eNarada, Bengaluru, Saturday, July 15, 2017
Unique workshop for Govt school teachers on learning students’ learning disabilities
It is a routine work for teachers to teach students. However, for a change, the teachers had turned students on Saturday when they were taught how to deal with kids! Surprised-this was the scene at Kurubarahalli Government Higher Primary School where the teachers were given training on how to handle students with learning disabilities.
Shravya Narayanswamy(Professional Montessori Teacher and Art of Giving- Volunteer) training Government school teachers on how to identify learning disabilities among kids at Kurubarahalli Higher primary School, Basaveshwarnagar, Bengaluru on Saturday, July 15, 2017. After attending workshop, teachers felt that workshop helped them in understanding their students better. eNarada Picture
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It is a fact that many teachers even today have no idea on how to handle students with disabilities, whose educational challenges range from learning deficits to behavioural disturbance disorders.
In fact, When the teachers continue to use the crude methods of calling out a child with a learning disability in front of the class usually backfires and makes the situation worse.
So, for the first time in Bengaluru, Art of Giving’s Bengaluru chapter had organised a unique workshop where in they taught teachers how to take care of students with special learning disabilities. The workshop was attended by large number of teachers from various government schools.
During the workshop, the teachers were taught how children with learning disabilities as a heterogeneous group. These children are a diverse group of individuals, exhibiting potential difficulties in many different areas.
The teachers were given examples like how a child with a learning disability may experience significant reading problems, while another may experience no reading problems whatsoever, but may have significant difficulties with written expression. Learning disabilities may also be mild, moderate, or severe. Students differ too, in their coping skills and hence teachers need to be patient and ensure that the kids learn with utmost care.
Shravya Narayanaswamy, an expert in the field of training teachers said that the main purpose of the workshop was to make the government teachers aware about learning disability in school going children. “We taught teachers how to identify various Learning disabilities including dyslexia (reading difficulty), Dysgraphia (writing difficulty) and Dyscalculia (math difficulty). After the workshop, the teachers were happy as the realised that these learning disabilities could be treated with constant support and specifically planned curriculum.”
Another trainer Mamata N Swamy said that they had selected only government school teachers as there was a dire need to train them in modern technologies and they were also following the principles of Art of Giving founder Dr Achyuta Samanta who wanted to empower the underprivileged people.
Kurubarahalli Government Higher Primary School headmistress Manjula KS said, “The workshop was very insightful. Unless the teachers identify the students’ learning disabilities, they would simply term the students as a rogue student who is refusing to learn. These kinds of workshops helped in sensitising the teachers.
Interestingly, the teachers were also taught on the importance of meditation. HC Dodde Gowda who conducted meditation session said, “Meditation helps one to remain calm and hence we taught teachers to meditate so that they are at calm and peace of mind in dealing with students.”
