October 16th, 2011 by Administrator
I’m a Special Day Class Teacher who was moved from 3rd grade to Middle School this school year. All my students have learning disabilities and many have behavior disorders. My newest strategy has been to set-up “Centers.” I’ve put four students in each group. The centers are:
Computer Lab (I have four old classroom computers that can go online – I have my spelling and keyboarding program for them to use: http://spellingcity.com/akinsete and http://phonetictyping.com. Usually there is one student in the group who can help if students have technical problems, but for the most part the computer center runs itself.
Pocket Chart-Sort Center – We are using the Language! curriculum. I’ve adapted the sorting exercises in the workbook to a pocket chart sort. The students sort words, combine syllables and make sentences at this workstation and then record their answers to their workbooks. A parent or instructional assistant is there to help.
IWB – I am blessed to have an Interactive White Board. The Language program has a CD called Sortogories. The students do the electronic sorts at the IWB. This center is close to the pocket chart so the Instructional assistance can keep an eye on this group. They have to score perfect and one student records the group results.
Teacher’s Table – This is where I can work with a small group of four. I find this much more effective than teaching at the IWB. Many of the students have processing delays which affects their ability to copy from the board or take note. At the table we do vocabulary, grammar exercises and reading. There is about 20 minutes of instruction. When I complete this group, the students rotate “Centers.”
Before the Centers, we spend time in a full group going over what is expected in each Center. Sometimes we listen to the audio of the text, looking at related pictures on the Web or completing the workbook pages that can be done successfully as a large group. I use table points to motivate and manage behavior during large direct instruction. But teaching to a group of 15+ is by far the least effective method of reaching LD students. During and after the Centers the Aide and I give stickers on each person’s sticker chart for each “Center” they completed. A full chart gets “free computer time” or some other perk.
Bye for now -Adrienne Akinsete at http://msateaches.com
March 21st, 2011 by Administrator
Describe a student you have had (or currently have) that was diagnosed with ADHD or ADD. What characteristics did the child exhibit? One student I had was a fun loving kid. But he just couldn’t stay in his seat or focus his attention for more than a few minute at a time. He was diagnosed [...]
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February 21st, 2011 by Administrator
Function-Based Planning for Young Children At Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders – a journal article review Functional Behavior Assessments are being use to document and treat behavior disorders in young children. Usually the assessment is conducted by an Educational Specialist, Behavior Specialist, or school Psychologist and implemented by the student’s teacher. A child’s behavior [...]
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December 15th, 2010 by Administrator
Computer Assisted Instruction Annotated Bibliography Clarfield, J., & Stoner, G. (2005). The effects of computerized reading instruction on the academic performance of students identified with ADHD. School Psychology Review, 34(2), 246-254. This study investigates the use of a computer assisted instruction (CAI) software called Headsprout as an intervention program for three kindergarten and first grade [...]
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December 5th, 2010 by Administrator
An extended period of time has passes since the introduction of both IDEA, in 1975, section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in 1973, and the introduction of No Child Left Behind. This legislative frame work has caused a paradigm shift in public education towards an inclusive educational classroom and school. This shift in [...]
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November 6th, 2010 by Administrator
Working Memory, Language Impairments and Reading Disabilities in Children with ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopment disorder identified in children with developmentally inappropriate symptoms of inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactive behavior. The physiology of ADHD involves dysfunction of dopaminergic and noradrenergic pathways in the prefrontal cortex and sub-cortical areas of the brain (Martinussen [...]
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October 16th, 2010 by Administrator
A Comparison of Working Memory in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often share behavior characteristic. In fact, many children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) are often misdiagnosed or initially diagnosed with ADHD (Corbett & Constantine, 2006). There has been an increase in [...]
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September 5th, 2010 by Administrator
As I looked over the IEP’s of this year’s incoming students I know that despite the variety of qualifying disability most, if not all 10 of this year’s students, will not be able to read beyond a few words, at best. Once again, it will be up to me, the education specialist, to advance the [...]
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August 25th, 2010 by Administrator
Spelling By: International Dyslexia Association (2008) How common are spelling difficulties? Spelling is difficult for many people, but there is much less research on spelling than there is on reading to tell us just how many people spell poorly or believe they spell poorly. Less is known about spelling competence in the general population than [...]
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August 22nd, 2010 by Administrator
As a young mother in the early 80′s, I wondered why my child was so different from the other children in the room. All the young mothers were sitting with their toddlers, watching as the host and her child opened the birthday gifts. I was literately struggling to keep my boy from wildly running all [...]
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