Students with language difficulties, inattentiveness or intellectual difficulties may struggle with inference and prediction. It may be difficult for them to see the ‘bigger picture’ and to draw relationships between ideas.
Highlight relationships through flow-charts and cause/effect activities.
Include outlines and graphic organisers.
Intersperse easy and difficult demands on an 80/20 basis.
Incorporate a variety of strategies to present information in different formats.
Allow ‘wait time’ of 5-10 seconds processing time to respond.
Write down verbal questions ahead of time to aid processing.
Speak slower, with pauses. Avoid unfamiliar idioms.
Provide student with copy of reading material with main ideas underlined or highlighted.
Provide an outline of important points from reading material.
Present the long-term goal and short-term objectives at the start of each lesson.
Provide information in short bursts with frequent breaks for practice.
Repeat, re-word and revise frequently.
Record student progress visually.
Provide sequential topic outline as a self-monitoring sheet.
Use Yes/No questions.
Provide structured notes prior to assessments.
Use scaffolds for open-ended questions.
Display unit outlines and overviews on classroom noticeboards.
Don’t place students ‘on the spot’. Give notice and check understanding before asking questions publicly.
Use proximity and eye contact to ensure engagement during instruction.
Seat student in an area free of visual clutter and distractions.
Ask a peer to recount information in their own words.
Ask peers to record information on tape for subsequent playings.
Organise ‘study buddies’ or revision groups.
Incorporated graphic outlines into written materials?
Colour-coded key terms and concepts?
Displayed unit outlines, objectives and schedules in the classroom?
Established a peer mentoring program or provided SLSO assistance?
Included word banks, glossaries and highlighted key terms?