Keep It Simple and Set Goals — Empowering Students with Special Needs

Robert Fettgather, PhD, a resident of Grass Valley, California, has lectured at Mission College in Santa Clara for 40 years. In addition to teaching various subjects in psychology, Dr. Robert Fettgather wrote and presented on topics such as empowering students with special needs at the National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs.

Empowering students with special learning needs involves numerous practices teachers can take into the classroom. For example, for some students, experts suggest that teachers avoid overly complicated and multi-step instructions. As opposed to giving out unnecessarily detailed directives, teachers should provide students with easily understandable instructions that are accessible to everyone in the classroom. With peer tutoring, student ambassadors who have a deeper understanding of the lesson can assist others who may have difficulty understanding the material.

Another strategy for empowering students includes helping them to set goals for themselves, as well as choosing how they want to learn and achieve those objectives. This approach gives them a chance to direct their own paths. By giving students the chance to make decisions in goal setting, individuals feel valued and competent, and that becomes a source of empowerment.