Here are the 14 Disability Categories. Each link is an outline of the category which provides the legal definition, characteristics of the disability, helps for teachers, and further resources. This is a good starting place to get a basic understanding of disabilities that students may have and how to address their needs.
Hearing Impairment
Other Health Impairments
Speech and Language Impairments
Visual Impairment/Blindness
Specific Learning Disabilities
Deaf-Blindness
Multiple Disabilities
Intellectual Disability
Orthopedic Impairment
Emotional Disturbance
Deafness
Developmental Delay
Autism
Traumatic Brain Injury
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
OWL Perdue Online Writing Lab
This website has some great useful info for ESL teachers and students. It helps with grammar, has practice exercises, and tutorials. It also has resources for teachers with links to other organizations that can provide help.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
This is one of my favorite websites for parents, teachers, families, anyone who works with students who are learning English. It is a bilingual site which is fabulous for Spanish speaking families. This site also has a link to http://www.readingrockets.org/ which is another fantastic site.
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/
This website has a lot of fun printables. It also has song, games, and lessons.
http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/
Another great resource for lessons, handouts, reference guides, and a forum for teachers.
Benchmark Education
This website is focused on literacy and developing reading and writing skills. It talks about the diverse literacy needs of students who are ELLs. It has great ideas for ways teachers can help students in reading and writing.
This website has some great useful info for ESL teachers and students. It helps with grammar, has practice exercises, and tutorials. It also has resources for teachers with links to other organizations that can provide help.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
This is one of my favorite websites for parents, teachers, families, anyone who works with students who are learning English. It is a bilingual site which is fabulous for Spanish speaking families. This site also has a link to http://www.readingrockets.org/ which is another fantastic site.
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/
This website has a lot of fun printables. It also has song, games, and lessons.
http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/
Another great resource for lessons, handouts, reference guides, and a forum for teachers.
Benchmark Education
This website is focused on literacy and developing reading and writing skills. It talks about the diverse literacy needs of students who are ELLs. It has great ideas for ways teachers can help students in reading and writing.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
SERGE links
SERGE (Special Education Resources for General Educators) is a fantastic website that answers many of the questions faced by general educators as they consider the many and various needs of their students. Here are a few that I found interesting and useful.
Interventions for ADD and learning disabilities
This link to Child Development Institute has some great suggestions for classroom interventions for children who have ADD, who are cognitively impulsive, and accommodations for specific behaviors. Some of the behaviors are difficulty following through on instructions, difficulty test taking, confusion from non-verbal cues, messiness and sloppiness, being interruptive, poor handwriting, and more. These are all things that are likely to be seen frequently in a general classroom from students who may not have an IEP, but who require specific interventions and accommodations to help them progress and be successful.
Addressing Overrepresentation of African Americans in SpEd
This link is to a report by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of Black School Educators that talks about the over-representation of African American students in special education. The report is quite long but talks about the pre-referral process, school climate, families, and legal issues that impact or are impacted by this disparity. It is important to make sure students are receiving services if they need them but also make sure that the correct legal and pre-referral procedures are followed so that students are where they need to be.
ELL and learning disabilities
This part of the SERGE website talks about distinguishing whether a student's language difficulties stem from English being a second language, or language disabilities. I found the Factual Information section to be very useful. There are also suggestions of what to try in the classroom to help the situation.
Interventions for ADD and learning disabilities
This link to Child Development Institute has some great suggestions for classroom interventions for children who have ADD, who are cognitively impulsive, and accommodations for specific behaviors. Some of the behaviors are difficulty following through on instructions, difficulty test taking, confusion from non-verbal cues, messiness and sloppiness, being interruptive, poor handwriting, and more. These are all things that are likely to be seen frequently in a general classroom from students who may not have an IEP, but who require specific interventions and accommodations to help them progress and be successful.
Addressing Overrepresentation of African Americans in SpEd
This link is to a report by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of Black School Educators that talks about the over-representation of African American students in special education. The report is quite long but talks about the pre-referral process, school climate, families, and legal issues that impact or are impacted by this disparity. It is important to make sure students are receiving services if they need them but also make sure that the correct legal and pre-referral procedures are followed so that students are where they need to be.
ELL and learning disabilities
This part of the SERGE website talks about distinguishing whether a student's language difficulties stem from English being a second language, or language disabilities. I found the Factual Information section to be very useful. There are also suggestions of what to try in the classroom to help the situation.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Differentiated instruction resources
http://mindstepsinc.
Mindsteps has many great resources for helping students at varying levels. Specifically, there are tools for helping struggling students, motivation, and differentiation. This company offers seminars, products, and online resources to help teachers.
Differentiated planning sheet
This is a blank planning template sheet. This a very helpful tool in designing lessons to meet the needs of a variety of learners in a class.
Four Types of Students Reference Guide
This guide describes differentiation strategies for four different learning styles in the areas of content, process, product, and environment.
Sample Differentiated plan for English
This is a good example of a lesson plan for English using the Differentiated planning sheet.
Mindsteps has many great resources for helping students at varying levels. Specifically, there are tools for helping struggling students, motivation, and differentiation. This company offers seminars, products, and online resources to help teachers.
Differentiated planning sheet
This is a blank planning template sheet. This a very helpful tool in designing lessons to meet the needs of a variety of learners in a class.
Four Types of Students Reference Guide
This guide describes differentiation strategies for four different learning styles in the areas of content, process, product, and environment.
Sample Differentiated plan for English
This is a good example of a lesson plan for English using the Differentiated planning sheet.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Assisted technologies
There are a number of resources found at the Utah Center for Assistive Technologies. One is the Computer Center for Citizens with Disabilities. Here children and adults can learn ways that technology can enhance their jobs, careers, and education. The center offers consultations, workshops, information, and help getting augmentative communication technologies.
UCAT offers personalized assistance to people with disabilities, parents, caregivers, special educators, etc.
This link is to a list of inventory of such technologies available through the UAAACT.
http://ucat.usor.utah.gov/uaaact/Inventroy%20searches/Inbox_Alph_Lst.htm
These are devices, software, computer accessories, writing devices, etc. There is a wide range of high and low tech products available for loan.
UCAT offers personalized assistance to people with disabilities, parents, caregivers, special educators, etc.
This link is to a list of inventory of such technologies available through the UAAACT.
http://ucat.usor.utah.gov/uaaact/Inventroy%20searches/Inbox_Alph_Lst.htm
These are devices, software, computer accessories, writing devices, etc. There is a wide range of high and low tech products available for loan.
Here is some information from the website http://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents/supplementary that is helpful in understanding how supplementary aids and services fit into a child's IEP. It is important to understand the legal scope and definition of this part of IDEA when considering what a child needs and what can be considered to fall under this requirement. I thought it was interesting that staff training and support can be included.
IDEA’s Exact Words
Again, let’s start with IDEA’s full requirement for identifying the supplementary aids and services a child will need and specifying them in his or her IEP. This appears at §300.320(a)(4) and stipulates that each child’s IEP must contain:
(4) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services,
based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be
provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the
program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be
provided to enable the child—
(i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;
(ii) To be involved in and make progress
in the general education curriculum in accordance with paragraph (a)(1)
of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other
nonacademic activities; and
(iii) To be educated and participate with
other children with disabilities and nondisabled children in the
activities described in this section… [§300.320(a)(4)]
We’ve bolded the part of IDEA’s regulation that specifically mentions
supplementary aids and services, because it’s important to see the
context in which this term is used. It is that context, and IDEA’s own
definition of supplementary aids and services, that will guide how a
child’s IEP team considers what services the child needs and the detail
with which the team specifies them in the IEP.The Short Story on Supplementary Aids and Services
Supplementary aids and services are often critical elements in supporting the education of children with disabilities in regular classes and their participation in a range of another school activities. IDEA’s definition of this term (at §300.42)reads:
Supplementary aids and services
means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular
education classes, other education-related settings, and in
extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with
disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum
extent appropriate …
Speaking practically, supplementary aids and services can be
accommodations and modifications to the curriculum under study or the
manner in which that content is presented or a child’s progress is
measured. But that’s not all they are or can be. Supplementary aids and
services can also include direct services and supports to the child, as
well as support and training for staff who work with that child. That’s
why determining what supplementary aids and services are appropriate for
a particular child must be done on an individual basis.Friday, September 28, 2012
Council for Exceptional Children- support for teachers.
To collaborate or not
This offers four questions to ask when considering when collaboration would be the best option, given the time, effort, and resources required. The first question addresses whether or not the project of problem can be handled alone. The second considers the commitment of others. The third asks whether there are mechanisms in place that foster collaboration. Fourth, what are the intended outcomes? This is a good resource because even though collaboration often sounds good, it may not always be the most effective or practical approach.
Time saving guidelines for speds.
This is a great resource for any teacher. The three suggestions are streamline classroom management, banish paper clutter, and use existing resources for time management. There are also links to other resources in this article.
Teachers develop new performance pay plan for teachers
This is a great summary of a larger report of a performance pay plan that discusses fair base pay and supplemental performance pay plans. Links to another website with full report. I think it is a great response to the argument over merit pay for teachers.
New standards for advanced roles in special education
The CEC discusses new standards: Leadership and policy, program development and organization, research and inquiry, student and program evaluation, professional development and ethical practice, and collaboration.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
IEP Parent Handbook
Parents as Partners Handbook
Links to Utah Parent Center page of handbooks for IEP, 504, adult life transition, etc. The Parents as Partners Handbook is very helpful to parents who are just starting the IEP process. It contains pertinent information about questions to ask, who should participate in the process, rights of students and how parents can fully participate and make sure their child is being provided all the services they need. Definitely a good resource that a gen. ed. teacher could provide parents.
Links to Utah Parent Center page of handbooks for IEP, 504, adult life transition, etc. The Parents as Partners Handbook is very helpful to parents who are just starting the IEP process. It contains pertinent information about questions to ask, who should participate in the process, rights of students and how parents can fully participate and make sure their child is being provided all the services they need. Definitely a good resource that a gen. ed. teacher could provide parents.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Teacher Resource Blog
I am creating this blog as part of my Diversity and Learning class. I hope to accumulate many excellent resources that will help me in my teaching and learning. I welcome any relevant and useful information and posts from others who are committed to improving teaching and helping students and families.
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