Students With Disabilities

Monday, February 28, 2011

Stammer? Grammar? Clear communication is essential

Last night The King’s Speech was the big winner at the 2011 Academy Awards. If you’re unfamiliar with the film, it is the story of King George VI and his struggles with a severe stammer, which haunted him through childhood and threatened to paralyze his ability to rule the British Empire after he assumed the throne in 1936.

One couldn’t expect to be king and avoid all instances of public speaking–especially during this period, in which the advent of the radio was changing the way the world communicated.

George was able to triumph over his disability, and his story reminded me that to communicate clearly is something we all yearn for. It’s a struggle that many of us, along with the students we serve, grapple with– whether it be challenges related to literacy, grammar, language, pronunciation, or speech. Read more »

Posted by Carter in English Learners, ESL, Students with Disabilities | 1 Comment »

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Watch RTI webinar & download free infographic

Last week Imagine Learning sponsored a free webinar on implementing effective Response to Intervention frameworks. The webinar shared tips for using all three tiers of intervention to boost student progress. If you missed the webinar, you can watch the archived version to find out how three principals are making RTI work for their schools.

In conjunction with the webinar, Imagine Learning created an infographic—a visual guide to RTI success at each tier of intervention. We’re excited to share this infographic with you. To embed it on your own website, blog, or newsletter, simply copy and paste the code below. There are two versions of the graphic—one larger, one smaller. The smaller version functions best as a widget.

Posted by Carter in Imagine Learning English, Students with Disabilities | 2 Comments »

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Teaching outside the box

While learning seems to come naturally to some students, others struggle and need a spark or a jump-start. To make sure all students are engaged in learning, many schools are now turning to unusual ways to reach their students and are experiencing some very positive results! Here are a few examples:

Service dogs

Service and facility dogs can provide valuable learning opportunities. Specially trained dogs can teach students how to overcome fears, learn patience and perseverance, and listen to and follow directions. Children with special needs especially benefit from working with service dogs when they brush the dog, take it for walks, and play fetch. These activities help develop gross motor skills and reduce stress. If a child finds social interaction to be a struggle, having a dog as a buddy can be very calming.

Having a classroom canine mascot can also spark students’ interest in math (measuring out dog food) and writing (using the dog as the subject of a paper).

Infants

A Canadian non-profit group has an interesting strategy to reduce bullying. How does it work?

Posted by Claire in Early Childhood Education, English Learners, Struggling Readers, Students with Disabilities | 3 Comments »

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

5 ways to beat standardized test stress—Tip #3: Turn tricky questions into no-brainers

Students often get tripped up on tough reading questions like literal and inferential comprehension questions. To turn tricky questions into no-brainers, address them ahead of time by explicitly teaching your students how to tackle specific kinds of comprehension questions.

Not sure where to start? Imagine Learning English has some great activities designed to help students master both literal and inferential comprehension questions. You’ll find them in Level 2 under Reading Fluency and Comprehension. Have students play the activities on their own, or use your interactive whiteboard to play the activities for the whole class.

Posted by Lauren in English Learners, Struggling Readers, Students with Disabilities | 1 Comment »

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

National Title I Conference: Day two

This week we will be bringing you daily updates from the National Title I Conference in Tampa, Florida. Here is the entry for day two, Tuesday, February 1. Read the recap of day one here.

I think it’s safe to say that most attendees are grateful to be at the conference today—especially those from Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois. The weather here in Tampa is gorgeous! While we conference attendees relax at the hotel pools and soak up the warm Florida sun after a full day of mingling, listening to instructional sessions, and interacting with exhibitors, our families and friends are telling us to bring home the warm weather. With certain states getting as much as 30 inches of blinding snow, it’s no wonder that schools across the country are closed today. During a short break, one principal from Oklahoma showed me a picture on his phone as proof of just how much snow is currently blocking his doorstep at home. So a big THANK YOU to the National Title I Association for holding the conference in Tampa this year—we will be forever grateful!

Marybeth Flachbary and Steve Underwood Presentation

Along with the great weather, we attendees have been privileged to hear outstanding presenters. Each session is built around one of three themes: instruction, leadership, and policy. Yesterday I enjoyed a policy session by Marybeth Flachbart, deputy superintendent (Idaho DOE) and Steve Underwood. Marybeth and Steve shared how Idaho developed and defined a research-based description of “new school” that was both supported by policy makers and enacted by LEAs. They defined “new school” as as a school in the process of restructuring and showing substantial improvement. They encouraged leaders to collect evidence of how restructuring results in improvement. My biggest takeaway was “intelligent accountability.” You determine your best practices and find the evidence that shows how your school is being transformed.