video modeling new skill --Sue Bank

This is an example of video modeling a new skill.  In this video, I model how to answer a phone in a classroom.  The script is also posted on the wall next to the phone for visual support. 

Once a student previews this, he can then practice the skill.  As a formative assessment, I can record his progress and we can review and discuss strengths and needs. 

Ball toss for engaging in group activity --Sue Bank

Using a ball toss with a few students provides movement when eliciting responses as a group.  This method allows for turn-taking and teamwork.  It can be used with students of all ages.

For example, when teaching a problem-solving process I like to have my high school students come up with a problem in need of solving.  Rather than asking individuals to answer, we start with a prompt such as "One day when I was in (name a place), I realized that I didn't have my (name something I needed) and that if I showed up without it, I would (name a consequence)."

Each time someone answers, they would toss the ball to another participant for the next answer.  Everyone has ownership of the activity and all are engaged in movement while processing thoughts.

Meta-Analysis supporting Learning Style Model --Sue Bank

Meta-Analytic Validation of the Dunn and Dunn Model of Learning-Style Preferences
Rita Dunn, Shirley A. Griggs, Jeffery Olson, Mark Beasley
--St. John's University
Bernard S. Gorman
--http://www.jstor.org/stable/27541998?origin=JSTOR-pdf&Nassau Community College

ABSTRACT Forty-two experimental studies based on the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model and conducted be tween 1980-1990 were identified to determine the value of teaching students through their learning-style preferences. The studies were rated according to Lytton and Romney's (1991) Quality Rating Scales. A jury determined that, of the 42 studies, 6 studies evidenced serious threats to validity. The 36 remaining studies provided a database of 3,181 participants. Results were synthesized through meta-analysis. Eight variables coded for each study produced 65 individual effect sizes. The overall, unweighted group effect size value (/*) was .384, and the weighted effect size value was .353 with a mean difference (d) of .755.  Referring to the standard normal curve, this suggests that students whose learning styles are accommodated would be expected to achieve 75 % of a standard deviation higher than students who have not had their learning styles accommodated.  This finding indicates that matching students' learning-style preferences with educational interventions compatible with those preferences is beneficial to their academic achievement.

Preview jobs using photos -- Sue Bank

Using photos to preview a new job, such as this one shelving books in the school library, helps to prepare students for learning before they enter a new environment.

Problem-Solving bulletin board -- Sue Bank

This is a bulletin board adapted from Successful Problem-Solving for High-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders; by Mataya and Owens (2013). 

After initially teaching this process in a small group setting, students will continue to have a visual reminder of this process when solving a problem.  In addition to seeing the options available, the colors of the circles also provide students with guidance in better choices, with red representing less effective results and blue representing more effective results.

fidget toys for secondary students- Sue Bank

I keep a box next to the student computers in my room that contains pencils, scrap paper, and calculators for students to use at any time.  The box also includes squishy balls of different textures and sizes, and plastic objects that older students will utilize.  Pencils also have squishy grips for sensory/tactile input.

Some students do best with an object to manipulate while working or processing information, sometimes as a replacement for a behavior that is less socially acceptable (picking at skin, head scratching, etc.).  These items allow students to access materials without ignoring sensory needs.

Vision Skill - Expanded Core Curriculum - Kristin Dibler

Expanded Core Curriculum

"Educators define 'core curriculum' as the knowledge and skills expected to be learned by a student by high school graduation. Generally, the core curriculum consists of knowledge and skills related to academic subjects.... With respect to blind and visually impaired students, the existing core curriculum, as developed for sighted students, is entirely appropriate and generally available... But most professionals hold a strong position that there is an expanded core curriculum for visually impaired students that requires additional areas of learning. There are experiences and concepts casually and incidentally learned by sighted students that must be systematically and sequentially taught to the visually impaired student. The core curriculum for visually impaired students is not the same as for sighted students. Indeed, it is much larger and more complex."

The Expanded Core Curriculum includes:

• compensatory or functional academic skills, including communication modes
• orientation and mobility
• social interaction skills
• independent living skills
• recreation and leisure skills
• career education
• use of assistive technology
• sensory efficiency skills
• self-determination

Information provided by AFB

Visual

Visual schedule/steps to tasks

Videos/Modeling of Task

Auditory

Reading about designated task

Movie with speech about task

Tactile

Writing about task

-the steps of the task

-as a reflection after performing task

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Actual performance or acting out of task

 

AFB Expanded Core Curriculum 

Daily Living Skills Checklists

MI Presentation - Jackie Steer

These posters were made by the early childhood students. The chapter we were covering was child development theories and principles. The students researched different child development theorists and picked one to present. The students also took a multiple intelligence test where they were able to answer questions that determined what type of learner they are. It was important for the students to be able to identify the different types of learners so that when they are teaching the preschool children, they will remember to try to teach to all the learners whether they may be an auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, or visual learner!

Vision Skill - Tracking/Scanning - Kristin Dibler

Tracking & Scanning

Tracking is the ability to visually follow horizontally, vertically, and diagonally without head movements and with smooth eye movements. This is an important skill for reading. 

 

Scanning is the ability to visually search for an object and then systematically from one object to another. This is important for scanning text when reading.

These skills tend to overlap at times, which is why they are listed together. In order to properly scan, you must be able to properly track in all directions. For students with visual impairments, we teach them the systematic tracking & scanning approach, which is top to bottom, left to right - the same pattern we follow when reading! This skill can be important for students with unstable eye movements, and/or vision field loss.

Visual

Paper activities-

   -dot to dots

   -mazes

   -tracking worksheets - letters, shapes, numbers, etc.

iPad activities

Hidden Pictures or Look & Find books

EyeCanLearn.com

   Clown Tracking

Auditory

Verbal description of specific activity

Verbal description of techniques

Verbal review of areas for improvement, skill improvement

Tactile

 Paper activities that involve drawing-

   -Dot to dots

   -Mazes

iPad activities that involve tactile input

Bodily-Kinesthetic

Hide & Seek related games in various environments

Eye Spy in various environments 

Educational Articles - Jackie Steer

The Secret to Making Learning Fun



The importance of Kinesthetic play

Between the Lines Advanced Lite

 

Between the Lines Advanced Lite HD

By Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language & Auditory Development

Description

Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language & Auditory Development presents this groundbreaking iPad app designed for adolescents-adults who would benefit from practice interpreting vocal intonation, facial expressions, body language, and idiomatic or slang expressions. Using real photographs, voices and short mini-video clips of a variety of social situations and expressions, this app provides a dynamic way to help learn and practice interpreting the messages that are “between the lines” and simply can’t be replicated with worksheets and static flashcards. Scenes for the body language activity include a shopping mall, office, restaurant, family room, outdoors, school and party.

This Lite app provides 12 samples of each of the three activities for a total of 36 tasks and is for a single user only. (The full version provides 225 total tasks)
This app uses American expressions and body language.

 

Teaching & Learning through Multiple Intelligences - Jackie Steer

Teaching & Learning through Multiple Intelligences
Campbell, Linda; Campbell, Bruce; Dickinson, Dee

ABSTRACT:

In his studies of human capacity, Howard Gardner revealed a wider family of human intelligences than previously suggested. Noting that restricting educational programs to focusing on a preponderance of linguistic and mathematical intelligences minimizes the importance of other forms of knowing, this book presents strategies for creating open systems of education utilizing the multiple intelligences philosophy. The book's introduction details each of Gardner's seven intelligences and what the book offers in terms of addressing each intelligence. The succeeding seven chapters correspond to each of these intelligences: (1) verbal-linguistic intelligence and learning processes, focusing on speaking, reading, and writing; (2) logical-mathematical intelligence, focusing on teaching of logic, mathematical processes, working with numbers, and sequencing; (3) kinesthetic intelligence, focusing on drama, creative movement, dance, manipulatives, classroom games, physical education, and exercise; (4) visual-spatial intelligence, focusing on pictorial representation, flow charts, visualization, board and card games, architecture and the visual arts; (5) musical intelligence, focusing on singing, musical notation, curriculum songs, and musical instruments; (6) interpersonal intelligence, focusing on positive interpersonal environments, conflict management, learning through service, appreciating differences, multiple perspectives, problem-solving, and multicultural education; (7) intrapersonal intelligence, focusing on self-esteem, goal setting, thinking skills, emotional expression, and self-directed learning; (8) "Curriculum Development through the Multiple Intelligences," focuses on lesson planning, apprenticeships, and teaching for understanding and (9) assessment that enhances learning. (SD)

Vision Skill - Braille - Kristin Dibler

 Braille Instruction

One important skill that I teach is Braille. We are required to teach Braille for students with a diagnosis where they currently have severe vision loss OR if they have a prognosis where their vision will progressively diminish. Most of my students that I am currently working with do have functional vision, but their diagnosis is progressive, meaning in the future they could lose most of, or all of their functional vision.

There are a variety of skills involved with Braille, not just learning the letters, numbers, contractions, etc. You must enhance tactile identification skills, tactile tracking skills, learn to read and write Grade 1 Braille, and then Grade 2 Braille.

It is important to incorporate a variety of modalities for Braille instruction, not only to provide a variety of activties and to touch a student's preferred modality, but to also ensure that the student's tactile sense is not "overwhelmed". For Braille learners, their fingertips can become sore and sensitive, until they work on prolonging their tactile skills.

Visual

Braille Flashcards - enlarged image of contraction

Color-in Enlarged Braille Template

Tactile books, papers, etc. with images

iPad activities for Braille contraction learning

Auditory

Verbal review of lesson, contractions

Verbal identification of flashcards or Braille images

Tactile

Braille Flashcards - actual Braille contraction

Braille images

Tracking Paper

iPad activities for Braille contraction learning that involve tactile selection

Braille using Brailler

Bodily Kinesthetic

Board activities-

 Select/circle the appropriate contraction

 Draw the contraction

 Match print letter(s)/number(s)/word(s) to appropriate Braille contraction

 Pictionary - draw image of contraction or a word containing the contraction 

Braille Code

Auditory Dominance and Its Change in the Course of Development -- Sue Bank

Auditory Dominance and Its Change in the Course of Development
Christopher W. Robinson and Vladimir M. Sloutsky

Child Development, Vol. 75, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 2004), pp. 1387-1401

ABSTRACT:

Young children often have a preference for auditory input, with auditory input often overshadowing visual input. The current research investigated the developmental trajectory and factors underlying these effects with 137 infants, 132 four-year-olds, and 89 adults. Auditory preference reverses with age: Infants demonstrated an auditory preference, 4-year-olds switched between auditory and visual preference, and adults demonstrated a visual preference. Furthermore, younger participants were likely to process stimuli only in the preferred modality, thus exhibiting modality dominance, whereas adults processed stimuli in both modalities. Finally, younger participants ably processed stimuli presented to the nonpreferred modality when presented in isolation, indicating that auditory and visual stimuli may be competing for attention early in development. Underlying factors and broader implications of these findings are discussed.

To view this article, please click on the title above to link to source website.  

This study reports on the shift from auditory preference in early childhood to visual preference as children develop.  Modality preference is demonstrated as relevant to educators with any population.

--Submitted by Sue Bank

Bodily-Kinesthetic - Jackie Steer

A bodily-kinesthetic learner uses their body and senses to explore the world around them. These students like to think out their problems while they are moving and learn best when they are taking a hands-on approach. The best example that I have in my classroom to tap into a student's bodily-kinesthetic learning style is when my students are out in their practical experience in a real preschool setting. These students are actually learning by doing. In this setting, all four learning modalities are covered; movement, tactile, visual, and auditory. 

They have similar responsibilities that reflect a teacher's assistant. Learning modalities is such an  important topic to cover for my highschool students to learn because they need to know how they learn best so that they can be successful. They also need to realize that children learn in many different ways and it is their job to plan and adapt for a variety of intelligences in the preschool classrooms. 

Everyday, the preschool children engage in a fine and gross-motor activity. What better way to see the value in movement, then to watch it first hand with the children that they are teaching. A special part of our curriculum is adapting gross-motor activities for developmental delayed children because we work in a preschool special education setting. These children are getting an early intervention in all areas of development. The high school students really appreciate the fact that they get to see children improve their skills as time goes by. Most of the activities that the high school students plan and develop work on the preschoolers fine-motor skills. When they are creating their activities, they are the ones that practice on each first before they carry it into the preschool classrooms.

Although it is not always possible to have my students get up and move in a lesson, I try very hard to incorporate some form of movement so that they are interacting with their environment. Bodily-kinesthetic learners perform a task much better after seeing someone else do it first such as myself, the instructor and the preschool teachers that they work besides. The Early Childhood Care and Education task list has a lot of competencies to teach, for each skill I provide many opportunities for my students to explore. Many situations that occur in a childcare setting can be practiced in a role-play scenario which we often do in my theory classroom.

 An obstacle course is one of the best ways for the preschool students to work on their gross-motor skills!

Why Multisensory?

Multisensory learning has been known to engage multiple senses when learning and it often helps students learn more effectively in the classroom.  There are also a lot of benefits to using a variety of multisensory techniques with students who have special needs.  Here are some links.

Learning is Multisensory

Autism Multisensory Approaches

Multisensory Materials and Techniques

What is Multisensory

Movement Breaks

Circle Time Rules

I often provide this visual to many preschool teachers as a support for circle time behavior.  Preschoolers often need to be taught what the expectations are for circle time or group activities.  It is not something that comes naturally for a 3, 4, or even a 5 year old.  Some preschoolers have experienced sitting for library story time or for special activities but many enter preschool without having experienced the need to sit in a structured group.  Providing practice and visual rules for circle time our group activities is helpful to everyone involved.

I should put a disclaimer on this that I DID NOT create this, it was created by someone else and has been passed onto many different teachers.   The key is not only to post these rules for students to see but also to review, role model, and practice each rule.  What does a sitting body look like?  Can it look differently in different students?  In your classroom is a sitting body sitting with criss cross applesauce legs?  What are looking eyes?

In many cases a preschool teacher might have more specific rules for their circle time and these rules can be adapted however circle time or any classroom rules should be kept short- 3 to 5 rules at the most. 

Circle Time/Morning Meeting rules of course are not unique for preschoolers.  Elementary students also thrive on very specific and visual rules.

Mr. Paul Eugene

I always loved building in movement breaks into my classroom and when my school invested in Promethean boards it opened up a huge opportunity for me to use You tube videos.  I loved to supplement science topics with a quick You Tube video.  I then discovered the wonders of Mr. Paul Eugene for movement breaks.

My students had this fascination with Mr. Paul Eugene and I was not sure why, actually I still am not sure why.  I thought maybe it was unique to students on the autism spectrum and then I tried it at home with my own overly energetic child.  She has always been a child that comes home needing to expend that extra energy at some point.  So one day I popped up Mr. Paul Eugene on You Tube and she was also fixated.  It offered a quick 10 minutes for her to expend some energy and it also made her feel like she was getting that ever important "screen time" that every modern kid thinks they are entitled to receiving.

And so I present you with Mr. Paul Eugene.


I often used this after lunch and prior to an extended period of time that students needed to sit.  I often built in movement breaks into my classroom every 20- 30 minutes.

Adding movement into your routine can be fairly simple- the following are a few examples
Chairs needed to be carried over to their desks in the morning, move to centers by jumping, hopping, taking long steps, add some stretches and jumping jacks to circle time, attaches some words for the day to movement (when you hear me say "apple"- jump up).

Visual Cue Chart for Listening Skills

When I taught in an Autistic Support classroom I used a listening poster.  I reproduced a poster that I found on this website.  The below picture is the poster that she used.





 I created my own version with velcro pull off signs.  I also made a most later using a picture of one of my student's showing me good listening posture.  I have suggested posters like this for some of the preschool classrooms that I visit.  Simply having the poster in the classroom though is not adequate, it is also the practice behind it.

Every morning during circle time my Autistic support classroom would practice one of the steps to better listening.  Sometimes we would practice two.  I started out the process by role playing the proper way to sit, or raise your hand, or where to keep your hands and then I would ask them to show me.

I included this poster in both the categories of movement and visual input because the role modeling and pulling off or putting on the poster components often added some extra movement to our circle time.  Role modeling often provides both visual and physical input to learning a skill.
 

Touchpoint Math

Touchpoint math is a tactile learning approach to math.  It has other multisensory components however I primarily look at it as a tactile system.  I can not say that this a program to be used with all math learners but it is effective for students who have may have difficulty with math or responds highly to a tactile learning approach.

The website can describe their program better then I ever can but I did want to highlight what I like from the program.

I have used this program for teaching one-to-one correspondence for students who really struggle with identifying the number with the quantity.  For instance they may be able to count out 3 blocks with out difficulty and but when it comes to then picking out the number 3 there is a break down.  I often give these students a 3 to 4 inch size number and asked them to put pom poms, stickers, etc on the touch points.  I typically start by having dots already there so they know where to place them and then I fade them out.

The above image shows the different touchpoint numbers.  It gets a bit tricky once you get past 6.  I stray from the double touch points if I am simply teaching one to one correspondence.  Instead of using double circles with numbers past 6, I often have students just put the correct number of dots on the number.   The touchmath company does have nice tactile numbers that can be ordered, they have textured numbers with glittery and rough dots.

Touchmath is especially handy when you start teaching addition and subtraction skills to struggling students.  They simply have to memorize the dots and then add them.  Ideally the students should identify the largest number and start from there so when adding 5 + 3, the student would say "5, 6, 7, 8".  For some students who are at the very basic level of math, they may need to just count all of the dots for addition.

Touchmoney is a program by touchmath that I think is overlooked far too often.  The program assigns dots to all forms of money and requires students to add money by counting by 5s



So in the above image you would count up the coins by counting by 5s, except of course for the penny.  For struggling students, this helps with money skills a lot.