I am very aware that once students get into high school, the stakes are high. Traditionally, the focus is on passing classes with graduation as the end goal. All efforts go into helping students meet course requirements, which includes getting homework done, studying for the tests and quizzes. Little time if any is left over for any continuation of closing the gap on any lagging reading skills. I have and will forever […]
Read moreWe’ve been revamping our Early Childhood Classrooms in terms of how we evaluate and monitor our students’ growth like using the Early Start Denver Checklist and the STAR Program that I’ve highlighted before. To continue with that tweaking process, we’ve added some more structure to our classrooms so that students could better understand what they need to do in each of the spaces or centers. I have with me today, my friend and educational […]
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14
Aug
2018
The Wrong Colors and Visual Clutter Can Create Problems You Don’t Need in Your Classroom!
It’s that time of year to really be purposeful when you think about the learning spacefor your students. Physical structure will work for you or against you. The wrong lighting can set students off as can the wrong colors and visual clutter. Don’t set yourself up for more stress than you need to. You want to set your students up for success. Think more about your teaching space than where all […]
Read moreMany of our students have anxietyabout things in their environment. That anxiety can come from many different things. Sometimes the list of possibilities seems endless but here are a few that seem to pop up on a regular basis: Social Situations Lack of success with an academic subject A routine that has changed A need for sensory input A need to reduce sensory input The understanding of communication from others […]
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08
Apr
2018
Easy DATA Collection with a TWIST!
Data collection is a pain, let’s just get that out there. It’s a necessary evil, but sometimes I find that teachers collect data only because they have to in order to be able to report progress every grading period. What if we would collect data and analyze it along the way? If we take a look at what is working and what isn’t to adjust instruction, PLUS share the data, we […]
Read moreWhen I was working as an SLP doing group language activities for early childhood students with a developmental delay, the only way I could get them to sit still and pay attention for 20-30 minutes was to engage them in a multi-sensory experience. Some of my favorite activities involved actual books or stories I invented. One activity I base on the book, The Napping House, by Audrey Wood. I brought […]
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27
Feb
2018
The Best Resource Room Ever UPDATED!
About 4 years ago I asked one of the teachers I work with if she would share with our viewers how she organized her room with structure and visual supports for her students with resource services. That video to date has had over 56,000 views! Now, Chloe Diedam has a new and much larger classroom space that she has organized like a pro! She has created a peaceful, functional, and […]
Read moreWhen I first heard of these top ten influence factors for student achievement, I was actually surprised at which ones rated the highest and which ones I would have rated higher. I was also surprised at which ones were rated the lowest especially just how low student mobility was rated. I would have thought that our transient students would be at a higher risk for negative influence on student achievement […]
Read moreI don’t know about you, but I work best if I have all the tools I need for my work close at hand. I hate doing something twice. I hate needing to stop any forward motion toward a goal just to fix something, to look for the right equipment, to gather the right materials….whatever. When I’m in the groove, I just want to keep going. Part of my need for […]
Read moreOnce again, reading comprehension is that part of reading that seems to be the last frontier. We all need to make sure that we are presenting all of the components of reading comprehension if we expect students to fully understand what they are reading. Teaching students how to use their schema plus evidence in a story to form an inference can actually be a lot of fun. Take a look […]
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