Picture Schedule

I have been in quite a few preschool classrooms and honestly the first thing that I look for in a classroom is a visual schedule.  If I find it posted, I always say to the teacher- I love your schedule!  This is an excellent visual cue that can help students of many different ages.  In the autistic support classroom, students often live by that schedule and if you stray from it they will be quick to note the difference.  At the preschool level, a good deal of teachers think that students are unaware of the schedule or they don't care.   That might be true in a very small percentage of students but for most kids, they really want to know what is coming next in the schedule and what to expect throughout the school day.  Even if your routine is the same, every single day, preschoolers love to see it it posted.   I also use visual schedules to assist with maintaining appropriate behaviors.  Take this scenario, Johnny complains while doing table top activities that he really does not want to finish his work.  4 year old Johnny can't see an end to this activity, it just seems to him that it is boring and so long.  The teacher walks over to the schedule and points to the activity after table top activities, it is play time.  She asks Johnny to just hang on a little bit longer and then it will be play time.  He hears it from the teacher and he sees it on the schedule.  If you want to reward a child, let them know where on the schedule they could have a treat or play with a certain toy.

Here is an example of a preschool schedule that also looks like a clock

Here is another example of the schedule.  The teacher is using a clothespin to mark the current activity.

Reward Chart

Giving verbal rewards to students is great and for some students that is all it takes to make them feel important and to understand that they are meeting or exceeding a teacher's expectations.  For other students, they need something more.  They may need a sticker on a paper, a little prize at the end of the week, or a high 5.  Some students need a constant visual reminder of the expectations and that they are doing a great job.  I love using star charts.

I apologize for the poor quality of the picture.  If you look closely at the top are the rules/expectations- to sit, be quiet, and to complete work.  Even if a student is an amazing reader, I encourage teachers to incorporate pictures into the rules if the student is age 10 or under.  A student that has difficulty attending or behaving likely needs an extra visual reminder to increase comprehension.  As you work through an activity, reward a student with stars given either at a timed or intermittent schedule.  Some students may need this reinforcement during every activity and some may only need one reward chart filled up for the entire day.  I like velcro charts more then sticker charts, they are reusable and I think the students often get some sensory feedback from the velcro.

Sticker charts are plentiful though on the internet so feel free to search pinterest or the cyber space for other options.   Add some picture rules, laminate and make a velcro chart out of anything you find!

The Icky Sticky Way of Learning

I love to incorporate sensory play into learning, even with my own children.  When I taught a multiple disabilities support class I loved to incorporate sensory play as a daily part of the day.  I loved combining science into the sensory play.   Studying different textures, solids vs liquids, etc lends itself to a great deal of sensory activities.  When I taught students at higher levels I found that they still loved sensory play but that I could explore deeper into Scientific lessons or other topics.

Playing with slime

Slime is an awesome way to talk about solids and liquids, sticky, soft, etc.  You can even incorporate lessons on color.  The ingredients are fairly simple- equal parts school glue and liquid starch.  Pinterest is an awesome resource for different slime recipes.  I found that I needed more liquid starch then suggested.  Please keep in mind that this is not an edible recipe!  At the right texture, this is even great for cutting practice.

Gooblek is another fun sensory play.  It is simply equal parts cornstarch and water.  This substance is fascinating.  It may appear completly liquid in the container but when you squeeze it, it turns solid.

Shaving Cream, Mashed potatoes, or Whipped Cream- This is an awesome way to practice writing, paint colors into, or simply have fun running your hands through it!

Soap Foam- I was ecstatic when I discovered this one day.  I thought that I really invented it, then I found pinterest and discovered that it had been done before.  You start with about 4 parts dish soap for 1 part water and you use a hand mixer to combine them.  Mix until a nice thick foam is created.  During play if the substance starts to liquify, simply mix some more and it replenishes the foam- good clean fun!!!

Ivory Soap bar experiment- my students love to play with the end result of the experiment!


Cooked Spaghetti Noodles, Jelly, Jello, Soap, Pudding, Water, hair gel, salt.. the ideas are limitless!  Use your imagination.

Sensory play of course does not have to be messy either.  Hide things in rice, have fun with beans, put the messy substances in ziploc baggies for those kiddos that just can't touch them.  Remember to have plenty of utensils on hand for those kiddos too!!  I have found that eventually even my trickiest sensory aversive students start to explore materials closer and closer.

Adding in sensory play to early learning concepts such as writing your name is often fun.  Write your name at a center in salt, then write your name at a center in shaving cream, then write your name at another center in paint, then make your name at another center by gluing beans on a name card.

PLC RATIONALE

Chester County Intermediate Unit Induction Year II: Collaborative Action Research Plan

Participants: Sue Bank, Kristin Dibler, Carrie Rozea, and Jackie Steer

Focus: Multisensory Learning – Enhancing Learning by Engaging the Senses

Rationale:

Students learn best when information is presented in a multisensory approach.  When educators provide students with a variety of sensory stimuli they are more likely to engage students in learning and maximize success. 

Inquiry Questions:

·       What does the research say about learning modalities?

·       What are the most effective multisensory strategies to meet the needs of our students?

Action Plan

Research Question	Action Item	Timeline	Evidence of Completion
What does the research say about learning modalities? Mixed findings on the effectiveness of teaching to modality.	Individual research	May – September 2013	Research shared 9/18/13
What are the most effective multisensory strategies?	Each participant will provide one example for each of the four senses (auditory, visual, tactile, kinesthetic).	By September 30, 2013	Share at 10/3/13 PLC meeting via Blackboard.
	Decide how to best present our research, findings, and strategies. Plan presentation.	By December 31, 2103	Presentation on January 30, 2014 to supervisors and colleagues.

Using visual recipes for independent living

Use a recipe separated into segments to highlight one step at a time, including a photo or video of each step.

Create your own using Google images or search the internet for ready-made recipes.  Visual recipe books are also available at sites such as www.amazon.com.  Recipes will range in their reading levels and required skills and can be tailored to individual students' needs. 

Fruit Salad Recipe

Prepare the fruit:  wash, peel, seed, core and cut it into small bite-sized pieces.

Place fruit in a bowl:  add fruit to bowl after cutting into pieces.

Add other ingredients: add shredded coconut, raisins, or nuts.







Add yogurt:  use enough to lightly coat fruit, and toss lightly with a large spoon.

Noise Ball Activity - Kristin Dibler

Despite what some may think, people with visual impairments can enjoy recreational activities, such as playing toss, basketball, softball, dodgeball, etc.

You can purchase a "beeper ball", or make your own "noise ball". To make your own, you just need to purchase a ball (select the ball that is most appropriate to the activity you will be doing), deflate the ball, add bells to the inside, and then re-inflate the ball.

Now let's try playing a game of toss, with a "noise ball", and with goggles that depict various visual impairments.

.... This is an example of an expanded core curriculum activity that requires both an auditory and a kinesthetic approach.

Mat Man

I use Handwriting without Tears with my preschoolers (and my own kids for that matter) and my favorite part of that program is Mat Man.  I love that there is a song that goes with Mat Man.   Handwriting without tears is a multisensory based program that teaches children handwriting.  It starts with pre-writing skills.  Mat Man helps kids not only learn how to draw a person but also helps them recognize body parts.

This is to the tune of "The Bear Went over The Mountain"

Mat Man has one head one head one head, Mat Man has one head, so that he can think

Mat Man has 2 eyes, 2 eyes, 2 eyes, Mat Man has 2 eyes so that he can see

Mat Man has 1 nose, 1 nose, 1 nose, Mat Man has 1 nose so that he can smell

Mat Man has 1 mouth, 1 mouth, 1 mouth, Mat Man has 1 mouth so that he can eat

Mat Man has 2 ears, 2 ears, 2 ears, Mat Man has 2 ears so that he can hear

Mat Man has 1 body, 1 body, 1 body, Mat Man has 1 body to hold what is inside

Mat Man has 2 arms, 2 arms, 2 arms, Mat Man has 2 arms so that he can reach

Mat Man has 2 hands, 2 hands, 2 hands, Mat Man has 2 hands so that he can clap

Mat man has 2 legs, 2 legs, 2 legs, Mat man has 2 legs so that he can stand

Mat Man has 2 feet, 2 feet, 2 feet, Mat Man has 2 feet so that he can walk

After building Mat Man, I ask my students to draw him.  I love it when I hear them singing Mat Man as they draw him!