Notes from:
Come Read with Me conference – Teaching Adults with
Developmental Disabilities
Martha Kate Downey
817-283-4114
Mkdowney.com
An overview
of the morning…
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z May We Help You? Questions, etc. explore The Book Store and the Come Read with Me Classrooms
Why is
Life-long Learning Important?
z First generation to be living long lives - need to delay cognitive loss
z Medical system has out paced social systems to care for aged adults with disabilities
z Need for support to fulfill self-determination
z Need to broaden their world
z Redefine learning as a process rather than as a means to pass a test
z Need to know about their bodies and their medical care as they age
z Need to help them deal with their life changes, grief, etc.
z Learning something new and challenging helps their brain exercise and develop. Brain sweat is often more desirable than getting right answers.
Effective
Teachers
z Don’t have to have experience with the special needs population to work well with them
z Must have honor and respect for each student
z Must truly believe they can learn
z Must provide an emotionally safe environment - 0 tolerance for condescending remarks of any kind
z Present information they want to learn
z Give clues, not answers. Answers stop the brain work.
z Tone of voice, adult to adult
z Each one, teach one - peer tutoring
z Maintain high expectation for all involved
z Lose the need for total control
z Must understand that we are all teachers and all students
z Must be willing to engage your lives with theirs
Effective
Methods of Instruction
z Remind them of things they have seen and heard and how it pertains to the lesson materials. It’s part of the beauty of teaching adults.
z Small classes are essential when teaching academics (reading, math)
z Mistakes are encouraged they give us freedom to experiment
z Mistakes simply show opportunity for gaining new information
z Test-free environment
z Remember the process is to add to their lives, not make their lives more difficult or demanding
z Develop independent course work
z When you’re out and about it is very helpful to have a consistent contact
z By providing the opportunity to do various levels of work, you will be allowing cognitive function to be enhanced and holes of education filled. As that occurs, many times they can reach a higher level of function than they previously had.
z Our people are usually very tactile learners. Many of us need to touch something to be able to understand it. Our folks often put their hands on the computer screen to understand what it says so they will naturally reach out to touch that which is of interest to them.
z When encountering a new experience give them a practice run (Discuss etiquette, protocol, make them aware of anything unusual about the place they will be, extra light, loud noise, etc.
z Use sign language when giving instruction. Many our students “think” in sign.
z Learning is a process, something they will be doing throughout their lifetime. Remind them that past triumphs lead to further triumphs.
Basic
information about adults with developmental disabilities
z Just because you didn’t learn something at age five, doesn’t mean you’ll never learn it!
z Our folks are by nature, people pleasers. They like to be cooperative, so you will find them eager to participate and happy to obey rules. If there is a problem, most likely it will be as a result of confusion, or misunderstanding directions... or simply forgetting. Rules given meaning are more memorable.
z Many of us learn in layers. They may only be able to process one part of a piece at a time. (just the content, just the color, just the size or the place in which it is viewed)
z We all learn in a variety of ways (seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling). Most of us incorporate more than one modality (or way of learning).
z Experiences are those of an adult, but development of artistic skills maybe just beginning. They may begin with early skills that may advance quite beyond your expectations.
z Honor the disability; you wouldn’t ask a blind person to see. Recognize oddities as being signs of neurological differences, rather than someone just trying to be “weird”.
z Expect the unexpected.
z Something we learned during Fine Arts for Fine Folks… Our fine folks are not afraid to be seen for who they are. Like their faith, their reaction to art and music is also direct, pure and often, simple. They don’t try to impress you with their knowledge so you will get honest answers, many times new insights.
z Try not to make assumptions about what our students may know or not know. Many are well- traveled so have had many opportunities to learn and experience life in other settings. They may surprise you at the breath of information they might have about a particular subject or artist. Because neurological development can cause lows and highs in abilities, it is likely you will meet a true savant in your classes. Other students may have an obsession about a particular type of art, music or artist. They may become fanatical about learning everything about them.
z Just because someone does not speak does NOT mean they do know read or use a computer well, etc.
z Most of our folks enjoy history, geography and biographical information. Fiction, which requires imagination, is much more difficult for them because it requires the use of a different part of the brain.
Exploring
materials and resources – Kathleen
Coleman
z Websites
z Catalogues
z People you know
z The Book Shelf - help make this a valuable resource for your use and your students
z Take a break and browse The Book Shelf and the classrooms
Using the
community as a resource – Alicia Jones,
Stacy Fuller and Amy Beerwinkle, Laura Altz
z Art museums Stacy Fuller and Amy Beerwinkle
z When you’re out and about it is very helpful to have a consistent contact
z Symphonies Laura Altz
z Libraries
z Travel
z New hobbies (boxing?????!!!!) Alicia Jones
Stimulating
cognitive function in new ways
z Promote a positive attitude toward learning new things
z Set a good example, learn something new yourself?
z New hobby
z Therapy
z New sport
z Explore skills that might be developed in daily life
z Attend lectures
z Join community clubs (Historical Societies, etc.)
z Make collections
z Volunteer in your community or church
Great
Expectations - MK
z Must believe the students can learn
z Must honestly enjoy the population
z Must have demonstrated a strong interest in education
z Hans