Assisting Students with Diverse Learning Styles

Supporting Diverse Learners

The goal of this module is for teachers to have a better understanding of the technology available on most classroom computers for supporting the diverse learners.

Assistive technology gives students with disabilities the support they need to have success for all learning environments including the online learning process. Assistive technology supports provide students with disabilities a way to perform better in all academic areas.

Assistive technology matches technology with the needs of the student in the classroom. Many tools students will access for upcoming online assessments are functions or settings already available on the computers they will be using.

We will examine examples of tools which may be readily available on your computer or found as free downloads to support your student with disabilities. After using these tools with individual students you may find benefits for many other students in your class.

We, as educators, walk into our classrooms with different

• abilities
• backgrounds
• interests

Our goal as teachers must be to meet the individual needs of all students. This is actually called  UDL or Universal Design for Learning. Universal Design for Learning in the classroom has principles to support the teacher understanding how to be flexible to the needs of all students in a classroom. Students are given assistance to not only understand what is being taught, but also to express what they have learned in a variety of ways.

Planning for students with diverse abilities needs to be addressed in a flexible manner and technology will help with frontloading teacher options.