Unit 3: Students with Special Needs
Activity 1: Technology to Manage the Learning Environment
Video:
https://flipgrid.com/85f05198
Reviews:
https://flipgrid.com/103f1a0c
https://flipgrid.com/e1fef588
Best Sand Timer
I would like to use this technology in my classroom to help speed up transition times, keep students on track, reduce noise in the classroom and also to promote learner autonomy. It will help during transition times as students will know when a task is meant to be over and also when it is about to be over. This can allow them to begin to pack up when the timer is almost finished. Thus, students will be more likely to stay on task. This leads to reducing noise; the timer will make the classroom a quieter place by saving me from constantly having to remind students how much time they have left. Finally, it will allow students to become more autonomous learners. They can set the time themselves, and track how much time they have left in a convenient way. As such, students will become conditioned to rely less on their teachers and more on themselves and their peers.
Classcraft
Classcraft is a good tool for classroom management and rewards. It is motivating for students and really engages them and rewards them when they display desirable behaviour. I like it as it not only allows for collaboration, but also lets students feel empowered. I would use it not to reward students for what they achieve, but for the way they get there and for how they conduct themselves as people. For example you could reward students for academic progress rather than achievement and being courteous. I think it is also an inclusive system that can be tailored to various students’ specific needs and behavioral targets.
Technology for the Online Classroom:
Kahoot!
Kahoot is a really engaging platform which allows students to all participate as individuals in the same activity. I also like that it gamifies a normally boring activity like a quiz. In addition to this, it allows for students to create their own quizzes, hitting the higher order thinking skills on Bloom’s taxonomy. Online learning can often make us feel farther apart, so I like that Kahoot can seemingly bring us closer together. Furthermore, Kahoot is fun! Even the teachers in my office enjoy playing it. We know that people learn more when they are enjoying what they learn, so Kahoot is a great affordable and accessible tool for online learning.
https://flipgrid.com/85f05198
Reviews:
https://flipgrid.com/103f1a0c
https://flipgrid.com/e1fef588
Best Sand Timer
I would like to use this technology in my classroom to help speed up transition times, keep students on track, reduce noise in the classroom and also to promote learner autonomy. It will help during transition times as students will know when a task is meant to be over and also when it is about to be over. This can allow them to begin to pack up when the timer is almost finished. Thus, students will be more likely to stay on task. This leads to reducing noise; the timer will make the classroom a quieter place by saving me from constantly having to remind students how much time they have left. Finally, it will allow students to become more autonomous learners. They can set the time themselves, and track how much time they have left in a convenient way. As such, students will become conditioned to rely less on their teachers and more on themselves and their peers.
Classcraft
Classcraft is a good tool for classroom management and rewards. It is motivating for students and really engages them and rewards them when they display desirable behaviour. I like it as it not only allows for collaboration, but also lets students feel empowered. I would use it not to reward students for what they achieve, but for the way they get there and for how they conduct themselves as people. For example you could reward students for academic progress rather than achievement and being courteous. I think it is also an inclusive system that can be tailored to various students’ specific needs and behavioral targets.
Technology for the Online Classroom:
Kahoot!
Kahoot is a really engaging platform which allows students to all participate as individuals in the same activity. I also like that it gamifies a normally boring activity like a quiz. In addition to this, it allows for students to create their own quizzes, hitting the higher order thinking skills on Bloom’s taxonomy. Online learning can often make us feel farther apart, so I like that Kahoot can seemingly bring us closer together. Furthermore, Kahoot is fun! Even the teachers in my office enjoy playing it. We know that people learn more when they are enjoying what they learn, so Kahoot is a great affordable and accessible tool for online learning.
Activity 2: Communicating with Families
Tools for Regular Communication: What tools will you use to ensure that you regularly communicate students’ progress, achievements, and behaviors to families?
- Google Docs is a really convenient way to showcase what students have been doing in class. For younger learners, the teacher can upload students’ work for parents to see and for older students, they can upload it themselves. Communication between parents and students works best when parents have an idea of what students are doing at school.
- Parent-Teacher Meetings. It’s important to sit down and talk at the start, middle and end of the semester with parents/guardians. Often problems arise out of simple misunderstandings, and sitting down to talk and solve problems can help a lot. One method is to invite the student along to the meeting, so they feel part of their learning plan. Always let the student have a voice in these meetings and take along evidence to back up anything you want to discuss with the student and their parents.
- Some newer apps like WeChat, Rewind or ManageBac allow for teachers and parents to communicate effectively outside of school. WeChat is simpler and fit for use in a country such as China. ManageBac is a more detailed app designed specially for communication. Keep in mind that all parents are different and some see weekly communication as too much, while others will see it as not enough. Also some parents will not like being told that they have to download a specific app.
- If the parents share the concern mentioned above, more traditional forms of contact such as email and phone calls can also be used. Some parents may prefer these forms of communication. Make sure to be flexible and adaptable.
Reporting Requirements for Suspected Child Abuse:
As a teacher we have a moral and legal obligation to protect our students. If a teacher suspects that abuse has taken place, they must first report to their head in the chain of command. Make sure to follow up with your head to see if the report was passed on. If not, move one stage up the chain of command at your school. Failing that, report directly to the police. Make sure to provide as detailed a report as possible and to act as soon as possible.
As a teacher we have a moral and legal obligation to protect our students. If a teacher suspects that abuse has taken place, they must first report to their head in the chain of command. Make sure to follow up with your head to see if the report was passed on. If not, move one stage up the chain of command at your school. Failing that, report directly to the police. Make sure to provide as detailed a report as possible and to act as soon as possible.