accommodations
many will complain about "extra" help for people with disabilities, regardless of the disability and how it is unfair regarding a perceptive "grade increase" however I try to focus my students on being competitive with themselves, not anyone else. I grade them according to THEIR ability, not as compared to anyone else in the class.
Linda,
That's a great way to focus your efforts, Linda. Remind the others, too, that making accommodations doesn't mean watering down the curriculum. We ask students with disabilities to meet the same standards as are expected of others. They just meet those standards through a different route.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I am glad that Linda voiced her views as she did.. I am an instructor with student massage therapist and I announce to the class on the first day if it is my first time meeting them that I only compare them to themselves how well they progress and not to anyone esle in the class. I find it interesting that there will be a stuedent jokingly competing and there is always someone's feelings getting hurt. I over emphasis that we are all very different and comparing ourselves amongst each other is a recipe for disaster. If one student needs 10 minutes extra... so be it. I have had students ask me to read the sentence to them not giving the answer but to hear the question. To me that is being attentive to the needs in the class because any student may need that hand up.
Julia,
Clearly, as a teacher, you are both flexible and approachable when it comes to any and all students. That makes you an ideal instructor for students with disabilities who may master new material and skills in unconventional ways, but are certainly capable of achieving the same results.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
