How to Teach Language Life Skills to Special Education Students
- 1
Practice in Front of a Mirror
Create a schedule that includes supervised instruction two to three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the students' abilities to stay focused. Prepare daily homework that consists of about 30 minutes' worth of exercises. Suggest that your students practice homework exercises while looking into mirror. This will help the students utilize mouth shapes and tongue positions for proper enunciation. - 2
Gather Examples Into a Folder for Home Practice
Gather pictures, worksheets, and other practice materials that contain examples of whatever language issues the students are struggling to use. Keep one copy in a binder for you and a second copy in a take-home folder for each student. For example, if a particular student struggles with the "w" sound, "r" sound and "th" sound, gather as many pictures of objects that contain these sounds as you can. If a student needs to learn plurals, have numerous examples of a single object and then multiples. If a student needs to learn verb tenses, find action pictures. Older students should have room to write correct answers under pictures. You may even ask the students to role-play verbs, especially if they are having trouble sitting or staying focused on a particular day. - 3). Work hard during each session staying focused on language. It can be easy to go off on a discussion and waste an entire 30-minute session. Have a schedule and stick to it. For example, work on enunciation for 10 minutes. Pair students, so they can keep an eye on each other for proper tongue and mouth positions during letters such as L, while you check in on each pair. If a particular student is struggling on an enunciation, hold the student's hand under your chin and say the sound slowly with extra emphasis. Then move the student's hand under her own chin and have her try saying the sound. The vibration sometimes helps students speak correctly.
- 4). Spend the next 10 minutes doing written work such as writing plural and singular nouns. You might have worksheets containing photos of several singles and plurals for the students to label, such as a single goose and 10 geese, a single fry and 50 fries.
- 5). Take five minutes to role-play verb tenses and then five minutes explaining homework assignments. Let the students know what you expect them to accomplish by the next session. Give them several worksheets to do at home that support or expand on today's session. Show them what to look for in the mirror while they practice.
- 6). Teach American Sign Language to students who cannot be understood by others as a temporary countermeasure to reduce their frustration while they are learning other language life skills. Helping a student communicate can reduce tantrums and improve overall behavior. Practice ASL during 10 to 15 minutes of each session, making it your priority, and then enunciation skills. Finding a computer program that allows a student to record a spoken a phrase or sound and then repeat it may be helpful as well.
