Special Education and Learning Differences

Our last winning blog post comes from Cindy in Oklahoma City, OK. Cindy is a Special Education Teacher to 5th and 6th graders with special needs. She has paired rhymes and manipulatives with multiplication facts that brings success to her students learning their ‘facts.’

The Project: Multiplication with Manipulatives.

I teach multiplication facts to my 5th and 6th grade students with special needs using manipulatives and catchy rhymes. My students are low achievers who have special needs that prohibit them from being successful in the general education classroom. The program I use for teaching multiplication facts helps my students reach goals, develop self-confidence, and feel successful. I make multiplication facts concrete and fun! When my students learn and apply these facts, they are proud of themselves.

I work to motivate my students and encourage them in all areas of learning. I have seen students learn these multiplication facts and their feeling of self-worth soars. Learning multiplication facts may seem insignificant, but when this small thing can turn a child from having low self-esteem and feeling worthless, it is a huge thing! I will continue teaching multiplication facts this way, reaching out to my students, hoping  they will see their worth and that they are not failures.

Learning Objectives:

My students are given a foundation for math application by learning their multiplication facts in elementary school. I teach my students a rhyme or “trick” for each fact using manipluatives to make it a concrete learning experience. Students keep track of facts they know, showing them progress toward a goal. Students work together to learn the facts, and they encourage each other along the way. Once students have mastered all the multiplication facts presented, we celebrate their achievement.

Materials:

I use small manipulatives, such as plastic spiders or toy worms to teach the facts. Some facts are acted out by the students to help them internalize the facts and remember them. I present the facts in many ways using a SmartBoard, dry erase boards, chalkboards, computer games, and worksheets to reinforce and meet all students’ needs and learning styles. We play games with the multiplication facts as well.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education for the Fall 2011 Teacher Grant: http://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-ideas/grant/teaching-idea?app=18477&grantId=75

Our next winning teaching idea comes from Joelle of McMinnville, OR. She is a Structure Learning Program Teacher to high school students. Her idea is using a visual comparison and thought provoking questions to help them understand that special needs are everywhere and how to advocate for themselves.

The Project: We Need a Bigger Tank?

Goldfish are able to live in all sizes of bodies of fresh water, but a small fish in a small tank will always remain small. A big fish in a small tank would not have enough resources to thrive. My thought is to have two fish tanks of different sizes and measure the growth of the fish throughout the year. The idea is to build awareness in students with disabilities about advocacy and inclusion and how important these things are to their education, self esteem and life after high school.

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to compare how being a student with special needs is similar to being a small fish in a big pond (resource room), or a big fish in a small pond (self-contained classroom). They will be able to write and imagine what their life would be like if they were given more opportunities in a bigger tank. Similarly, what would it be like if their big tank were a little smaller and they didn’t have to struggle for resources.

Materials:

The materials needed would be two fish tanks of different sizes (example 10 gal tank and 20 gal tank), goldfish, food, tank equipment such as filters, air pumps, and cleaning supplies, tank lamps, tank decorations and measurement tools for fish growth.

This project depends on the district policy to allow fish tanks in the classroom and has to be cleared by the school board in certain situations; however, I feel that the information the students take away is well worth the effort.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education for the Teacher Grant Ask: http://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-ideas/grant/teaching-idea?app=17017&grantId=75

From Manning, SC, we are pleased to share with you our second place PCI/We Are Teachers Teacher Grant Winner, Adela. She is a Resource Teacher for 7th and 8th graders. Adela’s strategy is making spelling a fun activity to keep her students engaged, which in turn strengthens her students’ vocabulary and spelling skills.

The Project: Let’s Learn How to Spell.  

Each student thinks of or finds 2 words containing at least 5 letters and is hard to spell. Using Ran Barnes strategies with the “Paper Plate” spelling game, each student writes their words on a paper plate and places them on a table top. Next, a student is chosen to stand in front of the class with their word-plate facing the other students and pronounces their word for the class. The other students then look for the word-plates that have letters that the word in front of them contains. Making this spelling exercise a game helps the students learn new words and how to spell them.

Learning Objectives:

Because the majority of students struggle with spelling and vocabulary, we know that making the task fun to do will improve both spelling and vocabulary.

Materials:

Paper plates, markers or crayons, and “The Differentiated Classroom: Challenging All Students, NOT Dummying Down For Some” by Ran Barnes.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Ask: http://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-ideas/grant/teaching-idea?app=17318&grantId=75

This post is from our #1 voted winner: Susie in Minerva, OH. Preparing her high school students for the work force is as important as ever in today’s economy. She truly believes in her students and their ability to be active and productive members in their community after high school. Susie helps her students to prepare for this new world with every tool she can provide them.

The Project: Being Prepared for the World of  Work.

I teach a transition life skills class to students with multiple disabilities. I use the School-to-Work DVD series with worksheets I have made up and some home made video’s using a Flip Camera to show students role playing and real life situations about being prepared for work and how to interact at work. The students are engaged when watching the video’s of real job skills and sites where they can learn job skills and possibly become employed.

Learning Objectives:

Students will see past graduates in their current jobs putting into place some of the job skills/ life skills that we emphasize in our classroom daily. Students can see good and bad ways of dealing with different situations that may occur on a job site through role playing videos. Students will then get to go into those same job sites and experience some of the same situations and know how to respond or interact appropriately.

Materials:

Flip Camera, other “getting a job” curriculum, transition planning materials, job sites and real employees/employers. The Functional Skills System: Social Skills or Workplace Social Skills. The Life Skills Readers and other Read-to-Learn library sets are also great tools. I would like to use iPods/iPads to also run the videos on and take video for immediate reinforcement learning. PCI’s Getting Along with People Series would be a nice addition to what we are teaching as well.

Susie also says:

I very much love my job, and the materials and resources available have come along way since I began teaching 12 years ago. Thank you for continuing to look for interactive and engaging materials that can reach the students I work with. In the world today where it is getting more and more difficult for the average person to find employment has made it that much more important for my students who already have struggles to work through to be even more prepared for the world they will soon enter.

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Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant: http://http://www.weareteachers.com/teaching-ideas/grant/teaching-idea?app= 18246&grantId=75

Our next exciting teaching idea comes from Jackie of Piedmont, SC, a Special Education Teacher who works with special needs students. She has developed a unique emotional “outlet” for her students to express themselves. It is such a great success students and parents alike ask if Jackie will hold the event each year!

The Project: Poetry Slam.

An annual poetry slam is held for special needs students in my self-contained classes. We spend a whole month (April-National Poetry Month) creating original works of poetry. The students range from severe learning disabilities to emotional/behavioral issues. We have a poetry slam, held in a “coffeehouse” atmosphere. There is not a dry eye in the house once these kids reach the podium and deliver their poems filled with love, fear, acceptance, and inspiration. Self confidence triumphs!

Learning Objectives:

The learning experiences through this Poetry Slam are endless. Their reading fluency and comprehension skills increase but more importantly, self confidence soars. These students do not always have an “outlet” for their emotions. Having them create works of poetry without the worry of the mechanics of writing instills a sense of freedom. Their true feelings of self worth and importance comes shining through their poems. People look forward to their poems each and every year!

I look forward to this Poetry Slam and the month of April every year. Everyone who attends this rewarding experience ask if I am doing it the next school year. To see these students who struggle in so many areas of their lives come alive through their writing makes me cry tears of joy. Poetry month ends up being very therapeutic for the students and everyone involved. I am so glad this experience happens every year.

Materials Needed:

Every year I borrow the props for the poetry slam. This proves to very time consuming. We also ask for donations for the refreshments after the slam. I would love to purchase a stool, podium, poetry books, floor lamp and video camera to capture each and every moment. I could purchase dvds so each student could have the event to take home to enjoy for years to come. Having video equipment and the props will help this annual event come alive!

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 Brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Asks: http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=17055&grantId=75