The teacher must also be willing to use more conventional cognitive and behavior reinforcement tactics to encourage that the student will be able to function effectively in the modern workforce.
A discussion of how the topic is related to teaching-that is, what instructional strategies does the topic promote that support student learning and how are instructional decisions made based on the topic?
It may sound both crazy and controversial, but it may be most educationally empowering to the child and the teacher alike, rather than regarding individuals who learn or comport themselves 'differently' in the classroom as burdensome, to see ADHD as a potential if difficult gift for the classroom. The ADHD way of viewing learning can provide teachers with a new way of approaching the world and the rules of the teacher-student dialogue.
Yes, of course, distracted and hyperactive behavior must conform to respectable standards within the classroom. A teacher cannot tolerate an ADHD student violating the personal space of another student, for example, or of interrupting the classroom lesson time. But the ADHD student challenges the teacher to find more hands-on kinesthetic ways of approaching material in rapid succession. This rapid succession might even be the key to the future, as students learn more about the world from the Internet, computers, television, and other hands on or audio-visual medium. All children today must be able to assimilate more information more quickly, in short bursts, and the ADHD consciousness may allow students to do so, from all levels of ability and with many different learning styles, not necessarily the learning disabled.
An explanation of what instructional opportunities would be provided in following with the chosen topic-how is a students' intellectual, social, and personal development supported? Describe a classroom, its students and teachers who embrace the topic. How would lessons be presented and how would one know learning is occurring?
ADHD students can be positively reinforced for showing respect, while still being given the opportunity to shine as a student in what is uniquely 'their' gift -- that is, their own powerful and charismatic creative strengths. A student with ADHD can be assigned a partner,...
Also, giving an ADHD student the responsibilities of teamwork encourages a sense of responsibility.
The presence of ADHS in the classroom encourages greater clarity in lesson planning from a pedagogical perspective. Teachers can and must break down assignments into smaller, more manageable units, and include positive reinforcement strategies as the student finishes each part, which is helpful for all students, especially younger students. (U.S. Department of Education, 1994) Of course, some special accommodations may still need to be made for ADHD students. Students with ADHD may need more time than other students to focus and complete a systematic task, and require more questions or activities the teacher knows the student can successfully accomplish, to circumvent student frustrations or self-doubts.
But ideally, a classroom with a student with ADHD is more based in teamwork, more interconnected, has a more close administrative-faculty-student support connection, and relies upon clarity and challenging use of the learning process' multifaceted senses than the traditional classroom -- and thus the classroom has 'something' to offer everyone, not just the student with the ADHD diagnosis! (U.S. Department of Education, 1994)
Works Cited
Attention Deficit Disorders: What Teachers Should Know." (1994) U.S. Department of Education. Classroom Strategies for a Class with Students with ADD. Retrieved 4 Aug 2005 at http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/add_adhd/add-school1.html#anchor131686
ADHD -- Symptoms." (2004) The Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 4 Aug 2005 at http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/89/100386.htm
ADHD -- What is it?" (2004) The Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 4 Aug 2005 at http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/89/100391.htm?z=1623_86000_0000_rl_02
The Medical Treatment of ADHD." (2004) The Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 4 Aug 2005 at http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/89/100397.htm
