My love for teaching students with learning differences is like a walk along the seashore.
Building positive relationships with my students engages them academically and they achieve more.
Dr. Carol Dweck developed and coined Growth Mindset. She describes it as when students understand that their abilities can be developed.
I work on my own social and
emotional needs in order to teach my students how to become self-managers,
responsible in decision making, building relationships through social awareness
while allowing for greater self-awareness.
I believe whole heartily in
using each modality to teach in every subject. VAKT has proven to be the best way to
teach not only students with learning differences, but all students can benefit from
this multisensory approach to learning. The multisensory structured language
education or MSLE approach in which I use incorporates intervention and remediation
into lessons.
Bob Sullo's book The
Motivated Student: Unlocking the Enthusiasm for Learning focused on multiple
instructional strategies that engages students to want to learn rather than forces
them to learn. I conduct need-satisfying lessons.
I commit to teaching all
concepts with student-teacher interaction. I make sure students understand what they
will be learning before each lesson and the rationale for the lesson. I state
concepts clearly and eliminate doubt and confusion. The lessons are always applied
with a a fixed plan with practice and review over time. Instruction extends to an
efficient amount of time and extra time if needed.
I monitor my students'
learning as a facilitator to clear up misconceptions. Here, I am explaining to a new
student how to organize her grammar cards before coding a sentence.
I stay prepared by thinking
ahead of what my students may need in order to learn a new skill and enhance a
familiar skill. I am modeling to students how to use the same color sticky notes on
the Take Flight Grammar Card to map a story with who, what, when, where, why and
how.
Christine Bennett's and
Ruby Payne's books offered me an in depth study of the movement towards equity,
curriculum reform, social justice and the goal of becoming multiculturally
competent.
Let's Get
Social