The Paragon - NWET&D - Teaching Strategies

Teaching Strategies

There are many classroom modifications that can be put in place to help improve school performance, memory and attention, impulse control, organization, and self esteem. You should discuss implementing these techniques with your children's teachers.

* Improving memory and attention span:
- Seat the child in an area with the least amount of distractions, near the teacher if possible.
    Consider using a study carrel, especially for independent work and keep her work area
    uncluttered.
- Make instructions clear and unambiguous.
- Keep oral instructions brief and repeat them at least once.
- Consider providing written instructions and directions to supplement oral instructions.
- Use visual aids.
- Break up instructions, assignments and homework into small steps.
- Improve reading comprehension by teaching her to underline key words or topics with a
    highlighter.
- Improve listening comprehension by teaching her to take notes of key concepts.
- Provide special signals or cues to remind her to get back on task.

* Improving organisational skills:
- Establish a daily checklist of assignments.
- Keep a special notebook in which she can record homework assignments, project or report
    due dates, and test schedules.

* Improving productivity:
- Divide work sheets and assignments into sections.
- Reduce the amount of homework and written classwork, especially repetitive assignments such
   as math problems and spelling words that she can do accurately.
- Vary the type of activities that she is doing.
- Vary the way that material is presented.
- Provide one on one instruction or small groups to introduce major concepts.