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Date
09 September 2025
Link
inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/adhd-and-learning/support-participation-and-confidence-2

​Support participation and confidence

Use multiple approaches and encourage positive ākonga participation

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Suggestions to increase confidence

Suggestions to increase confidence

Discuss with the learner what will support their participation and confidence.

Build the suggestions into your teaching practice.

  • Ask ākonga how they like to learn.
  • Use learners’ interests and strengths as bases for teaching.
  • Recognise and eliminate situations that ākonga may find difficult or embarrassing because of their physical or cognitive differences.
  • Foster tuakana-teina relationships and create a class culture where ākonga support each other.
  • Feedback success to parents and whānau.
  • Recognise avoidance strategies and provide support and encouragement.
  • Give ākonga extra time to complete work.
  • Make learning supports, such as text-to-speech and word prediction, available to all learners.
  • Enable learners to contribute their ideas in collaborative work, without the challenge of lengthy writing tasks.
  • Provide the learner with strategies to help them when they get stuck.

Nurture self-esteem

Nurture self-esteem

Teachers have a vital role in nurturing positive self-perception and self-esteem.

In the classroom, talking, reading, writing, and spelling are essential parts of most activities across the curriculum.

Learners who have ADHD often find themselves in situations where they are regarded as different, strange, or unintelligent.  This can result in feelings of anxiety, stress, depression, or disengagement.

Useful resources

Useful resources

Website

Assessment for learning

Leading local curriculum guide series on using the right tools and resources to notice and respond to progress across the curriculum.

Publisher: Ministry of Education NZ

Visit website

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13”:

Return to the guide “ADHD and learning”

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ADHD and learning

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How to use this site

Guide to Index of the guide: Supporting ākonga Māori

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  • How to use this guide

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This is a Ministry of Education initiative​​​​​​​. We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes.

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Information on the Inclusive Education website is regularly updated so we recommend you check the website version of this information to ensure it remains current.