You are here: Home / Archives for ESE Classrooms

Breaking a Language Barrier in Learning

June 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As we all know, the United States is a melting pot of different ethnicities. Despite the economic situation, people from other countries are still coming to the U.S. in hopes of finding a better life or getting a quality education. At times, making the transition can be difficult, especially if there is a language barrier.

ESL classes, which are taught almost everywhere, are classes specifically designed to help students whose first language is something other than English make the transition to the English language. Because ESL classes have grown in popularity over the years, there is more help for ESL students now than there was just ten years ago.

When it comes to learning English as a second language, one of the key ways in teaching is through the use of repetition. When students are exposed to a certain topic more than once, it’s been proven that they are more likely to remember what they’ve learned.

Boredom can be another difficult barrier in ESL learning. Repetition can be boring, but there is an easy way to combat that. When teaching a certain topic, whether someone is learning how to use American money or how to address people of a certain stature, there are numerous ways to teach that topic more than once.

Having students interact with each other while learning is another great way to use repetition in ESL teaching. To make it even easier and more exciting, there are many different books and online resources that can offer ideas on how to use repetition effectively without boring students. The more opportunities they have to practice something, the more likely they are to remember it.

Filed Under: Education, ESE Classrooms Tagged With: , ,

Reining in Learning Disabilities

May 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Learning disabilities come in many varieties. Some of the students may have difficulties not even diagnosed with a specific name yet. All that is known is that the student fits in this broad range of challenges that prevent students from learning at a “normal” pace. One of the remedies that is just as broad is therapeutic horseback riding. Or a close cousin, hippotherapy.

Hippotherapy involves a registered physical therapist and mostly involves using equitation (horseback riding) to stimulate, stretch or strengthen muscles. Therapeutic horseback riding is most efficiently provided by those specifically trained in the unique benefits of this modality (form of treatment). A national organization called North American Riding for the Handicapped (NARHA) trains and monitors facilities and therapists to promote and improve this field of therapy.

rider going around colored cones

The benefits to students with learning disabilities are numerous. One of the largest problems and almost universally present with this population is low self esteem. There is nothing like being in control of a 1200 lb. animal and having it do what you tell it to boost self esteem. Students have fun while they play games or complete tasks using skills they need to develop. They may be reading as they ride through an obstacle course or counting, or using math. The skills they can improve are only limited by the imagination of the instructor.

Students begin to see themselves as learning abled rather than learning disabled and see that even though they may learn in differnent ways than other students, they still are capable of learning and achieving success. There is nothing more effective with children than therapy that appears to be play!

Filed Under: ESE Classrooms, Students Tagged With: , ,

Recognizing Learning Disabilities

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In order for a child to receive proper, timely help for a learning disability, parents and educators need to notice the signs early. According to a study by the National Institutes of Heath, 67% of kids who were at risk in school due to a learning disability became average or even above average readers once they received the proper help they needed. Being aware of the signs can help uncover a learning disability early.

Preschoolers with learning disabilities may begin speaking later than most children. They tend to have problems rhyming or simply learning the alphabet or days of the week. They’re easily distracted and have trouble focusing or interacting with peers.

In elementary school, children with learning disabilities exhibit poor memory and are unable to learn new information easily. They may mix up letters or math signs and make similar reading errors. They are unable to plan ahead or think beyond the moment. Physical symptoms may emerge such as difficulty holding a pencil and poor coordination.

Handwriting problems continue into middle school and these children tend to be more anti-social or are slow to make friends. They don’t understand facial expression or body language of others and will avoid homework or projects requiring them to perform in front of others.

By high school, these students avoid schoolwork because they have trouble spelling, summarizing, and answering questions because they misread information. They may be unable to focus on tests and have trouble with the SATs.

It’s important to have a child evaluated early if there is the suspicion of a learning disability. A comprehensive evaluation can determine how your child learns and what steps should be taken at home and at school to help your child flourish and stay on grade level. Talk to your child about his learning disability so he’s fully aware that he’s not stupid or a bad student.

Filed Under: ESE Classrooms Tagged With:

IEP: Creating an Individualized Education Program

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
A class in a newly rebuilt secondary school in...

Image via Wikipedia

Children with disabilities or developmental delays may benefit from an Individualized Education Program (IEP). And IEP is a special service provided by public schools that allows parents and teachers to closely work together so the child can enjoy a successful school year. It is mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

Special services and unique education goals for the child are outlined in the IEP at the beginning of the school year. It should detail exactly how a student learns and what educators can do to help them succeed. IEPs allow students who may otherwise only be taught in a special education classroom to have opportunities to spend time in a standard classroom. For students who mostly stay in a standard classroom, they may have periods of time throughout the day or week to be taken to a special resource room or have a special education teacher come to the classroom and give them individual help and attention. Allowing students with disabilities to participate in “normal” classroom activities helps them reach education goals that in years past were unheard of.

And IEP must measure annual educational and functional goals. It must relate the child’s progress and be reported to parents. Any services available to the student and his or her family must be outlined. If a child cannot possibly interact in a standard classroom, the IEP must explain why.

IEP meetings should be held regularly and include the child’s teacher, any therapists, school representatives, and parents. Social workers and lawyers are allowed at the parents’ request. The meeting should go over any results in the IEP, goals, and concerns. It should address the student’s needs and development and reach a consensus as to their proper placement in the school system. Once begun, the student’s teachers are responsible for providing the outlined services and parents must actively participate in and encourage the goals of the plan.

Filed Under: ESE Classrooms Tagged With:

Disciplining ESE Students

January 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Students of Nan Hua High School gathering in t...

Image via Wikipedia

Children with emotional disturbances can be difficult to handle. Behavior problems at school can manifest themselves in shocking forms—spitting, cursing, kicking or physically harming staff or fellow students, and a blatant disregard for authority can leave teachers feeling stressed out and can lead to harmful situations for both the student acting out as well as for his or her peers.

In order to provide a structured environment for an emotionally disturbed child, both parents and teachers must communicate and hold the child to the same high standards. If a child learns that he can get away with certain bad behaviors at home, he will behave badly at school thinking he can get away with it. Parents need to reinforce the school’s rules and disciplinary consequences.

For minor offenses, isolating the child for several minutes can work. Some schools have a special discipline room or closet that is usually carpeted on the floors and walls. A child put in there will experience boredom, which is the goal of the disciplinary action. If there is no such room to isolate a child, a bathroom stall or even corner of the classroom are just as effective as long as there is nothing nearby that could be stimulating. Have a timer set so the student can listen for the sound to go off. If he gets up from his “time out,” restart the timer until he is resigned to fulfill his punishment.

Taking away special privileges can also work. Some children respond well to having to eat their lunch alone rather than with friends or even in the principal’s office. Taking away recess privileges is also effective. Instead of allowing the student to play, have them sit out or walk a set amount of laps or paces.

Different children have varying degrees of disability and/or emotional disturbances and discipline should be given accordingly.

Filed Under: ESE Classrooms Tagged With:

Understanding Expressive Language Disorder

December 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Expressive language disorder (ELD) is usually a childhood disorder and it usually manifests itself during the grade school years because that is when the child is most likely going to start communicating with other children his age on a consistent basis. There are actually two different types of the disorder. The first comes without any known cause and can manifest itself without any real type of warning. The other type of ELD actually occurs after a traumatic brain injury thanks to blunt force trauma or some other catastrophic event. Acquired ELD can also occur after someone suffers a stroke, though obviously that particular ELD is not occurring very often in school age children.

Developmental ELD is the type that generally shows up in students and children and can very much get in the way of learning and interacting with their fellow students and teachers. Imagine you understand exactly the question you want to ask of your teacher and yet you simply cannot get the words out. Now imagine that you are out on the playground trying to enjoy recess but you cannot play with the other children because they don’t understand what you are trying to tell them. This is the problem many students with ELD face.

Generally speaking, fixing developmental ELD can be done with extensive therapy with a speech therapist. Eventually a therapist can explain to the child several different tricks that will allow them to express themselves in a way that allows them to get along in school. Eventually developmental ELD can be overcome completely and put aside like it was a very bad cold. Of course Acquired ELD’s prognosis is much worse because the onset is usually triggered by actual physical damage to the brain. While treatment may eventually make the Acquired ELD manageable, there is seldom a real cure for this type of disorder.

Filed Under: ESE Classrooms, Specialty Schools Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Teaching An ESE Student

December 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Getting an ESE student to grasp what is being taught can seem a daunting task when you are talking about a teacher who does not have the experience of dealing with those students on a regular basis. Many teachers who are out of their element when it comes to this sort of thing can take comfort in the fact that like most students, once the ESE students find their rhythm they too can learn at a decent pace. It is true that the rhythm they find may not be on par with other students but there is a pace to be found.

One of the things to remember when teaching ESE students is that after you teach them new material they will absorb it much easier if at the end of the class period you summarize that material again. Some ESE students have a lot of problems focusing on what they are learning but they do not have a problem absorbing it once it has their attention. Repeating and summarizing the information that has been covered over the course of the class can make the students feel as though they aren’t being condescended or talked down to while also making sure that the new information you have shared has sunk in.

Another approach that has had a lot of positive effects on ESE students is to make the lessons student centric. Many students (not even just special needs) can absorb new information better if they feel like they can put themselves into the lesson. Story problems in math that include the student may make it easier for them to envision the problem. If you are teaching history, the ability to picture themselves in the past doing the actions or at least being in the same place where the historical events took place.

Filed Under: Education, ESE Classrooms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Preparing For A Special Needs Student

December 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Whenever a school is hosting special needs children for the first time there is always a little trepidation. In this day and age there are plenty of national safeguards in place to make sure that these special needs students are well tended to and for the most part treated as any other student would be within reason. Of course there are also regulations in place that where special steps are needed they are indeed taken. Most large public schools in big cities have had decades of time to perfect how they are going to outfit their classrooms, entrances and hallways so that a special needs student who may need a wheel chair or other transportation device can enter and exit without a problem.

Still, there are some small town schools that may have not had to deal with wheel chair bound students for quite a while. These schools may have the required ramps and other entrances but the classrooms themselves and the hallways for the schools may be less than great for this particular type of student. In order to prepare both the classrooms and the hallways of the school it might do the teachers and the administrators some good to walk, or roll through the halls as if they were the student who has special needs, especially if those needs are accommodating a wheel chair. Going through the school in this type of chair can give the administrators some feeling for what it will be like for the student, they can “walk” a mile in the student’s wheels and this will give them an idea of what preparations need to be made.

Rows in the classroom must be 36 inches wide and the hallways must be cleared in order for wheel chair bound students to make their way through but there still may be obstacles. Testing outing the school will point out any of those obstacles.

Filed Under: Education, ESE Classrooms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Finding Room For Wheelchair Students

December 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Getting schools and classrooms ready for special needs children, especially those who are bound to be coming to school in wheel chairs can seem like a daunting task. However daunting the task might be, it is a necessary step in order to fall into line with other schools in the same general area as well as federal laws.

The first step in making sure that either your school or the your classrooms are readily available for wheel chair bound students is to take a look around the school, even tour the school while remaining in a wheel chair or by using crutches through the entire tour. This will illustrate just how hard it is for students, who do not have the option of casting those tools aside to get around. Putting yourself in their shoes will make it clear exactly what sort of obstacles they will run into, whether you are talking about having to take the stairs and having no other means to reach the next floor, or having to get around something that is placed in the middle of the hallway like a trophy case or giant display. All hallway passages should be at least 72 inches wide if not much wider to make sure that students in wheel chairs can not only fit through the hallways but fit through without much effort and still allow other students to get around them.

Doors to classrooms should be at least 36 inches wide in order to accommodate the wheel chairs and when setting up classrooms the space between rows of desks should also equal 36 inches or more if possible so that the wheel chair bound student can navigate the classroom without much difficulty. Floors of classrooms should be kept clear for the exact same reasons. While some of the preparations can be more difficult than others, understanding what is needed is the first step.

Filed Under: Education, ESE Classrooms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Dealing With ADD and ADHD

December 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Imagine you are sitting in your fourth grade class every day, all day and you feel as though there is a tidal force pulling you away from what you are supposed to be focused on. Imagine that the harder you struggle to focus the stronger this pull becomes. You don’t want to be the kid in the class who is constantly being told to be quiet; you don’t want to be the kid in the class that the rest of the students give a wide berth because you are impinging on their education as well. But you cannot help yourself.

This is the problem that children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have to deal with every day of their lives. These are not kids who suddenly decided they want to be the problem in the classroom. These are not kids who simply one day woke up and decided they had no interest in learning the same things the other kids in their class was learning. What teachers and parents and school administrators have a hard time understanding is that this isn’t a matter of choice any more than being an alcoholic chooses to hurt themselves with booze. This is a disorder they cannot control and need real help to gain any semblance of freedom from the symptoms.

There is treatment out there, there are drugs that can be dispense if the right licensed professional feels that is the way to go, there are also treatments that deals with the way the child feels inside that can at least allow them to tamp down the urges to fidget and squirm and lose focus. This is not a matter of a child suddenly wanting nothing to do with school it is a matter of a child who has a disease that can be treated if properly diagnosed.

Filed Under: Education, ESE Classrooms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts