Event Report, Nagano Chapter July 2021

On July 10th,  Nagano JALT had the unique opportunity to host an event with Dr. Jana Moore from Parkside Cambridge International in Virginia, USA. Dr. Moore’s presentation focused on the growing number of special needs students, and determining the specific issue(s) to address their needs. In this presentation, special needs referred to students with learning disabilities or LEP’s (Limited English Proficient), who often had an average/above average IQ. 
The students’ unique circumstances make it more difficult for them to get the education they deserve, and Dr. Moore asserts that it is the duty of educators to reach out and assist them using the various strategies that Dr. Moore herself applies in the classroom. These strategies include: chunking up information to make it easier for them to understand; lowering the difficulty of the learning task to make it more easily achievable; providing directions in multiple modes(written and spoken); creating an atmosphere that is accepting of mistakes; creating opportunities for one-on-one time between teacher and student; and creating a relationship with the students. In Dr. Moore’s experience, having a relationship with the student is paramount to creating trust, which in turn gives the student an opportunity to open up about what specific problems they have.  Moreover, this relationship assists with the development of an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) that provides a plan that specifically targets the students’ needs, and provides long-term support for their primary education. 
Nagano JALT would like to thank everyone for attending this event and also thank Dr. Jana Moore for her illuminating presentation. It certainly left many of us reflecting on how we could apply what we discovered here to the students in our own classrooms.