There is no such thing as a typical day in my classroom. Some days are filled with excitement and joy while others with intense teenage emotions and challenging behaviors. We try to keep a consistent schedule to help alleviate anxieties and enhance learning, and we sometimes succeed!
My students are some of the most brave people I know.
While they experience disabilities that impact every area of their lives, they also put themselves out there and try (often times harder than their non-disabled peers). Our school is a Title 1 school, which means that majority of our students live in poverty or other high risk environments (foster care, single parent households, etc.). My classroom is a self-contained, life skills class. However, these kids are breaking the mold of special education and what it means to learn "life skills". In fact, I'm having a heck of a time keeping them engaged and busy with new things! They are hungry for an education and constantly want to learn about new topics. They are funny, smart, energetic, and passionate. On a good day they might even show you their dance moves.
My Project
My students love technology and are very motivated to learn this way. We often have multiple groups happening in my classroom at the same time where students are learning at their own educational levels. Listening stations would help me to include technology in my instruction without distracting other groups. For example, there are some great videos on-line where phonics are set to music and the letter sound is repeated over and over again. My students love these videos, but they can be very distracting to others who are trying to read at higher levels. A listening station would also allow students to practice their reading skills independently by using books on CD. This way, they would be able to go at their own pace. And finally, headphones would allow them to enjoy computers, music and Ipads during leisure activities.
My project allows students to fully access technology in the classroom without disrupting the education of other students.
Using technology to teach is not only a research-based technique, but it's what is relevant to kids in their generation. Much of the resources in our district are at least 20 years old! For example, we have an abundance of books on tape, but no tape players. By using a listening station, I can use the tapes while also incorporating new technology.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Dwight and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
