What will I do in my classroom?

"..the quality of teaching and learning provision are by far the most salient influences on students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes of schooling – regardless of their gender or backgrounds."⁵⁴

The most effective teachers focus on learning rather than behaviour. A focus on adapting and modifying instruction for all learners “produces superior outcomes to those that emphasise special or different techniques that apply to specific subgroups of students with special educational needs.” ⁴⁶

Understanding and catering for the different potentials, needs and resources of students in schools requires effective teaching and learning adjustments. These may take a range of forms including: curriculum adaptations; planning for instruction and how we teach; partial participation and learning opportunities; and/or learning environments.⁶

When considering the needs of any student the teacher must consider the differences in an individual student’s readiness, interest and learning profile. The learning profile of students’ own neurological patterns (e.g. attention control; memory, language, sequential and spatial ordering, motor, higher-order thinking and social thinking systems) affect how they learn (Tomlinson, 2006).

The following sections will link you to a range of strategies to assist in developing a range teaching and learning adjustments that will provide all students and in particular those with attentional difficulties with the level of support and scaffolding required to achieve academic success.

• Social and behavioural
• Motivation
• Organisation
• Giving instructions
• Self-monitoring
• Problem solving and planning
• Goal setting