While each teacher has a different title, be it a science teacher, math teacher or special ed teacher, all teachers are teachers. Our core job is to educate students to the best of our abilities. When a student cannot read, then teaching science by having students read book chapters is not going to educate the disadvantaged student. If our goal is to educate someone in science, then reading should not be a limiting factor. Instead, the science teacher must get creative.
If a student cannot read, then find a way to present material with limited visual words. Many people around the world are illiterate but function in life because life is not one dimensional, and reading it not the only way to convey a message. Videos, pictures, games, active participation in labs…all these things exemplify ways to convey science without words. If the student struggles with test time, then the student should be given accommodations for verbal or visual testing without words. Fortunately there are many assistive technologies to help students take verbal tests, without needing a human dictator, and the more technology grows, the more educating students can become creative.
Second, use other teachers! It simply amazes me that a science teacher struggling with a student who cannot read or perform math, does not seek out the math teacher and explain the troubles. It is possible that the other teacher has no clue how much the student is struggling. As a science teacher, I could easily provide a list of words which the student could practice with the reading teacher to help the student learn multi-dimensionally, with limited constraint on my personal time schedule.
Furthermore, there are tricks to every trade. In science, teaching a student to break down the scientific words into something easier or create a symbol in place of a word is common place. This may be the best method to limit words but still allow a student to be educated in science.
It is possible to educate around limiting factors, such a reading, and without much more effort. The effort must come from the creativity of the teacher and the conquering of the fear to try something new.
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. It would be a pity if knowledge acquisition is stifled by language difficulties.
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion to provide a selective list of words to the students. I think that could work well. And I also liked the idea of creating symbols. Some students relate much better to symbols, and in many situations, converting words to mathematical or scientific notations would help them see things much better.
I too firmly believe that it is primarily the teacher's responsibility to devise all sorts of methods to ensure productive learning.
I agree with symbols and numbers for those students that think in those terms. I would also add that diagrams are essential. Sometimes by looking at a diagram, you can figure out what the words mean.
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