EDU 3201Language Deficient Learner

F2F_11 Feb 2012

Topic: Language Deficiency of Learners

Nooreen bt. Noordin (Ph.D)Faculty of Educational Studies

UPM

Definition

• What is LDL?

➡Struggling learners,

➡Learners with disability

➡ Having a severe discrepancy between the student’s ability and their achievement

Characteristics

• Teachers need to be on the look out for learners who are struggling or with a learning disability

• While not every student will present with the same characteristics, there are some commonalities

General Characteristics

• struggle adapting to change.

• difficulty paying attention and may have trouble attending to task.

• work at a much slower pace

• having a hard time remembering

• having trouble with social issues

Characteristics...cont’d

• Decreased motivation

• Poor discourse comprehension

• Poor attention, concentration, and organization

Literacy

• Reading - they may have trouble pronouncing words and will tend to avoid reading aloud.

• Having trouble with comprehension

• Writing - trouble with the structure and mechanics of writing as well as spelling.

• Frequently transpose words and letters

• Get common words mixed up.

Numeracy

• Struggle with understanding the symbols of math.

• May struggle with telling time.

• Struggle with abstract concepts and word problems.

Students from culturally and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may linguistically diverse backgrounds may

exhibit:exhibit:

Limited English vocabulary Limited English vocabulary

Lack of knowledge of English figurative Lack of knowledge of English figurative language language

Cooperative rather than competitive goals Cooperative rather than competitive goals and dependence on others; learn by and dependence on others; learn by observing and imitating, not by explanation observing and imitating, not by explanation

Students from culturally and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may linguistically diverse backgrounds may

exhibit:exhibit:

Less achievement orientation (believe it is Less achievement orientation (believe it is inappropriate to stand out)inappropriate to stand out)

More formality in learning context and More formality in learning context and respect for authority respect for authority

Polychromatic tasking (not sequential, do Polychromatic tasking (not sequential, do not view timeliness as important) not view timeliness as important)

Identifying Deficient Readers

• Deficits in one or more areas of phonological processing

• Limited sight vocabulary

• Poor use of word recognition strategies - e.g. contextual analysis

• inadequate background knowledge necessary for comprehension

Identifying Deficient Readers

• Vocabulary knowledge very limited - slow to develop

• Poor self-monitoring and evaluation of comprehension

• Little motivation for reading

Identifying Deficient Writers

Poor writing mechanics; spelling and Poor writing mechanics; spelling and handwriting in particular are difficult handwriting in particular are difficult

Impoverished writing (i.e., shorter Impoverished writing (i.e., shorter compositions with less elaborative compositions with less elaborative details); this may reflect: details); this may reflect: memory constraints memory constraints incomplete or fragmented topic incomplete or fragmented topic knowledge knowledge

less sophisticated understanding of less sophisticated understanding of text structure text structure

Inclusion of and irrelevant material in Inclusion of and irrelevant material in compositionscompositions

Identifying Deficient Writers

Limited review and revision of text; focus Limited review and revision of text; focus on superficial changes in form rather on superficial changes in form rather than substantive changes in contentthan substantive changes in content

fail to detect mismatches between fail to detect mismatches between intentions and written text intentions and written text

do not take the perspective of the do not take the perspective of the reader reader

difficulty coordinating cognitive difficulty coordinating cognitive resources and strategies necessary for resources and strategies necessary for revision revision

Little motivation for writingLittle motivation for writing Limited awareness of what constitutes Limited awareness of what constitutes

good writing and the means by which good writing and the means by which good writers produce textsgood writers produce texts

LD: A Cause for Concern

• While every child develops at his or her own pace, specific developmental milestones help healthcare providers, parents and teachers determine if children attain each one within normal limits, or outside the norm enough to cause concern.

• Learning disabilities is an issue that can potentially prevent a child from reaching strategic points of growth.

What all of us should know...

• Children with learning disabilities struggle with making connections between incoming information, and comprehension and organization of that information.

• The neurological basis behind learning disabilities disrupts a child's ability to fully understand how to perform basic skills such as reading, calculating, writing, communicating, and organizing data as he or she receives it.

What all of us should know...

• LD Online reported the National Institute of Health figures that as many as one out of seven individuals, or fifteen percent, suffer from some type of specific learning disability.

Specific LD

~ Learning disabilities encompass reading, language, math, and processing skills. Some of the most common specific learning disabilities, courtesy of LD Online, include the following:

• Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – difficulty processing language (even though individual has normal hearing and vision).

Specific LD

• Dyscalculia – difficulty understanding math concepts and performing math calculations.

• Dysgraphia – difficulty forming letters properly within a defined space.

Specific LD

•Dyslexia – difficulty understanding written words; also known as a language or reading disability/disorder. **show url: http://www.etni.org.il/etninews/inter2d.htm**

•Non-verbal Learning Disabilities – difficulty comprehending and differentiating non-verbal cues— basically anything that is not written or spoken—such as facial expressions, gestures, and body language; also struggle with organizational skills and memory recall.

Useful sites to visit...

• http://www.disabilitymalaysia.com/index2.php?type=list&table=factsheet

• http://www.kiwanis.org.my/article.cfm?ID=44&story=1

• http://www.hilslearning.com/

• http://www.srirafelsia.com/

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