Innovative Teaching Makes Happy Folks with ADHD

ADHD students.  Reading/listening. Failure? Try creativity, collaboration, INNOVATION!

Innovation is any teaching strategy, approach, technique, or tool that is used in a new way.  It produces quantifiable gains for outcomes or student experiences.  It proactively integrates creativity into the classroom.

The first day of Algebra 1.  The same old thing.  “What do we need to know that for?”  Thinking for a half-a-second….Money is about math.  Let’s figure out how to make some.”

The primary motive of innovation involves active learning on the part of the teacher and students.  The goal is to recognize the educational process.

Brain research has shown that certain methods can improve learning.  This is often done by using techniques that excite and engross students.  Incorporating these with students with ADHD’s short-attention spans are critical to their overall success.

Visualization, the process for making “mental movies,” allows higher levels of understanding.  Teaching students with ADHD these sklls help them in comprehension, recall, and critical thinking about subjects that they study.  It is an especially good teaching strategy for English and reading teachers.

The classroom process begins by leading a short overview of the day’s topic.  Students are given a challenge to meet by the end of the class (i.e. answering a question, solving a problem).  In small groups, their research is done online, charted out, and discussed in ways to meet the challenge.

• Learns via real-life problems.
• Associates understanding with previously acquired knowledge.
• Helps to gain more practical experience.
• Moves toward problem-based learning (PBL) as an educational solution.
• Retains more information beyond memorization.

Innovative teaching leads to the ability to transfer knowledge and lead to a longer-term understanding of what is being taught.  It improves techniques to integrate knowledge from one situation to another.  The resuting skills bring about academic success, especially for teens and young adults with ADHD.

“Our kids” struggle with traditional teaching.  Involve them in the development process to improve “buy-in.”

What are your favorite ways to be innovative and creative?