Individualized Instruction for Students with Special Needs Who Present Challenges with Regard to Understanding Vocabulary

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly, our mentees should know how to individualize instruction.

Below you will find several modifications to individualize instruction for students with special needs who have challenges with regard to understanding vocabulary.

Specific Learning Challenge	Some Suggested Modifications to Individualize Instruction*
Understanding vocabulary	· Teach difficult or new words at the beginning of the lesson. · Create a simple glossary of terms for the students to keep on their desk.** · When you say or read a difficult word, stop, and explain it again.

On the next post we will share specific modifications to individualize instructions for students who present challenges with regard to understanding and following directions.

*This is taken, with permission, from the website of the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), special needs menu,http://urj.org/educate/specialneeds/. Retrieved January 30, 2009.