Page 115 - DEDU506_SPECIAL_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Unit 15: Mentally Retarted: Prevention and Teaching Strategies

5. He should constantly attempt to sequence learning tasks. Relatively complex units should be Notes
broken down into a hierachy of sub-units and attempt should be made to teach one sub-unit at
a time, help children to learn the sub unit, and then to proceed to the next sub-unit.
6. The teacher should encourage retarded children to make use of verbal mediation in learning
the tool subjects. The retarded child should rehearse verbally what he is to learn and remember.
Verbal mediation is a very useful learning strategy for learning concepts and problem-solving.
7. Retarded children do not know how to learn different subjects. Learning to learn is a useful
technique for retarded children. The retarded child should be told verbally and exposed to
models and tutoring by non-disabled peers for learning how to learn.
8. Many retarded children learn best by drill and repetition. Thus the teacher should give emphasis
on drill and repetition in teaching language items and arithmetic skills.
9. Retarded children learn best through concrete experiences, play-way method, audio-visual aids
and action-oriented teaching, etc. The regular teacher should, therefore make use of concrete
objects.
Self Assessment
3. Multiple Choice Questions
Choose the correct option:
(i) The MR child is educated in the regular ........................., instruction should be systamatic and
sequential in nature.
(a) classroom (b) school (c) communication centre
(d) hospital
(ii) In the second phase the retarded student is exposed to .................... with different job skills in
order to determine the vocational abilities and preference of the student.
(a) punctuality (b) regularity (c) experiences (d) community
(iii) The regular teacher should be familiar with the behavioural characteristics of ....................
children for purpose of identifying and referring them to psychologist for assessment.
(a) backward (b) MR
(c) bearing impaired (d) visually impaired

15.5 Summary

• There are three provisions remedial programme:
(i) Prevention (ii) Special education (iii) Parent councelling
(i) Prevention: Compensatory education aims at preventing developmental defect that interfere
with educations progress in the disadvantaged pre-school child. the education should be given
about the causes of mental retardation.
(ii) Special education: Structured curricular materials and techniques for education retarded
children.
(iii) Parent councelling: In our society, the parents of mentally retarded children face some
special problems. Social adjustment of the mentally retarded children place heavy demands in
the society, as the children grow older.
• The basic principle of special education is that the children should learn by doing.
• The concepts of maturation and willingness to learn should be given due importance while
introducing academic work to the mentally handicapped. These children have the ability to
learn to read, but they should be prepared through appropriate readiness programmes.
• Mentally handicapped children have a poor memory. For them, reaching method must provide
for a considerable amount of repetition if learned material is to be retained.

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