Slower learners have been described as "students with below average cognitive abilities and who struggle to cope with the traditional academic demands of the regular classroom" (Carroll, 2004). In this article however, I am not referring to students who lack cognitive abilities, have lower IQs and suffer from physical disabilities or attention deficit disorders. Rather, I am referring to those who experience or display difficulties in keeping up with the pace of teaching and learning compared to the majority of students taking my modules (i.e. such slower learners may not be slow learners in other modules).

This article discusses the difficulties slower learners face in two law modules that I have been teaching at the Department of Real Estate, School of Design and Environment in Semesters 1 and 2 of Academic Year 2006/2007.

About the Modules

RE2180 "Fundamentals of Real Estate Law" is an essential module for second year real estate students while SSD1203 "Real Estate Development and Investment Law in Singapore", a Singapore Studies (SS) module, is an elective open to students across faculties.

Students in RE2180 would already have taken a level 1 law module and possess some background knowledge of the law, but SSD1203 students may or may not have already completed a law module. Thus, RE2180 students are a relatively homogenous group with similar academic backgrounds, while SSD1203 comprises students from different levels, backgrounds and disciplines.

Detecting Students with Learning Difficulties

I observed that there was a segment of students who:

i) Rarely volunteered or participated in tutorial discussions

ii) Had difficulties expressing themselves and articulating arguments

iii) Made no contributions to the discussion forum on IVLE despite this being assessed

iv) Made frequent postings on discussion forum to seek clarification

v) Sent me frequent personal emails mostly to clarify fundamental concepts, or

vi) Sought clarifications on issues or topics which I had considered simple, or issues which I had already clarified and discussed at length during lecture or tutorial.

Reasons for Students' Learning Difficulties

Informal student feedback confirmed that there was indeed a segment of slower learners in my modules. It is interesting to note that although the two modules comprised different cohort types (one relatively homogeneous and the other widely heterogeneous) some common issues emerged from feedback:

• Limited English proficiency. About 25% of each cohort comprised foreign students and English is the second language for the majority (90%). The other 75% is a mix of students for whom English language may not have been their best subject. My law modules are completely English language-based and they require students to have a sound command of English to articulate their thoughts and opinions on legal, ethical and social issues and concerns. In addition, the modules' assessments require students to make legal argumentation and articulate their thoughts either orally or in writing. This compounded students' learning difficulties.
  
  
• Mixed abilities and multiple intelligences. In accordance with the theory of multiple intelligences (Gardner, 2000), I found that students with a better aptitude for modules requiring numeracy skills (rather than linguistic skills) found the intricacies of legal argumentation confusing; they also found it difficult to accept that there are generally no 'correct' answers for legal case studies.
  
  
• Poor motivation. Some students taking RE2180 were unmotivated because it was an essential module and they did not have a choice. Others chose to do SSD1203 as it was the only Singapore Studies module that could fit into their timetables. Another reason was that the modules' content was not really what students were expecting.

What Did I Do to Address the Above?

When teaching the modules (particularly the SS module), I often made references to specific buildings or places in Singapore which are the subject matter of legal disputes. Since many foreign students gave feedback that they were unfamiliar with local landmarks, I provided students with photographs and maps of the exact locations of the buildings, and encouraged students to visit these places. Such visual cues excited students to go and look at the physical building or area involve in a legal dispute and rendered the subject more real and closer to them.

Case-study questions in law modules usually ask students to discuss legal issues and advise clients on their legal rights and liabilities. Many students, particularly those in the SS module had no clue of how or where to begin answering such questions though they had understood the subject matter. Thus, I broke down complex questions into several parts, beginning from simpler questions to more conceptual ones to guide slower learners. This ensured that slower students would not feel overwhelmed or defeated even before attempting the questions.

At tutorials, I organised small group discussions to alternate between groups of students of similar abilities, and students of mixed abilities. In these groups, students were encouraged to take turns to speak, listen and refute assertions made by their peers. I also held one-to-one discussions with the slower learners to clarify their misconceptions and help build up their confidence.

Students were constantly encouraged to write their answers to tutorial as well as past examination questions as a form of practice and then email the answers to me. I offered students clear and concrete suggestions for improving their work and praised them for their efforts when they showed improvement.

So Did the Strategies Work?

A review of final examination results and formal end-of-semester anonymous qualitative feedback revealed that students whom I had identified as slower learners, and who responded to my efforts to help them improve, did feel encouraged to face and overcome their difficulties.

Students who made consistent efforts to improve by consulting with me, showed a marked improvement in their understanding of the subject, confidence and performance. While students who had previously done law modules had an initial advantage during tutorials, students with no prior knowledge managed to level up as the module progressed. There appeared to be no correlation between the less vocal students and their overall examination grades due to the variety of assessment methods. However, students who were more proficient in English did achieve better grades.

Conclusion

Any cohort is likely to include students who can comprehend well and readily apply concepts to complex situations, students with diff iculties decoding words and meaning or applying basic information, as well as students who fall somewhere between these two extremes (Tomlinson, 1995). In such a factual matrix, a one-size-fits-all instruction model makes little sense. This article has focused on why some students are slower, dealt with how they can be identified, and the strategies a teacher can put in place to help them. While it is unrealistic to expect all students to perform well, students can be motivated and encouraged to reach higher.

References

Carroll, S.A. (2004) ""Slow Learners" in the Regular Classroom: A Handout for Teachers". In A.S. Canter & S.A. Carroll (Eds.), Helping Children at Home and School: Handouts from Your School Psychologist. http://www.kupsplace.org/teach/slolrner. html (Last accessed: 15 November 2007).

Gardner, H. (2000). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. New York: Basic Books.

Tomlinson, C.A. (1995). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed- Ability Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.