COVERFINAL.qxd 9/1/06 3:29 PM Page 1 OO nn ee ii nn EE ll ee vv ee One in eleven students has a language learning disability. Language is nn critical for learning: it is the foundation of everything that goes on at P r school. From the beginning, children use language to communicate: to a c t question, to pass on information, to tell stories. Teachers use language ic a to chat, explain, instruct, direct, discipline and reason. Language is l S necessary for formal learning and to interact socially. tr a t e Some children have problems with their language skills. If apparently g ie alert, capable students have difficulty with understanding or using spoken s f OOnnee iinn EElleevveenn language – and consequently have difficulty with reading, understanding, o and producing written language – it is essential to consider that they r Te R a Many LLD students have difficulty generating vocabulary and might have a language learning disability (LLD). c hin this can acause difficnulties in getgting started uon the reseaarch processg. e One in Eleven: Strategies for Teaching Adolescents with a Language g A Tol prevent their feeling overwhelmed by the task,it is important Learning Disabilityis a whole-school approach that identifies LLD students do to build up skills slowly.There are additional steps that can be and offers suggestions for teaching and learning strategies to address les added before students confront text. c this difficulty in various school contexts, especially in subject areas. e n language must be processed quickly, constantly and ‘on-line’ t One in Elevenis divided into three parts: s w take Pterstas,cwtriitce aassli gSnmtrenatst,eungdieerssta nfdo trex tTboeoaksching Adolescents it Part I The Language Learning Disabled Studentidentifies LLD h a W students with easily accessible and up-to-the-minute L with a Language Learning Disability a information about this disability. ng u PLANNING a Part II Teaching the Language Learning Disabled Student considers g REASONING key issues that arise for students and outlines practical e Le ds REFLECTING a suggestions for use in the classroom. rn ory in r Part III Modifying the Curriculumexamines taking the existing g w D a curriculum and changing it in ways that will allow success isa f l at school for LLD students. b ou ilit b y The emphasis on modifying the curriculum and employing explicit g a teaching strategies for these students is supported by many case-study nc i examples and practical recommendations are made through the use of no Mandy Brent photocopy masters. av M e a n md Florence Gough d y O e B r t e Susan Robinson About the authors: n i Florence Gough, Susan Robinson and Mandy Brent are t F m Speech/Language Pathologists and have extensive experience lor i working with language learning disabled adolescents in en l c secondary schools. They all live and work in Melbourne. e G o u g h S u s a n R o O b in s o n ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page i One in Eleven Practical Strategies for Teaching Adolescents with a Language Learning Disability ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page ii ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page iii One in Eleven Practical Strategies for Teaching Adolescents with a Language Learning Disability Mandy Brent Florence Gough Susan Robinson ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page iv First published 2001 by Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd 19 Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria, 3124 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright ©2001 Mandy Brent, Florence Gough and Susan Robinson All rights reserved.Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers. Edited by Ross Gilham Designed and typeset by Polar Design Pty Ltd Indexed by Johansen Indexing Services Printed by Ligare Pty Ltd National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data: Brent, Mandy. One in eleven :practical strategies for teaching adolescents with a language and learning disability. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 0 86431 393 4. 1.Learning disabled youth - Education.2.Language disorders in adolescence.I.Gough, Florence.II.Robinson, Sue, 1963-.III.Title. 371.914 Visit our website: www.acerpress.com.au ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page v Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Sarah Fulton;Sylvia Walton (Principal ofTintern AGGS);Lyn Henshall (Vice-Principal,Tintern AGGS); Sue Healey (Director of Information Services) and the staff of the Cullen Resource Centre;the many Tintern staff members whose contributions are acknowledged in the text;the students,parents,teachers,and other professional colleagues who have taught us so much;the students who allowed us to include their work (Alexandria Copling, Ellen Davis, Michelle Ross); and our supportive families. ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page vi ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page vii Foreword The task of teaching children and adolescents with language learning disabilities is complex and at times taxing.It is also a task that must be shared between family and school. One in Eleven:Teaching Adolescents with a Language Learning Disabilityspecifically looks at the school area and the management of young people with this disability. It has been a great privilege for me to work within a school setting that has allowed and indeed fostered very strong programs that are well integrated throughout the curriculum and are designed to assist young people with this particular disability. Students with language learning disabilities are in every school. It is imperative that there be systems and structures in place to identify their difficulties and assist them in moving through the school system in ways that enhance their capacity to learn.This has led to the need for a whole-school approach,in which the teaching staff are knowledgeable about the students’difficulties and have the capacity to work with specialist staff,particularly in modifying curriculum and assisting young people to understand how they need to learn and compensate. It has been found that integrating specialist teachers with the staff,and supporting staff and students,both as individuals and in small groups,while keeping the students firmly linked to their class groups and to their timetabled subjects,has the practical benefit of skilling the teaching staff and assisting the students to move to the final years of schooling in a confident manner. By offering this range of different approaches, from individual to group to classroom, young people have quickly learned their own strategies and forms of management.Staff have also been greatly assisted,not only in knowledge and skill,but in supporting these students. The work that has been done demonstrates that schools benefit from the addition to their team of professionals from other disciplines including speech and language pathology.The benefits gained by staff and students are enormous.The school has the added pleasure of seeing individual students with this very specific disability achieve their goals.Sometimes this involves vocational training courses within the school sector and at other times it leads to final Year 12 exams. Finally,it has been my observation that having these students so well organised and integrated into the school community and having a variety of professionals working with teachers has had an extremely positive and practical influence on Foreword vii ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page viii the teaching staff and students.It has led to important curriculum developments that have benefited every student,not just those for whom the original work was specifically designed.The whole-school approach, with professionals assisting and working with teachers and young people,as well as a school climate that truly values the individual,can promote effective learning not only for adolescents with language learning disabilities,but for all students. It is a pleasure for me to commend this book by Mandy Brent,Florence Gough, and Sue Robinson and also to compliment the staff of the school for the enthusiastic way in which this program has been embraced. Sylvia J.Walton PRINCIPAL,TINTERNAGGS viii Foreword ONEINELEVEN.qxd 9/1/06 3:26 PM Page ix Contents Introduction xi Part 1 The Language Learning Disabled Student Chapter 1 Language Development and LLD – What Goes Wrong? 2 Chapter 2 Characteristics of Students with LLD 5 Chapter 3 Adolescence and LLD – A Potent Mix 16 Chapter 4 Social Skills and Language 19 Part 2 Teaching the Language Learning Disabled Student Chapter 5 Organisation for Independence at School 24 Chapter 6 Preteaching 32 Chapter 7 Reading 36 Chapter 8 Libraries and Research 44 Chapter 9 Skills across the Curriculum 52 Chapter 10 Writing 65 Chapter 11 School and Beyond – Skills to Help in Everyday Life 93 Part 3 Modifying the Curriculum Chapter 12 Framework for Modifying Curriculum 100 Chapter 13 How to Modify the Amount of Work 109 Chapter 14 How to Modify the Complexity of Tasks 120 Chapter 15 How to Modify Tests, Assessments, and Reports 124 References and Further Reading 130 Appendix 133 Index 134 Contents ix