1
Learning disabilities................................................................................................................................. 10
1.1
1.2
1.3
Specific learning disabilities and their causes ...............................................................................................10
Cognition & Learning Difficulties and Dyslexia..............................................................................................11
Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) ...............................................................................................................................12
1.4
2
Learning disabilities and the teachers’ role ..................................................................................................13
Neuroscience – common knowledge........................................................................................................ 16
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
Neuroscience in education............................................................................................................................16
Brain laterality ...............................................................................................................................................17
Global and analytical division........................................................................................................................19
Neuroscience and dyslexia ............................................................................................................................19
Science vs. alternative medicine in education ..............................................................................................20
3
Methods and approaches used with learning difficulties .......................................................................... 22
3.1
Learning Style model .....................................................................................................................................22
Learning Style according to the founders ............................................................................................23
3.1.1
The Founders ................................................................................................................................................23
Learning style definition................................................................................................................................23
The idea and claims concerning Learning Style model .................................................................................23
Determination and identification of learning style preferences ...................................................................24
Types of sensory channels ............................................................................................................................25
Kinaesthetic learning style ............................................................................................................................26
Kinaesthetic learning style and SLD students................................................................................................27
3.1.2
Drawbacks of learning styles ...............................................................................................................27
Misunderstanding and oversimplification ....................................................................................................27
Matching .......................................................................................................................................................28
Learning style questionnaires .......................................................................................................................29
Brain and genes .............................................................................................................................................29
Validity and reliability floats..........................................................................................................................30
Questionable statements ..............................................................................................................................30
3.2
Brain Gym......................................................................................................................................................32
Brain Gym according to the founders..................................................................................................32
3.2.1
The basic claims ............................................................................................................................................33
The idea of Three Dimensions.......................................................................................................................33
Homolateral vs. Lateral .................................................................................................................................34
Examples of Brain Gym exercises (Dennison) ...............................................................................................36
3.2.2
Brain Gym practices, ideas and claims rejected by science .................................................................37
Science and Brain Gym ..................................................................................................................................37
Neuroscience and Brain Gym ........................................................................................................................38
3.3
Total Physical Response (Natural Approach) ................................................................................................41
TPR according to the founders ............................................................................................................41
3.3.1
The founder...................................................................................................................................................41
The idea and basic claims ..............................................................................................................................41
Stress, or an affective filter, in learning process and its reduction ...............................................................45
TPR teaching..................................................................................................................................................45
3.3.2
TPR and Krashen’s critics .....................................................................................................................46
Krashen’s Hypothesis ....................................................................................................................................47
PRACTICAL PART
4
Basic information .................................................................................................................................... 50
4.1
4.2
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................50
Hypothesis and general characteristics.........................................................................................................51
Hypothesis ...........................................................................................................................................51
The general characteristics of the school, students and the English teachers ....................................52
4.2.1
4.2.2
5
Active Research ....................................................................................................................................... 54
5.1
Research groups ............................................................................................................................................54
Characteristics of SLD students ...........................................................................................................55
5.1.1
John ...............................................................................................................................................................55
Daniel ............................................................................................................................................................56
Kate ...............................................................................................................................................................57
Amanda .........................................................................................................................................................58
Aaron .............................................................................................................................................................59
5.2
Activities with elements of movements........................................................................................................61
Activities internalizing vocabulary items .............................................................................................61
5.2.1
Procedure – the first lesson ..........................................................................................................................62
Procedure – the second lesson .....................................................................................................................63
Procedure – the third lesson .........................................................................................................................64
Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................................64
The test results ....................................................................................