The one-size-fits all model of education doesn't work. Assuming that what works for the majority of the class is the best practice is wrong. Do we only care about the majority of the class, or do we care about all of our students? And if we want them all to learn, what are we doing to reach them all?
I ask myself the above question daily and sometimes I don't have a great answer.
I know what my amazing special education students need in order to learn. They require information to be presented in visual formats (pictures, diagrams, videos, etc) and they need opportunities for using manipulatives (hands on-spelling activities; counters, geometric shapes, and algebra tiles in math; interactive timelines and maps in social studies, etc.). If they're going to master content and skills, they also need to be invested in their learning, which requires them to be excited and interested in it. However, despite understanding that these are their needs, I don't have access to the tools and programs that would meet these requirements. I don't have the hands-on games and manipulatives that their IEPs recommend. I also have very limited ways to present visual information to my students.
My Project
I've thought about requesting each of the resources my students need to enhance their educational experience separately. I could ask for a projector, and then a document camera, then math manipulatives, and finally some spelling or vocabulary games. This would be the more reasonable request - small items gotten piecemeal. However, I always tell my students that despite their challenges and limitations, they should work hard, dream big, and never let anyone tell them they can't achieve their goals. That's what I'm doing here.
The big dream is an interactive whiteboard. It combines all of the things my students need in order to be successful in one tool. To achieve this big dream, I will work hard to get funding for this project, as I believe that it would be invaluable to my students and a worthy goal.
If you've never gotten to use an interactive whiteboard, it is a great tool that can provide an engaging and interactive learning experience like no other.
I believe that the kind of education it can help provide is the kind of education my diverse learners need and deserve. With an interactive whiteboard my students will work collaboratively during innovative lessons to master the content and gain the skills they need to be successful in school and in life outside and beyond it.
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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. Keleher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.