Inclusion and Teaching in Chicago

The full title of this post is All the Small Things (That We Do to Include All) but first I want to bring it back to 1999 when Blink 182 was all over the radio, my flared jeans were essentially bell bottoms, and we were talking seriously about how the turn of the century could mean Armageddon for us all! So before we get into inclusive practices, brew yourself some coffee, put your baseball cap on backwards, and enjoy the smooth, pop punk stylings of Mark, Travis, and Matt. Is th e upbeat skater pop surging through your veins? Good, now you're ready. Read the list below! Oftentimes when we talk about inclusive practices and environments we mention co-teaching, accessibility, communication, cooperative learning, etc., etc., etc.  While we see these as giant, involved tenants of an inclusive environment, there are a lot of small, subtle ways to show anyone walking through the hallways that we value and include all our community members. 1. Both co-teachers' names are o...

I promised that I would upload my presentation to my blog. Here it is! This is for any of you that attended my presentation on using iPads in the inclusive classroom. Enjoy! Presentation Notes

Do you remember the days where you had to read aloud text into an mp3 player for a student to listen to the next day? Or waiting six months for the hard working people in Assistive Tech to hand you a copy of Co:Writer? Those days are GONE GONE GONE (and thank goodness for that!). But... what do you do if you don't have iPads at your school? What do you do if you share a computer cart with everyone else on your floor? What do you do if you only have two old PC computers in the corner of your room and that's it? Well, first... go here , Chicagoans go here , or here and get an iPad or Chromebook grant ASAP. Technology belongs in our modern classrooms! Did you fill out a grant application? Good! In the meantime, I have compiled a list of websites that allow you accessibility in any classroom without needing to download or sign up for anything. Text-to-Speech Websites: Read Speaker- reads 250 characters Text to Speech IM Translator- no character maximum but the webpage is...

Yesterday, I saw a nice use of parallel instruction in Ms. L and Ms. K's co-taught second grade math class. They chose to use the parallel teaching model because they were introducing the metric system and had two meter sticks. Sometimes in teaching, decisions can be made for simple and practical reasons. Two meter sticks. Two teachers. Parallel instruction. Boom, let's go! Below you can see Ms. L's group on the front rug and Ms. K's at the side rug.     Ms. L used visual supports in her group. Check out the white board.   Ms. K's style was more kinesthetic. She asked students to stand up based on what their measurement estimation was. For example, "Stand if you estimated that the rug is 2 meters long." "Okay, sit down. Now stand if you estimated that the rug is 3 meters long.

Yesterday was great because... 1) It was pajama day! 2) I was able to take pictures of the amazing kindergarten and first grade teams using station teaching to instruct all students during reading time. Many co-teachers will tell you that having other adults in the room can be wonderful but it also can be tricky. How do you utilize every general education teacher, learning specialist, paraprofessional, speech therapist, social worker, and occupational therapist that comes in to provide supports?  Here are some great examples from our kindergarten and first grade teams. Some professionals are working in small groups, some are working individually with students, some are teaching and some are managing more independent centers. Whatever the focus, it's clear that every adult in both of these classrooms has a role, knows their role, and is able to support students in meaningful ways.   Take a look at how each professional is working with a group of student...

I am not always convinced that a beautiful graphic or clever font and a few quick words can really impact me in a real way. That being said, there are a few quotes, comics, and sayings that catch my eye. I've accumulated my favorites and posted them below. What's more (There's more?!?! What a treat!), I've included how to take these lovely words and incorporate them into your teaching and classroom. Now these quotes are way more than just inspirational... they have a purpose! First off let's thank Michael J. Fox for the words of wisdom! I agree wholeheartedly, Mr. Fox!   How can I use this in my classroom? Identify students strengths using Paula Kluth's Strengths and Strategies form Incorporate their strengths into instruction Give students a multiple intelligences inventory to see how they learn (online one here ) Provide differentiated instruction (check out our Differentiation Fair for examples) How can I use this in my...