Because ADHD students possess unique strengths and weaknesses in their learning styles, I will need to incorporate several things into my pedagogy. First and foremost, I must believe that my ADHD students can and will be successful learners. As a special educator, this belief is a pre-requisite to teaching in this field. But it is especially important that this belief be articulated daily to my student through my thoughts, actions and words. I must be patient, flexible and honest with my students. They will need to trust that I will be an advocate for them at all times but especially within the general education classroom, where the delivery of material and/or structure of the particular class might be challenging. I need to prove to my ADHD student that I understand his or her particular struggles by creating opportunities to adapt the learning environment or the particular learning task. I will need to identity what makes my students tick, cognitively and affectively, and most importantly, look past their disability to the whole student. I will need to partner with my students to navigate their particular challenges.
I know from this week's lesson that intrinsic motivation is more effective than incentives. I will need, therefore, to motivate my ADHD student not with extra recesses or gadgets to keep his hands busy, but with things that will help he or she develop self-determination. Providing my ADHD student with choices is one way to accomplish this. For example, I have sat through numerous student intervention meetings where strategies for engaging ADHD kids have been bandied about. What about this? Have you tried that? Rarely is the student asked for his or her input about the ways that work best for them. I believe that often, ADHD kids have clear preferences and insight about how they learn best. If we "tune up"(Garcia) the insights of our students, not only are we likely to identify successful strategies, but we are giving them a sense of autonomy and control.
Another way to foster self-determination is to provide opportunities for mastery. On their podcast, Group 1 discussed time limitations being a problem for many ADHD kids. By breaking apart tasks into manageable chunks without time constraints, I can help alleviate the debilitating pressure that timed assignments can cause. By giving ADHD students more choices about the nature and structure of their assignments and then by breaking the assignments into smaller, more easily accomplished tasks, I will provide them with better chance to realize success.
Further reflection on reflection
How do students "make meaning" out of their learning experiences? If students feel safe, valued, and cared about, then they can begin to make authentic connections from what they are learning to the bigger world around them. This ties into both Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Self Determine Theory (Deci & Ryan). When a learning experience satisfies affective domain, higher lever thinking can take place and true problem solving can occur. Students feel what they are learning matters, not only to them but to others around them, teacher, parents, peers. This realization becomes intrinsic motivation. Their learning now is not just relevant to what they knew previously, but now becomes more meaningful in a new more empowering way.
Maryann,
ReplyDeleteNice work blending your two posts into one. I also admire your vision of yourself as a "partner" in your future students learning. Taking up this stance will carry you a long way towards your goals for educating the whole child. A couple of points, first its Self-Determination Theory. Second, does self-determination guarantee learning? What of "can't do" vs. "won't do" in relation to your premise here. Finally, at the end of your post you begin to delve into the role of empowerment in learning. Challenge yourself to interrogate this further. What would Freire or Duncan-Andrade say about empowering students in relation to content (or task) specific learning? Keep pressing.