Student Guide Corner

We are living in a time of drastic paradigm shifts and revolutionary game changers. Social media (read/write web) is an invaluable game changer and allows me to access great educators throughout the world. I have learned more in the past few years because of new media and have developed a Personal/Professional Learning Network (PLN) as a result. Ira Socol is one of the most brilliant members of my PLN and today I refer you to two of his recent blog posts filled with practical recommendations for classroom instruction change and home/school communication change . The tools are readily available - back channel conversation tools, text-to-speech, speech recognition, Do Not Disturb signs (a personal favorite), Google Calendar, Google Docs, etc. Read how Ira recommends using these tools to promote student engagement and learning. His ideas incorporate "21st century teaching" and Universal Design for Learning to benefit all students. As always, he says it better than I ever coul...

High school students are required to write essays pertaining to a variety of topics. It's one of their roles as a student. The ability to write well is a life skill. Never underestimate the importance of teaching a student to write effectively. Unfortunately, many students with special needs fall far behind their peers with regard to written expression. Often, they are allowed to write less, or allowed to dictate to an adult scribe or receive so much support, the final product does not reflect their effort. Nevertheless, it is imperative we provide opportunities to improve independent writing skills following explicit writing instruction. Now there is a free, online tool, called Paper Rater , which analyzes writing across five distinct categories : Plagiarism detection Spell Check Grammar Check Word Choice Style Vocabulary Builder And not only is writing analyzed, but additionally, writing instruction is also offered. It's easy to use, no sign-up required. You copy and paste y...

Writing prompts are ubiquitous in this age of high-stakes testing. The belief is if we allow students to respond to (daily) prompts, their writing will improve. But this doesn't always happen. This morning, via a tweet from Ira Socol , I came across a post entitled The Over-Prompting of Young Writers . The excellent points made in this article may cause you to rethink your use of writing prompts. What are the unintended consequences? Do writing prompts, in fact, stifle quality writing? What do we do when students are unable to make connections to the prompt because it does not relate to their life? The author, Heather Rader states: Some teachers tell me their students respond to a writing prompt every day. Here are a few prompts I've read student responses to: Write about your favorite TV program. Write about a time you wished you could fly. You discover a magic egg. Tell the story of what happens next. While many kids will compliantly write to these starters, their resp...

One of my favorite deep thinkers about all things special education, UDL and learning is Ira Socol who blogs at SpeEdChange . Ira has eloquently and persuasively advocated building the skills necessary to allow students to create personal toolbelts in his post, Toolbelt Theory for Everyone . If you haven't read it yet, you need to. Here's a sample: The only way to allow students to assemble this essential toolbelt for information and communication is to to throw open your classroom and let the world in. How will your students know which calendar works for them - the one on their phone, Google Calendar with SMS appointment texting, Microsoft Outlook, or any of a dozen paper systems unless you allow them to try them out? How will your students know whether they 'get' a novel better by listening to an audiobook, or reading it on paper, or using text-to-speech, if you don't let them experience all repeatedly and help them decide? Will their choice be the same when the...