Student Academic Struggles

Group Steps & Options
Situation: 

I have a student who has difficulty working in groups. He either moves away, tries to work alone or he is giving “orders” to everyone. Inevitably the group falls apart with arguments or work uncompleted. How can I help this student work positively in groups?

Subtle Math Fact Learning
Situation: 

I have a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has difficulty with his math facts but refuses to ‘be taught’. He likes to be ‘in charge’. He gets frustrated with his math and wants to know the answers but refuses to sit in a math group or even individually when I am teaching methods for learning the facts. He also loves creating power points in Language Arts. He will insert his favorite character in each one as an image. But what can I do for this student in math?

Attention to Topic Transition
Situation: 

Sometimes I’m not sure if one of my students is paying attention. What can I do to ensure they are following the topic of the lecture?

Rating for On Task Awareness
Situation: 

I have been a one on one aide for a student with high functioning autism for  3 years and now that he is in 6th grade, I am really trying to back off with my support because he may not have an aide in middle school.  He still needs a lot of reminders from me to stay on task or get back on task.  Is there anything I can do to help him become more aware of how off task he can be other than constant prompts from me or the teacher?

Graphic Organizer to Build Vocabulary-Frayer Model
Situation: 

I am a middle school Learning Support teacher and have 2 very bright students (above average IQ) with Asperger’s Syndrome that surprisingly have a tough time understanding some of the words or concepts in our reading selections, even though their expressive vocabulary seems pretty “profession-like” at times.  Any ideas of how I can build their receptive vocabulary?

Attendance Board
Situation: 

How can I help students learn their classmate’s names and faces?

Proximity and Questions
Situation: 

What do I do when my student keeps her head in her desk playing when I’m teaching and the class is doing a worksheet? She won’t answer me when I correct her.

“Look Again” Positive Ways to Provide Corrections to School Work
Situation: 

Several students in my Learning Support class become very upset when I make corrections on their papers.  I’ve tried calling them up to my desk for a private review of their errors, and they still cry, protest, or shut down.  How can I get them to fix their mistakes without the negative reactions?

Test-Taking Toolkit
Situation: 

I have a student in my class whom I know is very bright, but his test scores sure don’t show it!  He’s attentive during class and participates on occasion, so it seems like he’s following along but then freezes on the exam.  What can I do to help him prepare more effectively?

 

 

Peer Checker
Situation: 

I have a student who is pretty disorganized and I always have to spend time with him before and after each math class to make sure he has his assignment, materials or homework etc.  He is in 5th grade and I really think kids at this age should be able to do this on their own.  His special education teacher feels he needs additional support to get himself organized but it is hard to do this when I have 28 other students in my class.  Any ideas?