Wow! There was a lot of information shared from Wednesday's class (May 7, 2014). I really liked the Ted Talk video that Barb shared, "The of Myth of Average". The analogy of the cockpit was so good; you can't design a fighter pilot seat for the "average" person which Ted Rose compared to the classroom. Ted Rose said that we need to, "ban the average and design to the edges", that is why it's our jobs as educator's to provide all students with the most appropriate learning environments and opportunities to best achieve their potential.
I teach Special Education for students with behavioral difficulties, my class ranges from grades one to six. Each student is taught the curriculum at their current level of functioning. They are assessed at least 3-4 times a year in reading, writing and math to ensure that they are given work at their level of functioning. Students need to be comfortable in their physical environment; I have set up my classroom so that UDL is implemented and supported.
Students have working station options in my classroom. They can sit at their desk, most of them have a wiggle cushion, or they can grab a Hokkie stool and use it at their desk. My students love the Hokkie stools because it allows them to keep moving while sitting in one spot and they are light and versatile, so they can be easily transported anywhere in the classroom.
I also have been fortunate enough to purchase Zuma rockers for my classroom. These chairs are wonderful! The benefits of the Zuma rockers is that they reduce anxiety, they have a real calming effect on the students, they are supposed to improve balance and increase motor coordination. My students generally choose the Zuma rockers over the Hokkie stools, especially when they are feeling anxious or upset. The Zuma rockers really do have an amazing calming effect.
Last but not least, I have a stand up desk for students who just don't feel like sitting and doing their work. I have two students who use it on a regular basis. They like it because they can move around and I find that they are able to stay on task a lot more compared to when they are sitting at their desk.
Reading Task Analysis
The reading task analysis was very interesting. There are so many components to think of when reading! I am looking forward to learning more about it this week.
Hello Mary
ReplyDeleteI love your post. I would have to say that you gone a long way towards meeting your students “where they’re at”. These are some great ideas that could be modified and used at Junior High and even High School. I have to say that at most of the Junior High Schools that I have taught at, average is the name of the game when it comes to infrastructure. And, strangely enough, behaviour has often been so bad school wide that most teachers had no other choice but to “stand and deliver” in the classrooms – just to cover the curriculum. I have speculated many times if behaviour and environment is a chicken/egg scenario – that is , “is their behaviour generally so bad because we are housing them in an institution like environment or is the institution like environment required because it is the most effective band aid solution to behaviour issues”. I think that it is a vicious circle of action/reaction as opposed to pro-activity that keeps us returning to what we know – and oftentimes unable to take that leap and try a different approach.
Stand up desks are a wonderful idea. And of course the Zuma rockers would go a long way toward settling the mind to allow for attention to task as defined as necessary in last week’s presentation.
The idea of the average student perplexes me. On one hand we have a spirit of innovation in our present day pedagogy that suggest that we do not view students as statistical means, but we operate in a system that does function in that very way. Class sizes, teacher allotments, funding, and teaching assignments are determined by numerical averages. Also our current reporting system – Powerschool – is a standards based system that our boards and Education Dept are trying to put a spin on as not being that, but it still is. I think the creative teaching that teachers who are doing by striving to rid the classroom of the “average” seat is sometimes too cumbersome to report in Powerschool and many opt for quizzes and sheet work.
Bravo for you for having such a welcoming and peaceful place of learning.
Love those Zuma Rockers! Your LC is wonderful and yes, nicely universally designed:) Thanks
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