The following is a set of tips and considerations in
effectively teaching students with non-apparent disabilities.
Disabilities such as these include learning disabilities, ADD, and
ADHD. Although students are required to provide appropriate
documentation to the Student Disability Services office prior to
receiving direct academic accommodations, by implementing some of
these tips, all student learning will be positively impacted
especially for those with non-apparent disabilities.
If you have any questions about these considerations and/or
any other disability related concerns, please contact the Student
Disability Services office by phone at (317) 940-9308, by
email at sds@butler.edu, or stop by Jordan Hall 136.
Tips and Considerations for Student Support:
- Encourage students to visit you for help or guidance.
- List how and when students can reach you by email or visit you
in your office, what you want them to see you about, and what you
expect them to do on their own.
- Encourage students at the beginning of the semester to request
and discuss accommodations.
- Provide a detailed syllabus. Include a section on "How to
Do Well in this Course" that presents your personal guidance and
suggestions on how they should study and how they should prepare
for your exams.
- Use Blackboard to post all course materials.
- Include audio/visual aids in each lecture. Use the board,
overhead projector, PowerPoint slides and handouts to highlight key
concepts when lecturing and to provide visual support.
- Provide PowerPoint slides before the lecture so
that students can preview them ahead of time.
- Post your class lecture notes on Blackboard.
- Provide all assignments in oral and written format and be
available for further clarification.
- Announce readings well in advance to allow students plenty of
time to complete them and to be able to break the reading into
smaller chunks at a time.
- Give as much notice as possible for written assignments. Allow
students to submit an assignment before the due date to receive
direction and feedback before resubmitting for the final grade.
Allow rewrites.
- Structure long-term course projects with the option of turning
in individual project components separately for constructive
feedback and revision before submitting the final product.
- Provide a study guide for the text. Post additional study
resources or practice problems beyond what might be required for
homework.
- Encourage study groups, peer tutoring, and help during office
hours.
- Prepare study questions for review sessions to aid mastery and
preparation for tests.
- Offer multiple ways to assess learning beyond one or two large
exams per semester. Consider projects, presentations, short
quizzes.
- Encourage students to come to your office to review the
questions they missed after an exam. Help students identify how
they can study more effectively for the next exam.
- Facilitate accommodations with encouragement, good cheer, and
with as much empathy as possible.