Did you ever wish you could have a visual for one of your students that he or she could see at all times instead of needing you there all the time to prompt to not do something? I’ve had several students who needed this. There was the guy in middle school that would zip up your hoodie, jacket or sweater in a hot minute if it was not zipped all […]
Read moreI feel that every conference or training that I go to, if I can get just one new idea, strategy, or tool that I can take back to share with others, then I consider it worth my time. When Sarah Ward came to present, we were all taking part in a fire hydrant turned to WIDE OPEN!!! It will take me weeks to process all of the information I learned […]
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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16
Sep
2018
An Amazing App for Executive Functioning Skills!
Are you the schedule for your students, or your child? If so, you may be dealing with someone who has some challenges with organization and planning! Do those same students waste time and then complain about not having enough time to finish their work? Many of our students struggle with executive functioning issues and actually need our help to understand things like making better use of their time by planning ahead! […]
Read moreI remember attending a class for moms when my children were very young. We were interested in all topics for raising children. One of the first exercises the instructor did was to ask each person what they did for themselves each day. One by one the moms gave answers such as; go for a run, play tennis, read a book, have lunch with a friend, etc. As my turn got closer […]
Read moreIf you work with pre-school students or older students with special needs, chances are you have had someone along the line drive you crazy with switching your lights on and off! I know I’ve seen this many, many times. So what is the solution? I’ve seen stop signs near the switch, I’ve seen furniture pushed in under the switch (at least at the door), I’ve seen teachers put an informal […]
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27
Aug
2018
Executive Functioning Event with SARAH WARD!!!
As a teacher or parent, if you find yourself being the schedule, being the time keeper or worrying more about a student getting assignments doneor to places on time, then you need some expert help! Executive Functioning guru, Sarah Ward, MA. CCC-SLP is coming to Indiana! Westfield Washington Schools has invited Mrs. Ward to come and share her incredible strategies to help us help students succeed when it comes to […]
Read moreFinding the right curriculum for a student is one of the most important keys to academic success. The hard part is finding good options for your students because not all students learn in the same way. I was once told by our district’s reading specialist that no matter what reading curriculum is selected to use for students in the general education classrooms, there will be approximately 20% of those students who will […]
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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 moreIf you take a look at your classroom or teaching space, what does it communicate? Does the structure make it clear what is expectedfrom your students? If not, you might want to rethink how your room is set up. I can’t tell you how many times I go into a classroom that communicates that students can do things that the teacher really doesn’t want to happen,like students running around, spending […]
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