|
|
Individualizing ADD Education Practices.
In addition to the general strategies listed for introducing,
conducting, and concluding lessons, effective ADD education also
includes individualizing instructional practices in accordance
with different academic subjects and the needs of their students
within each area.
Children with ADD have different ways of learning and retaining
information, not all of which involve traditional reading and
listening. Effective ADD education first involves identifying
areas in which each child requires extra assistance and then use
special ADD education strategies to provide structured
opportunities for the child to review and master an academic
lesson that was previously presented to the entire class.
This guide on individualized ADD education practices, provided by
the U.S. Department of Education, provides an
overall educational strategy
for successful instruction, academic instruction tips on
introducing lessons,
conducting lessons, providing
individualized
instructional
practices for math and
language arts,
organizational and
study skills, effective
behavioral techniques and techniques designed to
encourage
positive behavior,
along with
classroom
accommodation tips. To order a hard copy of this ADD teaching
report, e-mail edpubs@inet.ed.gov or call (877) 433-7827.
Math Computation: Numerous individualized instructional
practices can help children with ADHD improve their basic
computation skills. The following are just a few ADD education
practices;
-
Patterns in math: Teach the student to recognize patterns when
adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing whole numbers.
(e.g., the digits of numbers which are multiples of 9 [18, 27, 36
. . . ] add up to 9).
-
Partnering for math activities: Pair a child with ADD with
another student and provide opportunities for the partners to quiz
each other about basic education computation skills.
-
Mastery of math symbols: If children do not understand the
symbols used in math, they will not be able to do the work. For
instance, do they understand that the “plus” in 1 + 3 means to add
and that the “minus” in 5 – 3 means to take away?
-
Mnemonics for basic computation: Teach the child mnemonics that
describe basic steps in computing whole numbers. For example,
“Don't Miss Susie’s Boat” can be used to help the student recall
the basic steps in long division (i.e., divide, multiply,
subtract, and bring down).
-
Real-life examples of money skills: For ADD education, provide
students with real-life opportunities to practice target money
skills. For example, ask the child to calculate his or her change
when paying for lunch in the school cafeteria, or set up a class
store where children can practice calculating change.
-
Color coding arithmetic symbols: Color code basic arithmetic
symbols, such as +, –, and =, to provide visual cues for children
when they are computing whole numbers.
-
Calculators to check basic computation: Ask the ADD child to use
a calculator to check addition, subtraction, multiplication, or
division.
-
Board games for basic computation: Ask the ADD child to play
board games to practice adding, subtracting, multiplying, and
dividing whole numbers.
-
Computer games for basic computation: Schedule computer time for
the ADD child to drill and practice basic computations, using
appropriate games.
-
“Magic minute” drills. Have students perform a quick (60-second)
drill every day to practice basic computation of math facts, and
have children track their own performance.
Solving Math Word Problems: To help ADD children improve
their education skill in solving word problems in mathematics, try
the following;
-
Reread the problem: Teach the ADD student to read a word problem
two times before beginning to compute the answer.
-
Clue words: Teach the ADD child clue words that identify which
operation to use when solving word problems. For example, words
such as “sum,” “total,” or “all together” may indicate an addition
operation.
-
Guiding questions for word problems: Teach ADD students to ask
guiding questions in solving word problems. For example: What is
the question asked in the problem? What information do you need to
figure out the answer? What operation should you use to compute
the answer?
-
Real-life examples of word problems: Ask the student to create
and solve word problems that provide practice with specific target
operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or
division. These problems can be based on recent, real-life events
in the child’s life.
-
Calculators to check word problems: Ask the ADD student to use a
calculator to check computations made in answering assigned word
problems.
Use of Special Materials in Math: Some children with ADD
benefit from using different education materials to help them
complete their math assignments, including;
-
Number lines: Provide number lines for the child to use when
computing whole numbers.
-
Manipulatives: Use manipulatives to help students gain basic
computation skills, such as counting poker chips when adding
single-digit numbers.
-
Graph paper: Ask the child to use graph paper to help organize
columns when adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing whole
numbers.
|
