The Learning Spark

It seems that today, more than ever, we are seeing more and more students with attention problems in our classrooms.  Here are some of my top tips for teaching students with ADHD-like symptoms. 1.  Seating Arrangement My students listen attentively to our "special visitor." Students have assigned places at the carpet and I carefully consider each spot.        Carefully consider the best place for these students to sit. I often like to have them sit right in the front row at the carpet.  There are usually fewer distractions for them to see from here and I can easily lean forward and gently tap them on the shoulder or knee when they need a little redirection. I have one little guy that shifts around and moves constantly...I placed him on the edge of one of my rows, which gives him a little more room to wiggle around.  I also assign places at our tables...I carefully think about who I want these kids to sit by.  Sitting them next to a ha...

Something Is Off      I knew early on that something was off with my son.  I will call him "N" on my blog to protect his privacy.  N's speech was delayed as a baby/toddler and he didn't walk until he was 2 years old.  In his preschool years I knew that he had some type of learning disability. (Watch for a future post on this topic.)  Learning the alphabet was so difficult for him and I remember being puzzled that it was taking him so long to learn new things.  Following multi-step directions was extremely difficult for him, as was cleaning his room, and getting ready for the day.  I always had to help him get dressed by telling him what to do one step at a time. ADHD? I never even considered that N had ADHD...he was a very calm child, not hyper-active at all.  He also had the ability to really hyper-focus on things that he was interested in.  He could build a train track for hours or sit and listen to books with no problem....