Life Success
For Students With Learning Disabilities:
A Teacher Guide

Use of Social Support Systems: Secondary

Introductory Activity 

As you introduce the use of social support systems, add it to the chart entitled “Keys to Success.”  (You will be adding more attributes to the chart later.)  Have class define “use of social support systems” in their own words.  Post word cards, posters, and lists brainstormed and created through classroom activities.  Review at the beginning of each day or class period and infuse through the curriculum.  Reinforce and refer to each attribute using “teachable moments” throughout the school day.  Have students find examples of success attributes in current events, news stories, TV programs, peer experiences, and their own experiences, and create a bulletin board with the appropriate attribute as a label.

General Activities

• Have students research and report on federal laws related to individuals with learning disabilities in educational and employment settings.
• Share stories (e.g., tell, read, movies) about individuals who needed help from others, how they got it, and the value of having received it.
• Present case examples of individuals in need of help and discuss possible sources and means of accessing support/assistance, and possible outcomes with and without support.
• Have students research technology that will be helpful in compensating for their difficulties.

Extension Activities

Role-Playing

(Use the “Role Plays” handout available in the Activities Worksheets section)

• Select from the situations to role-play appearing in Appendix G.
• Develop further scenarios where people are in need of help and discuss or role-play with students ways in which help could be obtained.  (Characters from books or movies that are faced with problems may also be used.)

Helper/Helpee

• Have students count off by 2s. 
• Have ones form a circle and sit on their hands, while 2s stand behind one of the students.
• Twos pantomime feeding partner various foods such as apples, sandwich, soup, watermelon, etc.
• Discuss feelings of helplessness and being dependent on another person.  How did it feel to be the helper?  The helpee?

I Know How You Feel

• Have students pair up and take turns role-playing the hypothetical situations listed below:
• You are blamed for something you did not do.
• Your father lost his job because he was always late.
• You are bugged in the hallway at school.
• Students laugh at you when you offer the wrong answer to a question.
• Your best friend asks the boy/girl you have a crush on to the dance.
• You walk into a classroom, sit down, then realize you are in the wrong room.
• Your baby brother scribbles all over your term paper the night before you have to hand it in.
• You do not receive your report card because you did not pay your library fines.
• Students have scribbled swear words on your locker.
• Have one member of the pair describe how s/he feels in these situations for one minute.  Then the second member gives feedback on his/her feelings using phrases like the following:
• I can tell you’re hurt about that.
• I sense you’re feeling angry about the situation.
• Sounds like you’re ______.
• I sense that ______.

Active Listening Practice - Summarizing

• Explain that active listening is different from passive listening in that the listener is not completely silent during the conversation.  His reactions are aimed at two goals: (1) to summarize the main points of what the speaker said to make sure he has understood the speaker correctly, and (2) to make comments about how he perceives the speaker is feeling about the topic or incident.  Active listening is often used when the speaker indicates he has a problem to discuss (but not in the case below).  Active listening works because the other person (1) has most of the data, (2) is responsible for implementing the solutions, (3) has his/her self-confidence and sense of responsibility fostered, (4) implements his own solutions and (5) grows away from dependence on the helper.
• Write these phrases on the board to assist students in learning to summarize:
• What I hear you saying ...
• From your point of view ...
• Where you’re coming from …
• You figure ...
• Choose a topic on which students might have different views (changing the school dress code, limiting/increasing homework policy, changing food in the vending machines, etc.).
• Have students convene into groups of three.  One student is the speaker, another the listener, and the third the monitor. 
• Have the speaker speak on the topic for one minute.  Then the listener summarizes the main points of what he said.  Monitor listens to listener and gives him feedback on the accuracy of his summarizing.
• Once the monitor is satisfied the summarizer is being accurate, speaker and listener change roles and repeat.
• The round is over when the monitor believes both people understand each other as evidenced by their summaries.
• Monitor rotates to be the speaker, the one to his left becomes listener, and the one to his right becomes monitor, so that everyone gets an opportunity to listen, speak, and monitor.

Next: Emotional Coping Strategies Activities for Elementary Grades