Special Education Classroom » Special Education and Learning Differences

Real Teachers-Real Strategies 3: Engaging Reluctant Readers & Writers

Jan 192012

This post comes from Jennifer in Lima, New York. She is a 1st-2nd grade teacher in Special Education, and her strategy is to help reluctant readers and writers get excited about doing just that: reading and writing!

Her project: Language Experience Stories.

“Students who are not yet excited about reading or who are hesitant to write need a hook. So we made them the characters in the story. I surveyed the children regarding things they like to do. They chose swimming. We created a list of things they did when swimming. I then brought in a blow up swimming pool and other items (floaties, pool toys). We then took pictures of them in the (empty) pool using the item or pretending to swim. From the pictures they wrote their sentences for their stories.”

Learning Objectives:

“Students learned to plan out a story, write their own sentences and then read their story to others. Their confidence grew and they were very proud of their accomplishments. When writing students used a promethean board rather than paper and pencil to make it different for them. Here they were more willing to stretch out the words and were more willing to stay on task.

“The children who created these stories were not enthusiastic about reading or writing prior to writing these stories. During the process they became more involved and excited. Once the story was complete and in their hands they loved it! Not only were they authors who could read their story, they were in the story! They wanted a copy to keep in their classroom and one to have at home. Parents also shared how proud their children were when they brought these stories home.”

Materials:

“With this story it was chart paper, a blow up pool, pool toys, floaties, camera, and a promethean board. Computer and printer were used to create and print the book. With other language experience stories the materials were different depending on the topic that they chose.”

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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=16609&grantId=75

Real Teachers-Real Strategies 2: A Radio Broadcast

Special Education Classroom, Teaching Tips No Responses »

Jan 162012

Our second post in this series is from Matthew in Carteret, NJ. He teaches 7th and 8th graders.

His idea: Fireside Chats.

Students learning about the Great Depression had the opportunity to step into the shoes of President Roosevelt and create their own fireside chat radio broadcast based on the events of the 1930′s. Students learn the material in the classroom and then record an audio broadcast using the software program Audacity. The tasks involved are research, writing a script, and performing the broadcast. The project has different modalities so that each student in the group can shine in his/her own way.

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to understand the impact that the events of the Great Depression had on America. They will also be able to relate the information they have learned to today’s economy. Students will enhance their research, writing and technology skills throughout the process of the project.

As well, this project was a collaboration between the students’ social studies and language arts classes. It took place in a variety of settings in our 8th grade. Both in-class support students and self-contained students had the opportunity to create their own group broadcast. The students learned tangible skills while also learning the important characteristics of teamwork.

Materials:

Audacity, an opensource audio recording program. Microsoft word, to type the script. Microphones to record the broadcast. EBSCO and Grollier online for research.

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This post is brought to you by We Are Teachers partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Asks: http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=16996&grantId=75

Real Teachers Share Real Teaching Techniques That Work

Special Education Classroom, Teaching Tips No Responses »

Dec 132011

PCI Education collaborated with We Are Teachers offering a microgrant to teachers by asking, “Have you ever taught a lesson that really resonated with a special needs student?”

PCI had fabulous responses to our question and we are excited to share with you real ideas from real teachers that work! These teaching techniques will be posted weekly as “Real Teachers-Real Strategies.” Subscribe now to receive these ideas in your inbox for teaching students with special needs.

Our first post is from Cathy in Irving, Texas.

Her strategy: Re-read and Chart It!

I have students re-read the first few pages of a book and we time how many words read in a minute (with the number read listed on the sides of the page.) We subtract any words missed and then chart it on a graph that they keep track of. They do this every day and their wcpm grows and the chart goes up. They are excited to come in and do this activity all on their own each day. When they read their wcpm reading goal, we start on the next page of the book.

Learning Objectives:

Success and independence in reading!

Materials:

Leveled readers, timer, folder, chart/graph paper and a colored pencil to chart with.

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We Are Teachers in partnership with PCI Education’s Teacher Grant Asks: http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=16857&grantId=75

In the name of the CUSTOMER

PCI Company Culture, Special Education Classroom, Special Education Resource No Responses »

Sep 192011

(*Of course, the word “customer” takes on a whole new meaning when your customer is a child struggling to learn and it makes the difference in them having a better, more fulfilling life.)

Where to begin? The summer has been a whirlwind for the Sales and Marketing Team at PCI. The Fall Catalogs are out, the web has new offers and PCI began the year-long celebration of our 20th Anniversary in business.

With so many highlights to write about, I will focus on one for this post – our 2-day leadership seminar with Howard Hyden. Howard is a fascinating speaker that has worked with hundreds, nay thousands of companies in every imaginable industry from food service to major NASA contractors. He is also the founder of the Center For Customer Focus – NOT customer service, he says, customer FOCUS - there is a difference. Simply put, customer focus is getting input from the customer first about what they want or need. Sounds so simple that everyone should be doing it, right? Yeah, not so much. Howard warned everyone that once the seminar was over we would all be hyper-aware of lack of customer focus when we see it and, oh boy, I could write an entire blog about that! Alas, I digress.

Howard pointed out opportunities, shared experiences and gave all of us some great ideas that we can implement in our departments. It was a very enriching two days and during that time I realized that the spirit of PCI is incredibly customer-focused.

It was a great feeling to recognize that some of the key principles that Howard spoke about are things that PCI does quite naturally. For example, when a new product concept is developed, (Bwooop, bwooop, please remember the person writing this is merely a web manager, not an educator / thanks) the Product Development Team takes great pain to see how it will work for a student with any variety of special needs. Will the student be able to hold the card, will the color contrast be enough, are there too many words on the page? Years and years of classroom experience and research are all brought together to address the smallest detail.

In a similar way, when the sales team attends a curriculum fair or presentation, a great deal of work goes in to asking what the customer needs before we start packing. Based on the needs of the student, sometimes the team will customize a group of products into a kit solution specifically for the district or classroom.

No organization can be perfect is every aspect, but I believe PCI has a huge lead over so many companies today, simply because we measure our success by the success of our students.

You have the most amazing idea. Practical Advice on How to Get Your Product Published

Special Education Classroom, Special Education Resource, Teaching Tips No Responses »

Jun 082011

By Carin Lamontagne, Senior Content Editor and Submissions Editor

You have the most amazing idea. It will revolutionize education. If only someone would publish it…

PCI Education welcomes submissions from teachers, students, parents, or anyone else with a true interest in improving the materials available for students with special needs. So how do you get your submission to us? And how can you improve your chances of having PCI (or any publisher) develop your submission for publication?

Before you send a submission to a publisher, do some research. First, find out whether the publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts. PCI Education does; some other publishers do not. Then, determine what market the publisher serves. In the case of PCI, we serve students with special needs; specifically, students with learning disabilities or with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Next, determine what types of products the publisher is putting out on the market. Check the publisher’s website or catalog for recent additions to the product line. For example, PCI has been focusing on core programs in the most recent years, although supplemental products continue to be a part of our line-up. Next, look for products that may compete with your submission. This is information PCI specifically requests from submitters, but it is a good idea to complete this research no matter which publisher you choose. If there are similar products on the market, focus on what makes yours different.

Once the research is done, find out what submission policies the publisher has established. These policies and the submission procedures will usually be posted on the publisher’s website; for PCI, look here: PCI Product Submissions Policy. Follow the instructions as closely as possible to increase your chances of success.

Finally, send your submission to the publisher for review. Depending on the submission, the publisher, the time of year, and a variety of other issues, review can take days, weeks, months, or even years. Many publishers have a “don’t call us; we’ll call you” policy, and you may not receive feedback unless they choose to accept your submission for publication. PCI informs authors when their submissions have been received, and we contact authors again when the decision to accept or reject has been made. Be aware that many publishers do not return submissions, retaining or discarding them after acceptance or rejection. PCI returns all rejected submissions that include adequate return postage.

We understand that people who work directly with students often have the best ideas for teaching those students, and we have seen submitted product ideas lead to successes in the classrooms. So if you have the next Cooking to Learn, or Academic Curriculum Framework, submit it for review. At PCI Education, we know that innovation comes from necessity. We take product submissions very seriously, and we strive to give each submission a full and fair review. We see our submitters as customers, partners, and resources; and we all share a common goal: providing solutions that help individuals with special needs and learning differences attain success in school, at home, and in the community.

__________________________________________________________________________

Carin Lamontagne is a Senior Content Editor and Submissions Editor with PCI Education. For over four years, she has been key in developing process for product submissions and has spent a great deal of her career at PCI working on the software development teams for products such as PCI Reading Program Software, Word Munchers, and Math Munchers.

Prior to her career with PCI Education, Carin enjoyed 10 years in consumer products and specialty retail management. Carin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Anthropology from Texas State University San Marcos.

A Sense of Accomplishment

Special Education Classroom, Special Needs Community, Uncategorized 1 Response »

May 312011

by Jill Haney – Author of the PCI Reading Program and Chief Product Evangelist

It’s that time of year in schools across the country. The end of the school year is a time when we reflect on all we and our students have learned and accomplished. As a mom, I’m marveling at the fact that my son’s kindergarten celebration is this week and my daughter’s 2^nd grade slide show is next week. The year has gone by so fast. With benchmarks and other tests behind them, teachers and students are planning a variety of ways to celebrate the community of learning they have become during this school year.

As a student, I always loved the end-of-the-year awards assemblies. Awards give us a chance to recognize outstanding achievements, hard work, perfect attendance, and excellent citizenship. I’ve discovered that my children’s school does an amazing job including all students in the end-of-the-year slide shows and celebrations. My daughter is in a regular education 2^nd grade classroom. My son is in a self-contained setting with some inclusion opportunities during the day. But I know I will see both in their grade level slide shows in the coming week. And, like any proud mom, I will cheer seeing them laughing and learning.

At PCI, we find ourselves looking back on the past year and assessing what we’ve accomplished as well. Just a few weeks ago, we learned that three of the products we published in 2010 have been named finalists for Association of Educational Publisher (AEP) awards. PCI Reading Program Levels One and Two Software has been named a finalist for the celebrated Golden Lamp award and for a Distinguished Achievement Award. PCI Reading Program Comprehension Activities has been named a finalist for a Distinguished Achievement Award. And Real-World Vocabulary has been named a finalist for a Distinguished Achievement Award and an Innovation Award.

I will attend the AEP awards ceremony in Washington D.C. June 8, and I will be cheering there too. It is a joy to see the “best of the best” curriculum and learning tools get well-deserved recognition. Even better is the fact that the award finalists and winners are all chosen by educators in the field, who recognize the kind of high quality teaching and learning materials we need in our schools.

Awards do give us a sense of accomplishment. So do stories of how something we’ve done has touched someone else and made a difference. Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the Council for Exceptional Children conference. One of the best moments was seeing one of the student “Yes I Can” Award winners stop by the PCI booth, point to the PCI Reading Program, and say, “That’s my reading program.” My co-author, Janie Hohlt, and I were honored to take a picture with this award-winning student. Seeing that smile on her face as she held up her favorite book meant the world to us.

Happy end of school year to all of you! Thank you for all you do every day to help all students achieve in school, at home, and in the community.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Jill’s responsibilities include managing the development of proprietary reading curriculums, training customers on PCI’s reading curriculums and other proprietary products, conceptualizing new products, writing sales and marketing literature related to the reading curriculums, staying current on reading and other educational research, overseeing the research conducted on PCI’s products, and staying current on federal and state legislation related to education.

Prior to her career with PCI Education, she was a national reading consultant and a seventh grade reading teacher. In 1999, she was named Teacher of the Year for San Antonio ISD and won the Trinity Prize for Teaching. Haney earned a BA with honors and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University in San Antonio. She has additional graduate reading hours from University of Texas San Antonio.

A Moment of Insight

Janie Haugen-McLane Series: 20 Years, PCI Company Culture, Special Education Classroom 1 Response »

May 022011

by Janie Haugen-McLane, Co-Founder PCI Education (as told to Denise Jacks)
(Third in a Series: 20+ Years Building PCI Education)

Me: “Janie” . . . “JANIE?”

Janie: “Yes”

M: “Sorry to interrupt but, I need to get a blog post from you. You know, about the process of starting PCI. It’s a follow-up to the one about your first experience in the classroom.”

J: “I can’t right now, I’m working on the Life Skills Games. On a deadline.”

M: “Aren’t those the products you started PCI Education with 20 years ago?”

J: “Yes, actually. We’re refreshing the games, they need updating to today’s world.”

M: “Cool. Well, why did you create the games to begin with?”

J: “Well, at the time, I was working in group homes with adults with intellectual disabilities and needed a way to get them to remember and follow the rules.”

M: “Hmmm, seems simple enough.”

J: “Not really! There were like a bazillion rules that staff and people that lived there had to follow.”

M: “Ohhh, I see.”

J: “Right, and that’s why four games turned into 16 games!”

M: “So, why a game?

J: “It was a fun way to get everyone at the group home to remember the rules without having to tell them over and over. They enjoyed playing the games and it gave them reinforcement and reward for following the steps and remembering the tasks they needed to carry out.”

M: “Well, I guess I better let you get back to your work”

J: “Okay”

M: “Thanks for the blog post, Janie”

J: “Huh?”

Using iPads to Help Students with Special Needs

edtech, Special Education Classroom, Special Education Resource 1 Response »

Jan 242011

By Jill Haney – Author of the PCI Reading Program and Chief Product Evangelist

As the mother of two children, including one with autism who is nonverbal, I am intrigued by the possibilities that new technologies present for engaging all learners. I’ve watched my seven-year-old daughter learn to master her Wii and DSi game consoles far more quickly than I seem to be able to learn the ins and outs of Excel. My five-year-old son was interacting with electronics intended for three-year-olds before he turned one. He may be nonverbal, but I’ve learned to see the patterns of which electronic toys and which musical tunes he chooses to settle down for bed, calm down when frustrated, or start his “get-ready-in-the-morning” routine.

The first time I got a close look at the iPad, I started thinking about its usefulness as a communication device. iPad users can download applications that show survival signs, teach letter-sound correspondence, and make counting money fun. For my son, I can see the iPad becoming a digital communication book he can use to indicate what he needs or the destination he would like to go simply by touching an image on the screen.

So it doesn’t surprise me that schools like Wood Lane School in Bowling Green, Ohio, are using iPads in their classrooms for students with special needs. As the teacher in the article states, the iPad has the potential to replace much more costly assistive technology devices and be more versatile in its uses.

What are some of the new technologies you are using to reach students with special needs in your school or district? What applications would you like to see become available?

___________________________________________________________________________________

Jill Haney

PCI Buys 5 Products From Kaplan K12

PCI Company Culture, Special Education Classroom, Special Education Resource, Special Needs Community No Responses »

Sep 152010

(Cross-posted from The Education Business Blog, by Lee Wilson, President and CEO of PCI Education)

“With the right support and intervention…people with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to be successful later in life.” Wikipedia

Last week PCI acquired SpellRead, Momentum Math, Text Connections, Summer Ventures, and an unreleased Algebra program from Kaplan. Given that this is an unorthodox move in these economic times I thought I’d lay out the case for the acquisition.

These intervention programs target reading or math and they fit snugly into our line of products for academically challenged students. They are age appropriate for middle and high school students who are significantly behind grade-level expectations and need intensive, small-group instruction.

They also have some outstanding research results – in fact SpellRead was the small group intervention program rated the highest by the What Works Clearinghouse.

Really? In this economy?

It may not seem like the optimal time to be making a move like this with the economy and education budgets looking like they will stagnate or decline for the next several years.

But as we look ahead we see an ongoing emphasis on serving all students and in particular reaching those students that traditional approaches have failed. A quick review of the policy directives coming out of the Obama Department of Education makes clear that accountability is not going to be sacrificed to short term economic pressures. That in turn means schools will continue to invest in reaching students who are struggling.

Evidence also shows that companies that invest wisely during downturns emerge stronger than competitors who pull back. We have increased our catalog distribution, hired sales reps, and boosted our on-line presence in the last 18 months. These new products fit nicely into our channel mix and should help fuel our market beating growth record of the past couple of years.

The Strategic Context

The supplemental publishing world has been in transition for several years. The traditional market for small scale ad-ons to basal materials is still there, but alongside it a world of comprehensive targeted intervention curricula has sprung up. In fact, most of the growth has come from the comprehensive side – examples include Read 180 and Wilson in reading and Carnegie Learning and TouchMath in mathematics.

The reason for this is rooted in student outcomes. Educators have figured out that instructional materials designed specifically for the job at hand are much more effective in reaching these students where they are. It is possible use adaptations and modifications of the basal textbook materials – but it isn’t optimal.

All of these products fit into this new category.

A More Complete Product Line

Kaplan-Anncouncement-masthead1 PCI has traditionally served both the Learning Disabilities (LD) market and the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) market. For the past 3-4 years our internal product development focus has been on filling a huge gap for IDD focused academic programs. The PCI Reading Program and Environmental Print are behind our rapid expansion in 2009 and 2010.

The acquisition refreshes our line on the LD side with 5 top notch programs. Our Development Team’s first reaction on seeing the materials was “this is exactly what we would have written.” We were impressed by the simplicity of design and the thoughtful structure provided for instruction in the materials.

If you are interested in seeing where we go with them be sure to tune into our web site for further developments. We have some pretty cool ideas about how to take rock solid programs and wrap them with innovations that build on 19 years of expertise in serving these students.

Related Blog Posts

PCI Announcement
Build Instructional Materials for 21st Century Skills

Possibility Spaces: Using Interactive Technology for Career Development with Students with Special Needs

Special Education Classroom, Special Education Resource, Special Needs Community, Teaching Tools, Uncategorized No Responses »

Aug 112010

by Erin Kinard

As educators, our task is to push students to move past the boundaries of what they are currently able to do—to expand their abilities, stretch their knowledge, test their understandings, and apply skills in new and unfamiliar contexts. We do this in an effort to help students achieve their fullest potential—to be their best academic, social, emotional, and professional selves. For most students, taking risks in a learning environment is not an easy or comfortable process. For students who have experienced repeated failures in school, the prospect of taking risks can be paralyzing.

At the recent Games, Learning & Society (GLS) conference , Beth King, a PhD. candidate at the University of Washington at Madison, presented on the process of “creating possibility spaces” for students within the virtual world of Sims2. King described her research with adolescent boys who were disaffiliated with school and had low academic self-esteem. The boys also had a strong affiliation with video games and gaming culture. “The project goal was to encourage each participant to consider the future not in terms of current academic performance but instead based upon their unique hopes, dreams and passion using potential self (Markus & Nurius, 1986) strategies.”

King situated herself as an advocate for the boys by creating safe places for them to practice their “authentic” selves and explore “possible” selves. Within the virtual world of Sims2, she had the boys explore who they thought they could become, who they were afraid to become, and who they were likely to become. King then conducted a series of career development interventions that included a blend of self-explorations within the virtual world sandbox as well as visits to actual worksites and college campuses. After the project, the boys who participated reported an increased ability to visualize their “hoped-for” futures. They also spoke about their individual futures with language that indicated much more agency and ownership.

As educators of students with special needs, the “possibility space” opened up within the sandbox of the virtual world is something we should be fully exploring. If we can give students the opportunity to safely “try on” a number of different occupations and explore various futures and identities, they may surprise us in ways we could never imagine.

________________________________________________________________________

Erin Kinard
Vice President, Product Development/Publisher

Erin Kinard joined PCI as the Vice President, Product Development/Publisher in December, 2009. Kinard oversees product development for the company. Prior to joining PCI, Kinard served as Editorial Director, Reading and ESL for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supplemental Publishers in Austin. During her eight years at Harcourt, Kinard held a variety of positions including Editorial Director of Steck-Vaughn, and Editorial Director of Reading for Harcourt Achieve. In addition to her educational publishing experience at other companies including Brown Publishing Network and Scholastic, Inc.,

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