Week 3 ADHD and Motivation

It is important to consider my pedagogical practices in order to promote successful learning with a student who possesses Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) within my classroom. It is important for me as a special educator to become familiar with my student's disabilities and find ways to motivate my students.

Students with ADHD often struggle with focusing on a specific task. Reading one page of a simple text can take significantly longer for students with ADHD then those students who do not have ADHD. Students with ADHD's inability to focus often decreases their motivation on timed tasks. If a student who possess ADHD is told they will have a certain amount of time to complete a certain task they will often lose any previous motivation and in the end not complete the task. If we look at this problem as a lack of intrinsic motivation we as teachers can help our students. As a teacher we can give students with ADHD a sense of autonomy by letting them work on their own time table. If the student feels that they are in control of the time frame for completing their work they will be more motivated to complete the assignment.

Students with ADHD often struggle with their ability to control their excessive amounts of energy. Although this can present a problem for students in the classroom setting it often leads to enhanced creativity. As a special education teacher it will be important for me to take my students energy and direct it in positive ways. I need to find a way for my students to use this increased energy and creativity and apply it towards their learning. One way I could do this would be to allow my students to use reader's theatre in reading. Reader's theatre turns stories into scripts that students can act out. This will allow the students to get up and move around channeling their energy in a positive way. This concept also allows the student to take the written script and create their own play. By giving students with ADHD a sense of purpose in what they do and for their creativity will help them to become more motivated in their learning.

As a special educator I will be working with students with ADHD. It is important for me to have an understanding of their disability and how it affects their emotional well being and their motivation. By giving my students different channels for their creativity and energy I can help them to develop a sense of purpose and show them that I do in fact care about their success.