EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS

The project that started two years ago with the publication of Ei4ESL has happily arrived at its destination and training sessions specifically for EOI teachers of «exceptional students» will see the light next academic year 2023 – 2024.

 

Actions to promote this non-profit compilation of speaking activities for the English classroom as a fund raising platform were numerous and varied, such as

 

 

• book signing events,
• exhibitions,
• meetings,
• book fairs or
• online presentations.

 

 

There have been also other actions like

 

• interviews to experts at teaching students with special needs,
• research work into diverse worlds of exceptional students,
• learning specific strategies,
• making classroom accommodations,
• or undergoing specific preparations for exams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the current school year 2022 – 2023 I have been leading this group of teachers from different EOIs doing research work on inclusive teaching practices in an attempt to best address their students with learning difficulties or special needs, whom we all agreed to call «exceptional students». The result being a compilation of activities and didactic units designed for specific purposes:

• sensory impairment
• dyslexia
• anxiety
• ADHD

 

 

Examination papers and Listening comprehension activities were also redesigned with «specific requirements for dyslexic students» like a more visual approach or appropriate typing:

• Listening Comprehension Exam Papers for Dyslexic Students of Spanish
• Listening Comprehension Tasks for Dyslexic Students of English

So we can finally say that it was worth making all this effort because it is all now set to organise EOI teacher training sessions to learn how to best approach exceptional students in our classrooms. We are sharing here some classroom management tips for EOI teachers to support their students with learning difficulties:

 

 

 

 

 

Explore further = Common accommodations in school by Understood

It is sometimes upsetting to observe frustrated teachers demanding from official institutions bigger and better resources that are generally scarce or non-existant. However, we tend to forget the inner resources that we all have, which can be for instance, strength and determination to find out by ourselves how we can make that exceptional student in our classroom feel part of the group by paying the attention to what they need, letting them know we are concerned about their difficulties, or reassuring them with our commitment to keep trying until the best strategies for them to learn today’s lesson is found.

 

 

 

Thank you all who have made this possible

 

Co-ordinator of research team

«Inclusive practices» at CEP Marbella-Coín