Differentiating Classroom Lessons for Students with ADHD and various readiness levels.

For this particular blog, I will be discussing ways to differentiate instruction and lessons in the classroom for students in 2 areas of disability/difficulty. The first area is a disability; ADHD. The second area focuses on various readiness levels. I teach ESL to Korean students with varying levels of fluency. I will focusing on how I differentiate instruction and assignments for different levels of ability in the same class. Most conversational English classes in my school are divided into two levels: level A (advanced) and level B (lower level). However, due to student grade size, I have a few classes where the students are all grouped together in the same class regardless English language ability. 

ADHD 

As someone who personally knows the struggles of ADHD (formerly known as ADD); I have chosen to write today's blog on differentiating instructions and lessons for students with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). 

First things first, what is ADHD?According to the American Psychiatry Association; ADD is...

one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).

An estimated 5 percent of children and 2.5 percent of adults have ADHD. ADHD is often first identified in school-aged children when it leads to disruption in the classroom or problems with schoolwork. It can also affect adults. It is more common among boys than girls.

My school and classroom background.

JMS is all boy's private school in Yeosu, Jeollanamdo Province. Although it is a private school; there is no tuition fees because middle school is compulsory in South Korea. Students gain admission to the school through high standardized test scores. JMS is well known in Yeosu for high academic achievement and admission is competitive! The student population is 460 with 0 diagnosed disabilities. JMS is not equipped to handle disabilities (both physical and mental). Yeosu City has a special school (grades k-12) that is specifically for students with learning disabilities, difficulties, and/or physical and metal disabilities. 

Off the record, as could be the case anywhere, there are students who have difficulties (and/or disabilities) but have never formally been diagnosed. There is a big stigma in Korea with mental health and disabilities; they are usually not acknowledged or they are swept "under the rug." The same stigma applies to students who may have ADHD, as well.  



Unfortunately, with varying levels of students in the same class, it is easy for students with ADHD to get lost in my class. Not so much because of my teaching style (I hope); but because it is a different language all together. My classes are mostly taught in English. If a lower level student has ADHD; it is easier for him to get lost in the instruction or lesson presentation if there is not a Korean co-teacher present to translate. There are not always co-teachers available; that is where differentiated instruction comes to fruition. I'm fortunate that my English classrooms are equipped with LCD touch smart boards! They are "lifesavers" for presenting materials and giving instructions. Usually, I have the lesson on the front screen. I always use lots of HD pictures and as few words as possible (unless the grammar requires it). My mantra is "less is more!" If there are too many words or pictures, ADHD students could be "lost" and not know where or when to focus. I explain in simple English how I want my students to do the task. I then have an example shown on the front screen. Then I choose 2 students and have them demonstrate. I call on a student to explain back to me what we should do. I have found this works well for my classroom. If I explain something and ask my students if they understand; they will all reply "yes, teacher" even if they don't understand. Pictures, audio, and demonstrations not only help ADHD students, but all students. 

 
(These are screenshots of some of the lessons that I have used for differentiating instructions. The task was for students to make 3 questions in regards to weekend plans). 

Now that we have an understanding of what ADHD is and how I try to incorporate methods of differentiated instruction, let's talk specifically about methods that I use in the classroom:

• Shortening my instruction. This can be quite difficult sometimes as I am a talker! In fact, I have asked my co-teacher to signal me when I am talking to much because I don't want my students to be lost or bored. They don't enjoy textbook lessons though it is part of the official curriculum. If I see that I am "boring" the students, I switch it up and have a student come to the front to be the "teacher" and direct the class on what needs to be done. If the class doesn't understand after that, I allow the student to use some Korean to explain. Once students have started their tasks, my co teacher and I walk around the room stopping at each group to observe and "probe" students to make them think harder and be more creative. 
• Structure in a "brain break." Learning a new language is overwhelming! Imagine how overwhelming it can be for someone with ADHD. I "feel" for my students and I relate to them and the pressure they feel to learn the language and succeed. After an explanation or introduction of a new topic, I allow for a 2 minute "brain break." I usually do this by stepping away from the book and asking fun questions that I know my students will be able to answer. I take the material that we just learned about and "slyly" camouflage it as fun questions. I'm sure some of my students have "caught on" to this technique but it's fun engage the students with questions that understand and are able to answer passionately. Another "brain break" space that I fit into the lesson is when students retreat to their group white boards (usually to formulate at least three sentences), I tell them that they can talk or stretch quietly after they finish the task. 
• Is the material, itself, engaging? This is very important and can be overlooked frequently, I think, as teachers become "bogged down" with lesson planning. I always use vivid colors in my presentation slides as well as big HD pictures that the students can look at to form a story or conclusion in their minds. I also try to keep current as possible with student trends (I discuss this further below). I try and use material that is familiar to my students like popular TV shows, girl groups, etc... English grammar lessons can be quite dull and appear overwhelmingly complicated to my Korean students (and trust me, I understand how they feel). It is my job to make the lesson content appear as "lively" as possible. The question that I ask myself during lesson planning is "what will grasp them and keep them interested?" If the material or lesson isn't engaging them, then I stop. We take a "brain break" to clear our minds and come back with a "clear head." From there, I usually grab my tennis ball, and we play the "never ending" question game to make them think about what they have learned thus far. 

To the right, is a flow chart that I use with lessons in my class when differentiating and introducing new topics and instruction to my class. 

Various readiness levels

My other focus of this blog is discussing various levels of readiness in the classroom. As an ESL teacher that teachers English to Korean students; it is easy for them to feel overwhelmed or for lessons to be "lost in translation.' Also, in a few of my classes I am faced with the task of having students with various levels of English ability. I have on third grade and one second grade class where students are not separated into A and B level classes (standard in the Korean public school system). For these classes, getting all students to the "starting line" can be a difficult task. Many students excel and finish lessons earlier than the rest and other students struggle to write their names in English. Some days are "smooth sailing" and well, some days are quite "trying" and require a lot of patience and require the "teacher face" (the "everything is okay" look). 

I want to look at some methods that I use in my classroom to "level the playing field" and try to create a successful lesson for all.

• Familiarity: Making the task more familiar based on the proficiency of the learners' experiences or skills for the task. I have a few examples of this. In unit 4 we discussed how to ask and give directions in English. This was an opportunity for me to really focus on something familiar for students. We played a fun game and completed a worksheet together. The game was so much fun that my students didn't want to leave when the bell rang. I am fortunate to have an LCD touch smart board at the front of my class room, I pulled up Naver maps on the screen (Naver is Korea's "Google."). I chose 5 sites that are familiar to my students: McDonalds, the PC Room (computer gaming room), a Hot Dog Shop, Super Mario Singing (karaoke) room and the bus stop a few blocks from our school. Students had to come to the front board, zoom in on the location by touching the screen, and tell our class how to get from point A to point B. In order to do this, I presented the simple phrases (with accompanying HD pictures) on the front board. I repeated these and the students repeated them back. The students seemed to grasp the lesson quickly! I think familiarizing the content and relating it to the students makes for a successful lesson. What happens if they still don't understand the material? I let them specifically choose the location of their choice and I focus on the words of direction as opposed to complete students (for example saying "turn right" instead of "turn right after the next block." I wish that I had more time to really focus on the material, however, I am limited to a timeline determined by my school and the Ministry of Education.
• Varying direct instruction by small group need. This technique is used frequently, if not daily, by me. All 3 of my English classrooms are arranged by six tables of five students. The seating is not random; seating assignments are determined by how well the students are doing academically. Seating arrangements change frequently as students progress, they are bumped into high groups. This allows for easier instruction for me after I have introduced the main lesson. Once I assign a task, I then walk around the room starting with group 6. Group 6 usually requires the most instruction. I will bend down next to them and ask them probing questions. Once they understand, I move on. Usually, groups 1, 2, and 3 don't require additional probing, but if needed; I am happy to engage them. I make sure they understand the material before I move forward. Usually, I will have my co-teacher focus on the more advanced groups and I (as the native English speaker) will continue probing or demonstrating what I want them to do. I think my lower students learn more when I (the native teacher) probes them because they won't rely on my co-teacher's Korean instruction. 
• Showing students how the subjects taught connect with their particular interests (dating, phone numbers, etc...). My students are all boys and they talk about dating frequently along with who their favorite girl singers and bands are. That being said, I try and relate content to the students. I usually know who my students favorite singers and bands are (IU, Twice, GFriend), and I incorporate that into the lesson. I like to "sprinkle" pictures of them throughout the lessons which captures everyone's attention. I taught a lesson on phone etiquette which also included how to ask for phone numbers. I put slides on the front board which included pictures of their favorite singers and they had to ask for their phone number. We did a contest for the most realistic phrasing (asking for a phone number). For my students with lower English abilities, I practiced reciting phone numbers with them. For them, it can be difficult for them to hear the number and then translate it to Korean in their heads. I made a contest where I would recite the phone number. I started fast for my more advanced students and each time I would repeat the number, I would slow it down considerably. When the material relates to students; it is easier to teach them and they enjoy learning. However, for some of the more "dry" lessons of the book; it can be a struggle. It's my responsibility as their teacher to try and make the lessons as relatable as possible!

A flowchart for readiness levels in my classroom:

References

Child Development Center. (n.d). In the Classroom: Ideas and Strategies for Kids with ADD and Learning Disabilities. Retrieved June 20, 2017 from: 
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/learning_disabilities/teacher/#.WVSEPpJ96Uk

Differentiating according to readiness, interests, learning profiles. (2015).  State of New South Wales, Australia, Department of Education and Communities. Retrieved June 29, 2017 from: http://www.ssgt.nsw.edu.au/documents/4_readiness_profile.pdf
Parekh, R., (2015, October). What is ADHD? Retrieved June 29, 2017 from:
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhd