Gazi Md. Abdur Rashid :
Students who have temporarily fallen behind in their studies or otherwise need short-term support in their learning have the right to get remedial assistance in teaching. Remedial assistance teaching should be started immediately when the difficulties in learning or school attendance have been noticed, so that the students would not stay behind permanently in their studies. Remedial teaching can counteract difficulties beforehand. Remedial teaching should be organised according to a plan and as often as is necessary.
Each student is different in terms of learning ability, academic standards, classroom learning and academic performance and each has his own in learning. The aim of Remedial teaching is to provide learning support to students who lag far behind their counterparts in school performance. By adapting school curriculum and teaching strategies, teachers can provide learning activities and practical experiences to students according to their abilities and needs. They can also design individualised educational programmes with intensive remedial support to help students consolidate their basic knowledge in different subjects, master the learning methods, strengthen their confidence and enhance the effectiveness of learning. Throughout the teaching process, teachers should provide systematic training to develop students’ generic skills, including interpersonal relationship, communication, problem-solving, self-management, self-learning, independent thinking, creativity and the use of information technology. Such training can lay the foundation for students’ life-long learning, help them develop positive attitudes and moral values, as well as prepare them for future studies and career.
Characteristic to remedial teaching are individually planned
o Tasks,
o Time management
o And guidance.
Diverse methods and materials are used in remedial teaching, with which new ways can be found to approach the subject that is to be learned. In proactive remedial teaching the new things that are to be learned are introduced beforehand. Remedial teaching can also answer the need for support that arises from absences.
Schoolwork is planned in such a way that every student has a possibility to participate in remedial teaching if need be. Remedial teaching is given either
o During the lessons to which the need for support is connected, or
o Outside lessons.
Various flexible groups are used in remedial assistance teaching-The initiative about giving remedial teaching is primarily done by the teacher. It can also be done by the student or guardian. The task of each teacher is to monitor the learning and growth of the student and the possible needs for support that may arise. Remedial teaching is organized in mutual understanding with the student and the guardian. They will be given information about the forms of remedial support and its importance to learning and school attendance. Students are obligated to participate in the remedial teaching that has been organised for them.
Remedial assistance teaching is given at all levels of support-The support that remedial learners need to become leaders of the future. Remedial learners have often faced years of failure. Academically they have probably only known struggle and bad marks. Often they would have encountered mocking from more able students.
All this usually leads to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence-For these and other reasons, remedial learners are in of need specific support. For remedial learners, the needs are more acute and pronounced.
Remedial Learners and Anxiety-One of the most common challenges for those with learning challenges is anxiety. School years are tough for even the ablest student. The social pressures that teenagers face are very real. In the media-saturated world in which we find modern schools, these challenges are accentuated in ways that many parents don’t entirely understand. For the special needs learner, this is amplified. Many students with learning challenges fear the loss of respect from their peers and teachers. Children with a learning disability tend to focus only on the negative aspects of schooling. They minimize their strengths. Many of these children feel shame due to their special challenges. They often also feel resentment and frustration. When students are anxious they tend to focus all their energy on that anxiety and overlook the core problems. This is where the community – family and schooling – needs strategies to reduce the level of anxiety.
(Gazi Md. Abdur Rashid, Research Officer, District Education Office, Secondary and Higher Education, Munshiganj)
