Bridges to Practice
A New
Web-Based Training
Inservice Project
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Click below to access a checklist of all activities required in this project

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For information on Bridges to Practice training in your area, please contact:
Dr. Rochelle Kenyon, Project Director
rkenyon@aol.com

  

What Do the Best Teachers Do?

Think for a moment about what the best teachers do that makes them effective. Research tells us that effective teachers:
  • Know their subjects well and they can do intellectually, physically, and emotionally what they expect of their students
  • Have an understanding of how students learn, what motivates them, and what encourages them
  • Obtain information about each student's unique needs
  • Provide appropriate instruction based on a student's needs rather than a categorical label or cause of a disability
  • Ensure a positive learning environment that produces change
  • Demonstrate tolerance and patience when working with all students
  • Are flexible and willing to try different techniques and accommodations
  • Are accessible and approachable
The first step in teaching students with learning disabilities seems obvious. Treat them simply as your students. After all, students with disabilities come to your classroom for the same reasons that others do. They bring with them the same range of intelligence and skills. However, they also bring with them unique learning needs. This is not so different than the typical student who arrives in your adult general education program. Each student has unique needs.

Students with learning disabilities can learn. In fact, rarely are learning disabilities severe enough to impair a person's potential to live a happy and productive life. It's just that you, as the teacher, must find the best way to help your student learn those skills that he/she needs to be successful.

So why do you need to know about learning disabilities? To provide effective instruction for all students in your classroom, you must first have an understanding of what constitutes a disability. Knowledge about learning disabilities is the first step in effectively serving all of your adult students.

 

 


This program was developed by Dr. Rochelle Kenyon, Project Director, Florida Bridges to Practice, through an Adult Education State Leadership Grant from the Florida Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education. 

Content development by Dr. Rochelle Kenyon, Susan Pittman and Bonnie Vondracek. Web design and development by Dr. Debra L. Hargrove.

Disclaimer:  While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this web-based training component, it is not an official publication of the Florida Department of Education.