I learn differently. 

When I was 6 years old, I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. Dyslexia wasn’t as well known back then. My classroom teacher didn’t know what to do with me. She certainly didn’t know how to deal with my learning differences in the classroom. 

Fortunately, my mom found some tutors for me who did know how to teach me to read. Dyslexia could have been a major impediment to my academic success. It became my biggest strength because those teachers welcomed my learning differences. 

Those teachers turned my learning difference into a strength.

I’ve had many teachers and professors over the years struggle with accommodating my learning difference. It isn’t their fault, and I do not blame them. 

I had a professor once who mentioned how great it would be if every student learned the same way. I humbly disagree.

Ok, no so humbly.

I became a teacher because I didn’t want every day to look the same. Helping students was my goal, but the challenge was what kept me coming back. Trying to figure out how to accommodate all of the students in the classroom made every day interesting.

Teachers have so much to do! Accommodating all of the learning differences in the classroom is an overwhelming thought, and that is without any implementation. But, can you imagine what our classrooms would look like if every student learned the same way?

If every student learned the same way, our classrooms would be boring.

Truth bomb: Even if the curriculum and standards didn’t change, most teachers would change up some aspect of their classroom yearly.

Yes, I said it.

We teachers are always finding new, better ways to reach and teach our students. Changing standards and curriculum, I think, gets in the way of real progress toward meeting student’s needs. 

What drives the changes teachers make year to year? Learning Differences.

What are some easy ways to accommodate learning differences in the classroom?

• Get to know student’s learning styles.
• Provide choices in how students show their learning.
• Play music (classical is really great for focus) during independent practice time.
• Teach students about THEIR learning styles.
• Use my freebie Appreciating Differences to help students learn about their own strengths. 
• Ask your students what lessons they learned the most from, and model future lessons after those.

Want to learn more? Check out my podcast episode for this topic!

The post Learning Differences are Welcome Here appeared first on Teaching Struggling Learners.

Being a special education teacher is a huge job. Special education teachers impact so many struggling learners. They work tirelessly to create resources, work with student to attain learning goals, support gen ed teachers in teaching behavioral and academic skills, help students in the gen ed settings, coordinate schedules, communicate with teachers, service providers, administrators, and parents… all the things needed to track an IEP Caseload… Their to do list is never ending….and I haven’t even touched on what was the single most stressful aspect or this job for me….the paperwork… there should be a massive crack of thunder when I say that word…or at least it feels that way for me.

For many, paperwork is the most stressful part of being a special education teacher.

Whenever I talk with special ed teachers, and when I was one, the biggest stressor is paperwork. Whether it’s tracking IEP dates, scheduling, writing IEPs, writing reports, tracking data, graphing or reporting data, or the 8 million other things we do to get the paperwork done, it is so much! The weight is just overwhelming and exhausting!

So, how can we reduce this IEP Caseload paper monster? How can we get it under control so we have more time to focus on students?

Ok, here are some steps you can take.

Step 1

Start with looking at all your IEPs due dates and triennial or reeval due dates. 

Make a list of the meetings due each month. MY TRICK- I write down the IEPs due the month prior so that I know to schedule them then. For example, all my IEPs due in October, I write for September so that I know to get them scheduled and all that.

Step 2

Next step-If you can schedule them out….DO IT! It gives you an opportunity to have an introductory conversation, and to tentatively schedule a time-it really helps parents to know that their child is a priority and valued. This way, no matter how many students are on your IEP caseload, the parents know you are focused on their student’s needs. 

Step 3

Now, look at each student-make an IEP Snapshot (or cheat sheet) to share with gen ed teachers. As much as I’d love to say gen ed teachers read the whole IEP when we provide it to them….we know that’s not going to happen. So make a sheet with accommodations, modifications, goals, services, and IEP due dates-or the meeting date if you have already scheduled it. 

Click on the picture to the left to see what I have used to make my IEP Snapshots for years. 

Step 4

After you complete your snapshot, make a list of all the paperwork or steps you need to complete for your IEPs. Use this to make a checklist on your student roster. I like to list my IEP caseload down the left hand side of a sheet, and along the top I list every step to the process, including invitations, reminders, writing goals, everything to filing it at the end. This helps to ensure that you don’t miss a step accidentally along the way. 

What other little pieces can you do ahead of time so that you save 5-10 minutes once the IEP season is in full swing?

In that mindset, I’ve been using my caseload tracker for years to keep my IEP monster under control. I put dates, services, goals, accommodations, all that stuff in at once, and it auto populates my snapshot for teachers, roster for my lists, meeting reminders, accommodation trackers, and…I input my progress monitoring in and it graphs it for me. My biggest thing is saving time not typing the same thing multiple times, so it has been a life saver for me. 

If you would like to hear more about how I streamline the process, check out the Reaching Struggling Learners Podcast.
Be sure to check out Episode 12, where I will be sharing some more tips and tricks to streamline the paperwork so that you can get back to working with the kids!

Be sure to fill out the form to be added to the Everyday Teaching Adventures Newsletter. I’ll send out a short weekly info snippet to keep you informed…no spamming! Nobody has time for that!

The post How to Track an IEP Caseload Without Losing Your Mind appeared first on Teaching Struggling Learners.

Not only do I have my energetic 4 year old to keep busy (for how I keep him engaged in science activities, check out: Science With an Energetic 4 Year Old), I have also been a teacher for 11 years. Clip-Its are awesome because they keep even my 4 year old busy and learning simultaneously.

I have taught general and special education at the elementary level, and one thing I have learned is that ALL students need multi-sensory learning. This is especially true for those students who are struggling. The more we can get kids active, the more they learn.

How do we get kids moving AND learning?

Multi-sensory learning gets kids moving and learning. One very effective way I have incorporated multi-sensory learning is through Clip-Its. Don’t know what those are? I didn’t several years ago either!

Most clip-its have a picture or question stem, and the student chooses one correct answer. They are FABULOUS for working on skills with students who need to be moving…aka our kinesthetic learners. Once I started using Clip-Its regularly, my OT angel told me that she was seeing MAJOR progress….double win right?

I use lots of different types of “clips” to help my students remain interested in the activity….also due to my awesomeness (actually…it was cheapness…the kids kept losing the clothespins and I hated replacing them) my kids were getting practice with fine-motor skills, and finger strength.

But, while working with my students, I realized that being able to find multiple correct answers to one question is a valuable skill. So, I started creating Multi-Clip-Its. Before long I realized that not only did having multiple answers help my students generalize their learning…..they also improved their attention spans, AND these cards were WAY less work for me. That was the trifecta of teacher happiness for this busy teacher!

After some work, I am now ready to share my Multi-Clips with you. Click the picture below for a multi-clips FREEBIE…because who doesn’t love a freebie??? Try them out with your kids and drop a comment below to let me know how it goes!

Like what you see and want more? Click the picture below for a link to my Multi-Clips Growing Bundle. It contains ALL my phonics Multi-Clips I have in my store now…but the best part? It’s a growing bundle, so as I add more clips, you will get them for free!

Interested in more information about progress monitoring or getting active students engaged? Subscribe below to keep in contact!

The post Why Clip-Its are Awesome appeared first on Teaching Struggling Learners.