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Module 1 Strand B3
Attention-Cognition-Memory: Students with LD
Reading Assignment: Bender text, chapter 3.
ATTENTION
- process of tuning in to sensory information, with engagement or active participation (Winzer, 1999)
- a critical skill in learning which, (Conte, cited in Smith, et al., 1998) students must be able to initiate attention, direct attention in appropriate direction, sustain attention according to task demands, and shift attention when appropriate
- problems in "attention" without hyperactivity (ADD-attention deficit disorder) uncommon
- recent studies indicate that ADD occurs more often in students who have learning disabilities (Barkely, Du Paul, and McMurray, 1990; Lahey and Carlson, 1991, cited in Winzer,1999),
- criticisms of the distinction between ADD and ADHD (associated more frequently with students with disruptive behavioural disorders) continue
- deficits in "attention" impact on all aspects of success in school
- estimates of the number of students with LD and attention problems range from 41%-80% (Delong, 1995, cited in Smith et al., 1998).
COGNITION
- mentally active and constructive process involving learner’s use of strategies to acquire, store, retrieve,and apply knowledge (Andrews & Vidato, 1996, cited in Winzer, 1999)
- refers to thinking abilities [memory, discrimination, language, concept formation, problem-solving, comprehension]
- students with LD have performance deficits not ability deficits exhibit memory or thinking disorder
- metacognition-a cognitive process- awareness of how one learns
MEMORY
- no distinct long-term memory problems among students with LD
- short-term (encoding) problems can be improved by manipulation of
-motivation
-selective attention
-coding abilities (encoding )
- research suggests that students with LD perform as well as non-disabled peers when taught memory strategies
- mnemonic-a device or code used to assist memory by imposing an order on the information to be remembered
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
What memory and learning strategies do you use in your practice? Successfully or not? Use your experiences to challenge/affirm textual information as you prepare Assignment 5. Strand B4 provides you with further questions to ponder prior to preparing Assignment #5.
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