If you know anything about special education, you’re probably familiar with the STAR Program, also commonly referred to as the binder system. It’s a curriculum designed for students with autism in the primary grades, and it’s effective for students with other disabilities, too. Much of it is focused on helping kids listen, process, communicate, follow directions and stay on task, all while building social skills and incorporating academic standards.
The majority of my 15-year teaching career has been spent educating students with special needs – everything from establishing an autism education program from the ground up to teaching in self-contained classrooms and in general education settings. Over the years, I’ve tailored the program to fit the needs of my students best – swapping some of the materials it comes with for things like pencils, scissors and glue.
With the right sensory support, I’ve seen the curriculum change the lives of students who were written off as unable to learn or whose behaviors were so explosive that they couldn’t be in a general education setting. I’ve seen non-verbal kids sound out their first words and become independent readers.
Embracing technology for enhanced curriculum
I never thought I’d find a more effective teaching model, but when COVID-19 hit, I began hunting for education technologies and digital learning platforms that could replicate the system and also allow students to interact successfully. What I found has transformed the way I teach and elevated my ability to drive academic, social and emotional gains – especially for students with special needs.
Today, these types of edtech learning platforms – like Seesaw, Canva, OneNote and others – are the backbone of my instruction. As someone who is autistic and has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, I immediately recognized their ability to revolutionize the way students with special needs access the K-12 learning environment.
They’re easy for students to use, to see their lessons and assignments and turn in their work without the typical distractions that are common with tablets. They’re also easy for me to present and organize my lessons exactly the way I want. Previously, I would have to open each lesson and accompanying activity separately, which was often difficult for students with special needs, many of whom are easily distracted. But now I can put all of my subjects for an entire day into one lesson, which helps keep them on task since all they have to do is open one lesson in the morning and never have to close it out to find the next. When neurodivergent students don’t have to constantly figure out what is next or what they are going to be required to do, they feel comfortable and in control of their learning.
Providing lessons on a tablet has been a game-changer for students who are easily distracted by a small tear on their paper, or something not photocopied exactly right, a dull pencil or one without an eraser. Students with vision challenges can make the screen brighter and use the magnifying tool to zoom in. And programs that utilize stylus pencil attachments are great for students working on fine motor skills.
Making differentiation easier
Even more importantly, these types of digital learning platforms allow me to differentiate instruction much more effectively and provide students with a personalized learning experience, which doesn’t have to be the heavy lift most teachers assume. My students can all work on the same lesson using the same content, but I can give them options for accessing and completing their work in ways that best match their learning style. For example, instead of writing an essay about the Revolutionary War, a student might choose to draw a comic strip of major events or video themselves pretending to interview a historic figure from that period. For younger students learning to write, I can create lessons for some that include tracing uppercase and lowercase letters and words, while others write on their own and practice sizing and spacing of letters and words.
I can also set up their individual lessons with a rigor that best matches their ability – though I’m a big proponent of working with grade-level material regardless of a student’s level. And if a student needs extra support, for example, I can focus on my attention there while others work in small groups.
Many edtech tools these days also include software that allows educators to communicate directly with parents to provide daily updates about how their children’s day went. They can scroll through each slide to see the work they completed and I can include notes about things like how many prompts it took them to finish a certain page.
I especially love when programs have a recording ability so that kids can record themselves reading and parents can play it back. This has been a powerful tool for my nonverbal students and those with limited communication skills who become verbal by the end of the year: During end-of-year parent-teacher conferences, I get to sit with families and play for them a recording of a child at the beginning of the year communicating through their device or having an aide read to them, compare it to the middle of the year, when they start vocalizing sounds and words, and to the end of the year, when they are reading independently.
Helping teachers, students, parents communicate better
A communication folder is fine in theory, but for kids who have trouble staying organized or who are prone to losing things, a digital learning platform with built-in communication capabilities is a more effective way to stay current with parents. Moreover, there’s a difference between telling parents that their child had a great day (or a tricky one) and allowing them to see for themselves. For one thing, parents are able to ask better questions like, “I see my son has been needing more prompting to stay on task. Any idea why?” And on the flip side, they can let me know about anything happening at home that might be impacting their performance in school – maybe there’s a change in a student’s medication, for example.
While some educators worry that using a tablet to deliver daily lessons might negatively impact language skills, I’ve found the opposite holds true.
Students communicate with each other more because they’re excited to share what choices they made while completing each lesson – what colors they used, how they used a ruler, whether they added a picture or animation. The sense of independence it gives them is a game changer. Plus, these types of edtech tools allow for what I like to call errorless instruction – as long as students complete each lesson or assignment, there isn’t a way to fail, which empowers them and gives them a sense of accomplishment that motivates them and keeps them engaged with the material and with each other.
In my experience, students become so engaged that sometimes they even ask to come up and teach the lessons themselves. They pretend they are me and walk around the classroom to help their peers. For me, there’s nothing better than a noisy classroom with kids cheering each other on.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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