Question:

I have a student in the sixth grade who has learning disabilities and is struggling with reading and writing. I have some ideas for his reading and writing needs but his organizational skills are really causing problems... he loses assignments, pencils and he has paper everywhere ! Any suggestions?

Answer:

Many students with learning disabilities have difficulty keeping track of their time, belongings, and assignments. In addition to managing the details of daily life, they will most likely have difficulty prioritizing, categorizing and generalizing. Students need to see, review and try-out several organizational strategies so they can select the ones most helpful to them since organization will be a life-long challenge.

The following information on organizational skills for students with learning disabilities is from:       

All Kinds of Minds
Dr. Mel Levine
Founder and Co-Chairperson 
 

During the early school years, students must begin to develop good work habits including preparing for schoolwork, organizing time and effort, and developing effective study skills. As children continue into middle school and high school their success depends, to a large degree, on refining and sustaining these work habits. Time management, organizational skills, and efficient study skills become especially important by this stage.

Being ready to learn often means being prepared for the next activity, having to shift gears from one task to another, and having all the necessary materials on hand. In order to develop this aspect of learning readiness, students must engage their attentional abilities (especially that of previewing), as well as their memory skills. For example, previewing helps students prepare for a test, get ready for an upcoming class, and smoothly transition from one activity to the next. In addition, students who preview are able to determine which materials are needed for a task and to remember to have those materials on hand. As a result, they are better prepared for activities and better able to follow through on assignments.

PREVIEWING

Have students preview an assignment, make a list of the materials needed for the entire assignment, and collect and organize the materials and their workspace before starting work. Suggest that students also preview to prepare for homework and assignments before leaving school, to make sure they will have all the materials they need at home.

Provide written reminders for students to bring specific materials to class or to take specific materials home when needed.

Provide time at the beginning of the day for students to preview their class schedule, as well as time at the end of the day to preview their homework/study schedule. For middle and high school students, you might divide homeroom into two half periods, one short period in the morning and one short period in the afternoon.

It may be helpful to give students advance notice about upcoming activities and the materials needed for those activities, offering suggestions like: " In our next activity, I will ask you to plot these points on graph paper " or " You will need to your language book and journal notebook for your next subject. "

ORGANIZING AND PLANNING

Encourage students to have all their books, notes and working tools, such as pencils, paper, ruler, etc., together in one spot to avoid the distractions of searching for lost or misplaced items.

If necessary, teach students different methods for organizing their own notebooks, materials, etc. Assign time in the classroom for staying organized, e.g. fifteen minutes every Wednesday to reorganize desks, backpacks, and notebooks.

Have students keep an assignment pad to record things to do for an assignment, quiz, etc. Check student lists as needed to make sure students understand the assignment and what is expected.

Help students be prepared by suggesting that they keep certain materials on hand both at school and at home, for example., a set of books, a copy of assignment due dates and test dates, a set of pencils, etc.

Teach students how to prompt themselves to remember materials. For example, suggest that they write reminder notes, and place them in conspicuous places, e.g., on the TV, breakfast table, bathroom mirror, or front door.

Recommend, and if possible, confirm that the student has an office space at home where he/she has work materials, a calendar, strategy sheets, etc. to facilitate a strategic approach to learning at home.

Provide students with desk organizers for materials and notebooks at school and at home. Color-coding notebooks and folders may help students organize their work and make materials more easily accessible. Guide students as they create their own color coding system.

Suggest that parents provide students with backpacks and notebooks with pocket organizers and secured closings to keep materials in place.

Suggest that parents be available to help students maintain organized materials at home, e.g. going through notebooks together to discard unnecessary papers, reorganizing notes, checking off materials needed for class, etc. These types of maintenance activities should be done on a regular basis.

Organizational devices, such as electronic watches and electronic organizers designed for children, may serve as useful tools for keeping organized.

CREATING A WORK SPACE

Maintaining a good study space is important to every student’s success. Students must have appropriate environments in which to learn and study, both at school and at home. Setting up and keeping an organized work space requires that students have strong spatial abilities. Such abilities help a student arrange a consistent place for storing school books, organize a desk drawer, keep a desk clear of clutter, etc.

Talk with students about the elements of a good study place. Examples may include a good desk (big enough to hold materials and to write on), a sturdy but comfortable chair, good light, comfortable room temperature, a quiet atmosphere, etc. You may also help students identify organized space, thereby increasing his/her motivation to maintain such organization.

Maintain an organized classroom to assist students with their own organization. For example, keep blackboards uncluttered and free of extraneous visual information, keep sets of notes or outlines (in taped or in written form) as a student-accessible library, etc.

Encourage students to prepare for studying and homework by organizing their books and work space and clearing their desks of distractions. This may help reduce anxiety related to studying and help students focus on the task at hand.

Institute a school telephone "hotline" that students (and parents) can use to check assignments, due dates, etc. Have students work in teams to act as backup for each other, confirming homework directions, comparing lists of necessary materials, etc.

Web Links:

www.allkindsofminds.org
Information on organizational skills for students with learning disabilities.

www.dayrunner.com and www.franklincovey.com
Two companies who produce a student version of their personal planning systems.

www.funbrain.com and www.lightspan.com
Two web sites that provide pre-made and printable flashcards on basic skills in math, spelling and reading.

Use web-based reference materials like:

www.studyweb.com

www.npip.com/CBSS/index.html

IF the student isn't able to read as well as s/he can understand information:

eReader is text reading software for MAC/WIN computers that will "read" text on the world wide web. eReader is available from the Center for Applied Special Technology, (888)858-9994

To download a demo version of eReader, go to http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=211