Understanding Learning Difficulties

1. Understanding Learning Difficulties Overview of Level 100 (this activity) and Level 200 (recommended follow-up professional activities). This activity, titled Understanding Learning Difficulties, represents the first part of a two part professional development activity. It is the initial or introductory activity and requires the participant to view a PowerPoint presentation that introduces the topic and then complete and submit two essay questions and the course evaluation. This activity is a Level 100 activity and primarily is designed to present information or introduce major concepts to the participant. This introductory activity can be followed by a second professional development activity titled Understanding Learning Difficulties – Instructional Applications. That activity will be a Level 200 training and will focus on how the information from the Level 100 activity can be used by participants in their classroom or tutoring instruction. You can check on the availability of the Understanding Learning Difficulties – Instructional Applications PD activity in My Learning Plan. Click to move to the next slide

2. Understanding Learning Difficulties • Completion of this PowerPoint self-study activity for Act 48 Credit is dependent upon: • Viewing the complete self-study PowerPoint • Submitting written answers to the following two questions to Dr. Richard Gacka at ldconsultants@mac.com: • Using Swiss Cheese as a metaphor for learning difficulties, how might the holes in cheese be likened to the difficulties in learning? • How might the metaphor of Swiss Cheese help you in your assessment of students, selection of instructional methods or materials and/or your approach to classroom management?. • Completing the online Continuing Professional Education Evaluation in My Learning Plan. Click to move to the next slide

3. Directions This PowerPoint is designed to play in a relatively automatic manner. You should view the PowerPoint in Presentation Mode. You can go into Presentation Mode by clicking on the small icon that looks like a presentation screen (see graphic below). When you click on that icon, the screen will change showing only one slide and no other material. This PowerPoint contains audio components. Please make sure that your speakers are turned on and that the audio is adjusted. When the audio stops, a mouse click will move to the next slide. You can terminate at any point by hitting the “esc” key and return later to where you left off by using the slide number as a guide and fast forwarding to the desired slide. Click to move to the next slide

4. Understanding Learning Difficulties An Independent Study Professional Development Activity Richard Gacka and Kim Rossman V 6.0 1-20-12

5. Just because they are all called cheese, does not mean they all taste the same or that they all have the same qualities.

6. Just because students have difficulty learning, it does not mean that they all have the same difficulty, that they all learn the same way or that they all have the same characteristics.

7. How many holes there are in a piece of cheese, how big those holes are, where they are located and whether they touch one another to make bigger holes, are characteristics you want to know.

8. What the student’s specific problems are, how many problem areas the student has, whether the problem areas relate to one another, and to what degree the problems affect the student’s learning are questions that you will want to answer. Those factors are like holes in the student’s learning.

9. As a diagnostic teacher, your job is to find out: In what specific areas does the student have difficulty? How can you modify your teaching to either address the problem, or get around it?

10. Learn as much as you can about the areas that can be affected and the signs of possible difficulty. Attention or motivation? Receptive language? Reading decoding or comprehension? Thinking and problem solving? What areas of learning are affected? Expressive language? Math reasoning or computation? Organization or self monitoring?

11. Then come up with ideas about changes that you can make in your teaching. Adapt your instruction to meet student needs. Have the student practice using computer drills Watch as the student practices Prepare notes for the student to study Ask the student to repeat my questions back to me Find pictures to show the concepts Give the student an assignment “to do” list Let the student give oral reports rather than written reports Find a peer tutor to work with the student Give practice problems and correct them with the student

12. Remember: You want to find out how many holes there are, how big the holes are, and whether they overlap and make bigger holes. And then use that knowledge to modify your instruction.

13. I know my cheese! Once you understand the Swiss Cheese metaphor, you will have a foundation for additional professional development about the types of learning difficulties.

14. Continue to Build Your Base of Knowledge by: • Visiting the LD web site and looking at the independent study materials that are available. http://web.mac.com/ldconsultants • Joining the LD wiggio group and read the posts and share your ideas and questions with others. Send an e-mail to ldconsultants@mac.com requesting that you be invited to join the group. • Visiting the Professional Development System resource web site. http://www.paadultedresources.org • Contacting your Professional Development System Lead Consultant and asking for assistance. • Completing the learning differences agency self-assessment activity. Information is available on My Learning Plan How can I find out more? Follow me to the cheese Contact the Professional Development LD Project at: ldconsultants@mac.com

15. Thanks for viewing the Understanding Learning Differences PowerPoint independent study professional development activity. Click Here Sniff around the ldconsultants web site or My Learning Plan for other tasty professional development tidbits.