Polly Bath: What if you’re not a language based learner? What if that’s not the way you can figure it out? What if you are asked to do a book report?

“A book report? What’s that?”

Even if you gave that kid the directions, he or she might not understand still.

I have come to the conclusion in every classroom I’ve taught in, from the primary grades through high school, if I assigned them a project, I always showed them an actual example of what the project could look like later on. Pictures or actual concrete examples. And I tell them, this is what your options are. This is what it should include.

Some of those kids could not formulate it from a receptive language standpoint. I want them later on to be able to be successful in the workplace or in their careers, college, whatever it might be by being able to ask, “What’s an example of what you’re looking for?” Not just sit in front of their computer and say, “Urgh, I can’t do this job,” and want accommodations for that.

If you need too many accommodations, you might not be asking the right questions for yourself.