Strategies for teaching and learning

Much research into disabled childhood has been preoccupied with impairment, vulnerability and service use; this has compounded a view of disabled children as passive and dependent. The voices of disabled children themselves have frequently been excluded as research has focused on the perspectives of parents, professionals and other adults. A more recent project (Corker et al., 1999) aimed to explore the perspectives of disabled children themselves, their own roles in negotiating their daily lives, and to investigate the relationships, environments and structures that shaped their experiences:

The transition from living a life as others want (dependence) to living it as the adolescent wants to live (independence) is extraordinarily difficult for most teenagers and their families. The difficulty is compounded in the case of adolescents with disabilities [the] key to independence which is CHOICE: choosing to complete physical tasks without assistance or choosing to complete physical tasks with assistance whilst being in control of how and when that assistance is offered.

(Fenton and Hughes, 1989)

It is important that helpers of younger students with disabilities (i.e. 7th to 9th Year) encourage them to make decisions about whether they want help or not, and which part of the task they want help with and which part they can manage on their own. Equally for younger students it may be important to encourage them to try things themselves as much as possible. Older students (e.g. by the 10th and 11th Year) should be encouraged to CHOOSE if they need help or not with a particular task, on a particular day – depending on how they feel. They need to be able then to negotiate with the helper, efficiently and politely. This is an important skill for a young person and should be part of their skill development planning.

According to Fenton and Hughes (1989) helpers:

■ should not assume what help is wanted.

■ should not insist on everything being done independently by the older student with a disability. Students may feel, for example, that for some work that is to be displayed, they would rather ask the helper to do the cutting out, and they will direct how the display is to be arranged – this is their choice.

When working with a student with a disability on any task, it is necessary to explore together the possible ways of helping. The student can then choose for this task, with this helper, on this day, in this context, at this time how much help he/she wants. It is necessary to be aware that some students may ask for more help than they really need (Webber, 1991).

■ WAIT – The student may not need help or may organize you to help.

■ A CHOICE OF 2 OPTIONS – e.g. ‘Would you like me to cut this out for you, or shall I help you to do it?’

■ NO HELP NEEDED – Move away. You could say, e.g. ‘If there is anything you need later, could you ask me, please?’

■ ADVICE OR EQUIPMENT HELP – e.g. ‘Should we ask someone about other ways of doing this, or equipment that might help? We could ask another helper, occupational therapist or a teacher.’

■ STUDENT DIRECTS HELP – Prompt, e.g. ‘How do you want me to help with this, today?’, ‘Can you tell me the best way of doing this, please?’ (e.g. helping with a coat).

■ FUTURE OCCASIONS – When you have worked out together a way of helping for a particular task, it is not necessary to keep on asking.

If you have already negotiated with a learner how he/she wishes to be helped – then you only need to check that he/she wants the same help as last time. Do not assume what kind of help the student wants, as this will take away his/her control and force him/her into a passive role.

Discussion

■ Does your school recognize that how pupils feel about themselves and that how they take responsibility for their learning is a crucial factor in making progress?

■ How much chance do pupils with special needs have to express their own individuality or are they seen simply as a problem?

The teacher is responsible for creating an environment in which all students can learn to the best of their ability and the teaching assistants are vital components in making this happen. Without the work of support staff, teachers in mainstream provision would find it extremely difficult to create such a social and learning environment. Students need to be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and this is a vital role for support staff. In this context it is important that the teaching assistant understands the best way to assist the student’s learning and does not leave this to the teacher to decide. This is particularly important in secondary schools where the teaching assistant may even advise the teacher about these matters.

Here are some suggestions for ways in which staff could develop a more inclusive setting for students with disabilities:

■ While for some children associating with their own impairment group is an active choice, for example, for communication reasons, for others they can often become separated even within mainstream schools. Where peer relationships with non-disabled children are developed, they are sometimes dominated by the assumption of need and care (Corker et al., 1999). Most children also highlighted a common experience of being picked on, even if they were sometimes able to resist the process. Arrange for other students to accompany, or assist a student in a wheelchair to lessons, at break or into lunch. Emphasize the social aspects, NOT the helping aspect.

■ Encourage students with disabilities to sit with other students and encourage other students to sit with disabled students. This may mean overriding students’ own choices of where to sit, on occasions. Again, emphasize the social and learning aspects of this request, not making the non-disabled child into a ‘helper’ of the other child. This may happen naturally.

■ When providing learning support, make yourself available to help other students in the class, not just the student with a disability; also to encourage the student to negotiate with you and teacher how much help he/she wants.

■ Consider whether another student, if asked, could take books out of a bag or set up a computer or other equipment for a student with a disability. Try to develop cooperation with other students and the skills that the pupil will need to be clear about the kind of help needed and to negotiate this with others.

■ Ask the teacher to provide worksheets in advance or alternative methods of recording (e.g. tape recorders) what goes on in the classroom or ask other students or pupils to make written copies of notes for the student with a disability.

■ Give advice about the kind of resources needed for effective learning support for specific pupils. For example, the way the seating is arranged or adapting furniture to make it the correct height and size – so that the student with a disability can sit at the table with a friend.

■ Enlist the help of other pupils and students for other activities such as clubs, wheelchair sports and holidays.