Teaching Spanish to Students with Learning Disabilities

by Middle School Spanish Teacher Michelle Navarrete

Thanks to a PA Summer Grant, I was able to take the graduate-level course “Teaching Spanish to Students with Learning Disabilities (Grades 1-6).” The course linked theory directly to the classroom, demonstrating that students with learning disabilities can be successful in learning a second language as long as instruction is clear, consistent, and tailored to their learning style. The knowledge I gained from this course will continue to inform and influence my teaching practices, enabling me to provide Spanish instruction that is both meaningful and accessible. Topics included:

• How learning disabilities can impact the acquisition of a second language, including issues related to reading, writing, attending, and remembering; 
• How these issues may present themselves in Spanish class and how to design lesson plans that provide opportunities for students to be successful without decreasing expectations.

We were given specific strategies for modeling new language to students, working with them while giving them chances to practice new language, and then letting them practice new language on their own. We also learned how to break lessons down into smaller, easier-to-manage parts for students with learning disabilities.

The course also gave me strategies for how to use visual and hands-on aids, including pictures, gestures, charts, and sentence frames.

The course emphasized teaching Spanish using themes such as daily routines, the date, family, food, personal identity, and culture. Lessons were structured so that students could practice listening and speaking before practicing reading and writing. Vocabulary and sentence structure were consistently reviewed in order to give students confidence and better comprehension.

The course also provided examples of assessment techniques, encouraging teachers to assess students orally, through projects, role-plays, and group activities/work stations, instead of relying solely on written assessments. These types of assessments provide students with alternative ways to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the language.

Thank you so much to the Mary McDowell Friends School Parent Association for the grant that allowed me to take this course. I was able to build upon my current instructional practices and acquire new strategies and knowledge, in the service of promoting our school’s mission.