I’m so proud of this middle school author, describing his struggles with learning disabilities and how technology has helped him along the way!
Check out his Generation Tech article at AT Program News!
Category Archives: Special Education
If we were to meet again…what I would say to the new teacher I met on the train.
She was a special education teacher from New York, who sat next to me on a train after running the Boston Marathon. She described her training and the perseverance it took to make it through to race day. Then we began talking about teaching…in my mind, I was thinking that anyone who takes on running marathons certainly has what it takes to be a teacher! As we chatted more, she shared some of her first-year experiences as a co-teacher in an inclusion classroom. It became clear to me that she loved her students, but she was discouraged and disenchanted with the teaching profession. She felt unsupported and overwhelmed; she was ready to quit.
I thought about this chance meeting for a few days. It caused me to reflect on my own early experience and to think seriously about the importance of supporting and empowering new teachers. We need to be able to pass the torch to the bright young professionals of the future. These are my afterthoughts and my advice to the new teacher I met on the train.
1) Find a great mentor. If the district does not assign one, then seek out someone who cares enough about the profession to nurture it and support new members. Sometimes the match is less than ideal, and it is ok to also find others with whom you are more comfortable. Look outside your school and find online communities too – support and encouragement is everywhere.
2) Work on building relationships. Make connections with students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. A strong network is important for a rewarding career. Surround yourself with colleagues who are enthusiastic, positive, and willing to share.
3) Reflect often and focus on what works. Keep a record of the little successes each day. Revel in your students’ “Aha!” moments and the positive growth you see.
4) Forgive yourself for mistakes and that which does not work as expected. Anticipate the ups and downs and roll with them. There will be days when nothing seems to go as planned and lessons fall flat. Step back, regroup, and use your reflections to make changes.
5) Be flexible. There will be days of last-minute changes and surprises. A new student may show up at your door without warning. Every day and every year will be different. Sometimes you need to grab a teachable moment and run with it. That’s what keeps it interesting!
6) Keep the whole child in mind – especially if you work with students with special needs. Sometimes educator impact and student growth cannot be documented accurately through test data or measured by academic goals. The social and emotional growth you witness is important too.
7) Share your knowledge and ideas. Believe in your ability to bring something new to the table, and don’t be intimidated by veteran staff. Your youth and energy are a valuable asset.
8) Observe other teachers in their classrooms as much as possible. Take note of organization, classroom management strategies, and routines. Take time to solidly establish routines that work for you in your classroom and you might find the teaching part becomes easier.
9) Look beyond the walls of your school and develop your own personal learning network. The best professional development is self-driven. Go to workshops, conferences, and EdCamps, and use the resources online through Twitter and educational blogs – you can find information on anything! And don’t be afraid to take a risk and try something new.
10) Indulge in your outside passions. Run your marathons and climb your mountains; challenge yourself outside of the classroom. It is easy to let the responsibilities of teaching consume your energy. Give yourself permission to put it all aside at the end of the day and enjoy your other life.
Most importantly – keep a sense of humor and have fun!
What would you say to a new teacher?
Testing…testing
“Personally, if you want to know about my reading, it would be better to have me read a book out loud to you and answer some questions and talk about it and do that several times. That would be way nicer and way easier.”
~8th grade student
High-stakes testing looms large in classrooms in the spring. All year, we focus on Universal Design for Learning and Project Based Learning. We personalize learning, encourage collaboration, and attempt to use more authentic assessments. Yet, in the end students still are asked to perform on a standardized test.
This week I watched my students take the English Language Arts MCAS. They were afforded the appropriate approved IEP accommodations, and I began the week feeling positive and hopeful that they would fare well – that didn’t last long.
Students with slow processing and weak working memory do best when tasks are broken down into short, manageable chunks and scaffolded. Those with language-based learning disabilities benefit from a small prompt or clarification. Students with emotional difficulties perform best with flexibility, encouragement, and timely positive feedback. In fact, all students do, but none of this can happen on test days.
On test days, I can only stand back and watch my students plug away at arbitrary tasks, working hard for an unknown evaluator. The struggle shows on their faces and in their body language: they sigh a lot and fidget; they slump down in their seats; they rub their eyes; and they put their heads on their desks. Some even scribble angrily. Slower readers work for three and four hours. Instead of a true measure of learning, I watch it become a test of stamina and perseverance.
Todd Rose talks about the impact of perceived threat on working memory and performance. With this in mind, I invited my students to share their thoughts before the test session began: “Describe how you feel at this moment, as you sit down to take this test.”
“What if I don’t do good?”
“I’m probably gonna fail this.”
“What if I can’t read the words?”
“What if I don’t understand it?”
“I’m afraid I won’t know what to write.”
“My mom’s gonna be really mad if I don’t do good.”
“It’s like way too serious, like you are doing bills or taxes.”
“It’s so scary and intimidating, like it’s going to the president or something.”
I work all year building confidence in my students and being a cheerleader. While I recognize the premise of standardized assessments, when I hand out these tests I can’t help feeling like a saboteur. I would love to see the day when we assess students more authentically, as proposed twenty-five years ago by Grant Wiggins and as suggested to me this week by an astute eighth grader.
Assistive technology: a change in perspective
My job title is “special education teacher” and I teach “students with special needs.”
My students’ abilities move about the continuum of learner variability, depending upon the lens being used to evaluate them. For over ten years, I’ve armed them with “assistive technology” and written it as an accommodation in their Individual Education Plans. It was necessary to facilitate inclusion. The goal has always been to provide access to curriculum, especially when it involved reading and writing. That goal hasn’t changed, but now there is a changing perception of the tools my students are using.
Years ago, software like Kurzweil, built-in text-to-speech capability of computers, and audio versions of text were useful, but these also made students stand out. They were usually the only ones doing something differently, and sometimes they resisted. Who wants to be the only kid in the room using a computer to read and write? Students with special needs don’t necessarily want to make themselves look different.
Along came Universal Design for Learning, Blended Learning, and a 1:1 iPad initiative to our middle school. As time went on, more students were doing things differently. Lessons created with Universal Design contain options for representation, engagement, and expression of learning. Teaching to the margins as the norm has helped our students with special needs blend in. With the addition of Blended Learning and 1:1 devices, no longer is it just special education teachers accommodating a few students with assistive technology. By allowing and providing options for everyone, no one looks different.
UDL and technology together help include all students; the possibilities are endless.
Varied reading ability has less impact on learning outcomes when technology empowers students. A colleague recently said, “It all goes back to the learning goal, doesn’t it?” So simple and so true. If the learning goal is understanding content, and students have the choice of listening to and following highlighted text, then the challenges are diminished. We can take the disability out of the curriculum by planning ahead and providing digital text as an option. Why not let every student choose from technology options if the essential question relates to content understanding, not learning to read?
Students can focus on content when information is represented using online textbooks, resources like Bookshare.org, and iPad apps like Read2Go and Subtext. These options have made my students more engaged and more active classroom participants.
Varied communication, executive functioning, and writing ability has less impact on performance when technology empowers students. If the learning goal is demonstrating understanding, and students have the choice of creating a screen cast, a video, a slide, or an e-book, then some challenges are diminished. For students with organizational, motor or expressive language difficulties, is there a benefit to struggling through writing a traditional essay when options like creating an Infographic, storyboard, or slide allow them to better show what they know?
My students have been successful using iPad apps like Popplet and Tools4Students to organize ideas. Book Creator, iMovie, ScreenChomp, Educreations, Explain Everything, and ThingLink increase their engagement and enable them to demonstrate learning.
There will always be students with a variety of needs in any educational environment. When considering inclusion, the concept of empowering – rather than assisting – students with technology, promotes a shift from focusing on disability to focusing on ability.
UDL and technology together make special education feel a little more general.
I’ve seen the amazing things my students with special needs CAN do. I would be quite happy someday just being called a “teacher,” who teaches “students.”
The power of relationships
One of my all time favorite videos says it all.
First thoughts
As a special education teacher, I am always seeking inspiration.
I have been a longtime consumer of ideas and resources that other educators share online, and I am always amazed by what I find when I go searching. The more I read, the more I recognize the importance of being connected outside of the school community, for both teachers and students, as we move deeper into the 21st century.
This year, I tried something new. I set up blogs for my students, intending to give them a platform for creating, connecting, and sharing, but some were hesitant. It finally dawned on me that to help my students I also needed to step outside my classroom and become more connected myself. As I ventured out, I discovered Twitter and Personal Learning Networks, and I became intrigued by the possibilities. My latest step is the creation of this blog.
I envision this as a place to reflect on the mountain of information, initiatives, and change in education that just keeps growing: Common Core…Educator Evaluation…Universal Design for Learning…Educational Technology…Personalized Learning…Understanding By Design…Data and Assessment…Differentiated Instruction…Response To Intervention…Executive Functioning, and more. Add these to supporting Inclusion and I am usually so focused on climbing up the mountain that I forget to stop and glance back.
Teaching academic concepts and skills to middle school students with varied abilities is part of my job. Of course my students are empowered by knowledge, however I believe that if I can empower them in other ways too, then their progress and their success in the future will be even greater.
My goal is for my students to be confident, independent, critical thinkers. I want them to have resources and strategies at their disposal to help them succeed at whatever they choose to do. I want them to become informed, to practice self-advocacy, and to be proactive. Despite their struggles, my students are a collection of wonderful collaborators, gifted speakers, and technology wizards; they are inquisitive, creative, and reflective. I want them to believe in themselves, to have a growth mindset, and to persevere. I teach with the belief that this is possible for all learners.
Of course, my opinions here are my own…and they are subject to change at any time. I hope that, as I continue to learn, I will change my practice when it is the right thing to do. I also hope to keep in step with my students. Teaching and learning is a journey, and we are on this road together.
teaching empowered learners 