Nancy C. Hellwege

Different Learner Nancy C. Hellwege

This manual is for teachers and parents of elementary school students who are enrolled in special education, regular education and alternative education classes. It will benefit students who come to the classroom situation demonstrating deficiencies or experiencing problems in acquiring skills in basic reading, writing and mathematics. Through the techniques in this manual, this group of different learners, who seem unable to learn, and are often viewed as academic failures, will find new success. Many of these students are bright, intelligent, creative individuals. They are the students whose intelligence is of a non-verbal variety. Their kind of intelligence usually is not acknowledged nor measured through standardized intelligence tests which reflect the values of the verbal, abstract, sequential academic world. The thinking and information processing of these students is simultaneous or holistic. They are deductive, concrete, visual, creative, and have good spatial abilities. They tend to be non-verbal problem solvers who are the exceptional chess player, the knowledgeable mechanic, or the successful general who knows exactly where to place the troops in order to win the war. Each one of these positions requires problem solving but it is done without words. , Often the different learner has difficulty comprehending written and spoken language. Although they may possess knowledge about a topic, the student is frequently unable to demonstrate what he/she knows through verbal expression and/or standard testing. Thus they often fail tests which require them to demonstrate their knowledge in this manner. This manual makes use of different teaching methods that helps the different learner be a successful student. It is designed primarily for the student experiencing deficiencies in reading, writing, spelling and mathematics. As the students progress using the DIFFERENT LEARNER techniques, they will begin to feel better about themselves and their self-esteem will soar.