ADHD in Primary Education: Strategies for English Lessons
You have a student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the 4th year of Primary Education. How would you address and solve this challenge? This essay focuses on students with Hyperactivity Disorder, a common issue in Primary Education. First, I will contextualize this issue. Secondly, I will discuss the symptoms and their impact on English lessons. After that, I will analyze different processes and methodologies to use with this student in class. Next, I will review the importance of integrating and motivating students to develop communicative skills in English lessons. Finally, I will conclude and highlight the main ideas.
Having introduced the topic, I will continue with the legal framework. One of the main premises of the Organic Law 2/2006 of Education, 3rd May; the Organic Law 8/2013, 9th December for the Improvement in Educational Quality; the Royal Decree 126/2014, 28th February; and in Castilla y León the Order EDU/519/2014, 17th of June, is to seek the integration of all students. As teachers, we must provide individualized teaching, attending to our students’ physical or psychological conditions and needs. We need to pay special attention to the activities and materials used in class and to the strategies and particular methodology to provide the best solutions to the needs of all students.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioral disorder. Students with ADHD often act without thinking and have behavioral problems because they struggle to sit still, pay attention, or attend to details. They may also present specific learning disabilities, with the most common problems related to visual skills, reading, and writing. In addition to using routines, I will follow the next methodology and strategies:
In my classroom, I will consider the constructivism method. The approach that fits best with this point of view is the communicative approach because both teach new learning by considering the student’s previous knowledge and experiences. We also achieve relevant communication through motivation, one of the factors that makes the learning process more effective. Motivation will be developed through a clear aim, the arrangement of the class, the type of activities, the materials and resources we use, and topics of interest to the children.
On the other hand, I will establish significant learning in such a way that we follow a “learner-centered” teaching and learning process by considering the student an active and participatory element of the class. The four macro skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—will be given equal importance, although they will be taught with different methods depending on the child’s disability.
I will keep many aspects in mind, such as the organization of timing, grouping, and spaces, the materials, and finally, the role of the teacher in the English classroom, in order to guide and give the same opportunity for education to all students.
Starting with grouping, I will enhance the possibility of group learning activities to mix lower-level pupils with higher-level ones in order to facilitate effective interaction and communication among them. I will seat the child with ADHD with classmates who can remind them of homework and classwork.
Attention to diversity students will also involve individual work to know and control their own learning, developing the Sense of initiative and entrepreneurial spirit competence, as well as the learning-to-learn competence.
Regarding space, the layout will consist of a horseshoe shape, allowing communication and eye contact among the students. The student needing specific educational support will be situated in the first line of the classroom or next to the teacher in order to facilitate positive statements when appropriate. In addition, I will also display posters related to science on the walls.
To continue with timing, as it is very important to motivate pupils, especially those with attention to diversity, I will start with a warm-up to help children feel confident when speaking in English. I will divide the teaching-learning process into three stages: Presentation, practice, and production.
The next point I want to mention is the use of didactic materials. I will choose materials that encourage curiosity, interest, and attention, contributing to making students feel comfortable in their work and allowing them to develop their own capacities. I will use worksheets, visual and auditory aids, authentic materials, and realia, which children can handle. Of course, ICT constitutes an effective resource for adapting the teaching to the different capacities of the students, promoting a learner-centered environment. I will start with the most difficult activities early in the day, since a child with ADHD will lose attention and become more excited and nervous as the day goes on. I will also give the child clear and short instructions, since these students can’t maintain attention for long periods of time, and I will repeat if necessary.
Last but not least, the role of the teacher is very important. The teacher’s role can be defined as: participant, encourager, language consultant, and monitor. What is more, the teacher will be coordinated with the family and the specialist teacher in order to assess the student’s performance. With this child, I will use a homework folder for parent-teacher communications, including marks, progress notes, and comments, to ensure that all work and activities are finished on time. On the other hand, I will allow this student movement, providing opportunities for physical action like cleaning the blackboard or going to the bathroom, TPR activities, etc.
To conclude with the particular methodology for these types of learners, I will mention the evaluation I will carry out, not only to prove that the guideline used is adequate but to make the pupils aware of their own progress of learning, promoting autonomous competence through self-assessment using questionnaires, giving the student tasks one at a time to avoid distractions, diaries, and portfolio tools.
To conclude, it must be remembered that motivation plays an important role in teaching. To motivate this type of student, teachers must consider factors like students’ interests, needs, and abilities, and implement all kinds of devices to promote integration and cooperation with the rest of the students. Moreover, teachers should aim at making learners develop a positive attitude towards the foreign language and at creating a positive environment in the classroom so that every child feels confident and comfortable when carrying out communicative tasks in English.