Caught in the middle: Reaching and teaching middle years students with learning difficulties

Abstract

This article focuses on providing classroom teachers with information about meeting the needs of middle years students with learning difficulties (LD). Cognitive obstacles that impede the learning progress of these students, particularly lack of automaticity and inefficiencies in working memory processes are identified and discussed, and the educational and affective impact or LD on them on them are explored. Principles that can be used to inform effective classroom teaching for students with LD are then presented. These are derived from current research and recent literature focused on strategies that enable students with LD to learn in a mainstream classroom setting. The article concludes with a series of provocative questions centred on whether the provisions that classroom teachers can make for these students are enough, or if more intense intervention is required in order to cater for them adequately.