Ramon's Help With Social-Emotional Learning Skills

In addition to his academic challenges, Ramon needs help with social-emotional learning skills. Mr. Jones reports that he enters and exits the classroom alone and that he does not appear to have many friends on campus. Emotional outbursts are a common symptom of traumatic brain injury (Ferguson, 2011). Although Mr. Jones has not witnessed it, other teachers report that Ramon has angry outbursts when he becomes frustrated in class. This behavior may be scaring away Ramon’s peers, making it difficult for him to maintain friendships. He needs to be able to function successfully in a group setting, a skill which is essential for success as an adult in the workplace and in the community.

In recent years, developmental psychologists have begun

This standard lends itself to visual and kinesthetic learning, Ramon’s preferred learning styles, which incorporate opportunities for him to use his spatial and visual intelligence. To further determine the best instructional methodology for Ramon, it may be wise to teach this lesson in a number of ways – with manipulatives, in a small group collaborative learning session, and through the use of computer-based software – in order to observe and determine which method(s) are most effective for Ramon. Finally, it would be helpful if the special education staff was consulted in setting these objectives, so that relevant data may be considered from his

He struggles with long-term retention, which partially explains his difficulty with traditional tests. Ramon’s teachers should employ testing methods which take his long-term memory challenges into account. For example, he is more likely to experience success with frequent, short assessments and project-based learning. After Ramon completes a lesson on the volume of geometric solids with mathematical manipulatives, he should be asked to demonstrate his learning one-on-one to a teacher or teaching assistant, in response to prepared questions and prompts provided by the publisher. Computer-based software on the same topic which includes periodic assessments of the material may be utilized to determine comprehension and mastery of the material. It is important that these assessments be frequent and over small amounts of material since Ramon is not as successful with long-term retention and recall. However, it may be discovered that his long-term retention improves after the instructional methodology is altered to capitalize on his strengths as a visual and kinesthetic learner. In that case, increased long-term retention may improve his overall test-taking performance. If test results show the objectives are met, then a new goal can be set. Otherwise, more instruction and practice should be