Teaching Reading to Special Needs Children
According to the NRC, one of the best ways to deal with ineffective reading or deal with problems reading in general is by providing instruction and intervention on reading in school - both preschool and primary grades. Learning to read well isn’t just about being taught, but it’s also about being taught specific things like how sounds are represented by print words, practice makes perfect i.e.; the more you read the better you will get at it and also that it’s important to learn new words every single day, not just while reading and running into a word you don’t know, but by actually choosing one word a day to learn about, what it means, how it can be used in a sentence, how to spell it, etc. Kids also need to learn about self-monitoring themselves. Self-monitoring is about reading and making sure what they read really makes sense to them instead of just skipping the part entirely. I’ve seen situations like this before. One child had ADHD and Dyslexia. Instead of reading something correctly the first, second, third or fourth time, they would mumble through it and then just skip it entirely. Here are some rules or guidelines a teacher should consider.
Essential Skills and Strategies
A teacher like Shari Duddy doesn’t just teach. She teaches skills, concepts and strategies. The thing to remember is that all kids will have a different grasp on learning to read. For some kids it’s going to be easier and for others it’s going to be more frustrating. You need a way to teach everyone how to not give up when getting frustrated. Teach them different concepts when it comes to words they don’t know such as using phonetics or sounding a word out in order to figure out what word it is. A teacher should also not only just teach kids to read, or how to spell things or sound things out, but how to define those words. Sometimes as a kid you might run into words you don’t know, but if you remember the situation or circumstance in which that word is used in, you can then figure out the word is being used in the story, book, learning materials, based on context.
Providing Customized Lessons
Sometimes when it comes to a class you will have a few kids that have a good reading level, another group that have an okay reading level and another group that is really mediocre. It’s sad, but it does happen. As a teacher however, it’s your responsibility to differentiate which each level each kid is at and assess their reading levels and then go from there on how to teach them. Not only how to teach them to read, but teach them the varying ways and methods in which they can learn on their own, figure out what words to use for what sentences, etc. Don’t use a one size fits all, way of thinking, realize that one concept might not work for another kid and visa versa.
Making Sure Students Learn
One thing that seems to happen a lot to kids in general, especially in public schools is that there are so many kids and only enough teachers to teach - not really make sure kids are learning. So a lot of the time, kids fall through the cracks. You don’t realize until it’s time for finals or exams to realize how much a child has not learned, remembered or realized. When it comes to being a good teacher, but also teaching kids how to read, it’s important that you make sure the kids you are teaching aren’t just covering critical content, but that they are really learning it, understanding it, and "getting" it. Make sure that you monitor students’ progress on a daily or weekly basis and brush up or reteach when necessary. An effective and good teacher will be able to adjust their teaching style when necessary.
Essential Skills and Strategies
A teacher like Shari Duddy doesn’t just teach. She teaches skills, concepts and strategies. The thing to remember is that all kids will have a different grasp on learning to read. For some kids it’s going to be easier and for others it’s going to be more frustrating. You need a way to teach everyone how to not give up when getting frustrated. Teach them different concepts when it comes to words they don’t know such as using phonetics or sounding a word out in order to figure out what word it is. A teacher should also not only just teach kids to read, or how to spell things or sound things out, but how to define those words. Sometimes as a kid you might run into words you don’t know, but if you remember the situation or circumstance in which that word is used in, you can then figure out the word is being used in the story, book, learning materials, based on context.
Providing Customized Lessons
Sometimes when it comes to a class you will have a few kids that have a good reading level, another group that have an okay reading level and another group that is really mediocre. It’s sad, but it does happen. As a teacher however, it’s your responsibility to differentiate which each level each kid is at and assess their reading levels and then go from there on how to teach them. Not only how to teach them to read, but teach them the varying ways and methods in which they can learn on their own, figure out what words to use for what sentences, etc. Don’t use a one size fits all, way of thinking, realize that one concept might not work for another kid and visa versa.
Making Sure Students Learn
One thing that seems to happen a lot to kids in general, especially in public schools is that there are so many kids and only enough teachers to teach - not really make sure kids are learning. So a lot of the time, kids fall through the cracks. You don’t realize until it’s time for finals or exams to realize how much a child has not learned, remembered or realized. When it comes to being a good teacher, but also teaching kids how to read, it’s important that you make sure the kids you are teaching aren’t just covering critical content, but that they are really learning it, understanding it, and "getting" it. Make sure that you monitor students’ progress on a daily or weekly basis and brush up or reteach when necessary. An effective and good teacher will be able to adjust their teaching style when necessary.