Universal Design for Learning: Creating a Learning Environment that Challenges and Engages All Students

Creating a Welcoming Classroom for Students with Special Needs Listen to my interview with Jam Gamble, or read a full transcript here. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:25 — 76.5MB) Subscribe: iTunes | Android | I can remember the first time I taught students with special needs. I was teaching sixth grade, and twelve students with IEPs had been placed in a single class period with me. Despite the fact that I’d had one whole 3-credit college course devoted entirely to special education, I was absolutely clueless. And needless to say, that year was an absolute train wreck. I can only imagine how different things could have been if I’d known someone like Jam Gamble. Ms. When discussing possible topics for our interview, Jam and I talked about how many regular ed teachers feel inadequately prepared to serve the needs of students with special needs. When we think about making our classrooms more accessible, we tend to think primarily in terms of the physical space. And who are those people? This section contains Amazon Affiliate links.

UDL: The Three Principles Three primary principles, which are based on neuroscience research, guide UDL and provide the underlying framework for the Guidelines: Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation (the “what” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. For example, those with sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or deafness); learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia); language or cultural differences, and so forth may all require different ways of approaching content. Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression (the “how” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they can navigate a learning environment and express what they know. Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (the “why” of learning) Affect represents a crucial element to learning, and learners differ markedly in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn. Learn more about UDL Guidelines 2.0:

Home | National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials 10 Strategies and Practices That Can Help All Students Overcome Barriers Educators today are faced with the daunting task of teaching students that face personal and social emotional challenges on a broad scale unlike any other generation. We now have in our schools what we refer to as the recession babies, a generation of children whose parents experienced hardships, loss of jobs, addiction and other tragedies during very trying economic times. Many of whom have yet to recover. Caught in the middle of this social, moral and ethical dilemma is the teacher who is faced with ensuring the delivery of content and skills necessary to “close the gap” and ensure proficiency on standardized assessments. In order to do this there have been a number of “practices” or genre’s if you will, of instructional themes and curriculums developed to address the individual issues. So let’s keep it simple. Build relationships Relationships and the importance of them in the classroom never goes away. Be intentional with your lesson planning Use a balanced data approach

151 Leading Sites for Elementary Educators » Elementary Education Degree Today’s elementary school kids grew up in the digital age, and they love computer-based activities and learn from them easily. Learning and sharing online isn’t just for students though. There are hundreds of fantastic sites online to help elementary educators do their jobs as well. From educational videos to interactive games and even e-book publishers, classroom management advice, and teachable moments from teachers who blog, a driven elementary educator can find just about anything he or she needs among these 151 leading sites. The sites here aren’t listed in ranking order, as they all have different strengths and will meet different readers’ needs. Many sites on elementary education do a good job of pulling together info from every class subject or just sharing advice on how teachers can work with the education system to provide the best learning experience to their youngsters. Edutopia Edutopia helps Identify trends in education and what methods are currently working.

What is NIMAS? NIMAS is a technical standard used by publishers to produce source files (in XML) that may be used to develop multiple specialized formats (such as Braille or audio books) for students with print disabilities. The source files are prepared using eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML) to mark up the structure of the original content and provide a means for presenting the content in a variety of ways and styles. For example, once a NIMAS fileset has been produced, the XML and image source files may be used not only for printed materials, but also to create Braille, large print, HTML, DAISY talking books using human voice or text-to-speech, audio files derived from text-to-speech transformations, and more. The separation of content from presentation is an important feature of the NIMAS approach. The various specialized formats created from NIMAS filesets may then be used to support a very diverse group of learners who qualify as students with print disabilities. See also the U.S. PDF format.

Eligibility for Special Education Services: Articles, Resouces and Decisions from Wrightslaw Eligibility FAQs | Articles | Legal Resources | Caselaw Print this page Note: We have a YouTube video about the use of RTI to delay an evaluation to determine eligibility. For that and other Wrightslaw YouTube videos, go to the "Wrightslaw YouTube Channel" at: www.youtube.com/user/wrightslaw When Congress reauthorized IDEA, they strengthened the role of parents: "Decisions about special education eligibility must be made by a team that includes the child's parent. These changes were maintained when the IDEA was reauthorized in 2004. Who is Eligible for Special Education Services? To be eligible for special education, a child must have a disability and must need special education services and related services. These issues are confusing. FAQs FAQs: Your Child's Eligibility. To Top Articles Eligibility Issues & Learning Disabilities. Are Children with ADD/ADHD Eligible for Special Education Services Under IDEA? School Says Child is Not Eligible for Special Ed - What Can I Do? . Caselaw

Why Suicide Has Become an Epidemic--and What We Can Do to Help WHEN THOMAS Joiner was 25 years old, his father—whose name was also Thomas Joiner and who could do anything—disappeared from the family’s home. At the time, Joiner was a graduate student at the University of Texas, studying clinical psychology. His focus was depression, and it was obvious to him that his father was depressed. Six weeks earlier, on a family trip to the Georgia coast, the gregarious 56-year-old—the kind of guy who was forever talking and laughing and bending people his way—was sullen and withdrawn, spending days in bed, not sick or hungover, not really sleeping. Joiner knew enough not to worry. What makes some people, such as Vincent van Gogh, desire death in the first place? Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week But Dad had left an unmade bed in a spare room, and an empty spot where his van usually went. The investigators found slash marks on his father’s wrists and a note on a yellow sticky pad by the driver’s seat. Writer David Foster Wallace (d. Artist Mark Rothko (d.

Determining Special Education Eligibility Special education eligibility is bound by IDEA but there are no definite rules for determining who is eligible for special education. This is a VERY important concept to understand. It means that under the law, the IEP team has the flexibility to determine if a child qualifies for services. Criteria states that to qualify for special education services, a child must have one of the 13 disabilities as defined by IDEA AND the impact of the disability must create a need for services. Examples of adverse impacts include: A discrepancy between performance and ability Limited progress, or deficiency in cognitive areas Evidence of emotional or behavioral disturbances Problems with fine or gross motor skills. For example, if a child is developmentally and chronologically ten years old but continues to read at a first grade level, the adverse effect would be a limited progression in reading. Consequently, determining if a child is eligible is not cut and dry. STEP 4 of the IEP Process is

The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR November 1999 The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement By Alfie Kohn Only extraordinary education is concerned with learning; most is concerned with achieving: and for young minds, these two are very nearly opposite. -- Marilyn French I. Part of the problem is that we shy away from asking the right questions and from following the data where they lead. From another perspective, though, the real problem isn’t grade inflation--it’s grades, which by their very nature undermine learning. First, students tend to lose interest in whatever they’re learning. The data to support these findings are available to anyone who cares to look, and the practical problems of eliminating grades--including the challenge of helping parents understand the benefit to their children of doing so--are solvable for anyone who is committed to the task. All of these features represent the very opposite of meaningful assessment. In fact, researchers could tell you this, too. Why? II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Understanding the 13 Categories of Special Education Special education is a broad term used to by the law (IDEA) to describe specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of a child who has a disability. These services are provided by the public school system and are free of charge. Services can include instruction in the classroom, at home, in hospitals and institutions. Learning disabilities cover a wide spectrum of disorders ranging from mild to severe. They can include mental, physical, behavioral and emotional disabilities.  There are 13 categories of special education as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). AutismBlindnessDeafnessEmotional DisturbanceHearing ImpairmentIntellectual DisabilityMultiple DisabilitiesOrthopedic ImpairmentOther Health ImpairedSpecific Learning Disability Speech or Language ImpairmentTraumatic Brain InjuryVisual Impairment WHAT IS THE GOAL of SPECIAL EDUCATION? A specific program or class for your child.  What is an SST? What is a 504 Plan?