UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM DALTA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION LAS PINAS CITY

A PAPER ON EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT IN THE COURSE PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING 1 8:00 11:00 (MWF)

Submitted by:

DR. NIEVES MEDINA

Submitted by:

ROSEMARY E. QUIBIN

March 8, 2011

1

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIESOne of the most important approaches to the education of the students in regular classroom setting as well as for those children with special needs is to develop a practical, worthwhile, and sound cooperative schooling sensible to enhance the success rate of reaching their goals individually (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2008). An effective strategy is that which yields results, which makes students learn. But what are the characteristics of an instructional strategy that makes students learn? In regular education setting? In special education setting? The answer would be according to Corpuz who said that the big words that characterize an effective instructional strategy are interactive, integrated, introspective, reflective contextualized, experiential, collaborative, and cooperative. In regular setting, an interactive teaching strategy is in keeping with the principle that learning is an active process. No one can learn for you. You learn for yourself. I learn for myself. Involving ourselves in the learning process, the more learning we get. The amount of learning you get is always equal to the effort you exert (Sedgwick, 2006). But for teachers, including the future teachers, how could we actively engaged the students in the learning activity? How could we directly make the learning activity truly enticing and experiential? On the other hand, finding supportive and efficient instructional strategies for special children is also needed as simply acquiring the use of pictures, diagrams and models (to get across an idea without depending solely upon words) would not entail an effective strategy for them to adapt the basic behaviors, social and communication skills and especially learning academically. Thus, having an instructional strategy is going beyond what is normal which means exceptionally catering for a wide range of abilities. According to Cushner, good teachers know from experience when to watch and wait, and when to apply some pressure to ensure that a child moves forward in learning. They know how to make the best use of the improvement which occurs as a child grows and matures so that no opportunity is lost.

2

SPECIAL EDUCATION AREAINSTRUCTIONAL DISABILITIES STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC

According to Halliwell, 2003: GENERAL y Provide students with activities that will reinforce independent work. If the activity is too hard, the student may become too dependent on teacher supervision. y Employ practice activities for any basic skill that may relate to the students daily life problems. y Have materials that are commensurate with the students skill levels. READING y Have the student collect food labels and compare the differences. y Allow the student to look up the names of the students family members in the phone book using a smaller local guide. y Have activities that focus on reading for information and leisure. y Activities that require the student to become more aware of the surrounding environment, such as having the child list the names of all food stores in the community, all hospitals, and so on, will increase familiarity with the environment. MATH y Provide the opportunity for the student make up a budget for using his or her allowance. y Encourage the student to cook in school or at home to become more familiar with measurements. y Have the student record the daily temperature. y Involve the student in measuring the height of classmates. y Allow the student to buy something at the school store or take part in running the store. The student could help by sorting pencils, arranging supplies, counting the number of items left (helping with inventory), and sorting the money that was collected. y Students could collect lunch envelopes or attendance folders from classrooms in the morning. These skills can help with room/number identification. HANDWRITING/SPELLING y Encourage the student to make a list of things to do for the day. y Have the student run a messenger service in the classroom so that the student can write the messages and deliver them from one student to another.

3

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR STUDENTS WITH POOR MEMORY SKILLSAccording to Morrow, 2007: You can help students to recall sequences of instructions or the next stage in a complex task by these methods: y Use questions that prompt the students to remember the next instruction or the next action that is requires rather than just telling him/her what to do, e.g. - What equipment will you need? - What did you have to do/write first? - Are there any words you know you will need to write but cannot spell? Encourage the use of a quick plan or list that will act as reminder of what has to be done and the sequence in which it has to be carried out. This can be in words or pictures or diagrams. Ask the student to repeat the instruction so that you know he/she has understood the task. Before the plenary session of a literacy hour or the daily mathematics lesson - Remind the students of what they have done/found out - Encourage and help them to make a brief note or prompt card that they can use as a reminder of what they want to say during the plenary Reinforce the teachers instructions by repeating them at stages during a task Remind students of strategies that they may have found helpful in previous lessons. Prompt the teacher to ask a specific student or group of students about their achievement or successes during the lesson.

y

y y

y y y

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN THE LITERARY HOUR AND THE DAILY MATHEMATICS LESSONAccording to Pierangelo & Giuliani, 2008: y y y y Ensure they are well positioned to see and hear the teacher. Follow up what students have seen and heard by experiences with concrete activities. Provide concrete apparatus to support the oral and mental starter, e.g. a personal number line, counters, number square, multiplication square, etc. Check that students have understood any new or possibly confusing vocabulary that teacher has used. Remember common words, such as even, mean, odd, order, place, have specific meanings in a mathematics lesson that are quite different from general usage. Students with specific learning disabilities will often need concrete apparatus to support learning to build confidence and understanding.

y

4

y

y

y y

y

y

y y

y

y

Students with poor memory skills will also take longer to learn new sight words, spelling, number facts, etc. they will need opportunities to over-learn or practice their targets. Over-learning is usually most effective if carried out using multisensory method for short periods, several times a day, e.g. learning how to spell high frequency words by using the Look, Read, Spell, Write, Check strategy. Be aware that students will each have different learning styles and preferences. Some students will be good vizualisers and can readily get information from what they see, such as pictures and diagrams, others may be better at remembering from what they hear. Support pupils by providing lists of key words or subject specific vocabulary that will be needed in the lesson. Make sure that there is easy access to the equipment and the resources a student will need for each lesson, e.g. dictionaries, spell-checker, rulers, word banks. Expect to have to support individuals or groups of students in activities to develop their phonological skills. This may take the form of delivering a specific program. Use multi-sensory approaches through the use of concrete apparatus, e.g. cards, whiteboards, 3D letters in literacy, and individual counters, number lines, number/multiplication squares in mathematics. Encourage students to use alternatives to writing where appropriate, e.g. diagrams, mind maps, writing frames. Encourage older students to make quick notes or write key words on a whiteboard to act as a prompt to answer questions or give feedback in plenary sessions in the literacy hour or daily mathematics lesson. Give lots of encouragement to students when they are practicing or over-learning tasks. Give positive feedback on their progress and encourage the pupil to set him/herself little personal challenges to improves, e.g. to get one more spelling correct next time or to get faster as well as more accurate at doing something. Over-learning activities are most effective if they can be done several times a day for a few minutes and in each session you recall what was done/ learned in the previous sessions before you start.

READING y Make sure the texts you read with students are appealing and are of the appropriate reading level. y Remember that making more than two errors in ten words is frustration level and the text will be too hard for independent reading but could be a shared text or used for a guided reading session or paired reading. y Some students find it more comfortable to read from pastel colored paper or may benefit from using colored lenses or filters.

WRITING y Dyspraxic students may need to use an angle board

5

y y y y y y y y y y y

Students may need a soft or shaped grip to encourage an appropriate pen/pencil grip with the fingers. Foam grips or fatter pens and pencils are helpful for students who have a very weak grip. Encourage students to have a go by using whiteboards to plan or experiment with spellings and letter formation. Use different widths of line to help scaffold handwriting. Squared paper is often helpful in mathematics as long as the squares are not too small for the students to write in. Make little books as examples and reminders of word level targets, e.g. My book about ai/ay spelling pattern. Use writing frames with appropriate headings or questions that will help the structure and sequence of writing. Use concept maps and flow charts to help with planning of longer piece of writing or revision for tests and examinations. Encourage the students to think about the things that they find helpful in their learning and to evaluate how well they have done a piece of work. Always give plenty of praise and encouragement for the effort that has gone into a task, not just for the success of the outcome. Feed back to the teacher the amount of effort that has gone into a piece of work. This is especially important with writing where the output may not appear to reflect the effort involved.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION NEEDSAccording to Wall, 2006: y y y y Get the childs attention before interaction. Often listening and watching by the child are required to help understanding. Main content words should be stressed and understanding will be helped by exaggerated intonation. Gesture or use simple signs to help child understand your message. Use short, clear sentences. Take care not to overload the childs auditory memory capacity, so that they can cope with the number of information-carrying words. Talk about objects and activities in which the child shoes an interest. Talk about actions as they are happening. Give the child time to respond. Responding in turn is a valuable skill; try not to dominate the interaction. Encourage all spontaneous utterances where appropriate and help the child feel an equal partner in conversation. Do not ask too many questions, because this may discourage communication; balance your talking with comment and description as well.

y y y y y

6

y

y

y y

y y

Use expansion and extension of the childs utterances: Expansion repeat the sentence adding words that were missed out; Extension a reply that broadens the focus of attention. If sounds or words are aid incorrectly by the child, repeat the utterance yourself to show the correct way to say it. This is valuable feedback and should sound natural rather than like a correction. Dont try to correct everything at once. Choose a sound, or a concept, to focus on for a week or two. No one enjoys being corrected all the time. We all learn best when we feel fairly relaxed, confident and are enjoying the task. Therefore praise the child when his/her speech is clear, or new words are attempted, or longer sentences are tried. Make sure the instruction uses vocabulary that the child knows. Be aware that things may not be done in the correct sequence the child may only remember the last word you said!

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND IDEAS FOR CHILDREN WHO HAVE EMOTIONAL OR SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL DIFFICULTIESAccording to Halliwell,2003: The 1981 Education act recognizes that emotional and behavioral needs are special educational needs because no child can learn optimally if they are unsettled or unhappy in school for whatever reason. Sometimes these difficulties are caused by a physical, sensory or learning disability but often they are rooted in difficult home backgrounds (Wall, 2006). Furthermore, according to Wall, it is extremely important that you work to develop a good relationship with the student or students you support, especially if theory behavior is difficult to manage. These children are sometimes disliked by their classmates and excluded from social groups. Every child needs to be valued but exclusion works to make children feel worse about themselves rather than better. If you can build a positive relationship with the pupil and encourage others to do so too, you will be fostering their participation in the social aspects of school life. y Take every opportunity to improve the self-esteem of the pupil Give praise when he or she conforms to normally expected standards of behavior in school or when he or she achieves something they have never done before. This can be related to schoolwork or to behavior. Try to catch them being good and let them know why you are pleased: Jenny, I like the way you came into the classroom this morning (behavior); Robert, youve read those words really well today. Well done! (schoolwork).

7

y

Rewards Rewards show the child when he or she is succeeding and that it is worthwhile to succeed! Find out what students values as a reward. Sometimes a word or praise or a pat on the back can be enough, but for many children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, you will need to provide more tangible rewards (a wall chart with targets, a favorite game, etc.) Develop listening skills Be sensitive to the feelings of the pupil. If you can encourage the pupil to talk about feelings, it can be helpful. Try to look for solutions to the problems rather than dwelling on the causes. (Ask, what needs to happen in order to avoid this situation in the future?) There will be many parts of the pupils life which you cannot change for the better. Accept this and concentrate on those parts you can change (e.g. self-esteem, patterns of behavior in school). Encourage the pupil to take responsibility Many pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties find it very hard to take responsibility for their own actions. Enabling them to understand what effects their behavior has on others is an important step in moving towards changing unhelpful behavior patterns. Role-play or drama activities can be very helpful in enabling those pupils to do this. If you can give the pupil a position of responsibility in the group this will assist the development of mutual support and social responsibility and it will also foster a sense of trust. Point out good role models Do not assume that the child knows how to behave. You may need to teach him or her behavior which is needed in school. If you can get the child to copy another child who is behaving well, you will be demonstrating what is wanted. Try to anticipate trouble Learn to recognize those situations in which problems for the pupil commonly arise, e.g. lining up at the door, coming in from break, being late for lessons. Help the pupil to recognize those situations for him/her and work out strategies for minimizing or avoiding trouble. If a pupil can learn to keep out of the way of other pupils who seek confrontation, this can make a tremendous difference to his or her life in school. Deal with bad behavior in a positive way By the very nature of their difficulties, these children will not always behave like the majority of the others and their anxiety or anger will spill over in school. However, when accidents or confrontations do occur, it is important to deal with them in a calm and reasonable way.

y

y

y

y

y

8

Staying calm is very important. If you lose your cool it will only serve to make the pupil feel worse and increase the likelihood of the incident occurring again. y Be realistic Be realistic in setting goals for the pupil. Dont try to change all bad behavior at once. Choose one objective to start with (e.g. sitting in seat for five minutes, not shouting out of ten minutes). Be consistent, make it clear to the pupil what you are aiming for and reward the pupil if the target is achieved. Remember that it took a long time for the pupil to learn their patterns of behavior, and overnight transformations are unlikely.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES AND IDEAS FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVE DISORDERSchool is the place where skills in concentration, paying attention and following rules are needed. And students with ADHD find these skills hard to learn. They find listening to and remembering instructions difficult. They are often out of their seats and distracting to others. Their classmates sometimes find them irritating (Halliwell, 2003). According to Halliwell, 2003: y Children with ADHD benefit from concise, clear instructions with as few sub-parts as possible. They should be encouraged to repeat task requirements back to the teacher, preferably in their own words. Avoid repetitive tasks. Tasks should be broken down into a small number of short steps. Initially, tasks should be relatively short. The length and complexity of tasks should increase only when the pupil has shown success with shorter assignments. Academic products and performance, such as work completion, are preferred targets for intervention, rather than specific behaviors, such as remaining in seat. This stresses the need to focus on positive, desirable outcomes rather than the negative, unwanted behavior. Use the deadman test. If a dead person can carry out the behavior you require it is not behavior, behavioral requirements should involve positive behaviors, rather than the absence of behavior. Children with ADHD often require more specific and more frequent feedback on their work performance than other pupils. Praise and rewards need to be of high frequency. Small and immediate rewards are more effective than long-term or delayed rewards. Remember that children with ADHD are easily distracted, so rewards should not be too elaborate or likely to overshadow the task in any way. Negative consequences should be clearly focused and highly specific. For example, mild reprimands for being off-task will be most effective when they

y y y

y

y

y y

y

9

y y y y y

y

y y

involve a reminder of task requirement. Thus it is better to say get back to reading page three of your history booklet than to say get on with your work. Preferred activities, such as working on a computer, are more effective rewards than concrete things such as sweets. Rewards should be negotiated with the pupil and rotated frequently to avoid loss of interest. Develop a rewards menu. Previewing and reviewing of tasks helps pupils to know what is expected of them and to make sense of what they are doing. Priming helps motivate pupils with ADHD. This involves previewing with the pupil the task and the likely rewards for successful completion. Interaction with pupils should be marked by brevity, calmness and quietness. Reprimands, where necessary, should be quite and accompanied by direct eye contact. Children with attention problems are more forgetful than most children. Therefore, it is important to avoid signs of exasperation when repeating task requirements to pupils. Always give task requirements as though you are giving them for the first time, in a calm and measured way. Children with ADHD perform better in pairs rather than in groups. Difficulties with sequencing and concentration make writing a very difficult task for children with ADHD. Alternative means of presenting knowledge, such as through tapes or by writing for them, can help here.

Academic skills y Window out single math problems so that the student only sees one at a time. This can be accomplished by cutting out a square on a piece of paper that the student can move from one problem to the next, covering all the other problems. y For older students, allow them to have a sheet with formulas already printed. Asking them to memorize may reduce their ability to accomplish task. The less they have to worry about, the more they may be able to finish. y Determine what your goal is when presenting an assignment. Once you have done this, pave all the roads for the student up to that point. For example, if your gal is to see if the student can find the circumference of a circle, provide her with the necessary formulas, definitions, and examples. These materials will reduce frustration and confusion and increase chances of success. y Have the student do five problems, two questions, and so on at a time. Then have the student comes up for immediate feedback. Numerous successful tasks can only add to confidence levels. This will also prevent the student from progressing too far while making the same error. y Allow the student to use graph paper while doing math. In this way, the student will have a structures environment in which to place numbers. Use very large graph paper so that the student has little difficulty placing one number in each box. This will keep him organized and focused. y Do not use bubble sheets. Allow the student to answer directly in the booklet or on the paper. Reducing the amount of movement during academic tasks is beneficial since ADHD students have difficulty refocusing.

10

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED Orientation and Mobility Clear verbal directions are necessary before any task involving physical movement is attempted. The visually impaired child may not have a visual image of what is required so a visual demonstration is a waste of time; for instance, in PE, if the class teacher is demonstrating, you may need to talk through the steps, e.g. Move three steps to the right, jump with both feet together, then three steps to the left. Learning Visually impaired children often miss out on ideas and meanings because of limited vision. It is therefore important to use hands-on experience whenever possible, e.g. when talking about leaves, give the child some leaves to hold or, better still, take the child to a park and let him or her feel a tree and walk through fallen leaves to hear the noise that makes. INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION TO SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS (A student needs to individual attention in order to master a task and/or skill. How to personalize instruction) 1. Use peer tutors to help the students complete assignments. 2. Provide frequent individual conferences for the student on order to monitor his academic progress. 3. Notify parents about positive growth visa Friday notes. 4. Set realistic goals for the student (e.g., modify class assignments when appropriate). Thoroughly review assigned work to ensure proper understanding. 5. Praise the students achievements frequently in private and public. 6. Organize complex academic tasks into separate units and then place in sequential order for completion. 7. Prepare individual learning packets of work for the student to do. Ask him to return the assignments when completed for evaluation. 8. Use variety of teaching materials in the classroom (e.g., taped books, videotaped programs, movies, slides, etc.). 9. Provide hands-on projects to help students establish academic concepts (e.g., model building). 10. Use self-correcting materials so that the student may receive immediate feedback (e.g., software).

11

TANTRUMS (How to deal with a child who is throwing a tantrum) 1. At the first indication of this radical behavior, go to the child and put your hand on his shoulder to calm him down. 2. If he continues to be out of control, remove him from the classroom for the protection of other children. 3. Refer the child to the school disciplinarian or counselor as there may be a board policy for handling this extreme problem. 4. After the student has left, discuss with the other students proper behavior in the classroom and why is it expected for each student. 5. Students can brainstorm to provide alternative behaviors that are acceptable in dealing with disappointments, anger, frustration, etc. 6. Check into what caused the tantrum and try to structure the environment so that a tantrum is not triggered again. Be tolerant, flexible, understanding, and caring. 7. Attach a consequence. Make sure the frequency (severity) of the offense is in direct proportion to the severity of the consequence. Keep an accurate record of when and why the tantrum happened and other details. 8. Contact the parents. Try to obtain feedback on how they feel about this and their ideas on what causes this behavior.

12

A piece in my CASE STUDY (which includes instructional strategies) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Basic InformationChilds Name: Seiji Q. Aihara Disability: Child with Autism Childs Birthdate: December 5, 1996 Age: 14 years old

Observation and InterviewDuring the observation session, Seiji complied, behaved and performed given tasks but got distracted easily, and kept scratching his head and engaged in hand stims in between tasks. He drew persons and figures very well and answered social questions but said Hindi sasagot/ Wala sagot/ Wala na when he did not comprehend questions or did not know the answers to the test items. Based on reports, Seiji behaves in the classroom, follows class routine and is respectful towards in authority, but at times, reacts negatively when not given attention by his crush. He keeps himself busy at home watching TV, playing computer games/ with gadgets and gardening and playing basketball with his father, but gets rigid when routinized. He plays with his sister but gets into conflicts with her including teasing her and getting upset when he loses (napipikon). He scratches his head but does not pull his hair and eyelashes anymore, and engages in verbal stims but can be restrained. Seiji exhibits affectionate behaviors as he hugs back when hugged but does not initiate doing so. He shows no interest and potential in sketching/drawing buildings and other structures as he looks at them for only a few seconds then draws them exceptionally well from memory including all details/ elaborations. He also gets interested with cooking including engaging in barbecue sessions with his father and making brewed coffee for him. He can be left on his own at home as he can discriminate dangers and is manageable in public places as he heeds his parents and shows sense of getting lost but needs improvement showing sense of danger especially towards strangers as he asks them their names and shakes their hands. He does not insist what he likes but needs more training ordering for food he likes in restaurants/food stores and purchasing his things. Seiji gets interested in food seen in TV ads and then requests for them (e.g., eat the ice cream; buy chilimansi). He also specifies food/things he likes, expresses personal necessities and requests to go on vacation including dates and hotels he likes to stay in. he greet others (hi/bye), expresses appreciation for food/things he likes (wow!/yummy!) and says owa/spicy/hot appropriately. He expresses his feelings (e.g., Im sad/happy/angry) appropriately and polite terms (e.g., po, thank you, sorry and excuse me) but not spontaneously/ consistently. He complains when hurt and specifies affected body part (ear painful) and also reports incidents (Cholo hit me) but not

13

consistently. He follows verbal instructions (including less easy ones involving cutting boards with cutter), but does not yet engage in conversations proficiently. Seiji eats with spoon and fork simultaneously but eats rice first and then his viand at home (but not in school). He serves himself during meals, prepares his peanut butter sandwich, gets his own water from the dispenser or pours it from a container into his glass and mixes his own Milo. He performs dressing and grooming tasks independently including removing and putting on clothes (including buttoning/unbuttoning), socks and shoes (including tying his shoelaces), brushing his teeth, bathing and washing his butt after defecating. He cooperates when attended to trimming nails, cleaning ears and having hair trimmed in the barbershop (which he likes), but has to be reminded in applying deodorant. He cooperates when attended to by physician but resists going to the dentist. He can set the table before meals and perform simple favors for adults but does not yet do home chores routinely.

Comments and RecommendationsIt is recommended that Seiji continue on I the regular class program with provision of shadow teaching for curricular modification and behavior and social skills management including addressing other needs and priorities. Continued home program with functional academics, further independence training and positive social adaptation facilitated by a behavior coach is needed to reinforce and complement intervention.

A. Intervention and Teaching Guidelines1) Choose priority skills that are relevant, functional and applicable in day-to-day activities. Defer others when he gets better in competencies and abilities. 2) Use task analysis as a teaching strategy. Breaking down skills into smaller/teachable sub skills makes it easier for him to comprehend and retain them. In addition, use effective instructional materials: visual/pictorial aids, interesting job sheets, etc., and also varied strategies: demonstration, prompting, hands-on, cumulative learning, etc. 3) Provide drill exercises and practical skills application to ensure that skills are mastered and generalized. 4) Strengthened independence and self-confidence in Seiji by following these helpful guidelines:

14

y

y y

y

y y

Emphasize his positive points and use these to encourage him do his best. Provide him the necessary support in endeavors he likes to undertake especially in drawing/sketching. Avid being solicitous. Allow him doing things by himself especially when you know he can do them on his own. Train him making simple decisions starting with choosing between options shown to him. Move on to items shown in pictures and later on without pictorial options. Help him by briefly telling him the advantages/disadvantages of options. Choose success-oriented tasks (i.e., those that he can do well). Avoid forcing him to do tasks he finds difficult to do as this adds to his frustration. When he gets frustrated, he does not accomplish much. Assign him chores he can do routinely at home. This does not only increase self-confidence but also instills discipline. Follow through and support him in areas of interest especially in drawing/architecture. Display his works and have him talk about them and his experience while doing the activities.

5) Ensure that he continues liking schooling by considering the following guidelines: y Utilize his strengths and interest when planning lessons (e.g., in practicing making sentences, have him describe his drawings; in teaching math, use buildings as pictorial clues). y Make lessons creative and interesting by using varied materials and incorporating hands-on experiences into activities. y As a family, talk about his future alongside his potentials and limitations. Keep expectations reasonable but make sure that the ultimate goal is to keep him happy; thus, incorporate what he can do well in all future plans. y Always provide immediate feedback especially for desired behaviors/good performance but be specific about it (e.g., Thank you Seiji for waiting patiently while I shopped; Thank you for finishing your food. Next time please clean your area after eating). y Desired behavior/performance could also be reinforced through praise and appropriate rewards. These should be given, however, on scheduled time only. 6) Continue joining him in school programs and activities. From time to time, plan modified P.E. activities he can do with regular children to allow him to mingle with them. In class, join him in group activities and class discussions supervised by his shadow teacher. Assigned him varied roles during presentations no matter how pretty. 7) Always maintain good balance between socialization and individualization by engaging him in plenty of activities involving student-teacher interaction regularly. As much as possible, avoid individualized/one-on-one instruction if there is an opportunity for small-group instruction instead.

15

8) Aside from independence training, studying and home chores, engage him also in leisure/recreation, family bonding and physical exercises as these are good/legitimate outlets for excess energy. Continue also his drawing lessons with provision of displaying his work and talking about them to others. Explore the possibility of enrolling him in cooking lessons to hone his interest and provide him opportunities talking about his outputs and listening to others comment about them. 9) Start asking in which area Seiji will possibly shine in the future given his interests and positive points. As a family, start planning for this by training him in one to two job skills you think you can have him engage in the future. Expose him to places/areas where these job skills are actually practiced and based on initial observations, plan next/future steps to be undertaken. 10) Praise him consistently for his efforts in behaving appropriately and performing his best.

B. Behavior Management and Socialization1) Guidelines for behavior management include: y Increase attention span and frustration tolerance by using appropriate behavior modification techniques such as contracting, token system and demand-reward. y Sit down as a family and specify house rules and agree on rewards and consequences. Be sure to adhere to such consistently. y Strengthen bonding between siblings by providing them with activities they can do together. Talk to his sister on how to handle Seijis behaviors especially when he teases her. y Avoid forcing him to perform tasks he dislikes and instead, give him short breather/breaks in between tasks. Redirect his attention to tasks right after. y Provide encouragement even though gestures and short expressions (e.g., thumbs-up, Good job!) but are sincere and always describe what he did/how he behaved to have gained you attention (e.g., thumbs-up then say I saw you pack away your toys. y Continue teaching him permissible and non-permissible behaviors through modeling and direct instruction especially in public place. y Always encourage and consciously create opportunities for him to be mature, verbal and sociable peers who can be his friends and role models. Talk to such peers and teach them how they can help him increase selfconfidence and act/talk appropriately. 2) Teach him social skills prioritizing:

16

y y y y y

Waiting in line, borrowing, sharing and following classroom routine more consistently, Joining a school organization of his choice supervised following class rules set by the teacher and the class, Comprehending and following rules of more age-appropriate games and activities, and Greeting others, expressing gratitude, requesting and apologizing using appropriate polite terms consistently during play/games or group activities. Use direct instruction, modeling, print materials and role-playing in teaching these skills.

C. Language Area1) Increase his vocabulary prioritizing: y Naming more objects around and in pictures including logos and labels of things relevant/important to him, y Naming less easy body and facial parts y Grouping objects that go together and verbalizing why, y Telling the uses of more objects including appliances/gadgets at home and in other places, and y Changing more naming, describing and doing words, and using them in complete sentences consistently 2) Improve/increase comprehension skills patronizing: y Associating more object/activity with place, time and duration consistently, y Listening to/reading word combinations and then short sentences dictated to him and then pointing to their equivalent pictorial equivalents/ representation, y Defining words by giving the generic classification of given words (e.g., dog animal; banana food) and function (e.g., book for reading, car to take you places), and elaborating his ideas about them, y Answering who, what, where question about persons, objects and places within sight and through recall (e.g., What did you see when we went to the clinic yesterday?; Where did you see the tall building with 27 floors?, and y Answering simple why questions even with verbal prompting/modeling. First rehearse him to have him memorize answers to important questions (e.g., Why should you take a bath daily?; Why should you not play in the rain?), and then ask the same questions whenever an actual situation comes along. 3) Provide opportunities and increasing verbal communication skills prioritizing:

17

y y y y y y y y y y

Expressing his needs in sentences consistently/adequately, Specifying food/things, places he likes to go to and activities he likes to do consistently in sentences, Greeting others more spontaneously, Expressing appreciation spontaneously and consistently including describing food/thing being appreciated, Using polite terms more appropriately/consistently, Answering more social questions, Seeking help verbally when needed, Expressing his feelings and complaining especially when hurt/aggrieves/uncomfortable more elaborately, Reporting incidents elaborately, and Seeking information elaborately/spontaneously. Prompt him and modeling appropriate language structures with provision of repetition and practical application.

D. Math, Reading and Paper-Pencil1) Teach him comprehending sentences and short selections read/dictated to him targeting: y Noting details consistently, y Sequencing events even with pictorial clues, y Getting the main ideas, and y Making simple inferences. Aside from textbooks, give him other reading materials (e.g., posters, letter/messages, leaflets/brochures, magazines, etc.) but make sure he comprehends what he reads. Provide therefore, question-and-answer time after he reads them. 2) In math prioritize: y Using the calendar to tell days and dates (i.e., What day is June 10?; What day is five days from now?) with prompting, y Discriminating more bipolar attributes and spatial relations such as: heavylight, clean-dirty, soft-hard, tall-short, on-under, front-back, y Using simple measuring devices such as ruler, measuring cups/spoons, weighing scale and thermometer for practical use, y Interpreting more graphs accurately/consistently, y Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing numbers accurately, y Calculating decimals and fractions in the four fundamental operations,

18

y

y

Discriminating coins and bills even when not shown their numerical equivalents, safekeeping and saving money and using it for buying supervised, and Solving word problems involving combinations of the four fundamental operations and money even in practical situations.

3) Prioritize the following paper-pencil tasks: y Writing his complete name neatly and evenly, y Continue drawing persons and other specified objects completely, neatly, proportionally and in 2-dimensions, y Writing letter, letter combinations and words from copy and dictation neatly, y Spelling sight words especially those meaningful/useful to him, and y Doing the grocery list even from copy and later on his own. 4) Keep him constructively busy by providing arts and crafts activities utilizing varied media aside from sketching/drawing. The following are suggested: y Paper-folding, y Mosaic-/collage-making, y Watercolor-/poster color painting, y Making greeting cards including putting embellishments, decorations and simple greetings, and y Making paper weights, pencil holders and other office accessories from recyclable materials and designing them.

E. Self-Help1) Prioritize the following self-help skills: y Eating independently and efficiently including eating rice and viand simultaneously, serving himself, getting his water and preparing his beverages, y Removing and putting on his clothes, socks and footwear consistently and proficiently, y Washing and drying his hands and face more efficiently and routinely, y Brushing his teeth efficiently, y Bathing efficiently, y Cleaning butt independently and efficiently, and y Continue cooperating when attended to in other self-help tasks. 2) Continue prioritizing the following practical tasks consistently and efficiently: y Preparing his clothes and personal items for school, y Folding his clothes and keeping his closet tidy,

19

y y y

Making his bed, Keeping things after use, and Keeping his room neat and tidy to include dusting, polishing and sweeping with broom and dustpan.

3) Additional tasks helpful in increasing maturation, self-confidence and sense of responsibility include: y Checking lights, appliances and other electronic devices. appliances especially when not in use, y Checking doors and gates at night for security purposes, y Monitoring home supplies, y Sorting/arranging grocery items in the pantry, and y Assisting adults in other home chores. 4) Continue exposing him in varied places and people and exhibiting appropriate behaviors therein. Teach him ordering/queuing for food and requesting for things he needs in restaurants and buying things he like in stores. Teach him also discriminating dangers especially those posed by strangers.

20

REFERENCESCorpuz, B.B., Salandanan, G.G. & Rigor, D.V. (2006). Principles of Teaching 1. Philippines: Lorimar Publishing Inc. Cushner, K. (2006). Human Diversity in Action (3rd edition). New York: Mc-Graw Hill. Halliwell, M. (2003). Supporting children with Special Educational Needs. London: David Fulton Publishers. Morrow, L.M. (2007). Developing Literacy in Preschool. New York: The Guilford Press. Nissman, B.S. (2006). Teacher-tested Classroom Management Strategies (2nd edition). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. (2008). Teaching in a Special Education Classroom. California: Corwin Press. Sedgwick, F. (2006). 101 Essential Lists for Primary Teachers. London: Continuum International Publishing Corporation. Sternberg, R.J. & Grigorenko, E.L. (2008). Teaching for Successful Intelligence (2nd edition). California: Corwin Press. Stone, R. (2005). Best Classroom Management Practices. California: Corwin Press. Wall, K. (2006). Special Needs and Early Years (2nd edition). London: Paul Chapman Publishing.