Understanding how students learn and the impact of specific learning difficulties for students is critical for helping to get the best educational outcomes for all students.
How can professional development help teachers respond to specific learning difficulties in their classroom?
Understanding how students learn and the impact of specific learning difficulties for students is critical for helping to get the best educational outcomes for all students. Professional development can provide educators with effective strategies and advice on program selection and resources to support all learners, whether in the classroom or in an intervention setting.
Are both whole-school PD and individual programs available? What types of areas are covered?
Schools and individuals can access training in a broad range of areas, including specific programs to support learning, and more generalised training relevant to working with students with learning difficulties. When selecting a program, it’s important to look for the evidence base and ensure it has sufficient quality research behind it.
What should educators consider when developing a plan to support students with a specific learning difficulty?
It’s important to assess students first, to get an understanding of what they already can do. This is the starting point to plan specific, and achievable learning goals.
Students with specific learning difficulties often need more repetition and practice to solidify learning. The amount of additional time can vary and it’s important that each student has as much time as they need to learn and retain new information. Contrary to popular belief, these students do not learn differently, they may just have deficits in very specific skills that requires more explicit teaching and practice.
It’s important to keep the program being used in the classroom consistent with any intervention program. This ensures the same language and conceptual understanding is used, minimalizing the load on these students, who already find learning challenging, and helping to close the gap between them and their peers.
At SPELD SA we help schools build their capacity and confidence in supporting students with learning difficulties by providing professional development workshops, and resources.
View professional development workshops
View our upcoming workshops on Specific Learning Difficulties
