By Michelle Zavaleta and Jennifer Keiser
One of the hardest aspects of being a special education teacher is the uncertainty. We sometimes don’t know exactly what our students need from us, or the best ways for us to accommodate those needs. Perhaps we don’t know that our students can’t hear us during a lesson, or we don’t know that they’re still struggling to understand a previous lesson. While we do our best to address these challenges before they come up, our job is to leave no stone unturned.
By Shaun Fagan
Every English-language learner (ELL) has their own unique, individual needs when it comes to gaining structural knowledge around communication. Among the main challenges they face when developing their language acquisition are:
By Greta Pauly
The world we live in is filled with diversity in every corner. Think of a natural ecosystem like a forest. Every tree, plant, and critter has its own unique makeup—different colors, shapes, and sizes—and yet they all come together to make a beautiful environment. When we begin to acknowledge and celebrate diversity in nature, we can start to admire it everywhere. In the classroom, educators play an important role in setting the stage to celebrate everyone’s differences and similarities in a way that brings students together in solidarity.
By Greta Pauly
There is so much to be said about student voice. Every class has children who tend to be quiet and children who speak up more often than others. But student voice is so much more than that. It’s when they truly find themselves owning their learning and speaking to what they believe is true.
By Greta Pauly
We learn by listening. In fact, 85% of what we have learned in our entire life is through listening. Maybe we’re listening to a story over dinner, or having a phone call with a friend on the way to work. Every day we play the role of active listener, and this certainly holds true in the classroom.
