila

ble

to

supp

ort l

earn

ing:

text

to s

peec

h, ta

lkin

g bo

oks,

te

xthe

lp, l

itera

cy g

ames

, on-

scre

en w

ord

bank

s,

Clic

ker5

, pre

dict

ive

tool

s, M

ind

Map

s®.

Cons

ider

font

and

col

our f

orm

attin

g.

Cons

ider

alte

rnat

ives

to w

ritin

g.

Intr

oduc

e ty

ping

and

key

boar

d aw

aren

ess p

rogr

amm

es.

Num

erac

y ch

alle

nges

may

incl

ude:

• c o

nfus

ion

with

num

ber o

rder

, uni

ts, t

ens,

hu

ndre

ds

• c o

nfus

ion

with

sym

bols

suc

h as

+ a

nd x

sig

ns

• r e

mem

berin

g an

ythi

ng in

a s

eque

ntia

l ord

er:

mul

tiplic

atio

n ta

bles

, day

s of

the

wee

k, th

e al

phab

et.

Dyslexia


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Tim

e ch

alle

nges

may

incl

ude:

• di

ffic

ulty

in le

arni

ng to

tell

the

time

• po

or ti

mek

eepi

ng a

nd g

ener

al a

war

enes

s of

the

time

• p o

or p

erso

nal o

rgan

izat

ion

• re

mem

berin

g w

hat d

ay o

f the

wee

k it

is, t

he

stud

ent’s

birt

h da

te, s

easo

ns o

f the

yea

r, m

onth

s of

the

year

• di

ffic

ulty

with

con

cept

s—ye

ster

day,

toda

y,

tom

orro

w.

Skill

s ch

alle

nges

may

incl

ude:

• m

otor

ski

ll ch

alle

nge

lead

ing

to w

eakn

esse

s in

sp

eed,

con

trol

and

acc

urac

y of

the

penc

il

• un

ders

tand

ing

of n

on-v

erba

l com

mun

icat

ion

• c o

nfus

ion

with

the

diff

eren

ce b

etw

een

left

and

rig

ht, u

p an

d do

wn,

eas

t and

wes

t

• un

sure

of h

and

pref

eren

ce

• i n

cons

iste

nce

in p

erfo

rman

ce o

n a

daily

bas

is.

• Sp

ecia

list t

hera

pies

incl

udin

g sp

eech

and

la

ngua

ge th

erap

y, a

nd o

ccup

atio

nal t

hera

py.

Beha

viou

rs th

at m

ay b

e ex

hibi

ted

incl

ude:

• w

ork

avoi

danc

e ta

ctic

s, s

uch

as s

harp

enin

g pe

ncils

and

look

ing

for b

ooks

• se

ems

to “d

ream

”; do

es n

ot s

eem

to li

sten

• m

ay b

e ex

trem

ely

tired

and

irrit

able

due

to

stre

ss.

• Pr

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• C h

eck

for u

nder

stan

ding

on

a re

gula

r bas

is,

espe

cial

ly if

the

stud

ents

are

not

on

task

.

• B e

aw

are

of s

igns

of s

tres

s an

d tir

edne

ss,

and

supp

ort s

tude

nts

in o

verc

omin

g th

ese

sym

ptom

s.


Dyspraxia—developmental coordination difficulties (DCD), motor learning difficulties

Developmental dyspraxia is best described as an immaturity in the way the brain processes information. This immaturity results in messages not being properly or fully transmitted and is associated with perception, language and thought, resulting in challenges with planning what to do and how to do it.

The material for this table has been reproduced with the kind permission of the Dyspraxia Foundation, www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk.



Dys

prax

ia c

halle

nges

Chal

leng

es a

t sch

ool

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

Han

d to

eye

coo

rdin

atio

n •

Han

dwrit

ing

• P r

actis

e m

ulti-

sens

ory

lett

er fo

rmat

ion,

eg

sand

pape

r let

ters

, sky

writ

ing,

rice

tray

s.

• U

se p

enci

l grip

s, w

ritin

g lin

es, s

tenc

ils.

Han

d to

eye

coo

rdin

atio

n •

Dre

ssin

g an

d fa

sten

ing

clot

hes

• U

sing

tool

s, u

tens

ils a

nd c

utle

ry

• Su

gges

t loo

se-f

it ea

sy o

n/ea

sy o

ff c

loth

ing

and

Velc

ro fa

sten

ings

.

• B r

eak

dow

n ea

ch ta

sk in

to s

mal

l sec

tions

to b

e m

aste

red

one

by o

ne.

Larg

e m

uscl

e m

ovem

ents

•

Wal

king

in a

str

aigh

t lin

e, b

umpi

ng in

to p

eopl

e an

d th

ings

• Ru

nnin

g, h

oppi

ng, j

umpi

ng, c

atch

ing/

kick

ing

balls

• Pr

ovid

e ba

lanc

e or

wob

ble

boar

ds, w

alki

ng o

n th

e lin

e an

d ha

nd-t

o-ha

nd th

row

ing

usin

g be

an

bags

or w

ater

-fill

ed b

allo

ons.

Atte

ntio

n/co

ncen

trat

ion

• Re

actin

g to

all

stim

uli w

ithou

t dis

crim

inat

ion

• At

tent

ion

span

is p

oor

• D

istr

acte

d in

ope

n-pl

an e

nviro

nmen

ts

• Fl

ittin

g be

twee

n ac

tiviti

es

• D

istu

rbin

g ot

hers

• A

llow

stu

dent

s to

cho

ose

activ

ities

that

mee

t th

eir o

wn

inte

rest

s.

• Av

oid

dist

urbi

ng s

tude

nts

whe

n on

task

.

• Av

oid

fluor

esce

nt li

ghts

, flu

tter

ing

ceili

ng

disp

lays

.

• Ke

ep w

all d

ispl

ays

to a

min

imum

.

• Pr

omot

e a

“no-

dist

urba

nce”

cul

ture

sho

win

g re

spec

t for

eac

h st

uden

t’s w

ork

spac

e.

Conc

eptu

aliz

atio

n•

Und

erst

andi

ng c

once

pts

such

as

“in”,

“on”

, “in

fr

ont o

f”

• P l

ay fa

rm/z

oo/jo

urne

y ga

mes

with

com

man

d ca

rds

such

as

“cow

in fr

ont o

f bar

n” w

ith c

orre

ct

pict

ure

on b

ack

of c

ard.

Pers

onal

org

aniz

atio

n•

Gen

eral

ly p

oorly

org

aniz

ed

• Su

pply

tim

etab

les,

dai

ly d

iarie

s an

d in

stru

ctio

ns

for s

peci

fic a

ctiv

ities

in s

eque

nced

pic

ture

car

ds.



Dys

prax

ia c

halle

nges

Chal

leng

es a

t sch

ool

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

Com

mun

icat

ion

• U

nabl

e to

rem

embe

r and

/or f

ollo

w in

stru

ctio

ns

• G

et th

e at

tent

ion

of th

e st

uden

ts b

efor

e gi

ving

in

stru

ctio

ns.

• U

se s

impl

e la

ngua

ge w

ith v

isua

l pro

mpt

s.

• Pr

ovid

e tim

e to

pro

cess

the

info

rmat

ion.

• U

se a

ctiv

ities

, dem

onst

ratio

ns a

nd p

ictu

res.

Spee

ch, l

angu

age

and

com

mun

icat

ion

• Ex

plai

ning

nee

ds o

r ans

wer

ing

a qu

estio

n

• R e

telli

ng a

n in

cide

nt

• Pr

ovid

e vi

sual

sup

port

s to

hel

p re

colle

ctio

n of

pe

rson

al e

xper

ienc

es.

• U

se c

lose

d qu

estio

ns ra

ther

than

ope

n-en

ded

ques

tions

.

Soci

al s

kills

• N

o co

ncep

t of p

erso

nal b

elon

ging

s

• Ke

epin

g fr

iend

s

• Ju

dgin

g ho

w to

beh

ave

in c

ompa

ny

• Ro

le p

lay

to d

evel

op u

nder

stan

ding

of t

he

conc

epts

of p

rivat

e an

d pu

blic

.

• H

ave

cons

iste

nt e

xplic

it cl

assr

oom

rule

s.

• U

se s

ocia

l sto

ries

to e

xpla

in th

e so

cial

rule

s an

d ex

pect

ed b

ehav

iour

.

Crea

tivity

/imag

inat

ion

• A

rtw

ork

and

stor

ytel

ling

imm

atur

e

• Ti

me,

seq

uenc

ing

“bef

ore”

, “af

ter”

, “fu

ture

”

• U

se ro

le-p

lay

and

dram

a to

exp

lore

diff

eren

t ou

tcom

es a

nd s

cena

rios.

• Ti

mel

ines

can

hel

p fix

eve

nts

in s

tude

nts’

min

ds.

• Te

ach

from

“con

cret

e” to

“abs

trac

t” b

y m

akin

g co

ncep

ts re

leva

nt to

stu

dent

s’ o

wn

expe

rienc

es.

Soci

al s

kills

and

flex

ible

thin

king

•

S udd

en c

hang

es, l

eadi

ng to

anx

iety

•

Giv

e ad

vanc

e no

tice

of a

ny c

hang

es.

• U

se v

isua

l tim

etab

les.

• G

ive

clea

r rul

es a

nd c

onse

quen

ces.

Flex

ible

thin

king

• U

nder

stan

ding

the

feel

ings

of o

ther

peo

ple

and

the

effe

ct o

f the

ir ow

n be

havi

ours

on

othe

r pe

ople

• W

ork

on u

nder

stan

ding

em

otio

ns.

• U

se s

trat

egie

s su

ch a

s co

mic

str

ip c

onve

rsat

ions

an

d m

ind

read

ing,

etc

.



Dys

prax

ia c

halle

nges

Chal

leng

es a

t sch

ool

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

Flex

ible

thin

king

• U

sing

a le

arne

d sk

ill o

ut o

f the

lear

ned

situ

atio

n •

T eac

h ea

ch s

kill

in a

ll th

e po

ssib

le c

onte

xts

and

in d

iffer

ent w

ays.

Sens

ory

perc

eptio

n an

d fle

xibl

e th

inki

ng

• Re

sist

ance

to c

erta

in a

ctiv

ities

or s

ituat

ions

•

Prep

are

for t

he c

hang

e.

• In

trod

uce

the

sens

atio

n gr

adua

lly.

• P r

ovid

e ot

her o

ptio

ns if

the

stud

ents

can

not

over

com

e th

e se

nsor

y di

ffic

ulty

.

• In

trod

uce

new

sen

sory

exp

erie

nces

usi

ng th

e st

uden

ts’ i

nter

ests

, eg

mes

sy p

lay

mak

ing

alie

ns

to g

et u

sed

to s

limy

text

ure.

Sens

ory

perc

eptio

n an

d so

cial

ski

lls

• Fi

ndin

g it

diff

icul

t to

conc

entr

ate

• Pr

ovid

e a

dist

ract

ion-

free

lear

ning

env

ironm

ent.

• Re

duce

the

soci

al d

eman

ds w

hile

lear

ning

.

• P e

rmit

time

out i

f stu

dent

s ar

e be

com

ing

over

-st

imul

ated

.

Soci

al s

kills

, fle

xibl

e th

inki

ng a

nd c

omm

unic

atio

n •

Play

ski

lls a

nd fo

llow

ing

gam

e ru

les

• Id

entif

y an

d fo

cus

on te

achi

ng n

eces

sary

pla

y sk

ills

such

as

turn

-tak

ing,

neg

otia

ting,

etc

.

• I n

trod

uce

a ci

rcle

of f

riend

s or

bud

dy s

yste

m to

he

lp th

e st

uden

ts in

bui

ldin

g re

latio

nshi

ps.


Gifted and talented or exceptionally able

Students identified as gifted and talented or exceptionally able (this document will use the term “gifted and talented” for ease of reading) may be globally gifted, gifted in specific areas or indeed be gifted in some areas but experience learning challenges in other areas. Special talents need to be encouraged, nurtured and extended, and students need to be challenged to think laterally about complex ideas, issues and situations even if a student is receiving learning support in other areas. Creating opportunities for extension may well involve seeking out and working with local universities, local organizations or online providers. Curriculum and learning choices should be made in collaboration with the students and their parents.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Whi

le g

ifted

stu

dent

s m

ay e

xcel

in s

ome

area

s, th

ey

may

be

expe

rienc

ing

chal

leng

es in

oth

er a

reas

of

lear

ning

.

Nat

ure

of a

bilit

y an

d im

plic

atio

ns fo

r lea

rnin

g—st

uden

ts m

ay:

• re

ason

wel

l (go

od th

inke

r)

• le

arn

rapi

dly

• ha

ve e

xten

sive

voc

abul

ary

• ha

ve a

n ex

celle

nt m

emor

y

• ha

ve a

long

att

entio

n sp

an (i

f int

eres

ted)

• be

sen

sitiv

e (fe

elin

gs h

urt e

asily

)

• sh

ow c

ompa

ssio

n

• be

per

fect

ioni

sts

• be

inte

nse

• be

mor

ally

sen

sitiv

e

• ha

ve s

tron

g cu

riosi

ty

• a s

k lo

ts o

f que

stio

ns

• dr

aw in

fere

nces

• in

vent

thin

gs

• lo

ve c

halle

nges

and

com

plex

ity

• ha

ve a

hig

h de

gree

of p

erse

vera

nce

in th

eir

inte

rest

s

• ha

ve a

hig

h de

gree

of e

nerg

y

• pr

efer

old

er c

ompa

nion

s or

adu

lts

• P r

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• Su

ppor

t lea

rnin

g in

are

as in

whi

ch le

ss

satis

fact

ory

prog

ress

is b

eing

mad

e.

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

shou

ld:

• en

sure

lear

ning

ext

ensi

on in

are

as in

whi

ch th

e st

uden

t’s e

xcep

tiona

l abi

lity

is d

emon

stra

ted

• en

sure

stu

dent

s ar

e ch

alle

nged

to g

o de

eper

, w

ith th

e co

nten

t tak

ing

into

acc

ount

pac

e, d

epth

an

d co

mpl

exity

, as

oppo

sed

to p

rovi

ding

mor

e of

the

sam

e

• cr

eate

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r stu

dent

s to

und

erta

ke

stud

ies

and

or p

rogr

amm

es a

t a h

ighe

r lev

el

in a

reas

of e

xcep

tiona

l abi

lity

(via

oth

er

orga

niza

tions

and

uni

vers

ities

)

• al

low

stu

dent

s to

und

erta

ke s

tudi

es in

diff

eren

t an

d ad

ditio

nal a

reas

of i

nter

est.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion

• ht

tp://

ww

w.te

achi

ngex

pert

ise.c

om/g

ifted

-tal

ente

d

• w

ww

.nag

c.or

g/

• w

ww

.hoa

gies

gift

ed.o

rg

• w

ww

.gift

ed.u

conn

.edu

/

• ht

tp://

educ

atio

n.w

m.e

du/c

ente

rs/c

fge/

• ht

tp://

dare

todi

ffer

entia

te.w

ikis

pace

s.co

m/P

lann

ing

+for

+and

+Man

agin

g+D

iffer

entia

tion

• Th

e W

este

rn A

ustr

alia

n de

part

men

t of e

duca

tion

has

exte

nsiv

e in

form

atio

n on

gift

ed a

nd ta

lent

ed

educ

atio

n (te

achi

ng m

odel

s an

d ac

tiviti

es)

http

://w

ww

.det

.wa.

edu.

au/c

urric

ulum

supp

ort/

gift

edan

dtal

ente

d/de

tcm

s/po

rtal

/

Gift

ed a

nd ta

lent

ed c

ompe

titio

ns

• ht

tp://

ww

w.le

arni

ngpl

ace.

com

.au/

deliv

er/

cont

ent.a

sp?p

id=1

3541

• ht

tp://

gtca

sa.a

sn.a

u/w

p/20

12/0

3/bi

g-sc

ienc

e-co

mpe

titio

n-re

gist

ratio

n-op

en/

• ht

tp://

ww

w.c

de.s

tate

.co.

us/g

t/gt

Oth

erPr

ogsC

omps

.htm



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

• ha

ve a

wid

e ra

nge

of in

tere

sts

• ha

ve a

gre

at s

ense

of h

umou

r

• be

ear

ly o

r avi

d re

ader

s (if

too

youn

g to

read

, lo

ve b

eing

read

to)

• b e

con

cern

ed w

ith ju

stic

e an

d fa

irnes

s, o

ften

w

ith a

wel

l-dev

elop

ed s

ense

of j

ustic

e

• be

kee

n ob

serv

ers

• ha

ve a

viv

id im

agin

atio

n

• be

hig

hly

crea

tive

• te

nd to

que

stio

n au

thor

ity

• en

joy

num

ber w

ork/

gam

es/p

uzzl

es

• be

goo

d at

puz

zles

.

Diff

eren

tiatio

n fo

r mee

ting

the

lear

ning

nee

ds fo

r thi

s gr

oup

of s

tude

nts

shou

ld ta

ke in

to c

onsi

dera

tion

the

teac

hing

and

lear

ning

mod

els

desi

gned

for w

orki

ng

with

gift

ed s

tude

nts.

The

se m

odel

s in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

• Th

e Au

tono

mou

s Le

arne

r Mod

el (G

eorg

e Be

tts)

• Th

e Cr

eativ

e Pr

oble

m S

olvi

ng P

roce

ss (O

sbor

ne

Parn

es)

• Th

e En

richm

ent T

riad

(Jos

eph

Renz

ulli)

• Sc

hool

wid

e En

richm

ent M

odel

(Jos

eph

Renz

ulli)

• M

ultip

le M

enu

Mod

el (J

osep

h Re

nzul

li)

• La

tera

l and

Cre

ativ

e Th

inki

ng (E

dwar

d de

Bon

o)

• M

ultip

le In

telli

genc

e M

odel

(How

ard

Gar

dner

)

• M

ultip

le-T

alen

t Mod

el (C

alvi

n Ta

ylor

)

• O

ver-

Exci

tabi

litie

s (K

azim

ierz

Dab

row

ski)

• Ta

xono

my

of A

ffec

tive

Dom

ain

(Dav

id

Krat

how

ohl)

• T a

xono

my

of C

ogni

tive

Dom

ain

(Ben

jam

in B

loom

)

• Co

gniti

ve C

urric

ulum

(Dia

ne M

ontg

omer

y)

The

abov

e is

not

an

exha

ustiv

e lis

t of t

each

ing

mod

els

but p

rovi

des

a us

eful

sta

rt w

hen

cons

ider

ing

diff

eren

tiatio

n st

rate

gies

and

cho

osin

g a

mod

el th

at

will

sui

t the

stu

dent

and

you

r sch

ool c

onte

xt.

Cont

act w

ith lo

cal g

ifted

and

tale

nted

stu

dent

or

gani

zatio

ns w

ill s

uppo

rt y

ou w

ith m

ater

ials

and

in

form

atio

n re

leva

nt to

you

r con

text

.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Info

rmat

ion

tech

nolo

gy (I

T) c

an s

uppo

rt th

e le

arni

ng

need

s of

this

gro

up o

f stu

dent

s in

a n

umbe

r of w

ays.

• St

uden

ts c

an w

ork

at a

rate

app

ropr

iate

to th

eir

need

s—co

nsid

er o

nlin

e le

arni

ng.

• IT

sup

port

s op

port

uniti

es fo

r dis

tanc

e an

d on

line

lear

ning

.

• In

divi

dual

lear

ning

sty

les c

an b

e ac

com

mod

ated

.

• H

ighe

r thi

nkin

g sk

ills

can

be d

evel

oped

and

pr

actis

ed.

• O

ppor

tuni

ties

are

prov

ided

for r

esea

rch.

• St

ruct

ured

opp

ortu

nitie

s ar

e av

aila

ble

for

indi

vidu

al a

nd c

olla

bora

tive

inve

stig

atio

ns o

f re

al-li

fe p

robl

ems.

• Po

ssib

ilitie

s fo

r lin

king

up

gift

ed a

nd ta

lent

ed

stud

ents

aro

und

the

wor

ld a

re c

reat

ed.

The

site

bel

ow c

onsi

ders

the

use

of in

form

atio

n an

d co

mm

unic

atio

n te

chno

logy

(IC

T) w

ith re

gard

to

supp

ortin

g st

uden

t lea

rnin

g, a

nd in

clud

es a

sec

tion

on g

ifted

and

tale

nted

stu

dent

s.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.n

cte.

ie/S

peci

alN

eeds

ICT/

Adv

iceS

heet

s/Ex

cept

iona

llyA

ble/


Hearing impairment/deafness

Students who are deaf have no hearing at all as opposed to those students who are hard of hearing. The term “hearing impairment” refers to the whole group of students, including those who have an auditory processing disorder. A student who is deaf may have little or no speech and this will depend on how severe the hearing loss is and the age of onset. Appropriate accommodations will vary between students dependent upon the level of the impairment, and by academic activity. Consistent, early use of visible communication modes (such as sign language, finger-spelling, Cued Speech) and/or amplification and aural/oral training will support those learners who are deaf or have high levels of hearing impairment. Students with hearing loss will usually use an oral (speech, lip-reading, and the use of residual hearing) or manual means (sign or finger-spelling) of communication or a combination of the two.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Impl

icat

ions

for l

earn

ing

are

perv

asiv

e ac

ross

the

who

le c

urric

ulum

, and

the

lear

ning

of v

ocab

ular

y,

gram

mar

, wor

d or

der,

idio

mat

ic e

xpre

ssio

ns a

nd o

ther

as

pect

s of

ver

bal c

omm

unic

atio

n w

ill b

e pa

rtic

ular

ly

chal

leng

ing.

Beca

use

of d

iffer

ence

s be

twee

n En

glis

h an

d si

gn

lang

uage

, Eng

lish

may

be

cons

ider

ed a

s a

seco

nd

lang

uage

.

• Pr

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• M

ake

sure

the

stud

ents

can

alw

ays

see

your

fa

ce; a

void

unn

eces

sary

mov

emen

t and

avo

id

cove

ring

lips

or fa

ce w

ith h

ands

and

obj

ects

.

• M

ake

sure

the

stud

ents

are

sea

ted

optim

ally

.

• St

ay a

way

from

win

dow

s as

the

glar

e ca

n be

di

stra

ctin

g an

d pr

even

t the

stu

dent

s fr

om

lip-r

eadi

ng.

• Re

peat

dis

cuss

ion

ques

tions

and

sta

tem

ents

m

ade

by o

ther

stu

dent

s.

• Sp

eak

clea

rly.

• Pr

ovid

e cl

ear a

nd w

ell-o

rgan

ized

writ

ten

outli

nes,

ass

ignm

ents

, lab

inst

ruct

ions

, su

mm

arie

s, h

omew

ork,

etc

, and

dis

trib

ute

them

be

fore

hand

whe

neve

r pos

sibl

e.

• P r

ovid

e le

sson

pla

ns, f

ilms,

and

lear

ning

m

ater

ials

to s

uppo

rt s

taff

on

time

so th

at th

ey

can

arra

nge

for n

eces

sary

sup

port

s.

• En

hanc

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion

by p

re-t

each

ing

voca

bula

ry.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.a

sha.

org/

publ

ic/h

earin

g/tr

eatm

ent/

assi

st_t

ech.

htm

• h t

tp://

ww

w.w

ashi

ngto

n.ed

u/do

it/Fa

culty

/St

rate

gies

/Dis

abili

ty/H

earin

g/

• ht

tp://

nich

cy.o

rg/s

choo

lage

/iep/

mee

tings

/sp

ecia

l-fac

tors

/con

side

ring-

hear

ingl

oss

• ht

tp://

ww

w.le

arne

r.org

/cou

rses

/neu

rosc

ienc

e/co

mm

on_i

nclu

des/

si_f

low

play

er.h

tml?

pid=

2392

Ass

istiv

e te

chno

logi

es a

re d

esig

ned

to a

llow

stu

dent

s to

circ

umve

nt d

iffic

ultie

s th

at m

ay p

reve

nt th

em fr

om

perf

orm

ing

to th

eir f

ull p

oten

tial.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.a

bilit

yhub

.com

/hea

ring/

inde

x.ht

m



• U

se th

e bo

ard/

over

head

pro

ject

or/n

otes

to

prov

ide

visu

al in

stru

ctio

ns a

nd in

form

atio

n.

• U

se v

isua

l aid

s w

ith fe

w w

ords

, lar

ge im

ages

and

fo

nts.

• Ke

ep e

xtra

noi

se to

a m

inim

um.

• E l

imin

ate

unne

cess

ary

back

grou

nd n

oise

.

• H

ave

only

one

per

son

spea

k at

a ti

me.

• Pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es fo

r the

stu

dent

s to

cla

rify

mea

ning

and

ask

que

stio

ns.

• Pr

ovid

e op

port

uniti

es to

par

ticip

ate

in e

lect

roni

c di

scus

sion

s.

• En

sure

that

spe

cial

ist s

peec

h, la

ngua

ge a

nd

audi

tory

trai

ning

take

s pl

ace.

• Pr

ovid

e te

ache

r and

pee

r edu

catio

n in

alte

rnat

e co

mm

unic

atio

n m

etho

ds.

• Pr

ovid

e an

inte

rpre

ter f

or th

ose

stud

ents

who

us

e si

gn la

ngua

ge.

• Pr

ovid

e a

note

-tak

er e

nabl

ing

the

stud

ents

to

atte

nd fu

lly to

inst

ruct

ion

or c

opie

s of

not

es.

• Pr

ovid

e am

plifi

catio

n sy

stem

s w

here

nec

essa

ry.

• Pr

ovid

e ca

ptio

ned

film

s/vi

deos

.

• H

ave

a ba

ck-u

p pl

an in

pla

ce w

hen

hear

ing

aids

/so

und

syst

ems

are

lost

or b

roke

n.

• Ch

ange

aud

itory

com

pute

r sig

nals

to fl

ashe

s an

d co

ntra

st c

hang

es.

• E n

sure

that

the

labs

are

fitt

ed w

ith v

isua

l w

arni

ng s

yste

ms

for e

mer

genc

ies.


Medical conditions/chronic illness

Medical conditions include: allergies, asthma, arthritis, lupus, epilepsy, petit mal seizures, grand mal seizures, diabetes, cancer, chronic middle ear infections, hypertension, anxiety disorders and HIV/Aids. Each of these medical conditions is a chronic illness that interferes with daily functioning and the student’s activities for more than three months in a year. Frequent and/or prolonged absence from school may lead to students feeling isolated and different, and learning may suffer. Treatments can be painful and even frightening and the side effects of medication may have implications for learning.

Medical conditions/chronic illness


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Stud

ents

who

are

unw

ell a

nd/o

r tak

ing

med

icat

ion

may

be:

• irr

itabl

e an

d w

orrie

d

• w

eepy

• un

able

to c

once

ntra

te o

r pay

att

entio

n

• co

nsid

ered

lazy

as

they

are

diff

icul

t to

mot

ivat

e an

d se

em d

isin

tere

sted

.

• P r

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• T e

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• Cr

eate

a p

ositi

ve a

ccep

ting

envi

ronm

ent t

hat

unde

rsta

nds

the

chal

leng

es th

at th

e st

uden

ts

may

exp

erie

nce.

• A

im to

circ

umve

nt c

halle

nges

and

pro

vide

for

succ

ess

and

a se

nse

of b

elon

ging

.

• Es

tabl

ish

good

com

mun

icat

ion

and

rela

tions

hips

be

twee

n ed

ucat

ors,

par

ents

/car

egiv

ers,

lear

ners

an

d he

alth

wor

kers

.

• Be

pro

activ

e in

kee

ping

in c

onta

ct w

ith th

e st

uden

ts.

• L o

ok fo

r way

s to

enha

nce

acce

ss a

nd p

artic

ipat

ion

whe

n st

uden

ts a

re a

t hom

e or

in h

ospi

tal.

• Co

nsid

er p

sych

osoc

ial n

eeds

by

liste

ning

and

co

mm

unic

atin

g ef

fect

ivel

y.

• Be

kno

wle

dgea

ble

abou

t chr

onic

illn

ess.

• D

evel

op a

ctio

n pl

ans

that

take

acc

ount

of

med

ical

, soc

ial a

nd a

cade

mic

nee

ds.

• En

cour

age

resi

lienc

e bu

t und

erst

and

whe

n a

stud

ent h

as re

ache

d hi

s or

her

lim

it.

• D

eal w

ith e

mot

ions

, bui

ld s

elf-

este

em.

A k

ey re

sour

ce p

erso

n ca

n:

• lia

ise

with

oth

ers

to fa

cilit

ate

com

mun

icat

ion

and

conf

iden

tialit

y

• co

llect

and

dis

trib

ute

info

rmat

ion

to s

uppo

rt th

e st

uden

t and

info

rm s

taff

• ad

apt a

nd m

odify

lear

ning

mat

eria

ls a

nd a

dapt

cu

rric

ulum

con

tent

• ke

ep c

olle

ague

s in

form

ed a

bout

the

ongo

ing

natu

re o

f the

con

ditio

n

• m

ake

spec

ial a

rran

gem

ents

for i

nter

nal a

nd

exte

rnal

ass

essm

ents

.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.u

nice

f.org

/sou

thaf

rica/

SAF_

reso

urce

s_le

arne

rsill

.pdf

• h t

tp://

kids

heal

th.o

rg/t

een/

your

_min

d/pr

oble

ms/

deal

_chr

onic

_illn

ess.

htm

• ht

tp://

ww

w.le

hman

.cun

y.ed

u/fa

culty

/jfle

itas/

band

aide

s/he

alth

ed.h

tml

• ht

tp://

dsp.

berk

eley

.edu

/Te

achS

tude

ntsW

ithD

isab

.htm

l#6

• h t

tp://

ww

w.n

hlbi

.nih

.gov

/hea

lth/p

ublic

/lung

/as

thm

a/gu

idfa

m.p

df


Mental health issues

Mental health problems may affect up to one in ten students in schools, and teachers are often the first to realize that a young person is in need of serious help. The emotional well-being of students and their good mental health is essential if students are to learn, develop and eventually become adults who can cope with life and its struggles. Mental health conditions include a wide range of conditions, including, but not limited to, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, conduct disorder, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

s Re

sour

ces

Sign

s of

em

otio

nal d

istr

ess

incl

ude:

• c h

ange

s in

beh

avio

ur

• di

srup

tive

beha

viou

r

• w

ithdr

awal

• an

ger

• ho

stili

ty

• di

ffic

ulty

con

cent

ratin

g

• di

ffic

ulty

com

plet

ing

scho

ol a

nd h

omew

ork

• t e

arfu

lnes

s

• po

or s

choo

l att

enda

nce.

• P r

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• C o

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

opt

imiz

e le

arni

ng e

xper

ienc

es.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

Keep

ing

stud

ents

men

tally

wel

l inv

olve

s of

ferin

g a

clas

sroo

m c

limat

e w

here

stu

dent

s:

• fe

el c

ared

for,

trus

ted,

und

erst

ood,

val

ued

and

safe

• ar

e lis

tene

d to

• ar

e ab

le to

lear

n

• fin

d th

at le

arni

ng is

mat

ched

to th

eir i

nter

ests

• ha

ve o

ppor

tuni

ties

to s

ucce

ed

• ha

ve o

ppor

tuni

ties

to b

e ho

pefu

l and

opt

imis

tic

• ar

e ha

ppy

and

enjo

y lif

e

• fe

el th

at th

ey b

elon

g to

the

com

mun

ity

• ha

ve c

ontr

ol o

ver s

choo

l life

.

Wor

k w

ith p

aren

ts a

nd s

peci

alis

ts to

cre

ate

beha

viou

r m

odifi

catio

n pl

ans

so th

at s

tude

nts

can

be ta

ught

ap

prop

riate

str

ateg

ies

and

give

n ch

oice

s, h

elpi

ng

them

to a

void

neg

ativ

e be

havi

ours

.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.p

apyr

us-u

k.or

g/su

ppor

t/fo

r-te

ache

rs

• h t

tp://

ww

w.m

enta

lhea

lth.o

rg.u

k/he

lp-

info

rmat

ion/

men

tal-h

ealth

-a-z

/C/c

hild

ren-

youn

g-pe

ople

/

• ht

tp://

aaca

p.or

g/pa

ge.w

w?n

ame=

Child

ren+

with

+O

ppos

ition

al+D

efia

nt+D

isor

der&

sect

ion=

Fact

s+fo

r+Fa

mili

es

• ht

tp://

ww

w.n

imh.

nih.

gov/

inde

x.sh

tml

• h t

tp://

ww

w.m

enta

lhea

lthca

nada

.com

/

Poss

ible

risk

fact

ors

incl

ude:

• le

arni

ng d

iffic

ultie

s

• fe

ar o

f und

erac

hiev

emen

t

• L o

cate

the

supp

ort n

etw

ork

in y

our a

rea

or

scho

ol.

• A

sk th

e st

uden

t wha

t is

wro

ng.

• S u

ppor

t and

adv

isor

y se

rvic

es w

ho o

ffer

sp

ecia

lized

and

pro

fess

iona

l adv

ice.

• Ch

ild p

rote

ctio

n ag

enci

es.



• di

ffic

ult h

ome

circ

umst

ance

s

• h o

use/

coun

try

mov

e

• ch

ange

s in

sch

oolin

g or

fam

ily li

fe

• be

reav

emen

t

• us

ing

drug

s or

alc

ohol

• ca

ring

for r

elat

ives

that

invo

lves

taki

ng o

n ad

ult

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

• liv

ing

in p

over

ty

• ho

mel

essn

ess

• be

ing

bulli

ed

• b e

ing

abus

ed, p

hysi

cally

and

/or m

enta

lly

• ex

perie

ncin

g di

scrim

inat

ion

• di

ffic

ultie

s w

ith s

exua

lity

• br

eak-

up w

ith g

irlfr

iend

or b

oyfr

iend

• pa

rent

s w

ho a

re d

ivor

cing

• lo

ng-t

erm

phy

sica

l illn

ess

• ha

ving

par

ents

who

are

exp

erie

ncin

g m

enta

l he

alth

issu

es, p

oor h

ealth

, alc

ohol

or d

rug

depe

nden

cy, t

roub

le w

ith th

e la

w.

• Li

sten

and

take

feel

ings

/con

cern

s se

rious

ly.

• Sh

ow e

mpa

thy.

• Re

assu

re th

e st

uden

ts.

• Ke

ep th

e di

alog

ue o

pen

and

ongo

ing.

• Tr

y to

per

suad

e th

e st

uden

ts to

invo

lve

othe

r pe

ople

.

• In

form

the

stud

ents

whe

re th

ey c

an g

et h

elp.

• U

nder

stan

d th

at le

arni

ng is

not

goi

ng to

be

optim

al.

• U

nder

stan

d th

at s

choo

l wor

k is

not

hig

h on

the

stud

ents

’ age

nda.

• En

cour

age

at-r

isk

stud

ents

to re

port

thei

r si

tuat

ion

to a

n ap

prop

riate

aut

horit

y.

• If

disc

losu

re m

ay p

ut th

e st

uden

ts a

t gre

ater

ris

k th

en c

onsu

lt w

ith th

e co

lleag

ue w

ho is

re

spon

sibl

e fo

r chi

ld p

rote

ctio

n.

Suic

idal

feel

ings

are

diff

icul

t to

iden

tify

but s

ome

clue

s in

clud

e:

• se

lf-in

flict

ed in

jury

• fe

elin

gs o

f hop

eles

snes

s

• fe

elin

gs o

f sel

f-hat

red

• gi

ving

aw

ay p

osse

ssio

ns

• ta

lkin

g or

writ

ing

abou

t dyi

ng.

In

thes

e ca

ses,

it is

impo

rtan

t to

seek

sup

port

fr

om a

dvis

ory

serv

ices

who

off

er s

peci

aliz

ed a

nd

prof

essi

onal

adv

ice

and/

or c

hild

pro

tect

ion

agen

cies

.


Physical disabilities

The learning needs of students with physical disabilities will not necessarily correlate with the degree of their physical disability. Some students with severe physical disability will need minimal learning support and vice versa. Learning barriers may have more to do with students’ concerns and worries about physical access, fatigue and belonging to their peer group. Be attuned to social and emotional states, especially if the condition is degenerative, and continue to foster social and emotional independence as physical dependence increases. Physical conditions that may cause learning disabilities include, but are not limited to, brittle bone disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and accidental injury.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Chal

leng

es w

ill u

sual

ly b

e re

late

d to

cop

ing

with

the

phys

ical

env

ironm

ent,

how

ever

, oth

er d

iffic

ultie

s th

at

may

be

expe

rienc

ed in

clud

e:

• ve

rbal

exp

ress

ion

and

artic

ulat

ion

• po

or s

ense

of b

alan

ce

• di

ffic

ulty

in k

eepi

ng u

p w

ith w

ork

• la

ck o

f con

fiden

ce

• p o

or s

elf-i

mag

e

• fr

ustr

atio

n at

bei

ng tr

eate

d di

ffer

ently

• di

ffic

ulty

in p

artic

ipat

ing

in p

artic

ular

act

iviti

es

• fa

tigue

• co

ncen

trat

ion

• he

alth

issu

es

• po

or s

choo

l att

enda

nce

if th

ere

are

heal

th

issu

es.

Som

e de

gene

rativ

e is

sues

mig

ht b

e ac

com

pani

ed b

y:

• l o

ss o

f coo

rdin

atio

n

• m

uscl

e lo

ss

• im

paire

d vi

sion

• he

arin

g lo

ss

• sl

urre

d sp

eech

• c u

rvat

ure

of th

e sp

ine

• di

abet

es

• h e

art i

ssue

s.

• Pr

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• C o

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

The

teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

prop

osed

bel

ow a

re g

ener

ic

to s

tude

nts

expe

rienc

ing

a ra

nge

of m

obili

ty is

sues

; in

divi

dual

stu

dent

s w

ill h

ave

diff

erin

g ne

eds.

• Co

llabo

rate

with

spe

cial

ists

and

list

en to

st

uden

ts.

• W

here

pos

sibl

e bu

ild th

erap

ies

(phy

siot

hera

py,

occu

patio

nal t

hera

py, e

tc) i

nto

the

daily

sc

hedu

le.

• A

llow

ext

ra ti

me

for c

ompl

etio

n of

task

s or

for

mov

ing

arou

nd th

e bu

ildin

g.

• T h

ink

abou

t phy

sica

l acc

ess

and

safe

ty a

roun

d th

e sc

hool

bui

ldin

g.

• Ke

ep s

tude

nts

safe

from

bei

ng b

umpe

d in

to o

r kn

ocke

d ov

er.

• M

ake

sure

that

stu

dent

dig

nity

is s

afeg

uard

ed if

th

ere

are

bow

el o

r bla

dder

issu

es.

• Pr

aise

and

enc

oura

gem

ent w

ill h

elp

supp

ort

thos

e st

uden

ts w

ith lo

w s

elf-i

mag

e.

Ass

istiv

e te

chno

logi

es s

uch

as te

xt to

spe

ech

reco

gniti

on a

re d

esig

ned

to a

llow

stu

dent

s to

ci

rcum

vent

diff

icul

ties

that

may

pre

vent

them

from

pe

rfor

min

g to

thei

r ful

l pot

entia

l.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.e

scho

olne

ws.

com

/201

2/05

/11/

six-

grea

t-sp

ecia

l-edu

catio

n-re

sour

ces-

for-

pare

nts-

and-

teac

hers

/ (a

grea

t gui

de to

ass

istiv

e te

chno

logi

es)

• h t

tp://

ww

w.k

urzw

eile

du.c

om/d

efau

lt.ht

ml

(ass

istiv

e te

chno

logy

)

• w

ww

.cas

t.org

(Uni

vers

al D

esig

n fo

r lea

rnin

g an

d as

sist

ive

tech

nolo

gies

)

• h t

tp://

spec

iale

d.ab

out.c

om/o

d/ph

ysic

aldi

sabi

litie

s/Ph

ysic

al_D

isab

ilitie

s.ht

m

• h t

tp://

ww

w.h

ealth

insi

te.g

ov.a

u/to

pics

/Chi

ldre

n_w

ith_P

hysi

cal_

Dis

abili

ties

Allo

w th

e us

e of

com

pute

rs a

nd p

orta

ble

writ

ing

aids

to

circ

umve

nt h

andw

ritin

g di

ffic

ultie

s.

Use

form

at o

ptio

ns o

n co

mpu

ter s

cree

ns a

nd

inte

ract

ive

whi

tebo

ards

.

Add

spe

ech

func

tions

to h

ardw

are.



• A

dapt

phy

sica

l act

iviti

es to

pro

mot

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion.

• I f

ther

e ar

e de

gene

rativ

e is

sues

, con

side

r bu

ildin

g ac

tiviti

es in

to th

e da

y to

kee

p m

uscl

es

heal

thy

for a

s lo

ng a

s po

ssib

le.

• Co

llabo

rate

with

occ

upat

iona

l the

rapi

sts

to e

nsur

e th

at s

eatin

g ar

rang

emen

ts a

re

com

fort

able

and

app

ropr

iate

.

• U

se s

trat

egie

s to

allo

w s

tude

nts

to k

eep

up

with

the

rest

of t

he c

lass

, eg

com

pute

rs, g

raph

ic

orga

nize

rs, a

udio

tape

s.

• A

ssis

tive

tech

nolo

gies

sho

uld

be u

sed

whe

reve

r po

ssib

le, e

g ad

apte

d ke

yboa

rds,

pag

e tu

rner

s,

wor

d bo

ards

.

• Fo

ster

frie

ndsh

ips

and

soci

al re

latio

nshi

ps.

• Co

nsid

er th

e he

ight

of d

ispl

ays

and

inte

ract

ive

boar

ds if

stu

dent

s us

e a

whe

elch

air.

• Pl

ace

your

self

at e

ye le

vel w

hen

talk

ing

to

stud

ents

in w

heel

chai

rs.

• K e

ep in

con

tact

(em

ail,

lear

ning

pla

tfor

ms)

if a

st

uden

t has

to w

ork

from

hom

e or

hos

pita

l.

• If

a st

uden

t has

an

aide

or a

ssis

tant

it is

im

pera

tive

that

the

aide

doe

s no

t red

uce

inde

pend

ence

, int

erfe

re in

soc

ial c

onta

cts

or th

e m

akin

g of

frie

nds.

• D

evel

op s

tude

nt in

depe

nden

ce a

nd s

elf-

care

sk

ills

and

invo

lve

thos

e ar

ound

the

stud

ent

whe

re a

ppro

pria

te.

Rese

arch

into

the

soft

war

e av

aila

ble

to s

uppo

rt

lear

ning

: tex

t to

spee

ch, t

alki

ng b

ooks

, tex

thel

p,

liter

acy

gam

es, o

n-sc

reen

wor

d ba

nks,

Clic

ker5

, pr

edic

tive

tool

s, M

ind

Map

s®.

Cons

ider

font

and

col

our f

orm

attin

g.

Cons

ider

alte

rnat

ives

to w

ritin

g.

Intr

oduc

e ty

ping

and

key

boar

d aw

aren

ess

prog

ram

mes

.


Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)

Difficulties with speech, language and communication are pervasive across the student’s life and will impact on all areas of school life, including, but not limited to, understanding and being able to take part in school activities, reading and writing, thinking things through and managing feelings.

Students with SLCN may experience difficulties in any combination and at varying degrees of difficulty. Co-morbidity, that is, experiencing more than one developmental difficulty at a time (dyslexia, learning difficulties, ADHD, autistic spectrum, dyspraxia), appears to be the rule rather than the exception with SLCN.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r you

nger

stu

dent

s (S

LCN

)Te

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Gen

eral

ly•

P rov

ide

a sa

fe, a

ffirm

ing

envi

ronm

ent t

o bu

ild

conf

iden

ce a

nd s

elf-

este

em.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• T e

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• Sp

eech

ther

apis

ts.

• Co

mm

unic

atio

n ga

mes

.

• Ro

le p

lay.

• V i

sual

and

gra

phic

org

aniz

ers.

• Re

cord

ed te

xts.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• w

ww

.thec

omm

unic

atio

ntru

st.o

rg.u

k (d

ownl

oada

ble

mat

eria

ls, t

each

ing

stra

tegi

es,

case

stu

dies

, ind

icat

or li

st fo

r ide

ntify

ing

com

mun

icat

ion

diff

icul

ties)

• w

ww

.hel

lo.o

rg.u

k

• w

ww

.talk

ingt

roub

le.in

fo

• h t

tp://

ww

w.b

t.com

/lear

ning

skill

sres

ourc

es

• h t

tp://

ww

w.a

utis

med

ucat

iont

rust

.org

.uk/

Reso

urce

s.as

px (a

n ex

tens

ive

web

site

, val

uabl

e lin

ks a

nd c

lass

room

reso

urce

s)



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r you

nger

stu

dent

s (S

LCN

)Te

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Und

erst

andi

ng la

ngua

geSp

ecifi

c st

rate

gies

to h

elp

stud

ents

incl

ude

the

follo

win

g.

• A

dapt

spo

ken

lang

uage

to m

atch

the

leve

ls o

f un

ders

tand

ing

of y

our s

tude

nts.

• Re

duce

bac

kgro

und

nois

e an

d di

stra

ctio

ns in

the

scho

ol/c

lass

room

env

ironm

ent.

• E n

cour

age

stud

ents

to q

uest

ion

whe

n th

ey d

o no

t und

erst

and.

• Re

gula

rly c

heck

on

stud

ents

’ und

erst

andi

ng.

Focu

sing

on th

e im

port

ant a

spec

ts o

f the

less

on/c

once

ptSp

ecifi

c st

rate

gies

to h

elp

stud

ents

incl

ude

the

follo

win

g.

• Fa

ce th

e st

uden

ts w

hen

givi

ng in

form

atio

n.

• U

se th

e st

uden

ts’ n

ames

to m

ake

sure

they

are

fo

cuse

d.

• U

se p

hras

es s

uch

as “e

very

one

need

s to

list

en to

th

is”.

• G

ive

an o

verv

iew

of t

he w

ork

to b

e co

vere

d.

• Po

int o

ut w

hen

stud

ents

nee

d to

list

en a

ctiv

ely.

• S u

mm

ariz

e in

form

atio

n be

fore

goi

ng in

to d

etai

l.

• Em

phas

ize

key

wor

ds.

Extr

a tim

e ne

eded

to li

sten

and

pro

cess

lang

uage

• P r

ovid

e ex

tra

thin

king

tim

e.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r you

nger

stu

dent

s (S

LCN

)Te

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Expr

essi

ng th

emse

lves

Spec

ific

stra

tegi

es to

hel

p st

uden

ts in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

• Li

sten

pos

itive

ly a

nd a

tten

tivel

y.

• A

llow

stu

dent

s th

e tim

e th

ey n

eed

and

wai

t pa

tient

ly; d

o no

t fin

ish

thei

r sen

tenc

es fo

r the

m.

• G

ive

posi

tive

feed

back

.

• Fo

llow

the

stud

ents

’ lea

d an

d bu

ild o

n w

hat t

hey

have

alre

ady

said

.

• G

ive

the

stud

ents

lots

of o

ppor

tuni

ties

for r

eal

dial

ogue

; tak

e sh

ort t

urns

but

do

not m

ake

the

stud

ent s

peak

in p

ublic

.

• If

the

stud

ents

are

exp

erie

ncin

g di

ffic

ultie

s in

und

erst

andi

ng, s

uppo

rt th

em p

ositi

vely

in

findi

ng a

ltern

ativ

e w

ays

to e

xpla

in th

ings

.

• W

hen

aske

d of

fer h

elp

and

supp

ort.

• D

o no

t rus

h or

pre

ssur

e th

e st

uden

ts.

• Pr

ovid

e th

e co

rrec

t mod

el o

f spo

ken

lang

uage

, do

not

cor

rect

the

stud

ents

.

• Fo

cus

and

resp

ond

to w

hat s

tude

nts

are

sayi

ng,

not h

ow th

ey a

re s

ayin

g it.

• O

ffer

sen

tenc

e fr

ames

to m

odel

mor

e co

mpl

ex

lang

uage

.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r you

nger

stu

dent

s (S

LCN

)Te

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Whe

n co

mm

unic

atio

n is

pro

blem

atic

• O

ffer p

raise

whe

n go

od li

sten

ing

skill

s are

app

lied.

• Te

ach

stud

ents

whe

n it

is a

ppro

pria

te to

join

in

a co

nver

satio

n, e

g a

gap

in th

e co

nver

satio

n,

clea

r sig

nals

from

the

spea

ker,

non-

verb

al c

ues,

pa

uses

, etc

.

• E x

plai

n w

hat c

an h

appe

n w

hen

peop

le b

reak

co

mm

on ru

les

for s

ocia

l com

mun

icat

ion

(pra

gmat

ics)

.

• En

cour

age

part

icip

atio

n th

roug

h ro

le p

lay.

• M

odel

app

ropr

iate

lang

uage

, and

use

ful p

hras

es

such

as

“sor

ry to

inte

rrup

t but

…” a

nd “s

orry

, pl

ease

car

ry o

n” s

houl

d be

exp

licitl

y ta

ught

.

• Su

ppor

t the

stud

ents

in u

nder

stan

ding

cla

ssro

om

rule

s and

exp

ecta

tions

for s

peak

ing

in le

sson

s.

• D

iscu

ss w

ith th

e st

uden

ts w

hat i

s fe

lt to

be

rude

an

d w

hy.

• Ex

plic

itly

teac

h ne

gotia

tion

skill

s.

• D

iscu

ss h

ow p

eopl

e m

anag

e em

otio

ns a

nd h

ow

the

tone

of v

oice

, bod

y la

ngua

ge a

nd p

ostu

re

give

clu

es to

em

otio

ns.

• E n

cour

age

the

stud

ents

to e

xplo

re th

eir f

eelin

gs

with

rega

rd to

sto

ries,

new

s, c

urre

nt e

vent

s,

disc

over

ies,

etc

.

Whe

n th

ere

is n

ot e

noug

h la

ngua

ge fo

r stu

dent

s to

ex

pres

s th

emse

lves

Spec

ific

stra

tegi

es to

hel

p st

uden

ts in

clud

e th

e fo

llow

ing.

• Fo

cus

on p

ronu

ncia

tion.

• D

evel

op v

ocab

ular

y.

• W

hen

new

con

cept

s ar

e ta

ught

, ens

ure

that

the

voca

bula

ry is

taug

ht a

nd u

nder

stoo

d.



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r old

er s

tude

nts

(SLC

N)

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

Reso

urce

s

Flue

ncy

• S t

uden

ts u

se c

onci

se re

spon

ses

with

lim

ited

deta

il th

at m

ay e

xten

d to

writ

ten

expr

essi

on

• St

uden

ts a

void

ora

l pre

sent

atio

ns a

nd re

adin

g

• A

llow

for p

rivat

e pr

esen

tatio

n to

the

teac

her.

• U

se v

ideo

and

aud

io ta

ped

resp

onse

s.

• V i

deo

and

audi

o eq

uipm

ent.

Art

icul

atio

n/or

al d

yspr

axia

/apr

axia

of s

peec

h

• Ph

ysic

al re

spon

ses

• S p

ellin

g er

rors

that

are

pho

netic

whe

n w

ritin

g

• D

iffic

ulty

spe

ll-ch

ecki

ng w

ords

• P r

omot

e th

e us

e of

vis

ual s

pelli

ng s

trat

egie

s.

Lang

uage

info

rmat

ion

proc

essi

ng/s

eman

tics

• Er

rors

in s

ynta

x an

d m

orph

olog

y

• D

iffic

ultie

s in

und

erst

andi

ng s

ynon

yms,

au

tony

ms,

mul

tiple

mea

ning

s, h

omon

yms

• D

iffic

ulty

with

infe

renc

es a

nd id

iom

s

Org

aniz

atio

n an

d st

ruct

ure

• U

se th

inki

ng m

aps/

grap

hic

orga

nize

rs.

• G

ive

expl

icit

inst

ruct

ion

for v

ocab

ular

y an

d co

ncep

ts.

• U

se F

raye

r Map

s an

d se

man

tic w

ebs

to te

ach

and

stor

e vo

cabu

lary

.

• Co

nnec

t new

lear

ning

to p

rior k

now

ledg

e.

• U

se p

ictu

res.

• Pr

evie

w v

ocab

ular

y.

• U

se m

ulti-

sens

ory

teac

hing

str

ateg

ies.

• Co

ncep

t map

s an

d M

ind

Map

s®.

• G

raph

ic o

rgan

izer

s.

• Vi

sual

clu

es.

• M

ulti-

sens

ory

teac

hing

str

ateg

ies.

Mat

eria

ls li

sted

are

sug

gest

ed u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

mat

eria

ls in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

• Al

pha

to O

meg

a Pa

ck: T

each

er’s

Han

dboo

k an

d St

uden

t’s B

ook

by H

orns

by, S

hear

and

Poo

l.

• T h

e Ban

gor D

ysle

xia

Teac

hing

Syst

em b

y El

aine

M

iles.

• Th

e H

icke

y M

ultis

enso

ry L

angu

age

Cour

se b

y M

arga

ret C

ombl

ey.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.lo

ngw

ood.

edu/

staf

f/jon

escd

/pr

ojec

ts/e

duc5

30/a

boxl

ey/g

raph

icor

g/fr

aym

.htm



Poss

ible

cha

lleng

es fo

r old

er s

tude

nts

(SLC

N)

Teac

hing

str

ateg

ies

Reso

urce

s

Prag

mat

ics

• S t

uden

ts s

trug

gle

with

syn

onym

s/m

ultip

le

mea

ning

s

• St

uden

ts d

on’t

unde

rsta

nd s

arca

sm

• D

iffic

ultie

s w

ith m

akin

g in

fere

nces

and

idio

ms

• H

yper

focu

s on

favo

ured

topi

cs

• St

uden

ts h

ave

diff

icul

ties

obse

rvin

g pe

rson

al

spac

e bo

unda

ries

Soci

al s

kills

gro

ups

• S o

cial

sto

ries

and

com

ic s

trip

con

vers

atio

ns

(vis

ual r

epre

sent

atio

ns o

f int

erpe

rson

al

com

mun

icat

ion)

abo

ut re

leva

nt p

erso

nal

expe

rienc

es.


Visual impairment

Students with severe visual loss can be dependent upon what can be touched or heard (unless there are hearing issues), and thus the world of experiences has to be brought to the students in a meaningful manner if they are to understand the world around them. A team approach that includes the students, parents and specialist support is likely to be the most effective way of meeting individual needs, especially with respect to advice about the use of Braille and other appropriate media, equipment and technology. Frequent and/or prolonged absence from school when attending specialist training or medical appointments may lead to students feeling isolated and different; therefore, it is important to ensure that academic, social, emotional and physical needs are met to optimize learning.

Visual impairment


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

Sign

s th

at s

tude

nts

may

be

expe

rienc

ing

visu

al

diff

icul

ties

and

need

to b

e re

ferr

ed to

a d

octo

r or

optic

ian

incl

ude:

• co

ntin

ued

blin

king

or r

ubbi

ng o

f eye

s

• sq

uint

ing

• h e

adac

hes

• di

zzin

ess

• s e

nsiti

vity

to b

right

ligh

ts

• ho

ldin

g he

ad a

t a s

tran

ge a

ngle

or v

ery

clos

e to

bo

oks/

pape

rs

• re

d ey

es

• bu

mpi

ng in

to o

bjec

ts

• po

or b

alan

ce

• di

ffic

ulty

with

han

dwrit

ing

or c

opyi

ng.

Impl

icat

ions

for l

earn

ing

• A

ny d

elay

s in

con

cept

dev

elop

men

t will

impa

ct

on s

ocia

l, em

otio

nal,

acad

emic

and

voc

atio

nal

deve

lopm

ent.

• A

s st

uden

ts a

re u

naw

are

of s

ubtle

act

iviti

es

in th

eir e

nviro

nmen

t, in

cide

ntal

lear

ning

and

co

mpr

ehen

sion

may

be

redu

ced.

Circ

umve

nt d

iffic

ultie

s by

teac

hing

thro

ugh

stre

ngth

s an

d of

fer a

ltern

ativ

e st

rate

gies

, ski

lls, m

ediu

ms,

eq

uipm

ent a

nd te

chno

logi

es.

• Pr

ovid

e a

safe

, aff

irmin

g en

viro

nmen

t to

build

co

nfid

ence

and

sel

f-es

teem

.

• Co

oper

ativ

e, k

now

ledg

eabl

e, a

cces

sibl

e sc

hool

s th

at w

elco

me

pare

nts

into

the

lear

ning

pa

rtne

rshi

p ar

e be

st p

lace

d to

sup

port

the

stud

ents

in o

verc

omin

g ch

alle

nges

and

to

optim

ize

lear

ning

exp

erie

nces

.

• Te

ach

in li

ne w

ith th

e IB

’s ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng

and

the

IB’s

four

prin

cipl

es o

f goo

d pr

actic

e.

• B e

aw

are

of w

hen

stud

ents

nee

d to

wea

r gla

sses

.

• Pr

ovid

e ac

cess

to a

rang

e of

prin

t tha

t has

op

timal

siz

e pr

int,

and

offe

rs g

ood

cont

rast

and

la

yout

.

• Ta

rget

oth

er s

ense

s to

rein

forc

e le

arni

ng;

prov

ide

tact

ile m

ater

ials

suc

h as

thre

e-di

men

sion

al m

ater

ials

(map

s an

d di

agra

ms)

, em

boss

ed te

xt, c

olou

red

pape

rs, p

ens,

filte

rs,

over

lays

.

• F o

cus

on o

ral w

ork

and

pres

enta

tions

.

• Co

nsul

t spe

cial

ists

and

mak

e ar

rang

emen

ts to

us

e te

chno

logy

whe

n ap

plic

able

.

• P r

ovid

e se

atin

g th

at ta

kes

into

acc

ount

the

light

ing.

• St

and

or s

it in

a p

ositi

on w

here

the

stud

ents

can

se

e yo

u an

d av

oid

posi

tions

nea

r to

win

dow

s w

here

silh

ouet

tes

are

crea

ted.

• Co

nsul

t with

the

stud

ents

if la

yout

cha

nges

to

the

envi

ronm

ent a

re to

take

pla

ce.

Web

site

s lis

ted

are

sugg

este

d si

tes

of u

sefu

l sup

port

m

ater

ials

, pro

vide

d so

lely

for y

our i

nfor

mat

ion

and

conv

enie

nce.

The

IB d

oes

not e

ndor

se a

ny o

f the

se

site

s in

any

man

ner a

nd h

as n

o co

ntro

l ove

r the

ir ac

cura

cy, l

egal

ity o

r com

plet

enes

s of

info

rmat

ion.

The

follo

win

g w

ebsi

te is

a w

orld

wid

e lis

ting

of

orga

nisa

tions

for t

he v

isua

lly im

paire

d.

• ht

tp://

ww

w.m

dsup

port

.org

/res

ourc

es/v

is-im

p.ht

ml

• h t

tp://

ww

w.a

fb.o

rg/s

ectio

n.as

px?T

opic

ID=1

89&

Doc

umen

tID=1

344

• ht

tp://

ww

w.te

achi

ngex

pert

ise.

com

/e-

bulle

tins/

supp

ortin

g-th

e-ch

ild-w

ith-v

isua

l-im

pairm

ent-1

951

• ht

tp://

ww

w.v

isio

naus

tral

ia.o

rg/in

fo.

aspx

?pag

e=12

36

Ass

istiv

e te

chno

logi

es fo

r the

blin

d

• h t

tp://

ww

w.d

isab

oom

.com

/blin

d-an

d-vi

sual

-im

pairm

ent/

assi

stiv

e-te

chno

logy

-for

-the

-blin

d

Visual impairment


Poss

ible

cha

lleng

esTe

achi

ng s

trat

egie

sRe

sour

ces

• S t

uden

ts s

houl

d no

t be

left

in a

spa

ce w

here

th

ey h

ave

no p

oint

of c

onta

ct; g

uide

them

to th

e w

all o

r a p

iece

of f

urni

ture

.

• H

elp

stud

ents

to n

egot

iate

and

lear

n th

e ro

utes

to

bat

hroo

ms,

cla

ssro

oms,

etc

; use

trai

ls a

long

w

alls

and

sch

ool l

andm

arks

.

• W

hite

line

s m

ay e

nhan

ce n

avig

atio

n an

d ac

cess

ibili

ty.

• Co

ntra

stin

g st

rips

alon

g th

e ed

ge o

f ste

ps m

ay

mak

e go

ing

up a

nd d

own

stai

rs e

asie

r.


Appendix

Questions for reflection when developing an inclusion/SEN policyProgramme standards and practices (2010) provides a set of criteria that both the IB World Schools and the IB can use to evaluate success in the implementation of IB programmes. As mentioned in the section on “Meeting student learning diversity”, the following practices require schools to demonstrate their support for a diversity of learning:

• A9 The school supports access for students to the IB programme(s) and philosophy.

• B1:5 The school develops and implements policies and procedures that support the programmes.

• B2:8 The school provides support for its students with learning and/or special educational needs and support for their teachers.

• C1:6 Collaborative planning and reflection incorporates differentiation for students’ learning needs and styles.

• C3:10 Teaching and learning differentiates instruction to meet students’ learning needs and styles.

Schools should develop and implement an inclusion/special educational needs (SEN) policy that is consistent with IB expectations, in accordance with local legislation and school policy, and is easily available to the whole school community. It should link with the school’s mission and pertinent school policies such as those of language, learning and assessment.

Just as IB World Schools differ in their size, facilities and available resources, so learning support provisions will vary from school to school. Documenting these learning provisions is not only good practice but imperative if all stakeholders, especially students and parents, are to be involved in learning partnerships. The inclusion/SEN policy will be an invaluable resource for all those involved with the students and will ensure that procedures and provisions remain consistent. In some national situations, an inclusion/SEN policy will be a legal requirement, and in some countries local educational districts or authorities will have produced one for their district or region. However, it remains important that the school details its own learning support approaches and procedures in an inclusion policy.

An inclusion/SEN policy celebrates the practices and procedures that support student learning in a school’s particular context.

Questions to ask when developing and implementing an inclusion/SEN policyThe following questions can be used to assist a school in developing and implementing inclusion/SEN policies and procedures.

School organization• What are the local, national and international legal obligations on inclusion/SEN that have to be met?

• What are the local, national and international legal requirements of teachers in meeting the needs of students?

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• Is the policy consistent with IB philosophy and practice?

• How is the philosophy on inclusion aligned with the school’s mission statement?

• How does the school define inclusive education? (For more information about IB programmes and inclusion please refer to Learning diversity and the IB Programmes: Special educational needs within the lnternational Baccalaureate programmes (2010).)

• How does the policy link to other school policies such as teaching and learning, assessment and language policies?

School development• How is the provision for inclusion/SEN supported by professional development?

• What provision improvements are needed?

• What are the implications for school development?

Resources• What expertise does the school have access to?

• What expertise is needed?

• Who are the staff experts and/or consultants who work with students and/or guide teachers to work with students with learning support needs?

• What resources are allocated to maximize inclusion?

• Who is responsible for finding, allocating and deploying resources?

• Which testing or screening tools does the school have access to?

• Which tests are staff qualified to administer?

• Which staff/stakeholders have specific responsibilities to maximize inclusive outcomes (state job title and responsibilities)?

• Is the school physically accessible? If not, is there a plan for creating accessibility?

• What are the budgetary implications?

Stakeholders• Who are the stakeholders and outsiders to whom the inclusion policy will apply—management,

teachers, students, parents/legal representatives of students, non-teaching staff, visitors?

• Which stakeholders are made aware of the inclusion policy?

Communication• Who is responsible for notifying parents, students and teachers of testing results?

• Are students, parents/legal representatives of students aware of the inclusion policy?

• How is the school community made aware of the inclusion policy?

• Does the school have ongoing communication with parents of students with learning support needs? Are there any specific modes of communication?

• How is information communicated and coordinated during transition stages—changing schools, changing sections, changing campuses? (Be aware of data protection and privacy legislation, including those with respect to student privacy and health information privacy.)

• How are the inclusive policy and practices communicated to new staff?

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Confidentiality• How does the school communicate its policies and procedures regarding confidential information?

• How is information held on students, is any of the information confidential, where should it be held and who should manage it?

• Who has access to student files?

Learning• What is the extent of student learning needs at present?

• How are the needs of existing students being met?

• How many students in the school have learning support/SEN needs? Are there more students in specific SEN categories?

Policy documentation• How is inclusive/SEN provision documented?

• How is the provision for inclusion/SEN structured, coordinated and monitored?

• How is the overall access to curriculum, examinations and school activities reflected in the policy?

• How are individual educational plans reflected in the policy?

Policy processes• What is the policy review process? How does it ensure that the inclusion policy remains a work in

progress, keeping up to date with the needs of the student population and in line with learning needs legislation as well as roles and responsibilities?


IB resources for supporting student learning diversity

Candidates with special assessment needs (2011)—specific to the Diploma Programme

Language and learning in IB programmes (2011)

Learning diversity and the IB Programmes: Special educational needs within the lnternational Baccalaureate programmes (2010)

Programme standards and practices (2010)

What is an IB education? (2012)

Further information can be found on the special educational needs page on the OCC.

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