• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

Techniques Teachers Can Use for Helping LD Students in the Basic Writing Classroom

Be Aware That Learning Disabilities Exist:

While LD is not always visible in the classroom, teachers need to be aware that it exists. Brenda Jo Brueggerman, Linda Feldmeier White, Patricia A Dunn, Barbara A. Heifferon and Johnson Cheu refer to “the invisibility of disability (Brueggerman et al, 369)” and point out that disabilities are not always something which can be seen. Brueggerman et al point out that while teachers may not always be able to determine which students in the classroom are learning disabled, they need to be aware that these students are likely present. David Arceneaux agrees, pointing out that unlike other disabilities “learning disabilities are not immediately apparent to others (Arceneaux, 49)” and thus present a divide between the student’s identity and their performance in a particular area.

In BW courses especially, it can be difficult to tell when someone has a genuine LD or is just inexperienced. Many of the surface errors when it comes to grammar and spelling will seem quite similar, so it is important that the ideal BW teacher, while keeping an eye out for the students with LD, also works to ensure that every student is given the chance to improve these surface details which will prove beneficial in their later college writing courses and in general. Because the work of Basic Writers and the work of students with some forms of LD will look quite similar it can be difficult to determine which students fit into certain categories.

Test For Learning Disabilities As Early As Possible And Document Findings Appropriately:

Often Students who require accommodation through college departments need to be identified by the school as having a learning disability. Robin Farquhar urges teachers to test their students as soon as possible, pointing out that ““With the results of such tests in hand, we can provide a variety of accommodations for our learning disabled students-such as extra time to complete assignments and tests(Farquhar, 7)” . Because such documentation is necessary to get the students the services they need in most Universities, which help the students make legal requests for classroom accommodation, it is important for a Basic Writing teacher to keep in touch with the offices providing these accommodations to stay aware both of which students require extra help and what they need to do to help them.

Communicate And Cooperate With Offices Providing Student Accommodation:

Kate Garnett points out the need for interdepartmental cooperation in organizing services for learning disabled students “in coordinating student needs and coordinating available services” (Garnett, 9). This means that Basic Writing teachers should work closely with the department providing student accommodation to make certain everything remains on track, and to ensure that they are aware of the students with LD documentation who are in their classes.

Allow Students Reasonable Accommodations As Required:

In her survey of LD students, Judith Osgood Smith discovered that 52 percent of the students she surveyed requested accommodations in their classes. Some of these accommodations included:

• Giving students extra time to complete assignments.
• Giving feedback or direct assistance on writing assignments.
• Grading with an emphasis on content rather than on spelling or grammar. (Osgood Smith, 6).

In the Basic Writing classroom, these ideas would prove helpful for any students, not simply students with a Learning Disability, especially in terms of providing feedback and direct assistance. One of Mina Shaughnessy’s most important suggestions for the Basic Writing course in Errors and Expectations suggests using such a “workshop setting(Shaughnessy, 288)” several times a week can be helpful to beginning writing students so that they can discuss their work in detail with both teachers and tutors, “In addition, their work should be reviewed by tutor and teacher at the end of each writing day and comments or suggestions attached to students’ individual folders(Shaughnessy, 288)” she says, citing the need especially for strong feedback and assistance as a writer is developing their skills.

Take Other Approaches In The Classroom:

In their review of teaching techniques that can be used to help students with Attention Deficit Disorder in the classroom, (though the ideas work similarly well for students in a BW course, who are often new to college and may need help in staying organized and on task in a classroom), Peter and Patricia Latham point out that a teacher should:

• Encourage the student to keep a planner listing all assignments, due dates, tests and other important events in the class.
• Have students who have trouble paying attention in the classroom sit near the front so that they may better pay attention to what is going on.
• Take time to get to know the students and allow them to get to know their teachers as well, to keep the lines of communication open. (Latham and Latham,5)

Help The Student Become A Self Advocate And Empower Them To Speak Up:

Milsom suggests the need for LD students to be made aware of their disabilities so that they may know which accommodations they are going to need for college success (439). In short, the student needs to learn to speak up for the things that they need most in order to succeed in a class, While accommodations can be provided, teachers do need to be made aware that their student would like or require help beyond that given in class.

While it is important for Basic Writing teachers to know what to do to get the student initial help and to get the student into contact with the correct offices if they are not aware of them, it becomes up to the student to continue advocating for themselves in future. An effective teacher will help their student to access the appropriate channels for aid while teaching the student ways to do it for themselves in the future, and while offering help, will not attempt to do everything for the student, but encourage them to find the answers for themselves as well.

Don’t Ignore A Student’s Problems:

Garnett points that some students may be allowed to slip through the cracks for a long time, both in terms of their writing abilities and in terms of any form of LD they might have. Letting students get by because a teacher does not care, even if they are aware of an LD or other difficulty can “be devastating for students” and she rightly suggests that these students are done a great disservice by teachers who are fine with “letting them get by in many subject area courses without having to demonstrate reading and writing skills (Garnett, 8) “.

By letting students continue to fail without attempting to help them in any way, teachers do them a great disservice and do not allow them the chances to succeed that they require to be a success not only in college but in life. The ideal Basic Writing course would seek to stop letting this happen, and to teach these students what they need to know, ensuring that they do well in the course not by passing through with a decent grade, but by learning the necessary skills of writing which will set them up to succeed in college altogether.

Therefore the work that Basic Writing teachers do is very important, particularly when it comes to the delicate area of students with LD, who need special consideration and are often ignored in other courses However, by the nature of the ideal Basic Writing course and also by taking these tips into consideration, a good teacher will increase the chances of attaining this success for every Basic Writing student, not only those who present with LD.