Inclusion and Teaching in Chicago

The Jahn kindergarten team is just amazing and I want to brag about them a little! They do so many things so well. Today I wanted to focus on one of the most subtle of these. Ms. B, Ms. C, and Ms. R have seamlessly incorporated individual visual supports within the classroom. These supports are geared towards individual students and the class as a whole. Check it out! Over here by the library, the teachers put up the classroom rules and visuals for ALL to refer to.  Two great reminders that we must stop and ask for a break before leaving the room. This one is a bit tricky to see but it's a diagram of how a minion sits on the rug during whole class instruction. This visual is on the board right next to one minion loving student's spot on the rug. What a great way to incorporate student interest and have it big and clear enough for any student to refer to!  Here is the desk of a student that really likes minions. You can see that the visual supports (...

I never write about students leaving the room but many students with IEPs and 504s have the testing accommodation that states they test in a separate, small group (or even independent) environment. The justification for separate testing among other reasons often is that Student A is easily distracted and needs a quieter, smaller environment to show his best work on assessments. I've made that justification! I've had that accommodation on IEPs! I'm right there with ya! Here's the irony... many students who need a quieter environment are actually met with more noise, chaos, and general goofiness in their separate testing setting. This might happen because they are not used to the setting and they have been taught routines in the general classroom with their peers. This "testing room" feels like a free for all! Fear not, comrades! I find that these testing sessions are the perfect time to teach testing and self advocacy skills. Let's kick it! 1. Greet ev...

You know you're on the same wavelength as your co-teacher when you keep dressing alike. Our middle school math co-teachers are on the same page academically and sartorially!

My piece called Planning for When You're NOT in the Room: Part II  has become my most viewed blog post by a landslide. By a mile. By a galaxy. You get it. Anyway, because of the interest in the content I thought it would be great to delve a little more intensely into this topic. Below are picture examples of how I provided meaningful science modifications to allow MORE acces s (and not exclusion) from the curriculum without swamping the one teacher in the classroom. Keep in mind that these mods and accommodations are created for individual students. My hope is that you see a set up that works for you and then individualize it to meet the needs and strengths of the student and the routines of the science teacher.  The Journal Most fourth grade classrooms and above use composition notebooks in order to keep science work organized and in one place. The front cover of the journal might look the same for every student, but the meat inside can be set up to meet the ind...

I'm continuing with Julia's Rocking Co-Teaching Series . Click below to read more about the other models already discussed in this series! Team Teaching Parallel Instruction  Model: Station Teaching Definition: "Students are rotated between three or more stations, also known as centers, which are either manned by a teacher or assistant or are independent stations. Teachers repeat instruction to each group that comes through the station, though content or delivery can vary based on differentiated needs" ( Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools by Wendy W. Murawski ). What does it look like? Check out my example of math rotations here Check out how to organize stations for older kids right here    Students working in a small group throughout the classroom Three or more stations around the room Two or more teachers in charge of a small group This video shows how young students use station teaching in a room with many adults. This i...

I'm continuing with Julia's Rocking Co-Teaching Series . Click here to read more about team teaching. Okay, onto the next model! Model: Parallel Instruction Definition: "Teachers break the class into two heterogeneous groups and each instructs half of the class" ( Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools by Wendy W. Murawski ). What does it look like? Groups facing away from one another and teachers facing one another to limit distractions and noise Two teachers teach the same content in the same way OR  Two teachers teach the same content in a different way ( Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools by Wendy W. Murawski )  Notice how the two teachers are facing each other and the groups of students are facing away from one another. Both teachers are teaching the same content in the same way. Notice in this video the quick transition from full class to parallel instruction. The teachers are teaching the same content in a different ...

This year, many of the amazing teachers at my school have asked me how to best co-teach. The models are unfamiliar to many new co-teachers and they want to know how to most successfully use the two professionals that now share a room.  I have a complicated relationship with the co-teaching models. I feel that oftentimes the models are misunderstood. Let's break it down, eh? Myth: Team Teaching is the best co-teaching model. Truth: No one co-teaching model is better than the other. The goal of co-teaching is to provide access to the general education curriculum and appropriately challenge all students. The trick is to vary the model used and not get stuck with just one. The type of model used depends on many things including lesson type, classroom dynamics, space, and teacher preference. Myth: Co-teaching is only beneficial for students with disabilities. Truth: Co-teaching is beneficial for all. Research shows that students with and without disabilities benefi...