The Upside of ADHD

[Bananas]

I saw this article entitled The Upside of ADHD and thought it talked about an important element about the positive parts of a person having ADHD. It is found at

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100109339&GT1=31001

I then thought about how these individuals might flourish with j fowler's power teaching techniques.

This is something to think about in regard to some specific students of mine. Yes, they do have some passion and enthusiasm, so better to build upon that and see them more engaged.

[NewSPEDTeacher]

Thanks for that article. It's hard sometimes to ignore the disturbances my student with ADHD causes in the classroom and focus on his strengths.

I'm curious what j fowler's power teaching techniques are.

[Bananas]

For that thread and a few links, look at:

http://www.theteacherscorner.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5858

[jsfowler]

I think "power teaching techniques" are perfect for children with ADHD. The class is divided into 10-15 minute segments and students are actively participating in something at all times. For the best introduction to Power Teaching, please watch the videos on youtube that Chris Biffle has posted.

[mercygate]

I agree that power teaching is an outstanding way to engage kids with ADD. Heck! when I teach my religious ed class at 7:30 at night, EVERYBODY has ADD (but no "H"). They perk up and respond instantly when they hear me say:

Ca-LAAASSS!?

We have a short memory assignment for every class, and last night, we got to do a "10-finger woo-hoo" because they ALL got it right.

When things aren't going well, they respond much better to "a mighty groan WITH weepy eye-rub" than to a scold. And the chart of smiley-frownie faces keeps them alert as well.

I have never done power teaching before and plan to integrate it more into my work as I become more comfortable with how it works. It FORCES you to present content in bite-sized pieces and it makes the students responsible for teaching each other. We all know that there's no better way to learn than to teach!

And yes: my jumpy can't-control-themselves kids are made part of the mainstream with this technique and become part of the team rather than the class "problem."

[NEOHIOSub]

You sound like a great teacher who likes to have fun! I just wanted to say that - I had to look when I saw someone posting about the "upsides" of ADHD. My son has it something fierce, and I suppose he got it from me - the original ADD Lady!

Is the 10-finger woo-hoo something like the "mini-wave"?

[mercygate]

You sound like a great teacher who likes to have fun! I just wanted to say that - I had to look when I saw someone posting about the "upsides" of ADHD. My son has it something fierce, and I suppose he got it from me - the original ADD Lady!

Is the 10-finger woo-hoo something like the "mini-wave"?

I do like to have fun and so do the kids. Learning is hard work but that's not to say it can't be fun.

I don't know what the mini wave is. A 10-finger woo-hoo is where everybody holds their hands up at about shoulder height and points toward the kid who did the outstanding thing and everybody shouts "woo-hoo" while wiggling their fingers -- yes: kind of a finger wave.

I think everybody has ADD. Are you familiar with flylady.net?

[serenity]

I took an entire course on ADHD a few years back. The professor was amazing. He had a positive spin on any negative adjective people could come up with for labelling a kid. Like instead of stubborn, he would say they had great perseverance. Or instead of bossy, they had great leadership potential waiting to be refined! It was definitely a different way of looking at things.

[NEOHIOSub]

[QUOTE=A 10-finger woo-hoo is where everybody holds their hands up at about shoulder height and points toward the kid who did the outstanding thing and everybody shouts "woo-hoo" while wiggling their fingers -- yes: kind of a finger wave.

I think everybody has ADD. Are you familiar with flylady.net?[/QUOTE]

I LOVE THAT! That's way more fun than the mini-wave. A mini-wave is when you put your two fists in front of you, pinkies in. Then you "wave" your fingers (think of the wave at a football game) to celebrate something cool in class. I think I like the woo-hoo even more, though. Sounds like one more way to bring a smile into the classroom.

And yes, I have tried "flying" in the past. She had a lot of great ideas and I loved the website. But after awhile, I got out of my blues (postpartum) and began flying all on my own. I'm still as scatterbrained as they come :) I just think of it as one of my more charming and endearing traits. LOL.

[Bananas]

The professor...had a positive spin on any negative adjective people could come up with for labelling a kid. Like instead of stubborn, he would say they had great perseverance. Or instead of bossy, they had great leadership potential waiting to be refined! It was definitely a different way of looking at things.

I learned this in parenting with my daughter with traits being a double-edged sword. Her persistence, in asking 25 times if Jenny could spend the night and getting a "no", was what enabled her to attend the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy with their rigorous curriculum. It is in maturing and knowing how to refine the quality and use it in an appropriate manner that makes the difference.