A Teacher For All

This blog is about a very personal and dear friend of mine who was not only a great educator but a great mother and friend of my family.

     The responsibility of a teacher at any level for any student is a difficult and demanding task.  However, for a special education teacher the task can become even tougher.  An in inclusive classroom a teacher must help those who need a little extra attention while staying on task with the rest of the class.  Chris Hill is a one of a kind person and an amazing teacher.  She just recently switched to a special education role in Massachusetts but taught elementary school and middle school for the last twenty five years.  Her ability to help those who were both gifted and those who struggled was best bar none and one can only hope to exemplify her ability.  She incorporates technology into her lessons for all but especially for those who may need extra help.  

      She uses technology every day with all her students but especially with one particular student who suffered a brain injury at birth.  I asked her specific questions geared towards this student: 

1.  How would you help a student with a brain injury focus better inside the classroom?

2.  How would you communicate with a student with a brain injury?
3.  How would you aid that student with techonlogy to help with certain tasks such as writing a paper?
4.  How can you meet their need outside of the classroom and help them succeed?
5.  How can you help their needs specifically and assist them with the technology when they fall behind?

        Mrs. Hill worked with a child who was born with a brain injury while also commanding control of the rest of the class.  She noted that in order to help the student maintain focus, “explicit instruction and extra time was needed to maintain his focus within the classroom and he needed preferential seating.”  She also explained that in order for the student to have a productive day, the day must begin from the time they enter the door until the door closes behind him.  She stressed that the student is given a daily schedule and the teacher helps to further maintain this schedule by going thru the schedule and also explaining any troubles that they foresee.  According to Chris, no matter what the age of a student with a brain injury you must teach good habits inside the classroom and they will carry over for work completed out of the classroom.  Again, the idea is echoed that for a student with a brain injury good teachers must identify the issues, make a plan for success, and check in often for progress and understanding.  Often times, the use of technology becomes an effective way to ensuring that this plan of success is fulfilled.  Technology has become a great tool to incorporate on the education of all students. but is especially effective with those who may require additional help or lack a specific skill.

       While working with Mrs. Hill it was easy to understand how much can be acquired from hands on experience with students ranging from the age of 6 to 14.  Her patience while working with special education students and their technology was excellent bar none.  It was obvious that her time as an elementary age teacher taught her to be quire patient and that sometimes an explanation had to be repeated a few times to be effective.  She effectively used technology in her lesson and you could tell that she has changed with the changing times and changing students.  She used the mimeo and smartboard to allow students to do work on their own and then share it with the class.  She also allowed students to do work on desktop and laptop computers where otherwise they may have struggled with an assignment.  Her command over the class was something to exemplify and she was able to help all the kids when they most needed it.

                Additional Questions and Answers

What technology do you use personally?
 

Laptop, iphone, desktop computers, tablet, mimeo, smartboard

 

What technology do you have available in school?

 

Laptop, tablets, mimeo, smartboard, desktop computers 

 

Is technology accessible for all?
 

3 desktops in each classroom, 1 mimeo or smartboard in each classroom, tablet and laptop available for every student  

 

What is one project you have done with technology that went well and what did not work out so well?

Children do powerpoint presentations, they are excited about them and are able to display there learning via technology.  Not so well, having children try to design a log/website.

 

Do you believe technology can be used as an effective assessment tool? Why or why not.

 

Using a range of assessment tools in schools gives teachers the chance to track student learning in a variety of ways. While most people and parents are familiar with formal assessments, such as standardized tests,tests, quizzes and papers there are several other assessment options available for schools that are more informal and focus on student work instead of exam scores.  An area that I feel that technology can be used as an efffective assessment tool is when a student is asked to complete a performance task to assess their learning in a specific area. Students are often asked to complete a performance task to assess their learning in a specific area. A report and powerpoint presentation may be used to assess student knowledge about a specific book or historical time period, for example. Additionally, students in a science class may be asked to complete a simple experiment based on previously taught material and they could be asked to share their results via the mimeo or smartboard.