The Eikaiwa I work at has quite a few students (3 years old and above) with struggles or disabilities and I think that it’s wrong the teachers aren’t given any training about it (sort of brushed off as you can deal with it)
So I want to help myself and my coworkers handle these situations better.
What advice would anyone here give for dealing with students who have, attention issues, or learning difficulties, writing difficulties or socializing difficulties?
9 comments
Honestly, the problem is going to be so far beyond your abilities that you won’t really be able to do much. There is a reason why special education and learning disabilities are a specialty area for teachers, and most teacher programs have at least one course on the topic.
Ignoring it completely is the Japanese way. This is how they are treated at school, too. It is not the ethical way, but unless you want to pick up books on the subject or work through a course on it, you won’t be able to do much yourself.
These kids will often require far more attention from the teacher, which can obviously be difficult if there are other kids to deal with at the same time. However, getting your kid tested for these disabilities can be expensive, and I imagine that in Japan it may come with some sort of shame attached, which is probably why the standard response is just to ignore it. I guess the first step you could take it to teach these kids in a special class with fewer students, but I don’t know how that would translate financially for the company.
I teach at university, and every year the number of students who have clear learning disabilities is really surprising. In a lecture theatre filled with 30-40 students there is only so much you can be expected to do.
Working as an ALT at a Junior Highschool, we have a number of students with learning disabilities. They usually have their classes separate from the other students in the same grade but essentially learn the same material as those in their grade. In instances where they join the larger classes, there is usually another teacher whos responsibility is to stay by that students desk to assist (help further explain things being taught in an easier way as they are being taught by the JTE/ALT, often in Japanese with more simplistic English to that being used). In their indidivual classes, probably the most difficult issue faced is keeping them focused/on task as I have discovered their actual understanding of the material is fine and often in many cases above the level of other students in the general classes at the same grade. Keeping them on task involves a mix of simplifying the English explanations as much as possible (but not too much, as they don’t need to be talked to at an infant level), using more photos/pictures/illustrations/interactive videos than you would in the general classes as this keeps them more interested/involved and on task and helps them open up more as they feel more comfortable in their understanding of the material. The cool thing about these students if you are getting to teach them from the other larger general classes, it gives you much more opportunities to customize that lesson to the individual student which meas you can teach the same grammar but by introducing/using hobbies/interests/sports etc which they are involved with or like. I think the biggest issue with teachers working with students with disabilities is underestimating their ability. It can help to understand exactly what the students disability is (do research/ask questions to Japanese teachers if necessary and to work out/discover through some trial and error, what that disability affects in general when trying to teach them English.
Sadly this country is in the dark ages when it comes to disabilities
Good on you for trying to do something about it
We have a couple of autism spectrum kids and have had some success with audio input, repeating activities and loads of patience
Take online trainings for special education teachers. You will learn a lot of differentiation and supports in order to help all students access the curriculum. Modify your lessons, allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways, speak with parents and get to know how the student learns best. I’m a senior Elementary Ed/Special Ed major and in short, that’s what I’ve learned.
I teach special needs quite often. But there’s a vast spectrum you could be dealing with. It’s less about teaching English. More about treating them appropriately with activities they’ll enjoy.
Hyper active? Might need lots of little games with quick payoff.
Autistic? Visual games and repetition might work better.
It’s a big ask and irresponsible for someone with no training. But that’s life. You’re pretty much giving their parents an hour break. Just try to focus on making the kids happy.
As a parent of two disable kids and having taught disabled/learning difficultly kids for over 10 years. Here is some advice:
– Change the activities often like one game/activity lasts max 2-3 minutes.
– Depends on the kid but some like colouring and some dont. Try to do just colouring but no tracing letters.
– Focus on them having fun and not getting them to try to learn. I have seen too many teachers get stressed out trying to get them to say “It is blue” when they have learning difficulties. FUN is most important because the first thing they say outside to their Mum or Dad is “it was fun” which equals they dont quit. Also touch the wall or colour selection where they sit is important eg: put a big red card at one end of the room and get them to sit down on the red card. Make it a routine and train them to return to the colour (otherwise they will run around in circles)
If you can, have TV time – we use super simple songs. Also try to do songs but dont be too strict of them doing the actions (once again we use super simple songs because the kids love them).
Super challenging but also fascinating. You may find that what works for neurodiverse kids may work for many other students. There are a lot of practical strategies that can help, and a lot online. Each child will also have different needs…you can’t perform miracles but just increasing engagement can be achieved. Just google strategies for teaching neurodiverse children’ and find a few simple ones to start with. Larger fonts, images, using coloured paper, fidget toys, short achievable tasks or games, positive feedback…my son loved a star chart ( like a card medal round his neck with a sticker added if ‘caught’ doing something great) when he was a tricky neurodiverse 4 year old. Good luck….its heartbreaking to know the system doesn’t recognise these issues and teachers & parents aren’t supported.
Hi there!
Former Eikaiwa teacher and still active teacher in New Zealand here. I would focus on making relationships with the kids first. Once they feel safe with you, they will be more willing to accept your interventions to help them move past their learning difficulties.
I know you may only see them once a week, but for students who are struggling, even having one teacher they see once a week feel supportive can make a world of difference. Other than that I would do some identification of which specific issues your students are facing and make a list of ideas to try with each of them.
I wrote an article about [the most common learning disabilities here](https://labtoclass.com/the-5-most-common-learning-disabilities/) if you want a quick rundown on some to look out for. Each learning disability/difficulty is also linked to a more detailed breakdown with intervention ideas to try out if you feel like one of the descriptions hits the nail on the head.
I haven’t had time yet to get a full article on Dysgraphia (in the works!) but if you think that might be one of the issues your kids are dealing with, feel free to just DM me and I’ll be happy to answer based on my experiences and research.
Best of luck and thank you for taking mindful time to help kids out who have learning difficulties! So many simply ignore and dismiss them 🙁 Let me know if you have any questions!