Tag Archives: Teaching

“Turn and Talks” in the Classroom Can Yield Many Positive Outcomes For Your Students

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Procedures

Turn and Talk – Procedures and Routines

How to Use

1. Question

Pose a question or prompt for students to discuss and tell them how much time they will have. A one-to-two minute discussion is most productive.

2. Turn

Have students turn to a specific partner. Pair students using Eyeball Partners, Shoulder Partners, or Clock Partners (see variations below). Partner assignments should be set up beforehand so that students can quickly and easily pair up.

3. Talk

Set a timer for the allotted time, and have students begin discussing the assigned question or prompt. When time is up, ask partners to share out thoughts and ideas from their discussion.

When to Use

Use Turn and Talk at any time during a lesson to encourage accountable talk:

  • As a warm-up activity to discuss previous lesson or homework assignment
  • After five to seven minutes of oral or written input, to help student process what they have just heard or read
  • During class discussions as a way for students to discuss ideas before sharing them with the class
  • As a closing activity so that students can review what was learned in the lesson
  • As a clarification tool for a complex problem or new guiding question posed by the teacher

Variations

Eyeball Partners

When students are seated at tables or in groups, “eyeball partners” are students who are facing in front of each other.

Shoulder Partners

When students are seated at tables or in groups, “shoulder partners” are students who are seated next to each other. This may also be done when students are seated in rows.

Clock Partners

Using a clock template, have students “make appointments” with four other classmates, one for 12 o’clock, one for 3 o’clock, one for 6 o’clock, and one for 9 o’clock. Partners may not be repeated. When ready to use partners, simply say “Work with your [choose one of the times] partner.” In Primary Grades PK-1, partners should be assigned by the teacher.

Source

Articles

Turn and Talk: One Powerful Practice So Many Uses by Lucy West & Antonia Cameron

6 Easy Ways to Improve Turn & Talk for Student Language Development

Turn and Talk from HAMERAY PUBLISHING

Why Talk Is Important in Classrooms- from Content-Area Conversations by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Carol Rothenberg

Structured Student Talk  From El Achieve

Turn and Talk Tips and Examples

Keep Your Students Engaged with “Turn and Talk” by RACHEL LYNETTE

I'm sure that by now in your teaching career, you've heard of Think, Pair, Share. But have you heard of Turn and Talk? This is very similar to Think, Pair, Share, but its foundation is in brain-based research. Sally of Elementary Matters shares all about Turn and Talk in this guest post and shares a FREE poster that you can hang up in your classroom. Click through to read more and download the freebie!

TURN AND TALK PROMPTS
Please note that the list below is not meant to be a comprehensive list of Turn and Talk prompts, but simply a starter guide to get you thinking about how you can use this tool in your classroom.
READING
1. Which character did you identify most with in the book and why?
2. What do you predict will happen in the next chapter?
3. What did you visualize when you read this chapter?
4. Describe a connection you made while reading this piece. It can be a text-to-text, text-to-self, or text-to-world connection.
5. What is something the main character did that surprised you?
6. Choose a word that was unfamiliar to you when you first read this book. Explain to your partner how you determined the meaning of the word.
7. What do you think is the theme of the story?
8. Do you agree with the character’s actions? Why or why not?
9. After reading this book, what is one question you would want to ask the author?
10. What do you think the author’s purpose was for writing this story?

MATH
1. Explain the strategy you used to solve this problem, and why you chose it.
2. Share three ways we use math in our everyday lives.
3. Analyze this problem and see if you can find the error the student made while solving it. Discuss with your partner how you would correct the error.
4. Do you agree or disagree with how I just solved this problem? Defend your answer.
5. What would be the next step?
6. Choose one math tool / manipulative we have used this year, and explain to your partner what it can be used for.
7. Which image / shape / pattern does not belong in this set of 4? Explain your thinking.
8. What information do you still need in order to solve this problem?
9. I can check my answer by……
10. I know my answer is reasonable because…
http://www.APLearning.com

SCIENCE
1. The physical properties of ___________ and ____________ are similar because ___________________.
2. What do you predict will happen as we complete this investigation?
3. Choose one science safety tool and explain to your partner how to use it and why it is important.
4. Explain what you observed during the experiment, and why you think this happened.
5. Explain the process of how matter can change from one state to another.
6. Choose a plant or animal we have studied, and explain how it is adapted to thrive in its particular environment.
7. Take turns describing to each other the stages of the ___________’s life cycle.
8. A change we could make to our design is _______________. I think this will impact it by __________________.
9. Choose one environmental change, and explain to your partner how it impacts the environment.
10. How can we represent the data we have collected from this experiment?

SOCIAL STUDIES
1. Which invention do you think had the greatest impact on our society and why?
2. Do you think it is important to learn about the history of our country? Defend your answer.
3. Think about the two cultures we have studied. Describe one way in which they are similar and one way in which they are different.
4. Describe how ________________ had an impact on society.
5. How can you determine if an online resource is valid?
6. Choose an important feature of a map or globe and explain its significance.
7. Explain how supply and demand effect the price of a good or service.
8. Find an example of one non-fiction text feature in your history textbook, show it to your partner, and explain how it helps you as a reader.
9. What do you think is the most important reason for a group of people to immigrate to another country?
10. Of the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, which do you think is most important? Defend your answer.

Source

Anchor Charts

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Building a Relationship with Students to Increase Learning in the Classroom

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Articles

5 Tips for Better Relationships With Your Students – NEA

Featured article: Unconditional Positive Regard and Effective School Discipline By Dr. Eric Rossen

The Teacher as Warm Demander by Elizabeth Bondy and Dorene D. Ross

Educator’s Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems by Mark Boynton and Christine Boynton

The Power of Positive Regard by Jeffrey Benson

Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships– CSEFEL

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Unconditional Positive Regard 

Carl Rogers described unconditional positive regard (UPR) as love and acceptance that are not dependent upon any particular behaviors. He often used the term “prizing” as shorthand for this feature of a relationship. According to Rogers, prizing is particularly important in the parent-child relationship.

Unconditional Positive Regard 

Carl Rogers described unconditional positive regard (UPR) as love and acceptance that are not dependent upon any particular behaviors. He often used the term “prizing” as shorthand for this feature of a relationship. According to Rogers, prizing is particularly important in the parent-child relationship. Rogers argued that children who are prized by their parents experience a greater sense of congruence, have a better chance to self-actualize, and have are more likely to become fully functioning people than those whose parents raise them under “conditions of worth.”

Unconditional positive regard is also a crucial component of Rogers’ approach to psychotherapy. In fact, along with empathy and genuineness, Rogers asserted that UPR was one of the necessary and sufficient elements for positive psychotherapeutic change. When Rogers described UPR as “necessary,” he communicated that an unconditionally accepting and warm relationship between therapist and client is a prerequisite for therapy to be effective. This assertion is not particularly shocking; most individuals seeing a therapist would probably expect the therapist to have this type of nonjudgmental attitude, and would also probably expect therapy to progress poorly if the therapist was in fact judgmental or conditionally disapproving. When Rogers described UPR as “sufficient,” however, he made a bolder statement. The term “sufficient” suggests that if a therapist provides UPR, along with empathy and genuineness, to a client, the client will improve. No additional techniques or strategies are needed. The therapist need not analyze any dreams, change any thought patterns, punish or reward any behaviors, or offer any interpretations. Instead, in the context of this humanistic therapy relationship, the client will heal himself or herself by growing in a self-actualizing direction, thereby achieving greater congruence. This “necessary and sufficient” claim holds true, according to Rogers, regardless of the diagnosis or severity of the client’s problem.

In addition to the parent-child and therapist-client relationship, Rogers also considered the value of UPR in other relationships and situations. For example, he spent significant time and energy discussing the role that UPR might play in education, and in the teacher-student relationship in particular. Rogers criticized the mainstream American educational system as overly conditional. He believed that educators too often used the threat of poor grades to motivate students, and that students felt prized only when they performed up to educators’ standards (as measured by grades on exams, papers, etc.). He further believed that students may emerge from school having learned some essential academic skills, but also having learned that they are not trustworthy, that they lack internal motivation toward learning, and that only the aspects of themselves that meet particular academic criteria are worthy.

Rogers strongly recommended that teachers and administrators take a more humanistic and less conditional approach to education. He argued that UPR in schools would communicate to children that they are worthy no matter what; as a result, their sense of congruence and their tendency toward self-actualization would remain intact. Students, according to Rogers, should be trusted to a greater extent to follow their own interests and set to their own academic goals. Rather than threatening students to study for exams and write papers in which they have little interest, prize them wholly and allow them greater freedom to choose that which they want to pursue. Advocates of Rogers’ humanistic approach to education argue that it would enhance students’ self-worth, which in turn may preclude many of the psychological and social problems that children encounter. Critics of Rogers’ humanistic approach to education argue that without conditions of worth based on academic achievement, students would have no provocation to learn, and would demonstrate lethargy rather than self-motivation.

Andrew M. Pomerantz, Ph. D.

 

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Phonemic Awareness Assessments from LRI

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LRI has created these English assessments for Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st grade. The assessments were created to inform teachers about a child’s progress with phonemic awareness throughout the school year, and they can be used as a tool for determining where to start the Phonemic Awareness curriculum when implementing the lesson mid-year. The assessments align with the Phonological Awareness Standards of the Common Core State Standards.

Assessment Scoring Guides

Spanish Phonemic Awareness Assessments

Common Core in relation to Phonological Awareness (K-1)

Alignment to the Common Core State Standards for Phonological Awareness: Kindergarten

Alignment to the Common Core State Standards for Phonological Awareness: Grade 1

 

Movement Breaks in the Classroom

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Movement breaks are brief intervals that enable all students to move their bodies and help teachers to engage learners in physical ways. Chants, poems, even Morning Meeting greetings, and activities can be used as movement breaks throughout the day.

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Activities

  1. 5-4-3-2-1 In this simple game, students stand up and the teacher (or leader) has them do five different movements in descending order. For example the teacher would say: “Do five jumping jacks, spin around four times, hop on one foot three times, walk all the way around the classroom two times, give your neighbor one high-five (pausing in between each task for students to do it).
  2. Trading Places Have students stand behind their pushed-in chairs. Call out a trait, and everyone who has that trait must change places with someone else (students who do not have the trait stay where they are). Examples: “Everyone with curly hair.” “Everyone who ate cereal for breakfast.” “Everyone who is wearing stripes.”
  3. Six Spots Number six spots around your room from 1-6. Have students each go to a spot of their choice. Choose a student to roll a die (if you can make a big one out of foam, it adds to the fun). All the students at the number rolled must go back to their seats. Students that are left go to a new spot, and the die is rolled again. Continue until only a few students are left.
  4. Mingle, Mingle, Group! In this game students mill about the classroom saying, “mingle, mingle, mingle” in soft voices until the teacher says, “Groups of 5,” at which point the students must quickly group themselves into groups with the correct number of people. Students who are left over must do three jumping jacks before the next round starts. The teacher can call out any number for the group size. You can also add rules such as: as soon as a group is complete, all members must sit down in a line.
  5. Dance Party! Put on some rockin’ music and dance! If you can make the room semi-dark and have a black light or other special effect, your kids will love it!
  6. Freeze Dance! Similar to Dance Party, except that every so often the music stops, and students must freeze and hold the position they are in until the music begins again.
  7. Name Moves Students stand behind their chairs. In turn, each student says his or her name accompanied by a special movement. For example a student might say, “Kayla!” while dramatically dropping to one knee and doing Jazz Hands. After the student does his or her move, the rest of the class says the student’s name in unison and imitates the move. Then it is the next student’s turn.
  8. Keep It Up Students must keep a beach ball from hitting the ground. Add two or three balls to make it even more fun.
  9. Simon Says An oldie but a goody!
  10. Movement Songs Sing a song with whole-body movements, such as, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” “Father Abraham,” “Toe-Knee Chest-Nut,” “Shake Your Sillies Out (Raffie),” “Grand Old Duke of York,” “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean,” etc.
  11. Recorded Movement Songs Older students might enjoy a simple Zumba routine, YMCA, or the Macarena. Littler ones will love Sesame Street’s A Very Simple Dance to Do.
  12. Animal Pretend Younger children will enjoy pretending to be various animals (or even objects such as lawn mowers or airplanes). Call out a few in sequence.
  13. Would You Rather Ask a “would you rather” question and have students show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the other. Have a few kids share why. Here are 20 free “Would You Rather” Questions to get you started.
  14. Find It Fast Call out a color or other trait (e.g. something round, something made of wood), and students must find an object in the room that fits the trait and get to it quickly.
  15. Physical Challenges Challenge students to do something physically difficult, such as standing on one foot with arms extended, or this one: Grab your nose with left hand, and grab your left earlobe with your right hand, and then quickly switch so that your right hand is on your nose and your left hand is grabbing your right earlobe. Yoga poses could also be a good variation.
  16. Plates Give each student a paper plate. Students must walk around the room balancing the plates on their heads. If a student drops his or her plate, the student must freeze until another student picks it up and places it back on the student’s head (while keeping his or her own plate in place, of course).
  17. Line Up! Have students line up using a specific criteria, such as age (use day and month, not just year), height, alphabetically by middle name, hair length, etc.
  18. Limbo All you need is a long stick and a pair of kids to hold it. Music is nice, too.
  19. Human Knot Divide students into groups of about eight students. Have students each grab right hands with someone who is not directly next to them. Then do the same with left hands. The challenge is to untangle and become a circle without releasing hands.
  20. Jump Skip Counting Have students count by twos, fives, tens etc. while jumping with each count. You could also practice spelling words this way.

Source

Videos from GoNoodle are great!

GoNoodle videos get kids moving to be their strongest, bravest, silliest, smartest, bestest selves. Over 14 million kids each month are dancing, stretching, running, jumping, deep breathing, and wiggling with GoNoodle.

For Teachers: 3 out of 4 elementary schools in the US use GoNoodle to: – Give students the brain breaks they need – Host indoor recess – Make subject transitions seamless – Energize or calm their class

Create a free account on GoNoodle.com now and find hundreds of ways to move! — https://goo.gl/fA6qK3

Videos from Stand Up Kids

BURPEE

HOLLOW ROCK

PUSH UP

LEARN TO SQUAT

FULL SQUAT

SQUAT DRILL

MAKE IT RAIN

CROCODILES & CRABS

SHAKE THE WIGGLES OUT

FAST FEET & HIGH JUMPS

BLOCKED SQUAT & GRASSHOPPERS

ONE LEGGED HOPS & PLANKS

AIR SQUAT & RUN IN PLACE

Pogo Jumps & Lunges

Pushups & Spins

Blocked Squats & Backpack Chair Deadlifts

Floppies & Planks

Push Press & Tuck Jumps

Articles

Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 2nd Edition by Eric Jensen  Chapter 4. Movement and Learning

Research-Tested Benefits of Breaks Students are easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help them focus, increase their productivity, and reduce their stress

The Cognitive Benefits of Physical Activity in the Classroom

Movement Breaks to the Rescue!

Classroom-Based Movement Breaks

Sensory and Movement Break Ideas | Getting Classrooms Moving!

Teacher Toolbox Physical Activity Breaks in the Secondary Classroom

Middle School Activity Breaks

Movement Breaks OT Tips

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Tips

  • Keep physical activity breaks short and manageable. Shoot for 1 – 5 minute breaks at least 2-3 times per day.
  • Participate with your students in the activity. Students will be more likely to join in and have fun if they see their school community moving with them.
  • Ask teachers and school administrators to share and demonstrate their favorite activities, games, and movement ideas during staff meetings throughout the school year.
  • Create a classroom atmosphere that embraces movement! Consider playing age and culturally appropriate music. Be patient – it may take some time for kids to embrace and be comfortable with the physical activity.
  • Integrate physical activity into academic concepts when possible. For example, a social studies unit on the Olympics can include student participation in classroom energizers fitting into an Olympic theme.
  • Encourage your physical education teacher to be a movement leader and advocate. Ask if he or she can share some simple motor skills and games for classroom teachers and guidance for creating safe movement spaces.
  • Empower students by asking them to share their own physical activity break ideas. Provide opportunities for students to lead and demonstrate activities.
  • Add physical activity breaks right into your daily schedule. Try creating a classroom physical activity calendar of events that includes a variety of ideas throughout the month. Use a classroom physical activity tracker to help your students reach 10 minutes daily! Check out these brain break for testing ideas.
  • Add in fun equipment items such as beanbags, spot markers, yoga mats, and balance boards. Consider applying for a Game On grant!
  • Integrate health and fitness concepts while moving with students to emphasize the importance of daily physical activity and good nutrition.

Source

Books

 Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus– Susan Roser

Action-Packed Classrooms, K-5: Using Movement to Educate and Invigorate Learners (2009)

  • by Cathie Summerford (Link)
  • “Focusing on using movement and music to energize young students and boost their learning, this research-based book offers strategies for basic energizers, clear objectives for standards-aligned instruction, and a student/teacher/principal agreement to commit to active learning.” – Amazon

Brain Breaks for the Classroom: Quick and Easy Breathing and Movement Activities That Help Students Reenergize, Refocus, and Boost Brain Power-Anytime of the Day! (2009)

  • by Michelle Gay (Link)
  • “40 fun exercises help students take a quick break and return to their work refreshed and ready to learn. Each exercise is designed to get more oxygen and energy to students’ brains, improve their focus, and calm their nervous systems. The result: increased motivation, cooperation, and learning in the classroom. Includes a full-color poster with five easy moves all kids can do when they need a ‘brain break’! For use with Grades K–5.” – Amazon

Brain Gym: Teacher’s Edition (2010)

  • by Paul E. Dennison and Gail E. Dennison (Link)
  • “This is a stand-alone book for parents, teachers and learners who want in-depth descriptions and variations for the 26 Brain Gym activities.” – Amazon

Energizing Brain Breaks (2009)

  • by David U. Sladkey (Link)

Energizing Brain Breaks 2 (2011)

The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement (2010)

  • by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala (Link)
  • “Research shows that regular physical activity helps children perform better in school. This inspiring book illustrates how to integrate movement within classroom instruction, ranging from short activity breaks to curriculum-enhancing games.” – Amazon

Learning on Your Feet: Incorporating Physical Activity into the K-8 Classroom (2016)

  • by Brad Johnson and Melody Jones (Link)
  • “In this much-needed book, you’ll learn how incorporating physical activity into the classroom can improve students’ engagement, achievement, and overall wellness. Students typically spend most of the day sitting at their desks, and many don’t have recess or PE, yet research shows that regular exercise helps stimulate brain function and improve skills such as reading, critical thinking, organization, and focus.” – Amazon

Moving INTO the Classroom (2018)

  • Stacia Miller and Suzanne Lindt, Eds (Link)
  • This textbook focuses on research in movement integration and the benefits of physical activity to the child’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. It includes research on and suggestions for integrating movement into English-language arts, mathematics, science and social studies for lower and upper elementary students. Though the textbook is specifically aimed at elementary-level teachers, secondary teachers and pre-service teachers can modify the activities to fit their lessons as well. – Springer
Perceptual-Motor Activities for Children with Web Resource: An Evidence-Based Guide to Building Physical and Cognitive Skills (2011)
  • by Jill Johnstone and Molly Ramon (Link)
  • “…blueprint for improving perceptual-motor skills—the skills that require young learners to use their brains and their bodies together to accomplish tasks. When kids improve these skills, they not only improve their coordination and increase their body awareness but they also enhance their intellectual skills and gain a more positive self-image.” – Human Kinetics

Physical Activity and Educational Achievement: Insights from Exercise Neuroscience (2018)

  • edited by Romain Meeusen, Sabine Schaefer, Phillip Tomporowski, and Richard Bailey (Link)
  • “A growing body of research evidence suggests that physical activity can have a positive effect on educational achievement. This book examines a range of processes associated with physical activity that are of relevance to those working in education – including cognition, learning, memory, attention, mood, stress and mental health symptoms – and draws on the latest insights from exercise neuroscience to help explain the evidence.” – Amazon

Physical Activity and Health Promotion in the Early Years (2018)

  • edited by Hannah Brewer and Mary Renck Jalongo (Link)
  • “This book…provides a theoretical base explaining why physical activity is important, and offers practical strategies for increasing health and well-being in early childhood settings. It takes ancient wisdom on the mind and body connection, applies it to the youngest children, and supports it with current empirical and international evidence—all with an eye toward improving wellness across the lifespan. The many topics discussed in the book include children’s motor skills, movement, interaction, physical literacy, the use of video games, dog ownership, developmental delays, as well as strategies to improve physical activities in the classroom and broader contexts.”

Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008)

  • by John J. Ratey (Link)
  • “Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.” – Amazon

Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2005)  – chap. 9: Movement and Learning

  • by Eric Jensen (Link)
  • “…[this] best-seller is loaded with ideas for how to improve student achievement and create a more effective classroom by applying brain research to your teaching. [It] translates the latest scientific findings into effective instructional strategies…” – Amazon

The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching and Learning (2010)

  • by OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design (Link)
  • “Created by an international team of architects and designers concerned about our failing education system, [this book] explores the critical link between the school environment and how children learn…” – Amazon

healthyhabits

 

Hearing Loss in School

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audiogram

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) explains that hearing loss falls into four subcategories: conductive, sensorineural, mixed and central. These identify the location in the body in which the hearing impairment occurs. Hearing aids and other sound amplifying assistive technologies (AT) often work for students with conductive hearing loss, as their impairments stem from the outer or middle ear. Such does not hold true with sensorineural, mixed and central hearing losses, as these impairments stem from the inner ear, the central nervous system or a combination of the two. Typically, hearing loss is categorized as slight, mild, moderate, severe or profound, depending on how well an individual can hear the frequencies that are commonly associated with speech.

Educational Challenges

Educational obstacles related to hearing impairments stem around communication. A student with a hearing impairment may experience difficulty in:

  • the subjects of grammar, spelling and vocabulary
  • taking notes while listening to lectures
  • participating in classroom discussions
  • watching educational videos
  • presenting oral reports

Underscoring the difficulty that students with hearing impairments may have in presenting oral reports are the potential language development problems linked to hearing impairments. Arizona’s Department of Education’s Parent Information Network notes that, “Since children with hearing impairments are unable to receive some sounds accurately, they often cannot articulate words clearly.”

Source

Hearing Impairment Topic Categories via-

The National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)

Accommodations Adults with Hearing Impairments
Advocacy Assessment
Assistive Technology Audio/Video Tapes
Books and Publications Causes
Characteristics Classifications
Classroom Management Definition
Diagnosis Frequently Asked Questions
History of the Field Medical Issues/Medication
Organizations Overview
Parent Information Prevalence
Transition Services

Hearing Loss in Children Links via ASHA

Audiologic Treatment/Habilitation

Causes of Hearing Loss in Children

Cochlear Implants

Hearing Aids for Children

Hearing Assistive Technology for Children

Hearing Screening

Ototoxic Medications

Types of Hearing Loss

Types of Tests Used to Evaluate Hearing in Children and Adults

Resources

Accessibility Considerations Worksheet For Students with Hearing Loss

Article- The Cascading Impact of Hearing Loss on Access to School Communication Fragmented Hearing -> Effort -> Listening Comprehension -> Fatigue -> Pace of Learning It’s About Access, Not Hearing Loss

Causes of Hearing Loss in Children

How to Read an Audiogram and Determine Degrees of Hearing Loss

Students with Hearing Impairment in the School Setting ASHA Practice Policy documents

The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Position Paper Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

GUIDE TO EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING

Ideal Classrooms

Sonoma County’s DHH procedures for deaf and hard of hearing (ZIP file with forms)

SUPPORTING STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF/HARD OF HEARING IN WI PUBLIC SCHOOLS Information for public school administrators and pupil services personnel about educating students with hearing loss (PPT)

Assistive Technology in the Classroom For Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Assistive Technologies for Individuals Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing  (from Gallaudet University)

IEP/504 CHECKLIST: ACCOMMODATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING (One Sheet Wonder!)

Influencing Student Self Concept

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Many times in my work as a School Psychologist I see students who are capable of doing the work, but their self-concept as not being a learner gets in the way of success.

Four ideas for teachers to help start students thinking of themselves as competent learners.

  1. Start with what they are doing well at academically. (Be specific and authentic)
  2. Ask the student what might be missing from your instruction that they need to be more successful.
  3. When a student has responded to corrective feedback, praise the student with specifics on how they helped to transform their learning and you are excited to keep watching them grow as a learner.
  4. Connect and talk to your grade level team and also support staff (Principal, Counselor, and School Psychologist) to get more ideas and tools to support your student in need.

Articles

Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Adolescents (NASP)

Understanding and Fostering Achievement Motivation (NASP)

Student Self Esteem and the School System: Perceptions and Implications

Dr. Ken Shore’s Classroom Problem Solver -The Student With Low Self-Esteem

Self-concept and School Performance – UCLA

SELF-BELIEFS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS: SELF-EFFICACY, SELF-CONCEPT, AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT

Ideas to support students

Characteristic How to support
Sense of security
  • Maintain a safe and healthy learning environment by following safety policies and procedures.
  • Show all children you care about their well-being by talking to them each day and learning about their lives.
  • Be consistent and follow through on your promises.
Sense of belonging
  • Create a community atmosphere.
  • Celebrate all children as individuals.
  • Implement a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, and promote kindness and character education.
Sense of purpose, responsibility and contribution
  • Give children responsibilities in the environment.
  • Ask for input from children when creating activity plans and setting themes.
Sense of personal competence and pride
  • Give children opportunities for success.
  • Have activities that are varied in levels of difficulty so that children can be challenged in a safe way.
Sense of trust
  • Gain the trust of children by creating an atmosphere based on respect and kindness.
  • Set boundaries that give children opportunities for safe risk taking.
  • Be consistent and follow through on your promises.
Sense of making real choices and decisions
  • Give children the opportunity to choose their activities, field trips, etc. Make them feel like their input and voice matters by taking their suggestions seriously and using them to develop activity plans.
Sense of self-discipline and self-control
  • Use positive guidance methods that support school-age children and their ability to regulate their own behavior.
  • Help children gain self-control by teaching them coping techniques.
Sense of encouragement, support and reward
  • Provide guidance, encouragement, feedback and praise when children are working hard towards any goal (big or small).
Sense of accepting mistakes and failures
  • Turn mistakes, setbacks or failures into learning opportunities by talking to children about what happened. Discuss with them the choices, steps or decisions that could have changed the outcome.
  • Always talk about how a child would do something differently in the future. This helps them to apply their current situation to future events.
Sense of family self-esteem
  • Families are a child’s first and most important caregiver, teacher and advocate. Children need to feel comfortable, loved and safe within their family unit.
  • Work with families to support their needs.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics (2015). Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12. Available at:https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Helping-Your-Child-Develop-A-Healthy-Sense-of-Self-Esteem.aspx

Source:  https://www.virtuallabschool.org/school-age/self-culture/lesson-2

Course work

Complete Lesson on Building self-concept of school aged children

Video

Caregivers give their own examples on how to promote positive self-concept in children Video

Quick Measure

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Sotos Syndrome

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Sotos Syndrome is also known as cerebral gigantism. It is a condition that occurs due to genetic reasons which leads to having physical overgrowth upon the first years of their life and having a head and facial appearance that are distinctive. The rapid physical overgrowth goes along with the delay of social, language, cognitive and motor development as well as the retardation of the mentality with ranges from mild to severe form.

Basics

Parent Guide-Original article written by Bridget Veitch (updated by Simon Lane)

Family Information Leaflet

Parent Support Group

Organized in 1988, the Sotos syndrome Support Association (SSSA) is made up of families, physicians, genetic counselors, and health care agencies throughout the United States and the world. The SSSA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which is incorporated in the state of Missouri and run completely by volunteers.

The SSSA is a Member of the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD).

Other Groups

Email Community at Yahoo Groups

Sotos Syndrome Support Association of Canada

A Support Group for Sotos Syndrome in Australia

Sotos Syndrome Support Association of Finland.

The Arc

The Danish Association for Sotos Syndrome

Sotos Association – L’Eveil – France

Asociacion Sotos – Spain

ASSI Gulliver – Italy

Child Growth Foundation – UK

Videos

YouTube Video on the Basics of Sotos Syndrome

Sotos Syndrome- Longer more complete overview

School

School primer- Information on how to serve a student with Sotos Syndrome.

Behavioral and emotional characteristics in children with Sotos syndrome and learning disabilities

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Case Study

Hana Feels Good at School: An Example of Good Teaching Practice in Integrating a Girl with Sotos Syndrome into Primary School

Self regulation for Kindergarteners

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Preschool

Read

Developing Self-Regulation in Kindergarten Can We Keep All the Crickets in the Basket?

Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function

Activities

Refocusing

Clapping Exercise
Refocus the class with a series of claps with a certain pattern. The routine with capture student’s attention and create a shared focus. This exercise can be enhanced with stomps, hand movements focused on fine motor skill development, or increasingly complex rules, depending on the students’ age.

Conducting an Orchestra
This activity requires the use of musical instruments. The teacher will have a long stick or ruler that and will act like an orchestra leader, conducting when they will play their instruments. The teacher will wave the conductors wand quickly or slowly and have students play according to her movements. Then, the teacher will have students override their automatic response by indicating that students should play slowly when she waves the conductors wand quickly, and vice versa.

Drum Beats
For this activity, the students will use drum cues from the teacher to do certain body movements. For example, “When the drums plays, clap or stomp” “When the drum plays slowly, walk around the room slowly” “When the drum plays quickly, walk around quickly”. The teacher will then invert the response instructing “When the drum plays quickly, walk around slowly” When the drum plays slowly, walk around quickly.

Elephant Stampede
The class will get to stamp their feet and make lots of noise in this one, but it is all regulated by the teacher. The teacher
Puts a hand to his ear and says “What’s that I hear?” The class responds by saying “Elephant Stampede!” The teacher then says where are the elephants? I can barely hear them!” The class responds with “Far away!” and begins quietly stamping their feet on the floor to mimic the sound of elephants in the distance. The teacher repeats his lines, adjusting for how close the elephants are, until the herd arrives in the classroom. Now the students can make elephant trumpets and stamp their feet as hard as they can until the teacher begins to quiet them down by saying “Oh good, they’re going away!” The children respond by stamping their feet more softly, and continue to respond to the teacher until the elephant herd has left the building.

Relaxation

Sinking Activity
Tell students to lie on their backs on the floor, their arms by their sides and legs uncrossed, and eyes closed. Tell them (in a soft gentle voice) to imagine that their bodies are very heavy and sinking to the floor. Start to mention different body parts: toes, ankles, wrists, necks, eyelids. Then tell them to imagine that they are laying on a warm beach on a sunny day and that they can hear waves, seagulls, then once they have calmed down they may only sit up and open their eyes. This will help students calm their emotional and refocus.

Count to Ten
The teacher stands at the front of the class and raises both hands above her head, spread open and facing the class. The students raise their hands over their heads, fingers spread, and facing the teacher. The teacher begins counting slowly from one to ten, and at ten lowers her hands to her sides. The class follows until everyone is back in the position they started in.

Drawing
Drawing a picture helps to relax children. Try giving your students a prompt! For example, “draw how you feel right now.” This helps children to recognize their emotions whether good or bad and process them in a healthy manner. Part of self regulation is learning to deal with your emotions in the appropriate manners and this activity sets up a calming environment for kids to learn to do this. Aside from processing emotions, drawing helps children and adults process any circumstance and is very calming to the mind!

Emotion Regulation

Breathing Square
Have students decorate a square piece of paper that they then glue to a popsicle stick. Explain that this square is to be used when the student feels overwhelmed or frustrated. The square will be divided up into 4 sections representing 4 different steps they are to follow.
1st step: Breathe in while counting to 4
2nd step: Hold breath for four seconds
3rd step: Breathe out for four seconds
4th step: repeat three times

Emotion Regulation Swing-O-Meter
This craft could accompany a lesson aimed at helping students understand, and therefore control, their emotions Swing-O-Meter.

Faces
A craft that will increase students’ understanding of their own emotions, and create opportunities within the classroom for them to evaluate their emotions. Popsicle faces / Other emotion faces

Paper Plate Emotions
Another craft aimed increasing students’ Emotion Regulation Paper Plate Emotions

How Big Is My Problem Chart
Post a chart in the classroom that is numbered from zero to five, with zero at the bottom and five at the top. Each number will be colored along a gradient staing at green for level one, and moving to red for level five.
Level Five is red, and labelled Emergency” and refers to only true emergencies such as tornadoes or earthquakes. A grimacing frowny face is drawn next to the description.
Level Four is orange and labeled “Gigantic Problem” and describes something that needs immediate attention from a teacher and can’t be fixed by the student such as getting lost or being injured on the playground. A crying forwny face is drawn next to the descrition.
Level Three is yellow and labelled “Big Problem” and describes something that definitely needs the teacher’s attention such as a fight. A “Charlie Brown” frowny face is drawn next to the description.
Level Two is blue and labeled “Medium Problem” and describes something more important that probably needs a response from the teacher such as not feeling well or lost homework. A somber smiley face is drawn next to the description.
Level One is light green and labeled “Little Problem” and describes a bigger issue such as needing to sharpen a pencil or needing to go to the restroom. A normal smiley face is drawn next to the description.
Level Zero is dark green and labeled “No Big Deal” and describes very small issues such as dropping a pen or a shoelace coming untied. A grinning smiley face is drawn next to the description.
Teachers can ask students to describe the problem level when they have a problem and work towards an appropriate response to it. Students should be reminded that they can use this chart for all of their problems in life to help judge what they should do when trouble occurs.

Further Resources:

  • The Emotional Regulation page on the Kid’s Relaxation website provides a multitude of emotion regulation activities for children.
  • This link will connect you to the blog of a psychologist and mother who specializes in play therapy. She shares activities which help children to become more aware of their emotions.

Impulsivity Reduction

Think or Say?
The teacher will create a list of potential student comments to present to the students. Students will then determine if the comment should be said aloud simply thought. Examples:This exercise is aimed at reducing impulsivity and increasing students’ private speech.
“One of your classmates is having a bad hair day, do you think you should tell them, or keep it to yourself?”
“One of your classmates hurt your feelings, but they do not know that they did this, should you talk to them about it kindly or keep it to yourself?”

Private Speech
Encourage the students to partake in private speech. This is when they think about a situation privately and quietly to themselves. Ask them to think about outcomes that could possibly happen if they make certain choices. Encourage them to really think before speaking and acting.

Follow the Birdie
Two children partner up. One picks up an object such as an erasor and holds it eighteen inches in front of the other student’s eyes. The first student then begins to move the object from left to right and back again. The watching student must follow the object with his eyes only and count slowly. If he turns his head to follow the object he loses his turn and must move the object for the otehr student, who has to follow it himself. Alternatives to left and right can be in an arc, or a figure eight, or a circle. The object must move relatively slowly so that the watcher’s eyes are not strained. Whoever lasts the longest during the time period given wins the game.

Response Regulation

Red Light, Purple Light
This game follows the same concept as “red light, green light”. Using different colors for stop and requires children to regulate their responses and adapt to the change. First assign “go” and “stop” to non-sequential colors (ex: purple and orange). Use construction paper as a visual. Alternate the “stop” and “go” colors. Once the children grow accustomed to the colors and their corresponding meanin, make changes so that children must once again regulate their responses. they have developed the appropriate self regulation for this game.

Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders
This activities requires that students override an automatic response, and therefore exhibit self-regulation. Begin by having students point to their head, shoulders, knees and toes. Have students touch each body part in a variety of sequences to get accustomed to the game. Then have students override their automatic response by asking students to point to incongruent body parts. For example, tell students “when I say to touch your head, touch your TOES!!” or “When I say touch your tummy, touch your EARS.”
HTKS YouTube clip

The Freeze Game
This game requires music! The teacher will play the music and then when she stops the music the children must freeze and be still as statues in whatever position the froze in. Then the teacher will play a variety of different music. The children must dance quickly to upbeat and fast songs, and they must dance slowly and gracefully to the slow songs. Then when they have gotten the hang of that, switch it up and have them dance slowly to the fast songs and quickly to the slow songs.

The Color Matching Freeze Game
There will be 4 pieces of construction for each student taped to the ground in a square. The teacher will play music and the students will dance—quickly or slowly according to the music. When the music stops playing, the teacher will hold up a piece of colored construction paper and the students have to sit on the same color on the ground.

Stance Contest
2 students stand and face each other in a specific pose (any pose that they choose). When the teacher says “GO” neither student may move, talk, or change facial expression. The first student to do so loses. The teacher can also come up with the poses if she wants so that they have someone to mimic.

Starting Gun
Students will all line up on a starting line. Instructor says “Ready, Set….” and she might say “go” OR another word that sounds like go OR starts with a “g”. EXAMPLE: green! gorilla! snow! crow! blow! grape! gate! The students that make a false start will have to take a penalty step backwards from the starting line. When instructor does say “go” all will run to the finish line

Freeze Pattern Game
Have students get into a certain pattern (ex: circle, square, heart) and have them standing next to a certain person. Then, signal for students change to a different pattern and stand next to a different person. Use different signals for each pattern.

Mirror Game
Kids partner up and take turns making different faces and their partners must imitate them. For an added challenge, students can imitate one another’s’ body movements.

Red Light, Green Light. One child is the stoplight, the other children are the cars. When the stoplight yells “Green light!” the children run towards the stoplight. When the stoplight yells “Red light!” all the children must stop. If a child doesn’t stop, they must go back to the starting line. A popular variation is to include a “Yellow light!” where children must walk instead of run. Excellent for developing self-regulation skills because children must learn to pay attention, follow directions, and wait their turn.

Simon Says. When Simon says, “Simon says jump!” the children must jump. But if Simon only says, “Jump!” and somebody jumps, that person must sit out for the rest of the game. The last person standing becomes the new Simon. Another excellent game for developing self-regulation because children must listen carefully, pay attention, and follow directions.

Dance Dance Dance
The teacher puts on some fun music and then starts to dance. The students have to follow her routine exactly, no matter how wacky. After 30 seconds or so the teacher calls out a students name and that student begins to make up his own dance moves that the rest of the class must follow. The teacher then becomes the judge. Any student she catches not follow the moves exactly has to sit down. Each student should get thirty seconds or a minute to lead the dance before the teacher calls another student to lead.

Peanut Butter Jelly Game
Have the children sit on the floor in a large circle. Choose one ball to be the peanut butter and the other ball will be the jelly. The object of the game is to always throw the peanut butter ball and roll the jelly ball. On start, the child holding the peanut butter ball throws it to anyone in the circle, and the child holding the jelly ball rolls it to anyone in the circle. Whoever receives the peanut butter ball must continue to throw it to someone else, whereas the jelly ball must be rolled. If a player makes a mistake and rolls the peanut butter ball, throws the jelly ball, of if both balls are in front of one player at the same time, then that player is either out of the game or play starts over. Here for original page

Games and excercises adapted from the following resources:
Theatre Games for Young Performers by Maria C. Novelly
Self-Regulation: The Key to Successful Students? Todd Hoffman
101 pep-up games for children by Allison Bartl

Transitions

(From scholastic.com)

When it is time to line up, use this song to help your class remember what to do. Teach them at the beginning of the year, and then just say “Kindergarten, please line up”, and they will begin to sing the song on their own.

Kindergarten Please Line Up (to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)
Kindergarten, please line up,
please line up,
please line up.
Kindergarten please line up
Get ready for the hall.

I will not shove
I will not push.
Will not talk,
Will not pass.
Will not lag behind the rest,
I’ll line up with my class.

One hand on my hip and lip
hip and lip,
hip and lip,
One hand on my hip and lip
I’m ready for a trip.

Busy Bee Transitions
by Alexandra Ziemann

I made a wand and wrapped yellow curling ribbon up the wand. At the top I have yellow ribbon curls coming down, coiled up black pipe cleaners and jingle bells. During transition times I always take out “Busy Bee” and sing our busy bee song. The students know to get on task because if they are they will be touched on the head by busy bees’ magic (the curly ribbon hanging down). They love that they can participate and have fun all the while staying on task. It’s also very easy to remember to take out the wand because during transitions they are always looking for “busy bee.”
Song:
Oh what fun it is to see
A teeny tiny busy bee
Staying on task
Moving right along
And having fun singing this song!

Walking in the Hallways
by Becky Pate

Kindergarten classes make several transitions from place to place each day. To help my students walk quietly and stay focused forward, we sign the alphabet continually until we reach our destination. We use the American Sign Language form.

We also like to play, Monkey See, Monkey Do while walking in the hallways. We whisper this rhyme: Monkey see, monkey do, can you do what I do?I then do some motions with my hands, arms, and or face for the students to copy. The students stay focused and have fun being silly, but quiet as we walk. Note* this also works in other situations such as times we have to wait in line, or anywhere you have a minute or two to fill.

Source

Lack of Student Motivation

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motivation

Motivating all students can be a challenge. This post focuses on the issues and strategies to help support those pupils who need us as teachers to meet them where they are at and help them find their way to motivation.

Reading

Motivating Learning in Young Children- NASP

Motivation Matters: 40% Of High School Students Chronically Disengaged From School

The Motivation Equation: Understanding a Child’s Lack of Effort by Kenneth Barish, Ph.D.

Student Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement

Motivating Students to Learn By: Heather Voke

Classroom Applications of Cognitive Theories of Motivation By: Nona Tollefson

Motivation: The Key to Academic Success By: LD OnLine

How can parents help

Parents are central to student motivation. The beginning of a new school year is very important. Children with LD and ADHD often struggle with change. Parents can help get the year off to a good start.

  1. Provide a warm, accepting home environment.
  2. Give clear directions and feedback.
  3. Create a model for success
  4. Build on the student’s strengths
  5. Relate schoolwork to the student’s interests
  6. Help build a family structure that fosters consistent work towards the goal.
  7. Help the student to have some control over how and when he learns.
  8. Emphasize the child’s progress rather than his or her performance in comparison to the other students in the class or family.
  9. Remember to reinforce the behavior you want.
  10. Use reinforcers wisely. Recall that intrinsic motivation works best. Follow a child’s interests, when possible, rather than spending time building elaborate reward systems Source

Strategies

Students lack interest or motivation – Strategies

Using Motivational Interviewing to Help Your Students by Lisa A. Sheldon

Motivation — Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence – U.S. Department of Education

Motivating Your Students

21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation

Enhancing Students’ Motivation By Annick M. Brennen

The Student Lacks Confidence that He or She Can Do the Work

What the Research Says: Students who believe that they have the ability to complete a particular academic task (self-efficacy) do better and have higher levels of motivation (Jacobs et al., 2002). Yet students often sabotage their academic performance by engaging in negative self-talk about their abilities and by making faulty attributions to explain poor academic performance (Linnenbrink & Pintrich, 2002). Source

Presentation Six Reasons Why Students Are Unmotivated (and What Teachers Can Do) Jim Wright

Reasons for Lack of Motivation
  Stipek
Why Students Are Not Motivated to Learn		 Sternberg
Why Intelligent People Fail
Cognitive-Oriented
Reasons
  • Present activities not seen as related to important goals.
  • Do not have (or believe one does not have) the ability to do present activities or obtain future goals.
  • Distractibility and lack of concentration
  • Spreading oneself too thin or too thick
  • Inability or unwillingness to see the forest for the trees
  • Lack of balance between critical, analytic thinking and creative, synthetic thinking
  • Using the wrong abilities
Affective/Socially-
Oriented Reasons
  • Feelings/emotions about present activities are generally negative.
  • Satisfaction of achieving goals seems in distant future.
  • Personal problems interfere with present activities.
  • Misattribution of blame
  • Fear of failure
  • Excessive self-pity
  • Excessive dependency
  • Wallowing in personal difficulties
  • Too little or too much self-confidence
Conative/Volitionally-
Oriented Reasons
  • Do not have a written list of important goals that define success personally.
  • Believe that present goals or activities are wrong for individual.
  • Important goals conflict with present activities.
  • Failure to initiate
  • Lack of motivation
  • Lack of perservance and perseveration
  • Inability to complete tasks and to follow through
  • Lack of impulse control
  • Inability to translate thought into action
  • Procrastination
  • Lack of product orientation
  • Inability to delay gratification
Environmentally-Oriented Reasons
  • Extrinsic incentives are low.
  

Source

 

References

  • Sternberg, R. (1994). In search of the human mind (395-396). New York: Harcourt Brace.
  • Stipek, D. (1988). Motivation to learn: From theory to practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Motivational Interview

“Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion.” Miller and Rollnick (2012)

“When we think of failure; Failure will be ours.  If we remain undecided; Nothing will ever change.  All we need to do is want to achieve something great and then simply do it.  Never think of failure, for what we think, will come about.”    ~Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

MI Guide

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Motivational Interviewing Strategies and Techniques: Rationales and Examples

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