Module 4, Unit 5, Activity 2: Teaching in an Inclusive Classroom

ADHD in the classroom

Strategies to Manage Student Behavior

There were some strategies suggested by the expert, and a few others that James already was employing on his own. These are the strategies:

- Pam suggests that visual cues can keep students on track during transitions: Provide checklists and other visual cues to remind students of classroom routines. I think this is helpful not only for students diagnosed with ADHD, but it can be very helpful to every student, to refer back to the instruction if they missed it or forgot it, or feel motivated again and stay on task.

- Another way to keep students on task is to use a timer. To motivate the kids and show them how much time they have left to complete a task. This can be useful with all kids not necessarily only with those diagnosed with ADHD. But yes, as James points out, it can create pressure on the students and they may get anxious about being timed. Pamela argues though that the right amount of pressure will actually cause that adrenaline to start going, and boom, they will start to focus and pay attention. However, I think this technique shouldn’t be used too much, as it can cause anxiety in the students. Maybe it can only be applied for exams or presentations, but before starting the timer, the students should be notified that there will be a timer to lessen any possible anxiety or discomfort.

- To a student that is off task, James gently reminds him the instruction and helps him re-focus. He doesn’t look his temper or kindness while addressing the kid. He uses positive reinforcement with the student, encouraging him to do the work. This instills a growth mindset in the students and a safe class environment for them, as he recognizes the importance of supporting them and listening to their needs.

- Find out what works for the student by asking them directly what works for them, what’s helpful, what’s not. Focus on the student and ask him/her. This is common sense but teachers can often overlook this technique. Here the teacher can learn a lot and make the necessary adjustments to his instruction. I think although it requires effort and time from the teacher, is worthwhile. This can be done by giving questionnaires to the students and ask them for suggestions.

Relationship Between Mentor and Teacher

I liked their relationship, they both really paid attention to each other when they were talking and were respectful at all times. One think I really liked was that James was completely honest, he was honest about his struggles and experience, and that’s how he got exactly the help he needed from the expert in ADHD. She calmly gave suggestions and examples so he could understand why the advice she was giving was important and relevant. There was a dialogue between them and that allowed to establish trust. James tried out all of her suggestions. She praised some of James techniques and corrected some others, always with respect and backing it up with examples and logic. It was a good relationship that allowed James to learn more techniques to help his students.

Recommendations to the Teacher

I really liked the relationship of the teacher with the students. He was aware that students have different needs because every student is different. He acknowledges the challenges he might face in class and is willing to put the extra work to make the students feel supported and motivated. He never looses his patience and always addresses the students very compassionately, giving them all of his attention. He also has the right attitude, acknowledges that if a student is rude or doesn’t pay attention, it is not personal, it’s not an aggression directed towards him, he knows that students and people have different backgrounds and issues. This is the right approach and will give him success while dealing with the students. My recommendation to James would be to keep up the good work, his attitude and behavior really inspired me.

It is important to also keep in mind though, that solidifying ADHD and treating the kid as if he or she had a permanent condition might not be very good. There are several publications such as The Myth of the ADHD Child by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. that are against medicating the kids all the time, instead, they provide ways to improve the kid’s behavior and focus without drugs, labels or coercion. I don’t think James did anything wrong with these kids and as I mentioned earlier, I admire his kindness, but when dealing with kids diagnosed with ADHD it is important to have this perspective in mind as well.

Managing Student Behavior in my Classroom

ADHD students usually have more trouble reading through a math problem and determining what they need to solve. They may find it difficult to focus on the important information in the problem. So as James did in his classroom, having the problem written on the board or projected there all the time is very useful, but also students should have a copy in front of them (Pancare, 2017). 

Actually, I liked of all the techniques presented and will use them in my classroom, but especially, I liked James attitude, and I think that was the most important aspect here that allowed him to help the kids so effectively. The technique that I would probably use less would be the timer, in math it’s better to genuinely understand what one is doing than beat the clock, so if some students need more time, it’s good to allow them more time to prevent rushing and careless mistakes. For example, during test taking, to break up tests into several sections and allow the student to complete each section with short breaks in between to move about, get water, and refocus would be another good technique to employ.

In addition to having the student feedback on the instruction and his or her input about what works for his or her learning, to provide the student with frequent feedback about progress and set up regular accuracy checks would be also helpful. For example, have the student check in with you after completing a row of problems; check to make sure the student is solving problems accurately, and if all is well the student resumes work on next row, etc. Checking in frequently like this allows you to make adjustments if breakdowns are occurring, gives the student a little break between problems, and reduces frustrations of having to do the whole paper all over again when there are errors not caught early on (Low, 2018).

REFERENCES

Low, K. (2018). Help Your ADHD Child Succeed in Math. Retrieved May 30, 2018 from https://www.verywellmind.com/math-accommodations-for-students-with-adhd-20809

Pancare, R. (2017). How to Teach Math to ADHD Children. Retrieved May 30, 2018 from https://sciencing.com/teach-math-adhd-children-7867582.html