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.
Game-Based Learning Units for the Everyday Teacher Game-based learning (GBL) is getting a lot press. It is an innovative practice that is working to engage kids in learning important 21st century skills and content. Dr. Judy Willis in a previous post wrote about the neurological benefits and rationale around using games for learning. Myths About Game-Based Learning First, let's clarify a couple things. Gee refers to teachers as "learning designers," and I couldn't agree more. Inspired by the work I've seen, here is an overview of components and structure for the everyday teacher to implement game-based learning Overall Structure: Individual Quests and Boss Levels A game-based learning unit should consist of both smaller quests and more robust boss levels. Boss levels are more rigorous missions that require students to synthesize the content and skills learned in the quests. Overall Theme You may have already noticed that all the quests are related under a thematic idea of question. Need to Know Incentives Avatar
Using Positive Student Engagement to Increase Student Achievement Teachers and school-based administrators alike have searched to find ways to increase student achievement in their schools. Several widely known and discussed strategies include using data to drive instruction, employing highly qualified teachers, and improving school leadership. Additionally, positive student engagement in the classroom is another compelling factor—but not as widely discussed—that research has reported to be critical in enhancing student achievement (Akey, 2006; Heller, Calderon, & Medrich, 2003; Garcia-Reid, Reid, & Peterson, 2005). Positive student engagement is not an easy term to define, yet we know it when we see it. Students are engaged when they “devote substantial time and effort to a task, when they care about the quality of their work, and when they commit themselves because the work seems to have significance beyond its personal instrumental value” (Newmann, 1986, p. 242). Engaged students also are more likely to perform well academically. Conclusion
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. 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. The following checklist lists some common red flags for learning disorders. Related Articles
Increase Student Engagement by Getting Rid of Textbooks Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Shelly Blake-Plock a high school classroom teacher from Maryland, who blogs at teachpaperless.com. Drool in the textbook. That's one of my most lasting impressions of high school. And these days -- as a history teacher and as a foreign language teacher -- that's one of the memories I'd rather not impart to my students. It's not that textbooks in and of themselves are in toto 'bad' or 'good'. But not this year. In fact, I've spent the last three years shedding textbooks from my classes. And guess what? Take that Latin text. Medium does matter. As a teacher, I'd say that the best things textbooks do are a) make my life easier by supplying me with reading passages, questions, and projects for the kids to do, b) organize the class material in such a way that we can stay on a steady course, and c) make it easy for colleagues and I teaching the same classes to "keep on the same page," so to speak. As for "keeping on the same page"...
"Of pedantry" by Michel de Montaigne I was often, when a boy, wonderfully concerned to see, in the Italian farces, a pedant always brought in for the fool of the play, and that the title of Magister was in no greater reverence amongst us: for being delivered up to their tuition, what could I do less than be jealous of their honour and reputation? I sought indeed to excuse them by the natural incompatibility betwixt the vulgar sort and men of a finer thread, both in judgment and knowledge, forasmuch as they go a quite contrary way to one another: but in this, the thing I most stumbled at was, that the finest gentlemen were those who most despised them; witness our famous poet Du Bellay — Mais je hay par sur tout un scavoir pedantesque. [“Of all things I hate pedantic learning.” — Du Bellay] And ‘twas so in former times; for Plutarch says that Greek and Scholar were terms of reproach and contempt amongst the Romans. Magis magnos clericos non sunt magis magnos sapientes. Odi ignava opera, philosopha sententia. Whence Ennius:
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
» El proceso del pensamiento Pensar, a partir de lo que vimos en la anterior entrada, implica ser creativo (generar ideas), ser crítico (saber analizar y evaluar ideas), y hacer todo esto de manera rigurosa y atenta (pensar “cuidadosamente”). Todo esto, además, son los pasos previos que posibilitan la toma de cualquier decisión. El pensamiento creativo y el crítico van de la mano, pues es necesario tener ideas pero saber evaluar su “calidad”, y, en función de eso, tomar una decisión. ¿En qué lugar del currículo enseñamos destrezas de pensamiento? Lo más apropiado, para asegurar el correcto aprendizaje tanto de los contenidos como de las destrezas de pensamiento que queremos enseñar, es utilizar ciertas estrategias para trabajar contenidos de cualquier área. Por ejemplo, podemos aplicar un esquema básico de toma de decisiones a un contenido concreto. Los pasos para la toma de una decisión pueden resumirse en cuatro: 1. 2. 3. 4. En próximas entradas veremos cómo aplicar este esquema a un contenido en concreto.
J'Lit | News & Updates : Coloring books for seniors: keep your hands busy and your brain will thank you | Books from Japan Japanese has many idioms and sayings that refer to te—the hands. Back-scratchers, for example—those long skinny devices typically made of wood that allow us to scratch itchy spots we could not otherwise reach—are known as mago no te, "grandchild's hand." The expression neko no te mo karitai—literally, "we'd like to borrow even the hands of cats"—implies things are so busy that there aren't enough workers to keep up. On the other hand, if you're an idle senior with neither grandchild nor cat, you might have to take things into your own hands. Coloring books, which have traditionally been regarded as strictly for children, are gaining traction as a pastime for adults—especially among the elderly. Compact and simple, and high quality to boot—all at a low price: Japanese manufacturing is known for being able to make these seemingly contradictory elements coexist. Also behind the boom is Japan's position at the leading edge of rapidly aging societies across the developed world.