Strategies for Classroom Success with Following Directions
By Mary Maass, MS, CCC-SLP

 

 

Why Children Have Difficulty Following Directions

 

In every grade, there are children who have difficulty understanding lessons.  There are many possible reasons for this difficulty:

1.      Not all children are born with the same ability to learn.  Some learn rapidly, others more slowly.

2.    Some children are not good auditory learners.  They learn better visually-by seeing examples and demonstrations rather than only by hearing.

3.    Some children are overly anxious or nervous.  They are unable to concentrate and therefore don’t comprehend well.

4.    Some children do not hear much spoken language at home or their home language is not English.

5.    Some children have not yet learned to concentrate.  They have difficulty paying attention, which leads to problems in understanding what is being taught.

 

 

What to Try

 

The following strategies were conceived to address children’s difficulties following directions in class.  You may have already implemented many of these strategies.  If not, they may help improve your student’s success.

 

1.      Preferential Seating:  Seat the student close to the teacher.  This will reduce the auditory and visual distractions and help him/her attends.

2.    Use Visual Aids:  The student may have more success understanding auditory information if he/she has visual support.  When possible and practical, use gestures (e.g. for cutting or stapling, or to indicate 1st, 2nd, 3rd steps, etc), demonstrations, or pictures as supplements to auditory/verbal directions.  Picture symbols for common directions can be posted to the board or on a desktop to give the student something to refer to after verbal directions are complete.

3.    Chunking Information:  Because “chunking” aids recall.  Group related directions in the same breath while giving instructions to students.  Then pause before giving the next direction (e.g. “take out pencils and paper. [pause] Then put today’s heading on your paper [pause] and number it from one to ten.”)

4.    Student Repetition:  Have the student repeat after the teacher after each direction is given.   Saying the directions him/herself may help the student process and remember the information.

5.    Project Buddies:  Pair up students, when possible and practical, to work together on class projects.  The student may have more success if he/she knows it is alright to ask a “buddy” when he/she has questions about procedures.

6.    Allow Time to Process:  When possible, refrain from expecting quick answers from the student.  Rapid-fire questions will only set him/her up for failure and cause him/her to feel unsuccessful.