My students are all children with communication impairments. They may have difficulty with articulation or fluency. They may struggle with effectively communicating their needs, ideas, and opinions in all areas of their lives.
Along with having communication difficulties, my students also live in a part of Michigan that has been very hard hit by the economy.
Their families are under stress, both financially and emotionally, which impacts my students as well. This family stress means that parents may have less patience when trying to understand their child who has difficulty talking. For some of my students the only time they feel confident when communicating is when they come to the 'speech room'.
We also work hard all year long at helping these communication-impaired children navigate their 'social world'. We like to have them get involved in projects they can share with their general education peers, especially projects that can't be found anywhere else in the school building.
My Project
The MakerBot Academy Bundle would help my students in a variety of ways. I would like them to be able to take their drawings of 'the speech machine' and watch them come alive right before their very eyes. This may help them understand the connections between lip, tongue, teeth and how 'placement' impacts production. My students would be the 'experts' in 3D printing. My students also would be able to invite their general education peers to come with them to the speech room and give them a 'tour' of how the 3D printing process works. We would prepare, practice, and deliver an informational program we could present to peers, teachers, administrators, and board members. This process would help my students increase their communicative effectiveness as well as their social skills.
This project will benefit my students and the entire school in a multitude of ways.
Not only will my students improve their overall speech effectiveness but their 'social standing' amongst their peers will also increase. I imagine my students becoming the 'experts' in 3D printing and being able to answer questions about the printing process. As self-esteem improves so will communication, academic skills, and social skills.
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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 Ms. Raynor and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
