 Working to understand learning needs to best meet our students' needs! Thanks to everyone who made the trip to Parkland last Friday. 
Rich discussion allows participants to learn from each other.
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| Exceptional educators having fun and working hard to best meet the needs of their students! Thanks for your efforts! Please note: something is amiss in this photo. If you can spot the shenanigans, email Sarah for the opportunity for a fabulous prize! People pictured here not eligible:) |
Thanks to the newly created Foundations of Special Learning Needs groups that met at Southwestern Illinois College, at Sauk Valley Community College, and at Parkland College the last three Fridays for your participation and insight into how to best meet the needs of our adult education students!
Please post below your application exercise using one strategy for student-centered teaching. Please share how your students benefited from this activity. Please also share any suggestions you have for other teachers as they plan to incorporate your idea. Check back to read other participants experiences.
I had the opportunity to have an entire class period with just one student! Twice this month! On both occasions I went over the planned lesson and materials, but I also took a chance to get to know my students a little better. I’ve tweaked some of the details to keep it anonymous--in case you’re wondering! Also, please don’t take my 2 case studies as an attack on homeschooling. It just so happened that the 2 students I had for those class periods happened to be former home school students.
ReplyDeleteOn the first occasion, I asked my student, Nancy, how things were going. Nancy was always willing to answer questions and even guess. I’m impressed with her engagement in the class. Nancy told me things were okay at home. Nancy explained that she wanted to join a trade union once done with her HSE testing. I dug a little deeper by asking her how many years she had been out of a traditional learning environment. The look on Nancy’s face made me think I had offended her. I quickly followed up with, “...if you don’t mind me asking.”
Nancy then smiled and said, “No, I’ll tell you about it. I never get to talk about that.” Nancy had been homeschooled until middle school and she admitted that she wasn’t really learning that much at home. The past couple of years she really hadn’t done much of the online curriculum she was supposed to be following. She was now 16 and wanting to get on with her life and possibly even move out of her parents’ home. She said she’s tired of working fast food.
The second occasion, I had Henry. Henry was normally really quiet, but responsive in class. I couldn’t quite tell if he was anxious or just wanting to get out of the classroom. Henry had told me that reading was difficult for him. He, too, had been home schooled. He mentioned that he spent most of his time doing math problems and science experiments, but reading and writing never came easily. Henry was approaching 10 when he finally showed an interest in learning how to read. Since Henry was just 17, he likely remembered what it was like when he was learning those foundational skills. I asked him what the process of learning how to read was for him. He said that it was really hard and that he had learned to hide that he couldn’t read (or couldn’t read well). Henry says he wished his parents had made him learn to read when he was much younger. He said learning to read and write in English has been like learning another language. He says that he has to be very intentional about reading anything—even while out and about town. Henry is curious about the world and wants to go to college. He worries that his reading will be a barrier to earning his HSE.
My time with Nancy was before the Special Learning Needs face-to-face class and Henry’s class was after it. Utilizing the “10 minute interview” model, I was able to get to know so much more about my students. I’m really glad I asked those open-ended questions. Our students may not have many occasions to share their stories. I will also add that I do have some rapport with these 2 students. They’ve been in my classroom for several months.
My students benefited from their “interviews” by deepening their relationship with me as their teacher. They had a chance to speak without any other students or distractions. I think they’ll be more comfortable speaking with me in and out of class. As teachers, we may or may not be aware of our students’ origins and experiences, but by asking questions (when appropriate) we can get a glimpse. Their educational backgrounds are not a secret they have to keep bottled up--at least not in my classroom. I can also make sure to provide extra supports and scaffolding when assigning work and providing feedback to them. I look forward to more opportunities for informal conversations with my students.
Pam,
DeleteThanks for taking the time to speak individually with your students. It sounds like you gave them a tremendous gift by asking about their lives, their thoughts, and listening to them share. I agree with you that the insights you have gained will certainly help you provide individualized instruction. Thanks for showing the importance of setting the table for learning. Thanks for all you do for our Illinois adult ed students!
Pamela, I notice something about your students that I find I really like about teaching GED or HSE classes, they are motivated to have a better life and see education as a tool to accomplish that. It was good they had the opportunity to share their stories with you. Thank you for sharing. Jill Horn Kohlert
DeletePrior to the in-person session of our Special Learning Needs workshop I gave my students the Learning Style Inventory. I learned that my students were equally divided between auditory, visual, and haptic learners.
ReplyDeleteAfter the in-person session, I used the Ten-Minute Interview. By the second week of class my attendance had dwindled, so I was able to informally talk with my students before or after class. I was again struck by the diversity among my students. "D" is an older gentleman who left school after the 7th or 8th grade because he had to help out at home. He later returned to high school but dropped out after his sophomore year. He is returning to school because he recently went on disability and wants to earn his high school diploma. I question if this gentleman has a learning disability or if his depressed reading and math skills are due to lack of educational opportunities.
I have two students who are under the age of 20. "M" says she wished she had never dropped out of school. She feels it would have been easier to finish high school than earn her HSE exam. "M" works evenings and frequently does not get to bed before 1:00 A.M. She is often tired and complains of not feeling well. As a result she leaves class early or skips class.
"N" works as a manager at a fast food restaurant. He frequently works until well after midnight. "N" is motivated to pass the HSE exam and passed the math portion of the test this week.
Two other students confided they have significant health issues. They are frequently absent from class.
As a result of these interviews, I have much more empathy for my students. I realize that most of the obstacles my students face are very challenging.
This week my students worked on writing the Language Arts essay. I made an effort to use techniques that would address both my auditory and visual learners. While displaying the opposing arguments on the overhead, we read and analyzed each argument. After reading an argument we would discuss the author's claim, his reasons for making this claim, and the evidence the author presented to support this argument. To aid my visual learners we used highlighters to underline the reasons the author gave to support the claim in one color and highlighted the evidence in another color.
After the students wrote the essay I was able to go over their essays with each student individually. One young lady had difficulty writing a coherent paragraph that contained a main idea sentence and supporting details. When I showed her we had underlined the main idea in yellow and details in orange, the light bulb seemed to go on. She said, "Now I get it."
The older gentleman wrote a good but simple essay. After I reviewed his paragraph, he thanked me for being so patient.
I feel that conducting the Ten-Minute Interview made me aware of the challenges facing my students. Also, color coding main idea and detail sentences aided my students understanding.
Cele,
DeleteThanks for taking the time to know your students as people. I believe you have perfectly illustrated through your passage the benefits of taking this time upfront. "Now I get it" are the most beautiful words a teacher can hear from a student. You provided that opportunity by differentiating instruction and meeting her needs. Thanks for your student-centered teaching.
I love the strategy of using 2 different highlighters! Such a simple, yet powerful technique to provide a visual pattern or model for struggling writers. It sounds like your attention and time promoted a safe, supportive, rich and empowering writer's workshop. I'm sure your students will not forget this positive experience. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI love the 2 color highlighter strategy! What a simple, yet powerful visual pattern to promote deeper understanding for struggling writers. It sounds like your time and techniques promoted a safe, supportive, and empowering writer's workshop. I'm sure your students won't forget this positive experience for a long time! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteThe previous posting from October 19 6:33 A.M. is from Cele Struckhoff. The name appears to have posted as Unknown.
ReplyDeleteMary Kaye Tonnies
ReplyDeleteFoundations of Special Learning Needs
Final Assignment
October 16, 2019
For the first Special Learning Needs assignment, I chose to give my Pre-HSE students the Learning Style Checklist. Instead of giving the assessment with only the explanation of it was my homework, I developed a lesson plan around the checklist.
I was aware of an extended version of a learning style preferences assessment in the textbook, The Community College Experience, Brief (Baldwin. 2012). Presented as the introductory chapter, the text explains that understanding how you work productively can provide direction for forming your goals and choosing a career. I used this text as collaborative oral reading before giving the assessment and developed a vocabulary list with the students. Besides the words visual, aural and haptic, the text also introduced the words linguistic, spatial and kinesthetic. It connected the learning styles to various career choices for different learners and gave the students an understanding of why we were performing the assessment.
The lesson and checklist interested the students and they asked if they would be able to complete the “Learning Style Preferences Inventory” that followed in the book. I agreed to do that and the VARK assessment that was included in the appendix of the book too.
At our SLN face-to-face meeting, I asked if I could use the additional assessments as my second assignment. One the second day of the class working on learning styles, I also had the Recommendations for Learners handout. Students who were not there the first day were instructed to read the text and catch-up on the original checklist in addition to completing the two new assessments. As students finished with the reading and all three checklists, I introduced the recommendations sheet individually with them. We compared their three results and then looked at the appropriate recommendations.
This gave me a good opportunity to get to know each of the students a little better. After reviewing the recommendations, I pointed out how I saw the student leaning towards the particular preference, or a connection to a preference I saw in them in class. I asked questions about how they used a preference or saw connections at school or at home. Each of the students had excellent thoughts on themselves and we share some good ideas. In each of my conversations I told the students that things they were already doing were perfect adaptation choices for their preferences in the hopes that they saw their own ability to learn. I think all of the conversations went well and I am appreciated getting to know the students better.
One of the funniest, and certainly one of the conversations I think made a great impact on a student’s ability to see himself, was when I was talking to Larry. While some students were equally divided between two or three of the learning styles, Larry’s three checklists all pointed to auditory learning. I handed Larry the recommendations sheet and told him to read the auditory page. He began reading out loud. He was not reading to me, I understood, but to himself. By the time he got to the second point that began “read out loud” we were both laughing at the irony of what he was doing. It was a nice moment between the two of us.
Finally, I had the student write a short essay using examples of their own habits as support and answering the questions: Are you surprised by what you have learned about yourself? How are you going to use this knowledge in the classroom? The essays I received showed the students had a good understanding and appreciation of the content of the lesson. I also happily found that several of them made connections to their task management preferences; something I initially thought that for some, did not seem quite as interested in as the actual learning styles.
Mary Kaye,
ReplyDeleteSo much rich learning shared in your post! I love how you wove not only learning styles, but also careers, vocabulary, task management, and immediate application of the information all in one day! Thanks for sharing and thanks for all you are doing to help your students understand their learning and gain independence!
I did use the multiplication table with my students today to do a lesson on different uses with it and noticing patterns in it. I talked about doing this during the workshop of Friday. They used the table to reduce fractions to lowest terms. We talked about why they may have reduce twice sometimes. They also noticed all the perfect squares are along the diagonal and could easily identify a perfect square and what the square root of a # is and if it's not a perfect square, give an estimation. We also talked about odd and even numbers. We noted that the only way to obtain an odd product is to multiply 2 odds together. Multiplying by an even # always yields an even answer.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson was visual, auditory and haptic since I had them look at a X table and read what I pointed out on a screen and also had them follow along the different columns with their finger.
I wanted to do the 10-minute interview but didn't have the opportunity today. Maybe next classtime.
Sarah, My maiden name is Horn. That's why it says Jill H. This is Jill Kohlert
DeleteI did the 10-minute interview today. I found out my student likes playing cards and games. I love playing cards and games. This is something we have in common. I also like to play math games with my students. There are a few that I am able to play with the whole class so this is good to know.
ReplyDeleteSome other things that I already knew were in regards to her disability since we already applied for an accommodation with GED. She does get extra time when taking a test. I notice this does help her in at least 2 ways. She is able to complete the test with a little time left. She also isn't nervous about finishing on time like she would be if she didn't have the accommodation.
Jill,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing how you taught multiplication tables at a deeper level. Understanding relationships is key to retaining and to many applications of single principles. Thanks for getting to know your student better using the 10 minute interview. Building that rapport will pay many dividends. I love that you both like cards and games. I look forward to hearing more about how you use cards and games in teaching settings.
Thanks for all you are doing to reach students where they are and help move them towards success using their best learning channels.
Caron Proffer
ReplyDelete10/25/2019
SLN Final Project
Plan of Action
My plan of action helps students become of aware of how they can comprehend information they read with speed and accuracy to gain levels in reading for the TABE test, preparing for the HSE tests, and to develop skills that will encourage them to pursue their goals after they attain their HSE diploma
I work with ABE students with levels ranging from grade levels 4.0-8.0. Most of my students fall in the 4-6 grade reading level. Our objective is to increase their reading level so they can take the higher HSE class which is fast paced in order for them to take the HSE test.
My plan of action involves studying vocabulary, lots of reading within various content areas, and strategies to use in answering questions that follow the passages.
However, three times a week I have students read selections and answer the questions from The Six-Way Paragraph book. I put three-plus stories on the board for them to read and answer on a sheet of paper. I always encourage more as students develop their own strategy to read quicker and answer the questions with accuracy.
My reason for doing this activity is to apply what we do as a group and what they do independently. I time them for this activity, usually 15 minutes, so they can develop or use strategies we have discussed to read and answer questions with speed and accuracy. After about two weeks many of the students actually see positive results in being able to read more stories and more questions. I will up the stories to 4-5 and allow them 20 minutes to finish. I always encourage more stories if they have time left.
At first, students will only get through two stories and questions, while some may read all three, but make mistakes answering the questions. They get excited when they see how much they have improved.
The students developing comprehension skills can be transferred in their workplace and everyday living.
I tutor a Vital student who has a learning disability. What I have found works very well for her is breaking things down into smaller segments and going over things piece by piece she has a better understanding of what is being taught and also retains it alot better. I have also worked with her alot on organizing her notes, and taking proper notes. Organization is a real struggle for her.
ReplyDeleteCaron,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing how you are reaching your students and moving them towards success. I especially appreciate how you are relating their content work in your classroom to workplace skills and everyday living.
Sarah McFarlane
ReplyDeleteSLN Final Project
I am teaching a transition to college and career course for GED and ESL students who will be exiting adult ed at the end of the semester and beginning college coursework in January. We were covering the topic of academic success this week and one of the activities we completed was discovering your learning style.
I have done learning style assessments with students many times. I always tell students that it is crucial to understand what your strengths are as a student so you can utilize your strengths to help in your success.
Once we discuss our learning styles and strengths, I share strategies with the student on how they can best apply their learning strengths both in and out of the classroom. I think this application piece is very important. Now that the student knows how they learn best, what strategies can they use to maximize this strength.
I also discuss that they should not expect their instructor to always teach to their learning style. I know this can be quite frustrating to students, especially students who are more hands-on and they are taking a lecture-style course. Again, I try to refer back to the strategies to maximize their learning strengths.
The experience I had this week with my bridge students was great. I asked each student to describe how they can continue to utilize their learning strengths to help them be successful in their first semester in college.
Thanks Sarah! I am so happy to read how you are supporting your students and taking the time to help them learn about themselves first. Thanks also for asking me to come to Sauk Valley and meet with your teachers.
DeleteI think it's fantastic you're using learning style inventories. I wonder: How do your students react when you discuss the idea that some instructors/professors won't teach towards their preferred learning style? I struggle as a case manager or resource room teacher when I have a student whose learning style differs so greatly from a teacher's teaching style, and know that a few small tweaks could support the student so much, but that the teacher is unresponsive to change, even if it benefits the student. It's terrific that you're empowering your learners to be self-advocates, as well as learn how to read the situation and be able to adapt responsibly.
DeleteI did the learning Style checklist with a group of students that have been particularly difficult with which to get and keep their attention. I learned that many were haptic. So I have been trying to gear lessons with more movement in the class room. A couple of examples:
ReplyDelete1. For coordinate plane and plotting points, we played a game of battleship (designed by Michael Matos) and that went beautifully.
2. For parts of speech, I had them put 5 words of their choice on the board and then we identified them by which part of speech they were. Then they were to take the words and create sentences from them. With a second group I tweaked this by putting parts of speech up and asking them to put 3 words in each column and then we created sentences. (This activity was inspired by an idea I tweaked from the book by Marjorie Franks If You Are Trying to Teach Kids to Write, You Need This Book)
I did the learning styles checklist with a group that has been particularly difficult for our teachers. Most of them were Haptic with Auditory being a closed second for several. So now I have been trying to get them moving a bit more in the lessons. For example:
ReplyDelete1. The first lesson was about plotting points on the coordinate plane. I showed a mathantics.com video and then we played battleship (activity given at recent conference by Michael Matos). Students were engaged and had fun. 2. After showing a brief video about the parts of speech, I had each student go to the board and write 5-8 words- their choice - just had to be classroom appropriate. When that was done we went through and identified which part of speech each word was, discussing those that could have multiple roles (branch as noun and verb, e.g.) The lesson was concluded with students writing sentences from their words. I did this same lesson with another group and started with the parts of speech already on the board and had each student put 3 words in each category. Then I had them write sentence from those. I followed this activity with a worksheet where they identified the subject and verb. In both classes the students did the work and were engaged. (This idea was tweaked from an activity in Majorie Franks' book If You're Trying to Teach Kids to Write, You Need This Book.)
I conducted a 10 minute interview with a student as an advisor. I first asked her about her past school experience. Traditional school was not a success for her largely due to negative interactions with teachers and peers. I used this to explain that many students in Adult Ed also did not complete high school, and often form friendships with each other in class due to shared experiences and life situations. She also mentioned that she most enjoyed reading and writing in school, and I explained that those are great strengths to have going into a high school equivalency class.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic we discussed was learning preferences and concentration. She is a visual learner but has trouble concentrating in class if there is too much noise. She also has trouble concentrating when there is a lot on her mind from outside of school. I offered to be a resource for these issues while she is in our program, and let her know that her teacher gets this information as well so that she can structure class in a way that works for her.
Thank you so much for this training!
Kiefer,
DeleteThanks for sharing and for taking the time with this student. You may be the one piece of the puzzle that makes all the difference in this student's life. Thanks for all you're doing at Parkland!
The following post is from Kathy Moody of Lewis and Clark Community College:
ReplyDeleteI did the learning styles checklist with a group that has been particularly difficult for our teachers. Most of them were Haptic with Auditory being a closed second for several. So now I have been trying to get them moving a bit more in the lessons. For example:
1. The first lesson was about plotting points on the coordinate plane. I showed a mathantics.com video and then we played battleship (activity given at recent conference by Michael Matos). Students were engaged and had fun.
2. After showing a brief video about the parts of speech, I had each student go to the board and write 5-8 words- their choice - just had to be classroom appropriate. When that was done we went through and identified which part of speech each word was, discussing those that could have multiple roles (branch as noun and verb, e.g.) The lesson was concluded with students writing sentences from their words. I did this same lesson with another group and started with the parts of speech already on the board and had each student put 3 words in each category. Then I had them write sentences from those. I followed this activity with a worksheet where they identified the subject and verb. In both classes the students did the work and were engaged. (This idea was tweaked from an activity in Majorie Franks' book If You're Trying to Teach Kids to Write, You Need This Book.)
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your excellent account of how you have infused student-centered learning at Lewis and Clark! I love Battleship! Thanks for the shout-out to Michael Matos - a Special Learning Needs Resource Specialist who completed training in 2017.
Foundations of Special Learning Needs
ReplyDeleteSauk Valley Community College Professional Development
Follow Up Homework Assignment
Kallie Haas
After attending Sauk Valley Community College on October 18, 2019, I was full of innovative, exciting strategies to try out in my adult low-beginner ESL (night) class. In my district, and others I have worked in, we have a “Language Line”- language translation service through a phone hotline. During our group discussion of the “10 Minute Interview,” I wondered to myself if I was allowed to use the Language Line in order to support communication gaps between me and my adult English Language Learners (ELLs). I hypothesized I would gain greater information about my class demographics, as well as their learning needs, if I allowed my learners to speak in their primary languages (L1).
My first challenge in my hypothesis was to secure the actual phone number and school codes necessary to access this translation service. For the past two years, I have heard of this elusive “Language Line,” but no one could actually provide me the phone number to call. It took a number of days to locate a person who finally assisted me, but I still did not know if I was allowed to use the service because I was a night school teacher who worked in a different building than my daytime teacher assistant employment. It took a full two weeks to determine that this service could be utilized for night school employees! Yipee!
Unfortunately, this discovery put me at November 1st, which meant I only had a handful of Fall Semester classes left for my ESL night school. My special education background naturally leads my teaching style, so I am constantly trying to get to know my students better all the time in order to match my content standards with relevant, meaningful connections that support exceptional needs. I spent class time nearly every evening getting to know my ELLs and having them practice their English by getting to know each other. On one snowy night, I had only 6 students attend. This night allowed me to do an adaptation of the 10-minute interview. My ELLs are low-beginner, so I need to be careful of their frustration level with knowing what they want to say, but not having the language to fully say it. I did take the time to work with each student so they had more one-on-one speaking practice, but this isn’t the same as learning the ins-and-outs of their education background and learning styles. However, on the next class, I did have two students tell me how much they enjoyed talking to me and spending that time in authentic discussion, rather than “book learning.” I believe this richer one-on-one time provided those 6 students a deeper connection to me as their instructor, as well as provided them more self-confidence in their ability to access the English language as a means for human connection.
As I finish up this semester, I know I have not fulfilled the Foundations of Special Learning Needs course, but intend to use the Language Line option within the very beginning of the Winter Semester (January) in order to hold true 10-Minute Interviews. I know I can do a better job of asking questions more specific to their learning needs versus surface level “get to know you” small talk. I want to do better. I will do better!
Kallie,
DeleteDon't sell yourself short! This quote, copied from your post, tells it all.
I did have two students tell me how much they enjoyed talking to me and spending that time in authentic discussion, rather than “book learning.” I believe this richer one-on-one time provided those 6 students a deeper connection to me as their instructor, as well as provided them more self-confidence in their ability to access the English language as a means for human connection.
I love it! The connections you made HAVE and WILL make a difference in instruction. Thanks for focusing on your students and how they learn in addition to what they learn.
Thank you, Sarah! If the end of semester party is an indicator of how they felt about me as an instructor, well then I won the lottery! Now on to next semester where I really help them make language gains.
DeleteSpecial Learning Needs classroom activity, Jeff Campbell, Lewis & Clark CC
ReplyDeleteLearning style checklist
I had a class of 6 students where I gave them the Learning Style Checklist. Their scores are in the table below.
Name Visual Auditory Haptic
Student 1 26 28 28
Student 2 27 37 26
Student 3 28 28 36
Student 4 33 33 32
Student 5 38 37 40
Student 6 38 38 31
In several cases the scores were pretty even. This tells me that I can switch between any of the 3 areas and effectively keep the students engaged. I can’t become complacent and solely rely on that plan. I have to make sure that everyone is engaged and need to vary my style when necessary.
Much like a multi-level class that requires grouping students of like ability together, I should work to know and memorize each student’s highest score and use that approach for them as often as possible. For example, Student 3 and Student 5 scored highest in Haptic. So when I’m explaining a new topic I would give them something they could touch or hold and let them explore it as opposed to Student 2 whose highest score is in Auditory. Where Student 3 and Student 5 need to touch or hold the item to better understand the topic, Student 2 will get the most out of a verbal explanation. I would not solely rely on a verbal explanation, though. I believe it is important to ask Student 2 questions to solicit his understanding.
Student 6 is split between Visual and Auditory so in her case I would make sure she could see examples while I was explaining them. I would then follow up with questions to determine her understanding.
Student 1 and Student 4 are pretty close in all three areas so I would vary my instructional style so as to not over-concentrate on one. I’d also pay attention to their responses to see if they are truly split evenly or they unknowingly scored each topic evenly.
I would also meet individually with each student to discuss their scores to help them understand how they assessed themselves. I think if they aren’t already aware of their learning style, knowing their scores will help them to know themselves better and could possibly impact the way they learn from other instructors.
Jeff,
DeleteThanks for your post and your thoughtful analysis of your students. Thanks also for your willingness to take the time to help your students understand learning in addition to teaching them content.
Julie Bruno
ReplyDeleteSLN Final Project
I did both the Learning Styles Checklist and the Learning Circle exercise with my students. Most of them are auditory learners, with visual as a close second. I had several haptic learners, most of which had auditory as a close second. Interestingly, these particular students are the least active in terms of discussion. I decided to experiment and do some hands on learning exercises with the class and see if their class interaction improved. We happen to have class on the night of Halloween, so I took the opportunity to do some fun groupwork with geometry. The students were given building tasks, with a given set of materials they could use, and a set of requirements they had to meet in their building efforts. The results were amazing. The group as a whole really got into the project and did some great group work. There were discussions, and thinking outside the box. Most importantly, my haptic learners blossomed! I have one student in particular who has never spoken in class. However, this evening, he was talking, participating and joking with everyone in his group. It was wonderful to see! I am working to do more hands on learning where possible. This is the learning type I struggle most to accommodate.
On the learning circle exercise, oddly most of my students felt they already knew what we discussed in how they learned. What seemed to really resonate with them is things they can do in order to help them retain and access the information they learn. Many had not considered that it was within their power to help themselves learn, and to learn in ways that make the most sense to them. We discussed ways that they can practice learning the information on their own, and discussed strategies to help them both remember and access that information.
Overall, all of these exercises created a great bonding between my students, and I believe enabled them to see that they have control over their learning. It was a valuable exercise for all of us!
Julie,
DeleteWahoo! A student talking and interacting who had never done so before? That is pure gold! Students considering their power to help themselves learn and to learn in ways that make the most sense to them? Score!! Thanks for reaching your students in ways that work for them. Thanks for adding additional tools to your already full educator tool belt!
This is an awesome example of providing rich, meaningful learning opportunities to your students to meet their diverse needs! So exciting to hear of this breakthrough!
DeleteI was able to use the 10-minute interview recently, which was a great tool to use when meeting a student for the first time. Last week, a student came to discuss what classes might be beneficial for her, as she was planning to enter the healthcare field. She had a wealth of experience working as an educator in her country, but she felt ready to move onto the next steps in a new field (a very scary process)!
ReplyDeleteI think the 10 minute interview gave the student the opportunity to identify her strengths and weaknesses, as well as talk about how she learned best. She mentioned that this was her first opportunity in the U.S. to discuss these educational needs, which was great to see. We also talked about how her learning style (haptic) would be very beneficial for her in the healthcare program she wanted to apply for.
Based on the student's interests and needs, we were able to put together a plan for her future courses. I will continue to use the 10 minute interview when meeting new students - it's a great tool!
Thanks for everything, Sarah - the training was great!
Lauren Zajac
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post sharing your positive experience with the ten-minute interview. You have perfectly illustrated the power of communication. Laying the foundation for success is crucial for our students. Thanks for putting your student as a person! Thanks for all you do to ensure student success at your program.
The final project for Special learning needs course:
ReplyDeleteI have been using a lot of techniques learned in this program. One of the things that has really helped is breaking things up into small segments instead of teaching too much at one time. My student seems to retain it much better this way. Also making the environment free of distractions. And teaching things verbally to her helps a lot. We will continue to use these different techniques in the coming months and hopefully it will help her to begin to learn at a much faster pace.
Thanks to Julie Cecchetti from Sauk Valley for the above post. Breaking up instruction seems so simple but you get a huge return for this simple idea! Thanks for checking out the environment and making changes that work for your students.
ReplyDeleteIn my class, we often incorporate some fun activity to help review what we have learned as a way to break up the monotony of the day. After attending your session, I decided to incorporate a more mobile way to perform some of the lessons. We created an activity that the students used pre-set words as well as creating their own. We also created our own punctuation sheets. After we were done creating, we used the words and punctuation to create our sentences by standing with our words in a certain order. It was much clearer to them if the sentence was off and made it easier for them to see the impact of moving something slightly in a sentence. The humor from that day and how the students interacted created a method for them to remember. For example, we used sentences and assigned a student the semicolon. It became very entertaining trying to remember the semicolon, which made the students remember the rules surrounding the semicolon. It was interactive, fun and repetitious so it was success. I look forward to doing this activity again.
ReplyDeleteLove the semicolon activity! Thanks for sharing and for engaging your students in an interactive way that will help them retain the information. Please message me and tell me who posted this. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAfter our in-person session I made several changes to my content and have several more ideas planned for next semester. I am also including The Learning Circle graphic I created for student use. Even though I initially completed this activity before the in-person session, I used it again when a new group of students joined our class. I had the students who had already been through the lesson explain to the new students what they recalled about The Learning Circle. I was pleased the first group of students were able to share what they had learned with their new classmates. Throughout the rest of the semester I often referrred back to The Learning Circle graphic when teaching new content and would connect the new material to the area of the brain they should “store” the knowledge. For this upcoming semester I plan to use the Learning Circle as part of our student orientation process so that all of our students have exposure to the information and to make them more aware of the various ways they learn.
ReplyDeleteShortly after our in house session we had a new block of students beginning classes. I used Sarah’s icebreaker activity with the students. This was an easy and time efficient way for me to gain insight into the students and to how to best plan my lessons for their various learning styles.
Recently as I was testing students for the new semester I noticed one of the students struggling with the intake process and completing the form. I sat with him and helped guide him through the process. While helping him I was able to gain insight into the challenges he may face in class and was able to take note of them. I felt this was a way to gain the necessary informaiton to provide him a better learning environment without the formal questioning process. I feel I was able to gain more valid information this way as opposed to a more formal interview process. I would love to have the time to sit with every student this was through the intake process as developing the rapport with the student can aid me in getting valuable insight into not only any special learning needs they may but also any outside concerns that may influence their ablity to learn.
Our program is working this fiscal year to improve our post-test gains. Since I just recently started in my position as the intake and enrollment coordinator I was still getting accustomed to the TABE test and how to best to administer it. To begin the year I followed th saem process used in the past. After further investigation I discovered the Online Tools available for the students to use while taking the test. WOW!! What an eye opener this was for my students as well as myself. Teaching the students how best to use the resources available to them has aided many of our students with some of their Special Learning Needs without the use of additional accomodations. One of the tools I noticed many of the students using is the ability to change the backgound color of the test. When I was the Coordinatior of the Reading Center we often used color overlays to make reading the material easier and less stressful for the students. The color change option works almost the same way as the Irlen Color Overlays. One of our older adult students found the ability to maginify the test made a huge difference in his ablity to read to text. In fact, the next time he tested he received a level gain. Since implementing the Online Tools Training Component of the TABE test, students have commneted on how less stressed they fell when taking the test and that they are less tired when finished. An added bonus as our post-test level gains are rising!
Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your learning circle activity on your post. So happy to hear you will use this as part of orientation. Investing time upfront will certainly save time later and increase retention! I'm sure your students are benefiting from all of your efforts. Thanks also for sharing your use of online tools with your students. A small change that can make big benefits. As I told you, if I couldn't increase the font size on many reading passages, I would be lost. It makes such a difference for me (ease of use and boost of confidence). I imagine use of accessibility tools make that same difference for your students! Thanks for focusing on the individual needs of your students!
Hey all! Jeanette created a nice document outlining how to help individuals with varying learning needs. Check out the link here: http://www.siue.edu/sipdc/SLN/Foundations_DesigningFinalActivity.shtml
ReplyDeleteDebra Jacobs
ReplyDeleteFoundations of Special Learning
Final Assignment
Results from the 10 minute interview
The results were interesting. I learned that one of the students who has been in the class for many years (although not with me as the teacher) has had very little formal education. He attended in his home country for only three years and had only bad experiences. He feels he is incapable of learning very much, but tries hard and is faithful in his attendance. The information will help me to tailor the coursework to his specific needs in offering more explanations than usual and encouraging him more verbally.
Most of the students I interviewed preferred a quiet learning and study environment. They also learn and retain the information taught better if they see, listen, and write it down. Working in groups and pairs helps them to retain the coursework as well. I'll certainly be doing more of those types of lessons in the future.