stammering student
Stammering student | Mike McDonald | July 26th, 2005
I would like to ask for ideas about how to deal sensitively with a stammering student. I teach conversational English to elementary-level first year Japanese university students. All of them have difficulty in spoken communication for various reasons: lack of practice, shyness, fear of mistakes, and so on. I have to do my best to be patient when they are trying to tell me something. However, I have one student whose problems are of a different order, because he suffers from a severe stammer. It's not too bad in the classroom, so I have persisted in asking him occasional questions and in requiring him to give one-minute "show and tell" talks like the others. But today, when I gave the students individual oral exams (in a private room), his nervousness made his stammer so bad that he was unable to answer some of my questions at all. I felt really bad, but of course I tried to pretend there was nothing amiss.
How would others handle this situation? Should I redesign my whole course around him, should I exempt him from the usual requirements, or should I just treat him like everyone else? Any suggestions?
Mike McDonald
Re: Stammering student | Sharell | July 26th, 2005
Hi Mike,
I have one question. Does the student only stammer in English, or does he stammer in Japanese also?
Sharell
Japan
Re: Stammering student | Yvonne Beaudry | July 26th, 2005
From a completely non-expert point of view:
Have you asked him what would work? If he's in the first year of university, then he has six years of English study behind him (because I know Mike is writing from Japan). Perhaps one of his past teachers came up with something that worked for him.
I don't think there is a need to re-design the entire course around it. That may even make him feel awkward. I don't know anything about your assignments or grading but could there be a choice of project types for major assignments, including one that does not involve speaking? Or give him a different weighting than the others, one that does not count the type of work that brings on the stammer?
Can he do his speaking assignments in a different way? Maybe he can do them on tape or mp3 at home and hand them in to you that way.
Can he get an exemption? French is required by law in Canada but when I was a kid one of my neighbors, although bright, had a specific learning disability that got him out of it. I think he did extra science projects instead.
Finally, many UK and North American universities have accessibility committees. Why not contact your alma mater and see what they offer in this type of case.
I'm interested in accessible education so please let me know how it goes, off-list if that seems more appropriate.
Yvonne
Re: Stammering student | Mike McDonald | July 26th, 2005
Hi Sharell,
He stammers in both languages.
Mike
Re: Stammering student | Jerry Talandis Jr. | July 27th, 2005
Hi Mike,
I'll second everything Yvonne said, and add a question: how does other staff where you work deal with this? How would they answer the questions you posted here?
We had a student at our school with a behavioral disorder recently (the daughter of one of our professors!), and we had a heck of a time during her tenure here. We got by having lots of staff meetings and discussion about what we could do. Eventually we invited some social workers to attend one meeting, and from that several good ideas emerged. The key thing is that you need to work together as a staff with students like this. Come up with a consistent, unified approach and implement it together. I don't know if your situation is this severe, but at least you could talk to others about what they do. It's hard for us to comment because we don't know all the particulars of your situation. So, I recommend more communication with your co-workers. Then it's just a matter of trial & error.
Good luck!
Jerry
Re: Stammering student | Linda | July 27th, 2005
Hi Mike,
I have worked with students with special needs previously, but I'm by no means experienced. In my humble opinion, this student has lived with this for many years and I'm sure has received advice on how to cope with his stammer. My student used to take a short breath before he spoke a word that began with the letter that he stammered on. The first thing to establish with the student is that his stammer will not affect his exam mark and speak to him about it. He seems to be able to control it to a certain extent in class so obviously stress makes it worse. If he is assured it won't affect his mark perhaps he won't stammer as much. I think he'll feel isolated if you don't do oral exams with him. Just a few thoughts!!
Good luck on a very sensitive issue.
Linda
Re: Stammering student | Mike McDonald | July 27th, 2005
Thanks to Sharell, Yvonne, Jerry, and Linda for their eminently practical and sensible advice. Sometimes one gets so caught up in theory that it's easy to overlook the most obvious steps: in this case, ask the person himself and ask his other teachers. When school restarts in September I will do this, then try to work out what needs to be done, if anything. It may be that he doesn't want any special treatment. Anyway, as Linda suggests, I will assure him that his mark will not be affected by his stammer.
I'm off to England on August 1 st , and I will be out of contact for a month.
Have a great summer, everyone.
Mike McDonald
Re: Stammering student | Caroline Cooke | July 27th, 2005
Dear Mike
We regularly have candidates for Cambridge ESOL exams who have disabilities, including speech problems. For the oral component of the exam Cambridge will allow extra time to answer for disabled candidates and, as examiners, we try to make the candidate feel as comfortable as possible but nerves are inevitable and often accentuate the stammer/tic/twitch. As markers we might give a stammerer a lower mark on interactive communication, but hesitation is only a component of that category and the communication mark is only one of 5 marks (in FCE for example). I have a real admiration for people who undertake such a nerve-wracking experience and achieve results. You could explain this to him to encourage him that there are many other factors in his spoken language that can be positive- pronunciation of sounds, vocabulary, grammar and other aspects focused on in Cambridge exams, such as turn-taking, extending discourse, making appropriate and relevant comments, interacting, keeping the conversation going. Depending on the demands of your centre you could make allowances on the oral mark by marking him on continual assessment, instead of a formal test, but perhaps the student would feel uncomfortable about this. If it is difficult for you to talk to him personally, maybe you could talk to others who are teaching him to get an idea of how he might feel.
Caroline Cooke
Re: Stammering student | Mike McDonald | July 27th, 2005
Thanks, Caroline. As I said in my last message, I will talk to him and explain that his grade will not be significantly affected by his stammer. I will also ask him if he wants to be exempted from any activities. He seems to have lots of guts and my expectation is that he will say no, but anyway I will give him the choice.
I will also talk to his other teachers, but I don't expect to get too much to go on here. His other classes are mostly related to computer science, and follow a lecture format. Many of our professors don't know more than a handful of their students individually. However, the student in question has another English class, so I may get some useful ideas out of that teacher.
Have a good summer,
Mike McDonald
Re: Stammering student | Mike McDonald | July 30th, 2005
Just two things come to mind. Have you talked to this student about what s/he would like and have you the time to look into the causes and possible help that could be given for stammering? Just a thought.
Thanks, Janet. As I said in a previous message, I will talk to the student when school reconvenes in September. I'm not sure whether it is really my place to get involved in the medical side of his problem. Anyway, I'll see how our discussion goes before deciding whether to pursue the matter further.
Thanks for your kind advice.
Mike
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