Strategies to help Struggling Students Nicci Johnson Janel Poser

Dr. Maria Montessori � “Let us start with one very simple

reflection: the child unlike the adult is not on his way to death. He is on his way to life.

�  The Absorbent Mind

Movement Based Learning �  Children naturally learn through play and

movement: Such activities build large-and fine-motor skills that lead to thought structures.

�  Successful learning begins with an awareness of imbalance: This experience is followed by experimentation, the creation of new associations in the memory, and a new level of equilibrium and brings a task closure.

�  Learners of any age can come to an impasse: This happens when stress, injury, or anxiety interference with their natural inclination to take action so as to achieve new balance.

Memory Processing Involves 3 levels � Sensory memory (momentary input from

sensory feedback) � Short-term, working memory (temporarily

stored and ranging from brief attention to the simultaneous holding of several bits of information for further association)

� Long-term memory (stored for minutes or for a lifetime)

Meaningful �  Meaning is fundamental to attention. (The

greater the meaning of new learning, the more likely it is to be stored in long-term memory)

�  New learning needs to be meaningfully associated with what has already been learned.

�  Memories that are movement and sensory-based-tied meaningfully to such specific senses as vision, hearing and touch- are more likely to be retained.

Four Brain Gym Movements �  Midline Movements: help learners master

sensorimotor coordination to organize symmetrical two-sided actions.

�  Energy Exercise: include skills of equilibrium, supporting ground, directionality, and alignment in gravity.

�  Deepening Attitudes: activities restore a sense of calm, self-control, and relatedness.

�  Lenghtening Activities: moderate the contraction and relaxation of muscles for locomotor skills.

PACE � Positive: Hook-ups � Active: Cross Crawls � Clear: Brain Buttons � Energetic: Sipping Water

Movement Break: Positives Energy Exercises Energy yawn Thinking cap

Planes of Development � Early Childhood, 0-6 years of age

� Childhood, 6-12 years of age

� Adolescence, 12-18 years of age

� Maturity, 18-24 years of age

Early Childhood, 0-6 years � Dramatic growth and transformation � Physical growth and independence � Concrete world � Able to take in great amounts of

knowledge through their 5 senses

Childhood, 6-12 years �  Intellectual growth

�  Independence �  Reasoning �  Moving from concrete to abstract �  imagination

Adolescence, 12-18 years � Emphasis on social and economic growth �  Independence and interdependence � Abstract � Emotional development � Seeing self in society

Maturity, 18-24 years � Emphasis is on the great potentials and

possibilities that life has to offer. � Discovering ones missions, achieving

aspirations.

Movement Break: Active Deepening Attitudes Hook Ups

Basic Human Tendencies � Exploration � Orientation � Order � Communication � Repetition � Exactness

� Activity � Manipulation � Work � Abstraction � Creativity � Self-perfection

Basic Tendencies � Exploration: Humans are Naturally curious,

they learn from what they find. � Orientation: People want to know their

relationship to their place in the world, they compare and contrast with others.

� Order: Humans work to make sense of the world, chaos and confusion are unsettling.

� Communication: People have a natural inclination to communicate.

Basic Tendencies, Cont. �  Repetition: Children and adults learn through

practice and reach closer to perfection. �  Exactness: people adjust, refine and improve. �  Activity: Active involvement with the

environment leads to learning and self development.

�  Manipulation: People work with their hands.

Basic Tendencies, Cont. � Work: Humans throughout history have

shown the ability and willingness to work and strive for survival and improvement.

� Abstraction and Creativity: They can imagine that which is does not exist and can think beyond the concrete and real.

� Self-perfection: Humans have a nature desire to improve, they find satisfaction in personal growth.

What is ADHD? �  It arises early in child development �  It is relatively pervasive or occurs across

many different situations �  It is relatively persistent over development

Continued �  It is related to abnormalities in brain

function or development, which is to say that there exist a failure or deficit in the natural functioning of a mental ability that occurs in all normal humans (poor executive functioning, underdevelopment of the frontal lobe)

�  It is associated with other biological factors that can affect brain functioning or development

Are children with ADHD more distractible than children with out? � Children with ADHD probably get bored

with or lose interest in their work much faster than children without ADHD

� Children with ADHD seem to be drawn to the most rewarding fun, or reinforcing aspects of any situation

A problem with deferred gratification � Children with ADHD tend to opt for doing

little work now for a small but immediate reward, rather than doing more work now for much bigger reward not available until much later.

Changes to classroom structure � Make sure academics tasks should be

well matched to the child’s abilities. ie, increase the level of interest or stimulation

�  Incorporate movement for the child when there is low-interest information being given.

Modifications �  Academic assignments should be brief to fit

with child’s attention span. A good rule of thumb is to assign the amount of work for a child 30% younger. Feed back on assignments should be given immediately. (also take into consideration the child’s IEP)

�  A child’s attention during group lessons can be enhanced by delivering the lesson in an enthusiastic yet task-focused style (or have them help give lesson, give them responsibility)

Modifications �  Mixing classroom lectures up with brief

moments of physical exercise can be helpful �  Teacher should schedule the different

academic subjects in the morning and leave the more active, nonacademic subjects to the afternoon periods

�  When ever possible, classroom lectures should be augmented with direct instruction materials

Movement Break: Clear Midline Movements Cross Crawls Lazy 8s

Planning for success � Try to involve the child in the process to

increase the child’s motivation to succeed. Any child can handle this type of responsibility. (What motivates the child, what would their reward be)

� Contracts can be signed by parent, teacher and child as well as roles and expectations to be laid out for all people involved.

Planning for success � Rules and instruction must be clear, brief

and (wherever possible) represented physically in the form of charts, list, and other visual reminders.

� Rewards, punishments, and feedback use to manage the child must be delivered swiftly and immediately. As well as the entire approach needs to be well organized, systematic and planned.

FeedBack � Frequent feedback or consequences for

following the rules are crucial to maintain child’s compliance

� Children with ADHD are less sensitive to social praise and reprimands, the consequences for good or bad behavior must be more powerful than those needed to manage behavior of other students (What are some rewards?)

Feedback � Rewards and incentives must be put in

place before punishments are used, so the students don’t look at school as a place they don’t get rewarded. Two or three rewards for every punishment.

� Token reward systems can be kept effective over the entire school year with minimal loss of power, as long as the reward changes to keep them motivated.

Goals � Build anticipation , especially during times

of transition. Review expectations before the transition.

� Don’t plan rewards too far ahead, goals need to be reachable for them to feel success

Movement Break: Energetic Lengthening Activities: Gravity Glider Arm Activation

Resources � Taking charge of ADHD, The Complete,

Authoritative Guide for Parents. By Russell Barkley, PhD

� Brain Gym, Teacher’s Guide. By Paul & Gail Dennison

� Montessori Today. By Paul Lillard