Student Guide Corner

Math Minute Copying from the Board Reading Out Loud Paper/Pencil Tasks Textbooks What do these all have in common? They present obstacles to success for students with disabilities. Do you realize that tasks you present to your students have unintended consequences? Do you consider the fact that some students can not achieve success because you have placed obstacles before them which they can not overcome? Have you really thought about that possibility? If not, it's time to think about the educational rationale for the instructional methods you incorporate into your teaching practice. Why do you do what you do? And what obstacles are you presenting by the choices you make? Question everything. Let's start with the Math Minute . During a recent IEP meeting, the issue of the Math Minute (a common practice in many classrooms) arose. A student's parents brought up the point their son was only able to complete about half of the problems on the Math Minute sheet. He completed the...

In preparing for an upcoming project, I came across these YouTube videos worth sharing. The first one helps to understand what it's like for some students who are dyslexic or challenged with reading disabilities. The second video reveals how students choose to write words they think they can spell instead of using the words that reflect their vocabulary level. Finally, this video highlights famous dyslexics and how they were viewed as children. Does this sound like anyone in your classroom? Do you have any stories of your own to share?

Do you ever wonder what it's like to struggle with reading, spelling or writing? When I was visiting my daughter in Greece a few years ago while she spent a semester studying abroad, I had the chance to experience what it may be like for students who struggle with reading. It had been many years since I had studied the Greek language as part of my heritage, and although I remembered the names of the letters, the sounds of the letters were not automatic. One syllable words were fairly easy; multi-syllabic words were painfully slow and difficult. It struck me that this may be what it's like for students who finding decoding challenging. Fluency and comprehension were out of the question. I believe it's important to understand the struggles our students experience. Is it possible to put ourselves in the shoes of our students, even for a brief time? Trying to read an unfamiliar language, especially when it looks completely different ("It's all Greek to me!") is on...