Teaching children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is difficult, but not impossible! These children are wired differently, unable to sit still or focus on one thing for too long. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t learn. You just need to know how to adjust your teaching methods to suit them.
Students with ADHD exhibit:
• Inattention,
• Hyperactivity, and
• Impulsiveness
To help you work around these somewhat frustrating and daunting traits, we’ve prepared a list of personalized learning techniques that you can use:
1. Using Technology to Aid Learning
• Use your smartphone
Smartphones have a range of apps that can help you to stay organized and add an edge to your teaching skills. Use these brilliant tools to help your student keep up with their work while making their studies interesting!
Such applications can:
-Bring life to the subject and help students stay focused on their studies,
-Help you plan your lessons and keep track of your students’ progress, and
-Improve students’ attention spans through a range of interactive brain stimulation games.
• Assistive Technology (AT)
Assistive technology tools can be useful for children suffering from ADHD. They can help them complete a variety of tasks, including:
-Personal organization,
-Reading comprehension,
-Writing,
-Basic Math, etc.
Using these tools can facilitate your students’ learning process and help them make significant progress over time. If you are a private tutor teaching an ADHD student, you’ll definitely want to look into these specialized tools.
2. Organizing Study Sessions
• Keep their study time short but effective!
ADHD students, with their inability to focus on specific tasks, should be taught over multiple short time periods. As a private tutor, you need to keep your students’ disability in mind at all times. Allow them to take a break after completing an assignment or mastering a concept. This will enable you to make better use of your student’s study hours.
Set an alarm after every break in studies. The child should understand that they can stop for a short break when the alarm rings.
• Make priority lists
A common characteristic amongst children with ADHD is difficulty in prioritizing time. To help them stay on track with their work, show them how to make a priority list.
At the beginning of each lesson, spend a few minutes making a list of tasks they must complete. they should the tick off each task as the session progresses.
• Let them move around!
Children suffering from ADHD have trouble sitting still. Before you begin teaching them, talk to them about moving around in your private tuition lesson. Specify certain times when they can move or walk around the room while you teach them. If you want them to ask you beforehand, make sure you convey this clearly to the child. Setting the rules right from the beginning will help you both to focus better on the lessons at hand.
3. Study techniques
• Repetition
Repetition is key. Give the student small tasks to complete every day, repeating them as you go. Keep the lessons simple and clear. After each break, ask them a few short questions to review previously studied topics—nothing too complicated, just enough to keep the concept fresh in their minds!
At the end of the lesson, spend a few minutes reviewing everything studied that day. You don’t need to give them a worksheet or a written assignment. Just talk to them, offering cues and gently pushing them to think about what they’ve learnt. If you notice them starting to get frustrated, stop, or move on!
• Keep the lesson going!
To work around your student’s impulsiveness and inattentiveness, keep the sessions moving! Spend some time understanding their difficulties and learning style and adapt your lessons accordingly.
-Keep a ball with you and turn lessons into a game, throwing the ball back and forth as the session progresses.
-If they find visual learning easier, teach them by drawing diagrams or watching videos.
-Explain concepts verbally. Ask them leading questions such as: ‘What if?’, ‘Why is that?’, ‘How did that happen?’
Conclusion
For ADHD students to learn effectively, their special needs tuition sessions must be stimulating. This is important in retaining their attention for sufficient periods so they can grasp concepts clearly. Teach them in short bursts using a variety of visual techniques. Don’t forget to repeat the content of the lesson, as this will reinforce the child’s understanding in a better way.
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