Accommodations and Modifications Accommodations, modifications, and alternative assessments may be necessary for a special needs child to succeed while working on materials for learning. A student who cannot read nor write at grade level may be able to understand and participate in discussions about material that is read aloud and taught at the child's age-appropriate level. A child who cannot recall basic number facts may be able to do grade-appropriate problems using a calculator or working with number facts chart. A student with cerebral palsy may be able to take part in modified physical education with special equipment and carefully chosen exercises. The terms accommodations and modification are frequently used interchangeably, but they are not identical in their effect on teaching and learning. Because IDEA is a federal law, it primarily guarantees an appropriate, free, public education. Accommodations offer alternative ways for students to acquire information or share what they have learned with you.
Ten Steps to Better Student Engagement Tristan de Frondeville As a teacher, my goal was to go home at the end of each day with more energy than I had at the beginning of the day. Seriously. Now, as I travel the country coaching teachers on how to successfully use project learning, my goal remains the same. And I try to teach educators the strategies they need to achieve this goal in their own classrooms. A teacher in one of my workshops said, "When my students and I are in the flow, then I don't feel like I have to work as hard." Project-based classrooms with an active-learning environment make such in-the-flow moments more common. The good news is that the strategies for creating and managing high-quality project-learning environments are productive in any classroom, whether project learning is a central part of the curriculum or not. Create an Emotionally Safe Classroom Students who have been shamed or belittled by the teacher or another student will not effectively engage in challenging tasks. Cultivate Your Engagement Meter
Learning Disabilities in Children: Symptoms, Types, and Testing What are learning disabilities? Learning disabilities, or learning disorders, are an umbrella term for a wide variety of learning problems. A learning disability is not a problem with intelligence or motivation. Kids with learning disabilities aren’t lazy or dumb. Simply put, children and adults with learning disabilities see, hear, and understand things differently. Children with learning disabilities can, and do, succeed It can be tough to face the possibility that your child has a learning disorder. But the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. Signs and symptoms of learning disabilities and disorders If you're worried, don't wait If you suspect that your child's learning difficulties may require special assistance, please do not delay in finding support. Learning disabilities look very different from one child to another. It’s not always easy to identify learning disabilities. Related Articles Resources & References
Response: Several Ways To Help Students Become Better Listeners - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo UserID: iCustID: IsLogged: false IsSiteLicense: false UserType: anonymous DisplayName: TrialsLeft: 0 Trials: Tier Preview Log: Exception pages ( /teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2011/08/response_several_ways_to_help_students_become_better_listeners.html ) = NO Internal request ( 94.23.9.226 ) = NO Open House ( 2014-04-14 09:19:08 ) = NO Site Licence : ( 94.23.9.226 ) = NO ACL Free A vs U ( 2100 vs 0 ) = NO Token Free (NO TOKEN FOUND) = NO Blog authoring preview = NO Search Robot ( Firefox ) = NO Purchased ( 0 ) = NO Monthly ( c59a70f1-9618-7c6a-f057-612875f0e3ea : 3 / 3 ) = NO 0: /edweek/DigitalEducation/2012/09/start_a_computer_programming_c.html 1: /ew/articles/2012/02/24/22resources_ep.h31.html Access denied ( -1 ) = NO
Misunderstood Minds . Resources The following resources offer material you can use to become more informed about learning disabilities and differences. They encompass a broad range of viewpoints and approaches to the issues. The list is compiled from books, Web sites, articles, and videos that we consulted during the production of this Web site, or that our advisors recommended. Further guidance about how to find resources in your community is offered below. General Books Bernstein, Jane Holmes, and Deborah P. Bos, Candace S., and Sharon Vaughn. Levine, Melvin D. ---. ---. Levine, Melvin D., and Martha Reed. Meltzer, Lynn J., ed. Meltzer, Lynn J., et al. Meltzer, Lynn J., et al. Meltzer, Lynn, and Marjorie Montague. Vail, Priscilla L. Web Sites All Kinds of Minds American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psyc American Academy of Neu American Academy of Pedi American Occupational Therapy Assoc
Study Skills Once you have established a schedule to study you need to get the most out of that time. Several things will help increase your effectiveness. As already mentioned, maintaining a regular schedule is one. Another is creating a comfortable environment for studying that is free of distractions. Finally there is the What and How of studying. A. Generally all the material that you should know for an exam is presented in lecture or in your lab work. DO NOT take this to imply that you do not need to read the text. Note: Different instructors utilize textbook information to different degrees. If it is discussed in lecture it is important. There is no single "best" way to study. The following is a compilation of many of the techniques used by successful students to study. 1. 2. don't try to write everything that is said, just note enough to remind yourself what was discussed (your notes should be clear to you but not necessarily to anyone else). 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
New ‘Dyslexie’ font helps dyslexics read better AFP/ Those in a study of the font say it improves reading accuracy. A graphic designer from the Netherlands, Christian Boer, has developed a new font to aid his dyslexia. The font, called Dyslexie, isn’t the first of its kind, but according to Scientific American in an article published Wednesday, “it has received much fanfare from sufferers.” Boer first designing his font in 2008 while studying at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and in 2010 a fellow student conducted an independent study on the font as part of a master s thesis project. Participants in the study said the font improved their reading accuracy and allowed them to read for longer periods of time before tiring. According to Scientific American, the font tweaks letters of the alphabet that are commonly misread, such as d and m, to make them easier to recognize. Some other fonts designed to aid dyslexic readers are Read Regular, Lexia Readable, Tiresias and Sassoon.
Classroom 2.0 Autism News and Resources Autism Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.[2] Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.[3] It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.[4] Characteristics Social development There are many anecdotal reports, but few systematic studies, of aggression and violence in individuals with ASD. Communication Repetitive behavior Causes
iPads in the Classroom | Guest Blogger I've never worked on a Mac. I don't even own an iPhone. But one night four months ago, I borrowed an iPad from our Technology Department to see what all the fuss was about. As a baseball coach and sponsor of our school's broadcasting club, I thought the iPad might be useful for video analysis and editing. And it is. What I never expected was to find so many practical functions for my classroom. Unfortunately, though, unless you work in an incredibly wealthy school district or have been the recipient of an extremely generous grant, chances are your students don't all have iPads for school use. Equipment Assuming you have a projector in the classroom, you have two options: for $29.99, you can buy an adaptor to connect your iPad to the projector, or for $99.99, you can buy Apple TV. What Apps Do I Need? Notability: $0.99 The makers of Notability (the most popular productivity app in the App Store) market it as a "note-taking" app, but it's so much more than that. CloudOn: Free
I Education Apps Review - I Education Apps Review