Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Teacher Guide

Teach Across the Curriculum

In order for students to understand and develop the success attributes to the fullest extent, success attribute activities must be infused across the entire school curriculum. 

Research informs us that students with learning disabilities are more likely to understand and transfer learning if they are consistently exposed to it across time and settings.  It is not enough to “teach” the attributes in one class session or lesson.  Rather, presenting opportunities for multiple activities and examples across varied content areas, time of day, and season of the school year enhances the possibility that students develop the success attributes.

An emphasis on real-life situations, reference to prior experience or knowledge, and material with high interest, have all been linked to positive learning outcomes for students with learning disabilities.  Any time these elements are incorporated into success attribute activities, the likelihood that they will be fostered increases.  For example, the concept of perseverance might be discussed relative to a historical figure in a history class (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.), a famous scientist in science class (e.g., Thomas Edison), or a favorite sports star in physical education (e.g., Lance Armstrong).  Similarly, reading instruction might involve stories about the struggles and triumphs of famous people with dyslexia who persevered in the face of adversity (e.g., Whoopi Goldberg).

Beyond the classroom, “teachable moments” for highlighting the success attributes may be found during activities on the playground, in the library, or at lunch time.  For example, an assignment could be devised to interview the coach or librarian about a time in their life when they demonstrated perseverance.

In sum, generalization of the success attributes is enhanced through multiple activities and examples within a variety of school settings and content areas over time