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Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Final Presentation: Strategies for Teaching Science to Students with Disabilities
Here is a link to my virtual presentation on Teaching Strategies for Students with Special Needs. Enjoy!
Wrap up on Teaching Strategies for Students with Special Needs
In wrapping up my research on the topic of specific strategies for teaching science to students with special needs, I want to tie things up in my final post by discussing some additional guidelines I have learned from experiences in my Special Education classes.
Using inquiry-based instruction in teaching science has multiple benefits for many students with disabilities, in comparison to the more traditional approach of text-based instruction. The Inquiry-based approach involves teaching students science concepts through concrete and hands-on experiences. This involves providing students with a variety of educational experiences to develop and demonstrate conceptual understanding, rather than simply relying on routine processes such as reading about information in a textbook, answering the end-of-the-chapter questions, and taking test at the end of a unit.
Inquiry-based instruction reduces the barrier of mainly accessing information through abstract presentations and promotes student participation through a larger selection of methods (not just reading and writing), which can be particularly useful for students with disabilities.
Additional suggestions for enhancing the learning of students with special needs (particularly students with mild-to-moderate disabilities):
• Use concrete materials and manipulatives to activate prior knowledge and demonstrate concepts
• Organize instruction around the “big ideas” of a topic taught
• Facilitate connections between topics studied and other content areas
• Focus on deepening knowledge of content ideas rather than covering a lot of material
• Make connections between the science and the students everyday life
• Take advantage of utilizing technology resources when appropriate
• Promote “minds on” thinking through asking thought-provoking questions
• Demonstrate enthusiasm about the content
• Evaluate student performance using a wide range of authentic assessment techniques
Reference:
Prater, Mary Anne. Teaching Strategies for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007. 402-04. Print.
Using inquiry-based instruction in teaching science has multiple benefits for many students with disabilities, in comparison to the more traditional approach of text-based instruction. The Inquiry-based approach involves teaching students science concepts through concrete and hands-on experiences. This involves providing students with a variety of educational experiences to develop and demonstrate conceptual understanding, rather than simply relying on routine processes such as reading about information in a textbook, answering the end-of-the-chapter questions, and taking test at the end of a unit.
Inquiry-based instruction reduces the barrier of mainly accessing information through abstract presentations and promotes student participation through a larger selection of methods (not just reading and writing), which can be particularly useful for students with disabilities.
Additional suggestions for enhancing the learning of students with special needs (particularly students with mild-to-moderate disabilities):
• Use concrete materials and manipulatives to activate prior knowledge and demonstrate concepts
• Organize instruction around the “big ideas” of a topic taught
• Facilitate connections between topics studied and other content areas
• Focus on deepening knowledge of content ideas rather than covering a lot of material
• Make connections between the science and the students everyday life
• Take advantage of utilizing technology resources when appropriate
• Promote “minds on” thinking through asking thought-provoking questions
• Demonstrate enthusiasm about the content
• Evaluate student performance using a wide range of authentic assessment techniques
Reference:
Prater, Mary Anne. Teaching Strategies for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2007. 402-04. Print.
Strategies for Teaching Science to Students with Intellectual Disabilities
In the search to identify more teaching strategies to help special education students learn science, I decided to focus my attention on intellectual disabilities. I reviewed another article found in the teacher resources section of the SESD (Science Education for Students with Disabilities) website. This website (http://www.sesd.info/idstrategies.htm) offers a few helpful strategies related to general teaching tips, but falls short in describing specific techniques to develop student understanding of content ideas.
Some of the strategies that I felt were helpful include:
• Create a learning environment that promotes acceptance of all students, especially those with disabilities.
• Help the student develop a science role model, who had the same or similar disability to that of the student. Point out how this individual was able to become successful through a combination of effort and receiving assistance when needed.
• Never solely base a students intellectual ability on their IQ score. IQ scores alone don’t reflect a students specific strengths, needs, and learning preferences in designing instruction. The expectations we project can influence student progress. Develop and maintain high, but reasonable expectations for students of all abilities.
• Facilitate experiments that provide multiple ways for students with impairments to access, explore, and gather information.
• Design assessments appropriate for the student's disorder (written, drawn, or oral.)
Although this site briefly mentions the strategy of using “concrete materials” it goes on to suggest that the teacher “proceed in small sequential steps and review each frequently.” Aside from this sentence, this article doesn’t really emphasize many of the techniques on how people learn. Using the cognitive learning theories to understand our students and inform our teaching is a crucial component in helping our students learn concepts effectively.
Also, carrying out instruction using “small sequential steps” reflects an inaccurate view of the nature of science. Doing so indirectly teaches students that science is a step-by-step process, yet I feel that in some cases this level of support in performing experiments may be necessary for students depending on their level of impairment. On the other hand, even students with severe levels of intellectual impairments can still participate in some form of non-linear exploration of a concept. And the teacher could perhaps just limit the level of depth of the concept development and application phases of learning about a particular subject matter.
Science Education for Students with Disabilities. Intellectual Disorders – Strategies. Retrieved from: http://www.sesd.info/idstrategies.htm
Some of the strategies that I felt were helpful include:
• Create a learning environment that promotes acceptance of all students, especially those with disabilities.
• Help the student develop a science role model, who had the same or similar disability to that of the student. Point out how this individual was able to become successful through a combination of effort and receiving assistance when needed.
• Never solely base a students intellectual ability on their IQ score. IQ scores alone don’t reflect a students specific strengths, needs, and learning preferences in designing instruction. The expectations we project can influence student progress. Develop and maintain high, but reasonable expectations for students of all abilities.
• Facilitate experiments that provide multiple ways for students with impairments to access, explore, and gather information.
• Design assessments appropriate for the student's disorder (written, drawn, or oral.)
Although this site briefly mentions the strategy of using “concrete materials” it goes on to suggest that the teacher “proceed in small sequential steps and review each frequently.” Aside from this sentence, this article doesn’t really emphasize many of the techniques on how people learn. Using the cognitive learning theories to understand our students and inform our teaching is a crucial component in helping our students learn concepts effectively.
Also, carrying out instruction using “small sequential steps” reflects an inaccurate view of the nature of science. Doing so indirectly teaches students that science is a step-by-step process, yet I feel that in some cases this level of support in performing experiments may be necessary for students depending on their level of impairment. On the other hand, even students with severe levels of intellectual impairments can still participate in some form of non-linear exploration of a concept. And the teacher could perhaps just limit the level of depth of the concept development and application phases of learning about a particular subject matter.
Science Education for Students with Disabilities. Intellectual Disorders – Strategies. Retrieved from: http://www.sesd.info/idstrategies.htm
Resources and support for the technologically minded teacher
Throughout my blog posts I’ve presented a tid bit of information on implementing technology in the classroom. Since this is my last post on this research, you may begin to ask yourself the question of “where would I turn for more information in this topic?” Alas! That very concern is what I’ll be addressing today.
Here are three books that I think would be a good guide for the teacher that wants to really utilize technology in their science or regular classroom. All three books are less than $25 cost new, and can be purchased used!
Another mode of support to help you get a grasp on all the technological mayhem is to join the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Becoming a member allows you access to numerous articles, as well as a subscription to a magazine and/or email newsletter. I’ve been a member for a couple of months and have used some of their content in my prior technology blog posts. Edutopia is also a fantastic site that has great information to help you with understanding technology in the classroom.
The last thing I want to leave my readers with (before posting a conglomerate summary of my postings) is a video of the top ten tricks for using technology in the classroom. I think this is a great culmination of engaging students with the effective use of technology! Please take special note what the narrator says at the conclusion of the video (prior to the thanks for listening)
The web is full of resources when you do a quick search for implementing technology in a classroom. In fact, it can be a bit overwhelming when sorting through advertisement links, pages not found, and repeating content. As I solution, I am going to suggest going to Amazon.com and use the search dropdown to select books. Yes, books! Even though I’ve been pressing forward with new interactive engaging technologies, a book is a very helpful tool and I feel is best to resort to so we don’t have to be at a computer all day. A book can fit in a backpack, purse, or be placed at the side of the bed.
Here are three books that I think would be a good guide for the teacher that wants to really utilize technology in their science or regular classroom. All three books are less than $25 cost new, and can be purchased used!
Another mode of support to help you get a grasp on all the technological mayhem is to join the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Becoming a member allows you access to numerous articles, as well as a subscription to a magazine and/or email newsletter. I’ve been a member for a couple of months and have used some of their content in my prior technology blog posts. Edutopia is also a fantastic site that has great information to help you with understanding technology in the classroom.
The last thing I want to leave my readers with (before posting a conglomerate summary of my postings) is a video of the top ten tricks for using technology in the classroom. I think this is a great culmination of engaging students with the effective use of technology! Please take special note what the narrator says at the conclusion of the video (prior to the thanks for listening)
Teaching Strategies for Science to Students with AD/HD:
Generally, my previous blogs have mainly focused on teaching strategies and accommodations that could be applied to benefit all students with special needs. But in my last few posts I will focus on identifying strategies for accommodating specific disabilities in the science classroom. The SESD (Science Education for Students with Disabilities) website is a great reference tool for teachers. This website contains a resource tab outlining specific resources and strategies to help students with disabilities such as Attention Deficit disorder, Behavioral disorders, Communication disorders, Hearing impairments, Intellectual disorders, Learning disabilities, Motor/Orthopedic disabilities, and Visual impairments.
Some examples of strategies to assist students with ADHD include:
(see http://www.sesd.info/addstrategies.htm)
• Provide a visual model and verbal description of directions and be consistent with instructions of daily procedures.
• Make directions clear and concise (simplify complex instructions).
• Assign one task at a time and avoid using multiple commands.
• Check for understanding of instructions before directing the student to begin a task (provide extra assistance as needed, repeating instructions in a calm and positive manner).
• Use cues to alert students with AD/HD of transitions stages a few minutes before changing activities. This helps students prepare to refocus their attention when transitioning from one subject/activity to the next.
• Modify assignments as needed. Allow the AD/HD student to participate in alternative activities or exercises that require less complexity and have the same or similar learning objectives.
• Construct assessments that test knowledge and not attention span. Students with AD/HD are easily frustrated. Tests should be used to measure a students understanding of content, and thus teachers should adapt the tests to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge. Break the test into short segments for the AD/HD student to complete over a span a time, allowing them to take breaks to re-group attention in between completing the parts of the exam.
• Students with AD/HD may work slowly, and should be given extra time to complete certain examination tasks, especially those that involve performing math related operations.
Facilitation of support strategies such as these helps reduce the limited attention barriers of AD/HD, encouraging meaningful engagement of students with this disability in learning science concepts.
Science Education for Students with Disabilities. A.D.D. Strategies. Retrieved from: http://www.sesd.info/addstrategies.htm
Some examples of strategies to assist students with ADHD include:
(see http://www.sesd.info/addstrategies.htm)
• Provide a visual model and verbal description of directions and be consistent with instructions of daily procedures.
• Make directions clear and concise (simplify complex instructions).
• Assign one task at a time and avoid using multiple commands.
• Check for understanding of instructions before directing the student to begin a task (provide extra assistance as needed, repeating instructions in a calm and positive manner).
• Use cues to alert students with AD/HD of transitions stages a few minutes before changing activities. This helps students prepare to refocus their attention when transitioning from one subject/activity to the next.
• Modify assignments as needed. Allow the AD/HD student to participate in alternative activities or exercises that require less complexity and have the same or similar learning objectives.
• Construct assessments that test knowledge and not attention span. Students with AD/HD are easily frustrated. Tests should be used to measure a students understanding of content, and thus teachers should adapt the tests to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge. Break the test into short segments for the AD/HD student to complete over a span a time, allowing them to take breaks to re-group attention in between completing the parts of the exam.
• Students with AD/HD may work slowly, and should be given extra time to complete certain examination tasks, especially those that involve performing math related operations.
Facilitation of support strategies such as these helps reduce the limited attention barriers of AD/HD, encouraging meaningful engagement of students with this disability in learning science concepts.
Science Education for Students with Disabilities. A.D.D. Strategies. Retrieved from: http://www.sesd.info/addstrategies.htm
Friday, November 19, 2010
Mnemonic Strategies & Teaching Science Content
“In teaching new content, good teachers not only tell their students what is important to remember, they give them ways to remember it.” After reading an article regarding mnemonic strategies, I discovered new techniques that are used to help students with mild-to-moderate disabilities learn concepts more efficiently. This strategy involves remembering content ideas by linking new information to prior knowledge in a student’s schema such as a familiar object, idea or experience. There are three types of mnemonic strategies, which include keyword, pegword, and letter. Each strategy can be used in order to teach a variety of content throughout many different grade levels.
The following website includes examples of how to use each strategy in teaching students science content: http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/mnemonics_science.asp
I think that the keyword and letter strategies would be the easiest for students with disabilities to incorporate in learning science vocabulary. The keyword strategy involves recognizing a “key word” or similar sounding familiar word contained in a new vocabulary word or concept being taught. This embedded “key word” is then associated with and used to remember the definition of the concept taught. Whereas memorizing words using the letter strategy involves forming acronyms and acrostics or “sentence mnemonics” by creating a phrase or sentence based on the initial letters of a group of concept words.
Based on my own experiences with these techniques, typically the letter mnemonics allow for the most creativity in constructing frameworks to remember information. Generally speaking, the goal is to make mnemonics memorable. In constructing mnemonics, the funnier and more outrageous the mnemonic is, the easier it will be for the student to recall the information represented by the memorized association. Overall, these processing and memory strategies promote students with disabilities to break down complex concepts into smaller and more manageable parts, lightening their cognitive load in encoding and storing information in their long-term memory. Thus, when explicitly taught how to independently construct these memory devices, students with mild-to-moderate disabilities can learn and better process information to become more scientifically literate.
Reference:
The Access Center. USING MNEMONIC INSTRUCTION TO TEACH SCIENCE. http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/mnemonics_science.asp
The following website includes examples of how to use each strategy in teaching students science content: http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/mnemonics_science.asp
I think that the keyword and letter strategies would be the easiest for students with disabilities to incorporate in learning science vocabulary. The keyword strategy involves recognizing a “key word” or similar sounding familiar word contained in a new vocabulary word or concept being taught. This embedded “key word” is then associated with and used to remember the definition of the concept taught. Whereas memorizing words using the letter strategy involves forming acronyms and acrostics or “sentence mnemonics” by creating a phrase or sentence based on the initial letters of a group of concept words.
Based on my own experiences with these techniques, typically the letter mnemonics allow for the most creativity in constructing frameworks to remember information. Generally speaking, the goal is to make mnemonics memorable. In constructing mnemonics, the funnier and more outrageous the mnemonic is, the easier it will be for the student to recall the information represented by the memorized association. Overall, these processing and memory strategies promote students with disabilities to break down complex concepts into smaller and more manageable parts, lightening their cognitive load in encoding and storing information in their long-term memory. Thus, when explicitly taught how to independently construct these memory devices, students with mild-to-moderate disabilities can learn and better process information to become more scientifically literate.
Reference:
The Access Center. USING MNEMONIC INSTRUCTION TO TEACH SCIENCE. http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/mnemonics_science.asp
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