Teaching Strategies for Students with Organizational Problems
ALL SUBJECT AREAS
1. Establish a daily routine in your classroom. The daily schedule should be recorded on the board. The consistency is very important for learning disabled students.
2. Make sure the student's work area is clear of any unnecessary material that may be distracting. The student should gradually accept this responsibility.
3. Ask students to use assignment books or calendars or to set aside a special page of their notebooks for recording homework. Initially, the teacher may record assignments, the students should gradually assume this responsibility.
4. Display samples of finished products along with the directions and materials needed for assigned projects. As the students begin working, walk around the room to give guidance where needed.
5. Allow time at the beginning of the period to review previous knowledge in relationship to the present lesson. Similarly, allow time at the end of the period to summarize the lesson, and encourage students to ask questions.
6. Give students pages from their workbooks one at a time, instead of giving them the entire workbook.
7. Ask the factual questions first in a discussion, then proceed to inferential questioning, as abstract thinking is usually more difficult.
8. Consistently post homework assignments on a particular portion of the board. Give students time to copy the assignments and to ask questions.
9. Maintain a master list of all in class and homework assignments for students to check periodically. This master list can be posted in the room or kept in a file folder available to the students.
10. Prepare students for a change in the daily routine by fully explaining the unusual circumstance so students know what to expect.
11. List the steps to be followed in a particular assignment sequentially on the board or paper for the students' reference.
12. Avoid cluttered, crowded worksheets.
13. Post the due date for long term assignments, and give a time frame for completing the various parts of the assignment. A calendar may be useful as a visual planning tool.
14. Establish a standard procedure in your classroom to prevent misplacement of completed assignments. Have students place completed assignments in specific content folders, trays, or specified sections of their notebooks.
15. Provide a regular time, daily or weekly, to clean desks and storage areas.
16. Keep directions short and simple, write them on the board or on a piece of paper so that students can refer to them when needed.
17. Encourage students to distinguish their textbooks by using different colored covers or cover-stickers.
18. Have students use three-ring notebooks with dividers for each subject. Encourage periodic removal of unnecessary papers. Notebooks should also be checked periodically to help maintain organization.
19. Help students to make choices by gradually increasing opportunities for options. For example, offer a limited choice between two options before expecting students to decide among multiple choices.
20. Use asterisks or circles to distinguish written questions requiring an implied fact from literal questions requiring a stated fact. This will help students to avoid wasting time trying to find an exact answer in the book and will cue them to use inferential thinking.
21. Write the text page number as a reference for questions, with stated answers at the beginning or end of the question.
22. Provide or help the student develop a self-checklist or materials needed for class.
23. Teach students an organized approach to reading, such as the SQ3R study method. S (survey) refers to quickly ready the subheadings, first sentence of each paragraph, and picture captions to get an overview. Q (question) refers to changing the subtitles and sentences into questions. R indicates reading to answer the questions, recalling the material by answering the questions, and then reviewing by writing or reciting the major points of the passage.
24. Block, cut, or fold worksheets for students with visual problems. Likewise, color coding, highlighting, underlining, and boxing techniques may help students focus their attention on the task.
25. Use a clock face drawn on an index card to help younger students know when a particular assignment must be completed.
26. For older students, stress the importance of a daily review of class notes. This is not only a good study method but also gives students a chance to fill in missing information or rewrite confusing information. Questions that arise from the review can be asked the next day.
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