How to Help Slow Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

Identification of Problem: This paper will explore the question, "What is thee best strategy to incorporate slow learners into the classroom?" I hypothesize is that the best strategies for incorporating these students in the classroom is to give them sufficient time to complete their work and to shorten the tasks given to them.

During my experience at Stadium Elementary School, I had a student labeled "slow" in my group. This particular student worked very slowly, but her work was up to standard with her peers. I came up with this topic after trying to decipher what the most effective strategy for this type of students can be, while incorporating it into my lessons. It is very important that we address this issue so our students don't feel as one I found during my research. This picture was by Tia Crumpton of Ohio (Cosby, 1).

Data Gathering: One of every six students that are in the classroom today has been classified as slow learners. Usually, this type of child is very difficult to recognize. Slow learners are students with below average cognitive abilities who are not disabled, but who struggle to cope with the traditional academic demands of the regular classroom (Lowenstein, 1).

According to research, the difference between the slow learner and other mainstream students is that their intelligence is usually only 75%-90% of other students their age. Their maximum mental age ranges from about 11 years to 13 1/2 years. They learn at a rate which is 4/5 to 9/10 of normal, and they learn to read approximately 1 year later than the majority of children. Most authorities agree that slow learners may be slow in reading and arithmetic, but not necessarily slow to the same extent in shop, mechanical, or social activities. They may also be adept in peer play activities, work or sports. Most elementary school classes in an average community can be expected to include three to five slow learners in the class. Abstract thinking is difficult for a slow learner and their attention span is short. A slow learner reacts slower than average, self-expression is awkward and self-esteem is low. It is hard to figure things out themselves, especially if given multiple step instructions. Most slow learners function below grade level in all subject areas and generally score consistently low on achievement tests (Lowenstein, 1).

Another factor that a teacher needs to be aware of is what current research says about this topic. What factors have been said to make a student a slow learner? I found that children who are deprived of stimulation during their early years are more likely to be slow. There appears to be a critical period during the first three to four years of life when the potential for intellectual growth must be seized. There are enzyme systems in the brain that must be activated during this brief window. If the opportunity is missed, the child may never reach his capacity (Dobson, 1).

In 1997, there was research done at the University of Illinois by J. Madeline Nash that showed the effects of early stimulation on brain of laboratory rats. Two groups of rats were formed in the research. The first group of rats lived in a cage that was well supplied with toys and other interesting items to stimulate the rats' interest. The rats in one group one were also allowed to explore the environment outside their cage. They were also interacted with regularly. The second groups of rats lived in a cage that had only the necessities to survive and were not interacted with. The groups had identical food.

105 days later, the rats were euthansized and their brains were examined. The rats in the first group had a thicker cortex, which is the thinking part of the brain. They also had a more abundant blood supply. Also, these rats had a more sophisticated enzyme that is necessary for learning. Therefore, Nash's research showed that when a brain was stimulated, the effects were crucial to learning.

The goal of helping a slow learner is not to get them performing at grade level, but to get them performing at their highest level possible. This level is different for all students, whether they are a slow learner, average or above average.

On a national level not much is done to accommodate the slow learner. No special services are provided nation wide, nor are there services provided at a state or district level. It is up to the teachers and parents to provide the help needed for slow learners to progress. School psychologists are available to give advice and inform teachers and parents of strategies to use to assist slow learners. However, the classroom teachers provide the service.

I found through my research that there are many beneficial strategies to teach slow learners. These strategies would be crucial to incorporating these students in the mainstream classroom.

There are environmental changes that a teacher can make to help these students. They include parent volunteers, changes in seating, and the reduction of distractions. The teacher simply has to let the slow child learn in a quiet, private place where they have space to work. It is crucial that the teacher does not put the slow learner next to students that would be a distraction.

Cross-classroom grouping is also a widely used technique. Heterogeneous grouping, putting the slow learner with someone of higher ability, also helps with the situation. Cooperative grouping would be another effective strategy.

Parents that are interested in helping out could come to the classroom to give the students some extra attention. A teacher could also get some cross-age tutors, aides or peer-tutors to help out. Slow learners who are underachieving in the basic academic areas may benefit from tutoring at school or privately. The goal of tutoring is certainly not "to get him to grade level" but to help her optimize her abilities, to meet the highest, realistic expectations.

The materials that a slow learner works with can be adapted to help them learn better. The teacher should utilize a variety of materials. It has been found that hands-on materials can do wonders, such as calculators and computers. Computers help to drill the students and provide reinforcement.

It is also beneficial to the whole classroom, as well as the slow learner, for teachers to use a variety of teaching strategies. Gardner's Eight Intelligences can be used in the lessons in order to help students with various learning styles.

Alternate instructions and testing has also been said to work wonders with the slow learner. The teacher could give an oral test one day and a written test the next.

Another effective method to use is to simplify or shorten the assignment given to these students. When you give the class 20 problems, why not give the slow learner 10? It is imperative for the teacher not to discourage the student by overwhelming them with work. A teacher should give this child the amount of work they can comfortably do in the time allotted.

A comparable method could be to give the same assignment, but give the student more time to complete the task. This is always not a practical method though. Sometimes the subject is taught before lunch or recess, and the student may not be able to have the extra time. If it is necessary, the student could be given the work to take home and continue with.

It helps for the teacher to give the student instructions, then have the student repeat them back to the teacher. The teacher could also hand out a sheet with the directions on it or write them on the blackboard. The slow learner needs to hear or see directions more than once to fully understand what you want them to do.
Slower learners need to have repetition for everything; it is a key factor in how they optimally learn. It is expected that this student to require 3 to 5 times as much repetition of content as necessary than the "average" students. Basic facts may be adequately covered in the regular classroom but depth and breadth of content will not usually be absorbed unless the concept is reinforced through practical and familiar activities that foster generalization. Again, repetition is key to this understanding of knowledge (Carroll, 1).

It is important that key, simple concepts be presented to children at the onset of any instructional unit to help provide "advance organizers" of the material that follows. The slow learner may encounter difficulties if too many concepts are presented at one time. It is important for teachers to keep it simple and focused.
The teacher needs to have management skills with this classroom that will help the slow learner. It is important for this student that the teacher employs directive, positive contact. Immediate feedback will let the slow learner know that they are doing the activity right, which supports their self-esteem. The slow learner needs to have a boost to their self-esteem every once in awhile. It also helps for the teacher to touch the student on the shoulder or call their name before important information is given to make sure they stay focused.

What do professionals this about what are the most effective strategies? Some professionals were able to give me their opinion on what they feel works best with the slow learners in their classroom.

1) Kelly, an elementary school teacher, states, "A few things I have tried in my own room are the use of volunteers, peer tutoring and reducing the amount of work required. Volunteers are a must. We do not have the time to give students the one on one help that many need. The added adults in the room make it easier to give attention to those who need extra time or instruction. The volunteers shouldn't be used to give initial instruction, but to reinforce what has already been taught. Peer tutors are great to use in addition to volunteers. I also found repetition to work wonders."

2) Matt, a Pre-K and Kindergarten teacher, says, "1 word: Repetition. They are usually slow learners because that's just how they learn. When they repeat the process and the teacher keeps track of them so they don't get too far ahead of themselves, they do well usually. Also, make sure they keep track of their own progress as they go. This helps build self-confidence which will help a lot."

4) Jacque, an Elementary teacher, says "Repetition is more important for students who take their time to learn things---sometimes they learn more thoroughly than those that speed right through. They may need many more positive comments from you to keep them going. This can be as simple as "Wow! How did you figure that out?" "Tell me about your drawing" (writing, project, activity, etc.), "I like how you used ________ (a color, word, number, etc.)". The more you can make each comment individualized to a student, the more meaningful it will be to them. Too often we use "Good Job", "Super", etc. and when students hear us say the same thing over and over to everyone, it loses its ability to motivate students.

Be sure you don't put your lower students on the spot during discussions---choose other students first to help them see how it looks, then choose them (this insures their success and hopefully their continued volunteering (raising hand)). I do a great many activities where I might say, "Think in your head,
don't say it out loud. When you know how many items on this card, put your thumb up." I then wait until everyone has their thumb up and then ask for what each thought, careful not to react to right or wrong answers. Then we check, give ourselves a pat on the back if we said the correct answer and try again.

When I ask for volunteers, I always make a big deal out of how proud I am of anyone who volunteers without knowing what it is I will ask them to do and praise them for being such great 'risk-takers'---it still amazes me how this encourages everyone to volunteer. Slower learners need to feel successful and competent, so the more you can customize things to help achieve these, the better off you all will be".

4)Rachel, an Elementary School teacher says "Small group and one-on-one instruction with the teacher is best, when it can be managed. Teaching students to work well in cooperative groups is great to help the struggling students in theory, but it's also really difficult. They often don't really want to help each other. That is to say, the theory of "four minds put together are better than one" is great, but to actually implement it well in a classroom is a struggle. A key: you have to reach the kids at their instructional level. This means if a kid is struggling to read at 5th grade, giving them a 5th grade book will NOT teach them how to read. It will only frustrate them more and teach them that reading comprehension isn't important or possible. You have to find a way to make changes or modifications to the curriculum to enable them to move up from where they are.

Another example of this: if they don't know their multiplication facts, then trying to teach them equivalent
fractions is a frustrating waste of everyone's time. Often kids cannot be reached at the level they need because teachers are so overworked and exhausted and the kids in a classroom all have so many needs--- but the "slower learners" end up falling more and more behind as a result. "

5) Mrs. Bailey, an Elementary School Teacher, says "This last year I went to administration and told him that I knew we had a large number of students coming up with low reading and writing skills... I told him that if he tried not to span out the students ability levels in my class that I could actually focus on teaching at a level that would be better for these lower ability level kids... In other word, if he didn't such a large number of high achievers that I would have to keep up with at the same time trying to teach to the lower ability ones... What I ended up with was an overall lower level class (with a few brighter kids in the mix...) but also a large number of real behavior problems... about 1/3 of these kids are real behavior problems... I mean REAL problems, inside and outside of class... But one of the techniques I use for teaching these kids is in Science... it is how I present the information... in steps...I break the information into small sections...The first day... I introduce the material... I have them silent read... read together in teams... work on any new vocabulary with them (use picture dictionaries alot...) I try to relate it back to "their prior" knowledge... etc. The second day... we read the material aloud in class... we discuss... maybe have them answer a few questions from the reading... show a "Brain Pop" on the subject... which for 4 and 5th grade is a wonderful website... I have a connector from my computer to my TV which allows my whole class to see it... The 3rd day... I lecture and discuss the information THEY need to know from the material... I use my overhead and they are responsible for writing down and learning whatever I write on the overhead... We discuss... demonstrate... they ask questions....The 4th day... I put together a 10 question multiple choice quiz for them over each section... (I include answers like: all of the above, none of the above, both a. and b. etc. so they are used to seeing it for our national testing...) I keep the quizzes on disk so I have them and can improve upon them each year... so most of their grades for each section is depended on: 1. 1-2 short, 5-point assignments and a 20 point quiz... After spending 3 days in class on the material, it is rather difficult for even my slowest learner to fail my science program.... The interesting thing, that I get comments from even some of my lower ability students, how much they like science."

Data Analysis: I have discovered from my research and interviews that it is important not to overwhelm the slow learner. Small groups and one-on-one instruction, either with a peer, parent or teacher, provides the most beneficial value to the student. Feedback is also crucial to help the student with their low-self esteem and to insure that they continue to work hard and volunteer.

Over and above, I found that research has said that repetition is key to the success of the slow learner. The teachers that I interviewed all agreed with this. Slower learners, as well as everyone in the classroom, can benefit from the teacher going over the material multiple times and in multiple ways!

Conclusion: To conclude, I have found that while there are many strategies to use in the classroom to incorporate the slow learner. The professionals that have given me their opinion on the subject and I have discovered that repetition is the key to helping the slow learner adapt to the regular classroom setting. One in six students are given this label, so it is important for teachers to be able to understand the current research of the causes of this learning problem and what the most effective strategies are to benefit the slow learner in the classroom. While this answer is not definitive, it is the best strategy for teaching slow learners at this time.

Bibliography

Primary Sources:
Bailey, Mrs. Interview, April 2003.
Bronsil, Matt. Interview, April 2003.
Jacque. Interview, April 2003.
Kelly. Interview, April 2003.
Matt. Interview, April 2003.
Rachel. Interview, April 2003.

Secondary Sources:
Balado, Carl Ph.D, Helping Slow Learners. http://www.foundationosa.org/slow.htm
Carroll, Servio. "Slow Learners" in the Regular Classroom: A Handout for Teachers. http://www.aas.ru/Academics/counselor/teach/slolrner.html.
Dobson, James, Ph. D. Focus on Education. http://www.focusoneducation.com/parents/faq/a0000031.html.
Gulbransen, Nathan. When Learning Differences Are Not Recognized. http://www.hellofriend.org/hellofriend/learning_differences.html
Lowenstein, David Ph. D, Understanding and Helping the Slow Learner. http://www.clubtheo.com/momdad/html/dlslow.html