Analyse the Approaches and Strategies Used in Your Subject Specialism

Analyse the approaches and strategies used in your subject specialism and consider how these meet the needs of your learners INTRODUCTION I am an Assistive Technology Trainer, which comprises of training individuals in a one-to-one environment with differing disabilities, using specialist software and hardware allocated to them as an aid to their studies; these include Mind mapping, Text to Speech, Speech Recognition and Audio. Helping to enable them to achieve their full potential in the subjects they are studying, these can be anything from Law and Social Work to Fashion Design and Art.

In this account I will draw on examples from my everyday working life. I intend to cover the active learning method as this is used within the environment I train in. Doing, repetition, and simple explanations are factors I use to help retain and re-enforce information given, Dales Cone of Learning suggests that the Active learning method enables 90% of what is taught to be remembered. Dale, (1969) This introduces Confucius who said ‘I hear and I forget’, ‘I see and I remember’ ‘I do and I understand’.

For most dyslexics this statement is very true, because the majority get distracted by the slightest little thing; for example a bird flying past a window, or another student talking/whispering in class, so therefore not paying attention to the tutor. Images are generally remembered because of association, so this is where the see and remember comes in. Doing is a plus for the learner as it reinforces what has been taught along with repartition of the task. DIFFICULTIES

Initial engagement with the student and helping to make them feel at ease is an important factor in getting them to open up about their learning difficulties. This could include retention (short term memory) and any other issues they may have. Using simple questions and observing surroundings (when possible) enables me to establish where and what some difficulties/issues maybe holding them back from retaining the information given or putting ideas on paper. Some learners are very informative with what their difficulties are and some are not.

Not putting too much pressure on those that are not, will encourage them to free up the information eventually. Sometimes this can take a few weeks. In some cases where the learner is not forth coming with what there disability is, their surroundings help ie coloured post it notes on pin boards, suggesting they need to read from a certain coloured background or hand drawn mind maps, suggesting to me that short term memory, retention and reading ability could be difficulties. NEEDS

Attention span is common in every learner, we all learn at different rates for some it’s the interest in the subject, while for others it may be retention, or even the way the information is delivered. Knowledge of the software and hardware allocated to these learners is not always known, so a quick breakdown of each is explained, this then helps the learner to understand which maybe of more help initially. The importance of covering this breakdown is to enable the learner to decide what is important to them in terms of moving forward with their studies and starting/finishing assignments on time.

In most cases structure and organisational skills are the biggest problems so the need to point the learner along a slightly different line of thinking can help put these two hurdles in context. EXPECTATION AND PROCESS Quite often there are signs of low self-esteem, which leads to the learners expectations of themselves and that of their goals, being of low or no value to them. Once the software has been explained and work has been started to teach the fundamentals of the chosen software, the learner becomes a little more positive in being able to achieve their goals.

The first software that is chosen is generally mind mapping, I establish if there is a particular assignment/essay that needs to be completed and work with this, having a topic that is relevant to the learner helps to get a better understanding of how it works for the individual. Information given on a little and often basis with regular breaks are imperative to some learners as they tire quickly, too much information at once can overwhelm and encumber learners to a point where they cannot take any more and lose interest in what you are trying to teach.

CONCLUSION There are certain approaches I use that work well with the learner. For example the ‘hands on approach’ enables them to retain the information given, becoming more confident to try something for themselves even if technophobia is a factor. Enabling the learner to do the tasks I set makes for better learning and encourages them to do things for themselves when I’m not present. By allowing short breaks then returning to the topic in hand can keep attention levels high.

This leads to enthusiasm of the topic being covered. During periods of uninterrupted talk by teachers, estimates of high attention levels vary from 12 to 20 minutes. Generally, active approaches such as those described above, hold attention for a longer period of time than passive approaches and so attention spans can be increased by introducing an interactive element into talks and explanations such as questioning and discussion of answers.

This cannot solve the problem completely, however, and so when attention levels begin to drop again we would normally switch to another activity. Each time we change the activity, the curve (and thus higher attention levels) starts again. (Francis & Gould, 2012, p. 91) My method of little and often enables the learner to gain the higher attention level after the break which helps them to move forward in using the software or hardware.