Real Teachers-Real Strategies 12: Does Size Really Matter?

 Teaching Tips  No Responses »
Mar 272012
 

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

 

Real Teachers-Real Strategies 11: The Spelling Game

 Teaching Tips, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Mar 212012
 

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

 

 

Join the Team and send some students with special needs to Morgan’s Wonderland

 Special Education Resource, Special Needs Community  1 Response »
Jun 242010
 

by Denise Jacks

Several months ago, I introduced you to a magical place here in San Antonio called Morgan’s Wonderland —the world’s first ultra accessible family fun park designed specifically for children and adults with special needs. Having taken an afternoon to tour the facility with one of the park directors, I can honestly say that if you have not had an opportunity to visit their website or follow their Facebook page, you are missing out on some serious warm-fuzzies.  If you live near San Antonio, I encourage you to go and see the place for yourself. Please remember to make reservations first. The park directors closely manage the number of people admitted daily in order to avoid overcrowding. This is just one example of the park’s sensitivity to the needs of the audience it serves.

As part of the community dedicated to serving individuals with special needs, pretty much everyone at PCI saw a partnership with Morgan’s Wonderland as a natural extension of what we do, much like our involvement with Special Olympics and The Achievers Center.  After our initial visit in February, we brainstormed ways to get involved. Now we are excited to get EVERYONE involved!  Here’s how:

PCI Education, WeAreTeachers.com and Morgan’s Wonderland are teaming up to send students and their families to Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas.  Starting this fall, we are going to sponsor a contest on the WeAreTeachers website that will invite teachers to nominate a student with special needs and his or her family to visit Morgan’s Wonderland.  The winning student, three family members, and the student’s teacher will receive a trip to San Antonio where they will spend two nights and two days at the park—including airfare, hotel accommodations, and park admission free of charge. In addition, the winning teacher will receive a suite of PCI reading and math products for his or her school or classroom.

Here is the part where we need your help!  We are looking for corporate sponsors to partner with us on this project. The benefit for all involved will be tremendous—not just for the students and families who will get the opportunity to visit this amazing place, but you will get the warm-fuzzies just by being involved!

If you would like to get involved, please contact Denise Jacks at djacks@pcieducation.com

Special Education is PCI’s Specialty

 Special Education Classroom  No Responses »
Sep 102009
 

Academic Materials Tailored to a Variety of Special Needs

2008 PCILogoNew  by Kristina M. Swann                       

Several years ago, I jumped at the chance to write curriculum and other materials for PCI Education. Previously, as a special education teacher, I had spent hours modifying materials for my students. At PCI, I had the opportunity, along with other former teachers, to create curriculums and worksheets that feature a variety of modifications for students with special needs. We have the unique opportunity to create materials tailored to these students so teachers in the field did not have to go through the extensive modifications on their own any longer.

In my role as teacher, the modifications most frequently included:
•  enlarging the font of a textbook page or worksheet
•  shortening assignments
•  providing study guides so students will know what information they need to know
•  testing only on the most important information

I’m sure many of you can relate that these modifications needed to be accomplished without resulting in pages that look babyish or too different from what other students were using, which is not an easy task. However at PCI Education, the art directors and graphic designers know how to make materials easy to read without being juvenile.

To encompass the variety of special needs and learning differences, PCI’s products are specifically written to these students’ needs to facilitate learning in an inclusion classroom or special ed classroom in these ways:
•  Written at a lower reading level to accommodate struggling readers
•  Are printed in 14-point font
•  Have worksheets that are pleasing to the eye and not visually confusing
•  Questions are broken up into blocks of 5 questions at a time
•  Limiting choices in a word bank
•  Including crossword puzzles that are fun but also provide clues to exercise critical thinking skills
•  Include worksheets that also serve as study guides for the quizzes and tests. Each worksheet tells students on which corresponding student text page they can find the answer.
•  Created to have no surprises on tests and quizzes. Each test question comes from the worksheet pages, and all test and quiz questions have been answered before in a different format.

For example, a true/false question that appeared on a worksheet might appear on the test as a multiple-choice question, like the example below.

1. Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States during the Civil War.
•  True or False?

1. ________________ was President of the United States during the Civil War.
•  A. Abraham Lincoln
•  B. George Washington
•  C. George Bush
•  D. John F. Kennedy

At PCI, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for students to learn and retain the information presented in our student texts. PCI Education prides itself on creating materials that meet academic standards for students with special needs, struggling readers and struggling learners, students with learning differences, and students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“Minds-On” Science Instruction

 Teaching Tips  No Responses »
Aug 282009
 

Science LabHelping Special Ed Students and Struggling Learners Get Their Heads into Science

For years, we have been taught that “hands-on” science activities are the ones that students remember. The writers of the National Science Education Standards state that, “ ‘Hands-on’ activities, while essential, are not enough. Students must have ‘minds-on’ experiences as well… and all students should have access to excellent science education, regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science.”

This means that students must develop their understanding of science by not only learning the basics of scientific knowledge, but combining that knowledge with critical thinking skills.  Students are now being asked to say why the demonstration is interesting and how it’s relevant to our lives.

Students need to take in the science information they are being taught and then apply it, whether in a class discussion, a one-on-one conversation, or in writing. Whether you teach an inclusive class, a special education class, or have special needs students, you can provide students with the essential skills that they need to develop a better understanding of the world of science and how it impacts their life.

These activities are a start to getting students to take a minds-on approach along with hands-on practice in your elementary, middle school, or high school science classroom.

• Use a hands-on lab experiment as a springboard for other activities. For example, students could do research to find out if other schools or other classes within your school achieved the same results as them. Add the minds-on to it by having them create a presentation to illustrate their findings, or their results versus another class’s results. Or, have a class debate about why something happened the way that it did in the experiment.

• Assign research projects to students about different experiments. Then, have students recreate the experiments (hands-on) in the classroom and write up their results (minds-on).

• Conduct a hands-on lab experiment, then have the students turn their minds-on writing a short paper about how this experiment relates to something important in our lives today, along with “what if” this experiment never happened, what impact it would have.

For special needs, special ed or learning differences students, using a science word bank journal, a science flip-chart, or science graphic organizer would afford them a visual tool to successfully complete any of these ideas. There are also great software and audio programs available to provide reinforcement and added visual aids.

[ The above quoted information comes from this website: http://www.nsta.org/standards ]

By Kristina M. Swann

Sparking Motivation – Part 1

 Teaching Tips  No Responses »
Jun 152009
 

Engaging Special Needs Students to Learn

The motivation to learn is a key element in any successful classroom. Students who are motivated become engaged in learning activities and enjoy participating in class experiences with other students. These positive classroom experiences build students’ confidence and contribute to a favorable self-image.

But it is not always easy to motivate students. This can be particularly true of students with special needs. Many teachers say that their students with special needs are capable of learning, but are not motivated to learn. A lack of motivation often emerges in students who have had difficult, perhaps even painful, past learning experiences. For some students a natural defense mechanism response is to just give up.

If you need a new tactic for motivation, I found these strategies worked well for students at any level:

Remove any Extrinsic Rewards
Often, in a desperate attempt to motivate students, teachers design elaborate reward systems that involve points, prizes, and free passes. By creating multiple systems of rewards, students rely less on their own intrinsic motivation and focus only on the external rewards.

Instead, verbally praise and publicly honor students for their successes. This practice promotes a feeling of accomplishment and establishes pride within the classroom community. As well, you demonstrates success can be different for each student making learning differences in the classroom more acceptable.

Change the Classroom Climate
Let students know that you are a seeker of knowledge instead of an all-knowing dispenser of answers. Take an active role in projects and assignments with students. Don’t be concerned if you don’t know an answer.

Instead, ask your students where they would start looking for the answer. Let students observe as you seek the proper resource to find the answer (book, computer, expert).  If you equalize the playing field in your classroom, you will simultaneously demonstrate risk-taking without the fear of ridicule.

These concepts can be built upon and modified to your teaching style as well as for your particular group of students, whether special needs, struggling learners or regular learners.

If you have had success with a particular motivation strategy, please share with us. I will be posting more ideas, too, so stayed tuned!

Authored by Janie Hohlt

Encouraging Positive Behavior

 Teaching Tips  No Responses »
May 292009
 

angryboy

Teaching Positive Behavior Skills in the Special Ed Classroom

Today’s students are under more stress than ever. They’re striving for academic success, compete in multiple sports, and are often dealing with dysfunctional family situations. They’re also bombarded with the “need” for material things through advertising and peer pressure daily, as well as being confronted with life-altering decisions concerning drug and alcohol use. Combine all of these together in child’s life who also has special needs, emotions can unravel quickly.

Society expects these young people, regardless of having austism of learning differences, to grow up sooner rather than later. They are often left without being equipped with emotional tools to handle the pressure or meet its own expectations. All of this stress can send emotions spiraling out of control.

Fortunately, most teachers are in a position to help kids learn the lifelong, necessary skills they need to deal with emotions in a positive way. That’s because these days it’s the teachers who often spend the most focused time with today’s children. In the special education classroom, providing positive behavior and emotional tools and being able to reinforce them daily in a group can help both the teacher and the student.

What follows are some suggestions on how the teacher can make a positive difference by influencing and shaping young lives in an inclusive or special ed classroom. As well, parents who are looking for healthy alternatives or strategies to work with their child to develop coping tools can use these ideas at home.

1. Help students recognize, acknowledge, and label their emotions. Helping students to identify and understand what and how they’re feeling will enable them to deal with their emotions in a positive way. Provide emotional vocabulary for students to use. Make it a practice in conversation to reiterate what you’re hearing from students. This will let them know their feelings are both acceptable and understood.

2. Provide a safe environment for sharing emotions. Make it a policy in your classroom to take time out to address issues as they arise. Never demean or belittle a student for expressing his/her emotions, and expect all people involved to show the same respect. Let it be known that you will truly listen to students with a non-judging ear. Help them connect with other responsible adults (counselors, mentors, etc.) in accordance with time constraints.

3. Remind students that they’re not alone in their feelings. Most students feel uncomfortable with their emotions because they’ve never been encouraged to share them. Help them understand that all people sometimes feel angry, sad, hurt, embarrassed, frustrated, and depressed. Share some personal experiences to put students at ease.

4. Remind students that their present feelings will not last forever. Often, people struggling with their emotions will experience a sense of despair because they fear that a situation will never improve. Help students understand that things will get better, feelings will change, and their focus will shift. Share your own experiences to show that time truly does heal wounds, and to make embarrassing situations seem less important.

5. Provide opportunities for students to work through their emotions. Many people ignore emotions in hopes that they will disappear. It’s important to teach students that ignoring emotions may create more serious problems. Feelings do not change because they’re ignored. In fact, often they become stronger and more difficult to manage as they compound. Teach students that the only way to grow emotionally is to face feelings head-on, and work through the pain.

6. Help students find positive ways to express anger or hurt.  Numerous students feel better after talking to a caring person. Others benefit from expressing their feelings through art, role-play, music, or appropriate physical activity. Provide opportunities for students to try different methods of emotional expression.

7. Train students in and provide opportunities for peer counseling.  Acknowledge that many students don’t trust adults to hear or understand their problems. Adopt a program in your classroom or school that provides training for students in peer counseling. Encourage different kinds of students to participate in this program, explaining that all people have varying ideas, perspectives, and needs. The school environment can provide a wonderful arena for embracing differences and meeting the needs of individuals.

For more ideas on providing a positive outlet for emotions in the special ed or inclusive class or at home, especially in reference to anger management, check out the Bugg Books series, Choosing My Behavior, and Real-World Social Skills. 

The Bugg Books series is written in an entertaining format with charming illustrations for early elementary students.  Each short story teaches character education and the consequences of bad behavior.

Choosing My Behavior is a great curriculum for older elementary students with many activities, role-play opportunities, and a board game to make learning positive behavior skills fun.

Real-World Social Skills game and curriculum is geared for middle school students. It focuses on every day social situations and issues students encounter at school and at home. Activities include discussion starters and interactive simulations to help them understand appropriate and alternative skills to handle a variety of real world situations.

“If we are to reach real peace in this world . . . we shall have to begin with the children.” — Mahatma Gandhi, non-violent civil rights leader (1869-1948)

Authored by Rachel Kaspar

Getting Organized

 Teaching Tips  No Responses »
May 272009
 

TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR THE INCLUSIVE SECONDARY CLASSROOM

Planning is the Key to SuccessOrganization is the key to success for middle school and high school students on a good day, as well as an important life skill they will carry into adulthood. For students with special needs or in special education classes, organization is essential to learning. As students enter the secondary grades, they must keep track of locker combinations, class schedules, homework assignments, and extracurricular activities. Many students feel pressured to stay organized or flounder, and even more so for youth and teens that are struggling learners.

Students who have attention problems, learning differences, or autism often have an especially difficult time keeping up with all their activities. They need your expertise on being a solution builder specific to their special needs. Special educators such as inclusion teachers, content mastery center teachers, and self-contained classroom teachers can help these students achieve success. By providing them with their own daily planner and instructions to use it, a writing journal or a graphic organizer, you can also help develop basic life skills, such as writing skills, critical thinking, and communication skills.

To begin with, make sure to list the agenda for the day, homework, long-term assignments, and test dates intakingnotes a visible place in your classroom. It takes little time to write these things on the board or on an overhead projector. You can even type your agenda on a PowerPoint slide and post it on a classroom computer.

There are a variety of teacher resources and special education materials to use for your students to see and write down important class information. This will also reinforce their organization and writing skills.

Having a visible agenda for your special ed students does two things. It allows them to anticipate what is going to happen in your classroom that day, and it also gives them a better chance at keeping up with their daily assignments.  It will also helps them think about the resources they need for the day or will need for upcoming assignments or tests.

As soon as students come into your classroom each period, instruct them to write the agenda and homework assignment in their planner. For example, they might write, “In class: paragraph practice worksheet. Homework: Write multi-paragraphs on dream vacation in word bank journal.”  Instruct them to do this in each of their classes. Have students get into the habit of writing in the planner at the beginning of each class period. At the end of the day, they can look in their planner and engage critical thinking skills to decide which books need to be taken home to complete their homework assignments.

You can also build communication skills between students with parents through the planner and get them involved in their child’s success. Set up an arrangement where parents check their child’s planner each night and make sure assignments are completed. They can then write notes to you in the planner, or simply sign next to that date to let you know they have seen everything. Thus, the student is held accountable at home and at school and develops successful life skills for their future.

Using a planner not only helps students stay organized and keep from falling behind in school, it instills a lifelong method for organization and journal writing that will help them as they enter college and the  workplace.
For more information on study skills such as organization and comprehension skills, take a look at the comprehensive study skills program, Teaching Study Strategies, on PCI Education’s website.

There are teacher resources available in a variety of formats to assist your struggling learners. You can choose from reproducible binders, student workbooks, software programs, curriculum guides, and more. You may also request a PCI catalog on-line for the most current special education materials available in math, history, reading, language arts, science, communication, and assistive technology, as well as educational materials for nonreaders and autism resources.