Instructional assistance for teachers working with students with APD

2. 2. Survey
Findings
7. What
3. What is a teachers
cause? Ed. need so
Film clip students
can learn
1. Can you
hear me
now?
4. Interview 6. Interview
with with
Elizabeth students
5. Ed clip II

3. Log Line
With increasing frequency teachers at St. Peter’s Prep
observed that students did not succeed on quizzes, tests or
projects because of difficulty following directions. They
commented on a number of students having difficulty
staying on task; often describing students as distracted, a
step behind, or in need of repeated instruction.
The Instructional Support Team adapted a survey
by Dr. Mark Morton, Senior Instructional Developer
(Emerging Technologies), Centre for Teaching
Excellence, University of Waterloo (morton@uwaterloo.ca).
The survey measures student behaviors that call for
increased instructional assistance. The results of the survey
identified particular concerns related to deciphering
instructions, recognizing connections in
learning, maintaining attention, falling behind, and what
teachers call a lack of a work ethic or an increase in laziness.
The IST also learned that nearly 40% of each
incoming class during the last several years scored poorly on
our placement test, thus, prompting our admissions staff to
recommend that the students participate in our foundations
summer courses. Between 35 and 40% of the incoming
classes demonstrated some degree of assistance related to
basic learning skills.

4. Synopsis
The Instructional Support Team Leader set out
to find the most common and least understood
learning challenge exhibited by our students.
His objective is to create a film about the
learning challenge that will initiate steps toward
greater teacher and student understanding, and
identify actions that will lead to deeper learning
and effective instruction.
The learning challenge is auditory
processing disorder. The film incorporates
educational resources and student experiences
that offer specific interventions.