Special education students could be described as inattentive, distracted or even disruptive by someone who doesn't know them well. However, when given the opportunity to have sensory breaks, my students can learn at their highest potential. Students' brains need to be able to send signals efficiently from the sensory receptors to the memory storage region of the brain. But stress and sensory overload disrupts the traffic along these information pathways.
Students with emotional, sensory, and academic needs will have a safe place to calm themselves, self regulate and build confidence for academic success.
This space will have different areas to accommodate students' specific needs. For example, a student who is agitated will have mats, pillows and or movement area to help with calming and regulation. A student that is seeking for sensory stimulation will have the opportunity to use fidgets, kinetic sand and art supplies to regulate himself. In addition, this space will serve students that need help transitioning between classes, resulting in a benefit for the entire school.
With time, my students will also learn how to identify their specific sensory needs and apply sensory tools to improve their regulation.
One of the key elements of this project, is that by providing sensory breaks in a timely manner, I can help students avoid fatigue, boredom, distraction and being inattentive; this works even for the "most difficult students". The sensory breaks are proven planned learning activities that allow their blocked brain regions to revitalize and restore, so that their brains can function at their peak performance level. This will be a proactive approach to support with repetitive behaviors that impact the learning environment.
These tools and space will impact every student as it will decrease classroom distractions and disruptions.
About my class
Special education students could be described as inattentive, distracted or even disruptive by someone who doesn't know them well. However, when given the opportunity to have sensory breaks, my students can learn at their highest potential. Students' brains need to be able to send signals efficiently from the sensory receptors to the memory storage region of the brain. But stress and sensory overload disrupts the traffic along these information pathways.
Students with emotional, sensory, and academic needs will have a safe place to calm themselves, self regulate and build confidence for academic success.
This space will have different areas to accommodate students' specific needs. For example, a student who is agitated will have mats, pillows and or movement area to help with calming and regulation. A student that is seeking for sensory stimulation will have the opportunity to use fidgets, kinetic sand and art supplies to regulate himself. In addition, this space will serve students that need help transitioning between classes, resulting in a benefit for the entire school.
With time, my students will also learn how to identify their specific sensory needs and apply sensory tools to improve their regulation.
One of the key elements of this project, is that by providing sensory breaks in a timely manner, I can help students avoid fatigue, boredom, distraction and being inattentive; this works even for the "most difficult students". The sensory breaks are proven planned learning activities that allow their blocked brain regions to revitalize and restore, so that their brains can function at their peak performance level. This will be a proactive approach to support with repetitive behaviors that impact the learning environment.
These tools and space will impact every student as it will decrease classroom distractions and disruptions.
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