Putting the "I" back in IEP

I have to start by giving a shout-out to my Special Education colleagues over at the middle school who started having "Student-led IEP's" and introduced them to district special education teachers through some voluntary professional development this past fall.  I have always felt it important to have transition-aged students involved in the IEP process as much as possible.  My students were always "a part" of their meetings and I would do my best to find ways to have them involved: leading introductions, sharing their Strengths/Interests/Preferences, but once I started down the road of Student-led IEP's, I noticed that my transition students were really in the driver's seat of not only their IEP meetings, but their entire IEP document as well.  The process in preparing for the IEP, working through creating their presentation for the meeting, and talking with them about what their future looks like in their minds really changed my mind set and the way I wrote their IEP.  Their voices rang through the legal document more than ever...and when is a better time for that, than when they are preparing to transition out of school and into the adult world?!?  But, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself...time to reign in the excitement and passion I have for this newly discovered process, so that I can do it justice, and share it with you all!

What is a Student-led IEP?
It is just what it says, it is an IEP meeting led completely by the student.  How this is done is completely dependent on your comfort level as well as the student's functioning level.  In my situation, my students and I sit down and put together a Keynote presentation.  Together we fill in a template presentation that I have created, and they help me put their personal spin on it by picking a color scheme, choosing the font here and the picture that goes there.  My students would not be able to complete this part without me working with them, helping them navigate the Keynote program...your student may be able to take the template and go.  Provide opportunities to take ownership of what this presentation looks like.  Having a template that they fill in ensures that they are including all the necessary IEP information.  From there, I have my students create a recording of the Keynote presentation.  This is one feature that I absolutely LOVE about Keynote, and why I use this rather than Powerpoint to create these presentations.  We go in a quiet room and practice reading through the presentation several times before we press record and go through it again.  Through the wonders of technology, the students voice is captured and aligned with the appropriate slide as you navigate through the presentation.  Now, on the day of the meeting, all you/the student has to do is push "play" and the presentation and information is shared.  For my students, who become shy and nervous and who already have limited verbal expression, this is the way to go.  You may be able to have your student navigate through their presentation on their own, life at their IEP meeting.  My last slide is always, "Comments/Questions/Concerns" which provides families and service providers at the meeting the opportunity to bring up any issues or pressing topics.  And that is it.  The student has shared all the valuable and important information of the IEP in language that all can understand.

What are the benefits of holding a Student-led IEP?
First and foremost, this process gives the student, the most important part of the equation the loudest voice.  So often, I think IEP's become procedural; we have a formula for how it should be completed to be compliant to state and district standards and we get so caught up in that piece that we forget the "individualized" nature of this document!  This helps put that I back in the IEP.  It also helps to build the students communication and self advocacy skills.  If a student is involved in the process of creating their IEP; evaluating their strengths and areas for growth in their goal areas, discussing their needed accommodations in their classes and community settings, and if this begins at an early age, by the time they are out in the adult world, they will be so accustomed to communicating about their needs, it will be much easier to do this in a post secondary schooling or work setting.  This will be a process they will be so comfortable and familiar with.  It is also a very powerful and eye opening experience to the families and service providers for our students, who may not always be able to see the past the struggles or needs for growth in these young people.  Seeing a student, in front of a group of adults, talking about themselves in their school day, and sharing their needs...this will have many involved very emotional and excited.

My personal experiences...
I have now hosted two Student-led IEP's both with very powerful impact and positive outcomes.  Students beam with pride as they watch other view a presentation they were instrumental in putting together.  Parents have a vision into their school day through pictures and video of students completing goal related tasks or moving through their school routines.  I had one parent tell me this was the easiest IEP meeting she had been to.  Her son is 20 years old (that makes a lot of IEPs).  She stated that in the past, the IEP is read to here and with the overwhelming amount of information and the legal language, she felt a lot of the important information was getting lost in translation.  This was broken down, to the point, and very clear.

This is a process and extra work on top of drafting the actual IEP document and all the other necessary pieces that go a long with it.  As I was working to put together my first two student led IEP's, I honestly thought, "This is way too much work and for what?  To be shared quickly and move right into picking through the IEP document."  What I didn't realize was that I was taking out the need to pick through the IEP because the student presentation was answering everyone's questions and concern.  The impact was amazing...and I'm not turning back.  Two more IEP's have been scheduled for the month of January and both will be student led!

What do you think about putting your student in the driver's seat of their IEP?  If you think this is something you would like to start in your classroom, please contact me and I can share more information with you about the process and provide some templates and guides for putting it together!

Come to the edge with me!
Mackenzie

The Zones of Regulation

Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to attend a work shop for The Zones of Regulation, a curriculum created by Leah Kuypers to help teach students self regulation and emotional control...and it changed my life...both personally and professionally.  It is THAT good!  Since then I have been obsessed and consumed with this program, talking about it to anyone that will listen.  To be honest, I am surprised that it has taken me this long to sit down and share it with all of you, my avid transition followers!

So...what is it?
The Zones of Regulation is a social skills curriculum that uses a cognitive behavior approach to teach students to recognize when they are in different states called "zones."  Each of the four zones are represented by a different color.  Students also learn to identify tools that help them stay in an expected zone, or move to an expected zone.  Some of these tools include calming techniques, like breathing exercises, and sensory supports like physical activity.  This program is very similar to the 5 point scale, in that it asks students to recognize their own emotions, but it goes much deeper in identifying a broader spectrum of emotions as well as the learning of tools.  The key with this program is the idea that no zone is a "bad zone," but that each zone has times when it is "expected" or appropriate to be in that zone, feeling those feelings.

Why do I love it so much?
The Zones is a program that lends it self very well for social skill training with students on the autism spectrum specifically, but it is also great for students with a wide range of abilities and can be beneficial to incorporate in general education classrooms as well.  What a great way for our students to connect with peers socially in general education classrooms, by having a common social "language" and strategy.  This program is concrete, using logical colors and providing a connection to the community with signs.  The Zones also fits into your teaching structures and is not something extra to do or plan for.  It is a curriculum that is put together thoughtfully and requires very little additional work.  Most importantly, this is a program that provides students with coping and regulation strategies that they can take with them upon transitioning into the adult world.  It does not require elaborate point systems or reinforcement systems...it is about as real life as you can get.

How am I using it in my classroom?
I began introducing The Zones of Regulation to my students about 2 weeks ago.  In following the curriculum, I first started by having my students identify different emotions or feelings that can be found in each zone.  This took us about three days.  As we selected the emotions we talked about what does this emotion look like, how does our body feel when we are experiencing this emotion, what makes us feel this way, etc.  Through lesson reflection, I felt there was a lot of teacher talk time, and in future introductions, I would like to find a better, more visual way to introduce the emotions that are associated with each zone.  As we selected an emotion, we glued it to its appropriate zone on our Zones of regulation display.  After the emotions were introduced, we took about a week to let those ideas resonate.  In conversations with our students we began using the Zones language, identifying when students might be feeling a certain way, and talking through with them what Zone that emotion might be in.

From there we then began talking about times you might be in each zone.  For example, the Blue Zone is the Rest Area.  Emotions associated with this Zone are tired, sad, shy.  Each student thought of a time both during their time at school and at home when it would be expected for them to be in that Zone.  Students mentioned break times at school and just before bed at home.

That's about as far as I have gotten with incorporating it into my current classroom setting.  I have lots of hopes and ideas for more ways to embed it into my students every day lives, both our classroom and in their community settings.  I am anxious to see students come through my classroom who have had exposure to the Zones of Regulation at an earlier age, and see the differnence it makes in them using it in their every day lives.

I cannot say enough about this program...just as those I come in contact with.  People who are not even familiar with the field of education have gotten ear fulls of information about the Zones of Regulation, because I am just THAT excited about it.  I see its potential.  I see its logic.  It is like a light bulb for me, and I know it will click and help my students be successful in their adult worlds...and that is why I just LOVE it!

Are you familiar with this program?  Are you using it in your classroom?

Come to the edge with me,
Mackenzie

A Transition Thanksgiving

Sorry for my absence.  It was Thanksgiving in our transition classroom last week.  ALL WEEK!  For the past 6 years we have used Thanksgiving as a cooking opportunity in our classroom.  We grocery shop, we cook, we clean, and then we party!  All the things we do as adults as we prepare Thanksgiving for friends and family.  Needless to say, it is quite an undertaking...SHOUT OUT to my phenomonal staff who jump right on board and trudge through a very challenging week, all to provide an amazing learning opportunity for our students!  After 6 years, we have quite a system, and are very organized, so this year, I decided to throw in a couple additional learning opportunities :)  Here is a look at the week leading up to our Transition Thanksgiving.

Prior to this week, we spent time finding recipes for our cooking items and made/sent beautiful invitations to our guests.  We invite other classrooms of students and teachers, along with school administration.

Monday: GROCERY SHOPPING is our focus for this day.  In Morning Group, we complete a very challenging activity.  We take our HUGE list of Thanksgiving grocery items and categorize them by grocery departments.  Next, as Monday is our usual day to grocery shop, then we head into the store with monster lists, including items both for our Thanksgiving AND our usual lunch preparations.  Whew!

Tuesday: In morning group, we study our recipes for the week and answer comprehension questions about the recipes: how many people does this recipe serve? What temperature should we preheat the oven on that recipe? How many cans of Green beans for this?  Two groups of students work in kitchen today with two students to one staff for each group.  One group follows a recipe to prepare Green Bean Casserole and the other follows a recipe to make Crockpot Apple Sauce.  Our third group rides the city bus to HyVee, our local grocery store, where they complete an activity of price comparison to see what is cheaper, purchasing already made product (Stovetop stuffing) or making it from scratch.

Wednesday: Our focus in morning group is Thanksgiving Math.  We solve math problems focused around our Thanksgiving preparations.  This includes determining how long our 21 pound turkey needs to cook and doubling a recipe.  Two groups are in the kitchen again.  One prepares the stuffing, the other prepares the mashed potatoes.  Another groups heads to HyVee on the City Bus.

Thursday: First thing in the morning, Mr. Turkey goes in the roaster, and spends the day cooking.In morning group we learn about Social Skills for Thanksgiving.  As we are already learning about The Zones of Regulation, we try to incorporate these ideas into our lesson.  We talk about what are expected behaviors when you are the host of a party.  We plan what should be done when guests arrive, come up with conversation ideas for lunch, and plan what to do when a guest is ready to leave.  (This is the first year we have had an opportunity to tackle the social skill piece.  In future years, I would like to put even more of a focus on this piece, as it is so very important!).  Only one group is in the kitchen on this day and they work to prepare our mini pumpkin pies (made in muffin tins).  Another group spends the morning cleaning our classroom to prepare for our guests the next day, and our last group heads out to HyVee on the bus.  Later in the afternoon, we carve Mr. Turkey and put the pieces back into the roaster pan.  This goes into the refrigerator overnight and is reheated in the morning.

Friday: The day we have all been working for.  Morning group is spent reviewing social skills...expected and unexpected behaviors and putting together a schedule of our days.  From there the final preparations begin.  We have notecards with all the necessary tasks written out.  We start by assigning each student with a task from these cards.  As they complete that task, they take another card and begin another task.  This is a process that has made these last minute preparations so much easier, as I don't feel like I have to spend the morning figuring out ways to keep kids busy, and what needs to be done next.  It is all there on a "timeline" in front of me.  Next year, I would like to provide a written task list for each card glued to the back, to help our students (who can) complete each step with that much more independence.  We only reheat our food items the day of...nothing requires full cooking.  This helps to ensure that everything is done by the time our guests arrive.  And when the guests arrive, the fun begins and all the hard work throughout the week pays off.  I usually step back and watch the students, glowing with pride, share with their guests all the hard work they did all week...SO COOL!

When all the guests have left, and the dishes are clean, we give the kids some free time...games/computers/naps ;)  I sit down with my staff and we reflect on the day.  We make notes of what food had the most leftovers, what time did guests start arriving and what time did the last guest leave, what worked, what didn't work...all noted and put in our Thanksgiving binder for next year. 

The idea of hosting a Thanksgiving was one I was exposed to in one of my student teaching placements...the placement that changed my life and exposed me to the world of Transition.  It is A LOT of work, and sometimes I think my staff wants to kill me for making them do all this, but in the end, when we watch our students float with guests and share memories from previous Thanksgivings; when I see the pride in their eyes, its all worth it, and I begin counting the days to the next Transition Thanksgiving.

What do you think?!?  Do you want to host your very own Transition Thanksgiving?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Transition Thankfulness

The month of November is upon us and all across social media people are sharing one thing they are thankful for through the entire month.  Do not worry my fellow educators, I am not about to embark on that long of a thankful journey.  This did, however, get my wheels turning.  What am I, as a teacher of transition, thankful for?  I have narrowed it down to 5.  Drum roll please...

#5. VELCRO.  What would the world of Special Education be without this handy tool?  How would we quickly change and individualize schedules, routines, checklists, reinforcement systems, and a slew of other things for each student to help them be successful across their school environments?  I know I use velcro multiple times across one day in my own special education classroom and often joke that if I wanted to make money, I should have invested in a velcro company!!!

#4. TECHNOLOGY.  I have only been in the world of teaching for 7 years now, but in that short amount of time I have seen such a growth in technology and students access to technology.  This has dramatically impacted students in the realm of special education, allowing for things to be adjusted and individualized for their individual needs at a moments notice.  We are fortunate to have 5 iPads in our classroom, and this has been such a gift for our students.  Opportunities to provide immediate feedback through video modeling, electronic schedules, personal communication systems, the list is endless.  I cannot wait to see how technology expands in my next 7 years of teaching!

#3. SUPPORTIVE FAMILIES.  The time of transitioning from the school world to the adult world is a very difficult journey for many students and their families.  It is a time of drastic changes, lessening of supports, and a lot of uncertainties.  This whole process becomes much easier when families are supportive of Transitioning programming and what is being done in the classroom and at school.  I have been fortunate to work with many supportive families throughout my years teaching in a Transition based program.

#2. A TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS AND SUPPORTS.  It takes a village in special education, especially as students prepare to transition into the adult world.  I have the privilege to work with countless amazing paraprofessionals/job coaches, autism consultants, behavior analysts, OTs, SLPs, administrators; all who have the drive to provide services that help our students gain independence and take the steps toward happy and fulfilling lives.

#1. AN ACCEPTING COMMUNITY. In my time in this position I continue to be amazed by the openess and support we find from complete strangers in our everyday community.  The lady who carefully puts all of our groceries evenly into 7 bags so everyone has something to carry.  The tour guides at local libraries, museums, banks, grocery stores, fire stations, farms, etc who interact with our students comfortably, speak to them so they understand, but don't talk down or belittle them.  The gentleman who welcomed us into his vocational establishment and reminded me, "not only are your students here to learn vocational skills, they are hear to teach the public acceptance."  That statement changed me and the way I approached learning opportunities for our students while in the community.  Its our community and we plan to take full advantage of that.

I am so thankful for my job each day.  It is a challenge and a gift all in one.  I learn from my students and their drive and charisma every day. 

What are you thankful in your Transition classroom?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Annual Holiday Card sale

Today may be Halloween, but in my classroom, we have been thinking about the Holiday's since August.  Each year, we design, assemble, and sell holiday cards.  We put our design together last spring, so we could jump start in preparations as the new school year began.  Weeks were spent folding, cutting, gluing, stamping, counting, stacking, and tying... ;)...all in anticipation of this week when we rolled out our design and began sales.  We primarily sell to staff in the district, our families, and those at our community work sites.  While this activity is a "fundraiser," the primary purpose is not money making...the purpose is to provide an onsite opportunity to expose our students to general vocational skills, social skills, and money skills.  We are very thoughtful in planning our design each year, so that it is one that the students can put together themselves, with occasional supports from jigs or other accommodations, but looks very professional and put together.  We also try to keep in school friendly, by avoiding any "Christmas" or "religious" references...this way anyone and everyone will want to buy our cards.  Now that our order forms are circulating, the waiting begins.  Once orders start arriving, we will group and package and deliver our holiday cards.  We pride ourselves on timeliness, so we are the first holiday card option for many families in our district.  Check out this years design below...

"Front" Design...holiday trees in a variety of holiday themed paper

"Inside" Design..."Holiday happiness to you!" stamped

Do you have any assembly projects or sales efforts you do in your classroom to provide vocational opportunities for your students?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Too many cooks in the kitchen...

I have spent a lot of time this week preparing for next weeks cooking project, so I thought, why not blog about it too?

We have one new cooking project each week and our students will have one day, Tuesday through Thursday, where it is their day in the kitchen.  We use a fantastic cooking curriculum created by PCI called, "Cooking to Learn" and "Cooking to Learn 2" for ordering information go here:

PCI Cooking to Learn

It is a great curriculum that allows student to cook projects both as a group or as an individual.  The curriculum provides both a text and a picture with text option for each recipe and comprehension worksheets to accompany each project.  We love it and have been happily using it for the last 5 years in our program.

Sometimes, the students want to learn how to make something that is not in either of the Cooking to Learn books.  So, we are charged to recreate the many wonderful options the PCI curriculum provides for our students on our own.  No problem, right?!?  So this week, as we wrap up our unit on Microwave Cooking, our students wanted to learn to make Cheese Nachos.  With this recipe, and all others we create on our own, I do my best to resemble the structures the PCI curriculum sets up.  So the supplies are listed at the top, broken down into "Food Items" and "Cooking Items".  This particular form of the recipe provides the rest of the instructions in written format.

We also have found that receiving a recipe with EVERY step on it can be a bit overwhelming for our students who struggle with attention and focus.  So...we have created note cards for the recipe as well.
Text only for students who require that level of accomodation...

And text with pictures for those who require that level... These are made with pictures from Boardmaker.

We have also started creating video models of each recipe to provide additional level of visual support.  We find this method to be especially helpful for our students who are on the Autism spectrum as it give them a foundation of knowledge and an understanding of expectations.  Those that first displayed behaviors while cooking in the kitchen, now watch a video and no longer display behaviors.  I do some minor editing in iMovie and throw the video up on Youtube, with the hopes that even after leaving the transition center, students will go back and use these videos in their personal living environments.  Here is a link to this weeks video.
Microwave Cheese Nachos

We see the most successes when putting these supports in place for our students.  Its a lot of preparation ahead of time, when doing a new recipe, but once you put these items together, you can use them from year to year.

Do your students cook?  What supports do you provide them?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Video Modeling

We are blessed to have 6 iPads in my classroom!  What a dream this has been this year for my students!  This has allowed us to expand our use of Video modeling, as we always have a device that we can record and play back.  What a help this has been!

But...I'm getting ahead of myself.  What is this video modeling, and how can it be helpful in teaching functional life skills?  With the availability of technology growing, so is the way we teach our kids.  One way we have found that is beneficial for students with disabilities, especially those on the Autism spectrum is Video Modeling.  It takes on the same idea of modeling a task, except it is recorded, which allows the student to view it as many times as they want or need to grasp the task, without having the staff/adult continuously show it themselves.  It provides a concrete and specific example of how to complete a task and it can be used in all ways, shapes, and forms in a functional classroom.

One of the ways we have begun using video modeling is in the kitchen.  Each week, our students are given a recipe that they must follow to complete a cooking task.  Some students do best when the recipe is written, with words on a sheet of paper, others prefer directions using pictures.  Some students perform best when the recipe is put on note cards and they can manipulate and move through the note cards to complete the cooking project, and others, we have found learn from watching a video of someone completing the steps of the cooking project.  This discovery was made out of necessity in my classroom last fall when a student came my way who, no matter the "paper" format of the recipe, he would not focus his attention in the kitchen enough to complete the task.  This particular student LOVED watching videos on Youtube, so I wondered, what if his cooking project was on Youtube?  From there came an idea that changed my classroom.  Now, we have our own "channel" on youtube, which displays videos of our cooking projects each week.  Students can tune in at school, at home, anywhere they wish and use our video recipe to complete a variety of cooking tasks.  Here is an example of one of our videos...
Microwave Popcorn

We have also used the video modeling, along with QR codes, to provide on the spot assistance to complete a variety of tasks around the center.  For example, on our dishwasher, you see this...

 Our students can use a QR reader App on the iPad to scan this code.  They will then be taken to a video on Youtube that is Video Modeling of how to load the dishwasher.  So slick!!!  One more way they can be independent!  Here is the video they would see if they scan this code...

Loading Dishwasher Video Modeling with QR Code

We have QR codes for washing laundry, drying laundry, washing dishes, drying dishes, and changing the bag for our shredder.  AND we have a list of many more tasks we would like to prepare video modeling for!

We are so excited to take the idea of Video Modeling out into the community as well!  Do you use Video Modeling in your classroom or to teach community skills?  Have you seen an impact on student learning?  Please share!

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Online Life Skill Practice

Isn't it funny how something instantly becomes a "game" and much more fun when it is done on the computer?!?  My students LOVE working on the computers, so when I discovered a site that offered online life skill practice or "games" as we call them in my classroom, I knew my students would be eager to participate.

Warning...if you teach life skills, this website will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!  When I first discovered it, I wanted to tell every person I met in my professional world about it, and just how wonderful it was.  Here is the website: www.gcflearnfree.org.  This website offers a variety (750 to be exact) of tutorials, online classes, trainings, activities and/or games related to the real world 100% free.  It is a program through Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, so it is funded by proceeds from the Goodwill stores in North Carolina.

So...start by going to the website.  Once there, take your time and explore all the site has to offer.  In our classroom, we primarily use the activities in the "Everyday Life Skills" category, but it offers so much more.

To get to the everyday life skills, first start by selecting "All Topics" on the right side of the main page...

 Next, you will want to scroll down until you find the category "Everyday Life Skills"...

 And under that category is a slew of amazing activities that provide your students opportunities to practice general Functional Life Skills at the comfort of their own computer.  Now, this of course CANNOT be used to replace providing opportunities for your students to practice by actually getting out into the community and completing many of these tasks, but it helps support and reinforce those skills necessary to complete the tasks and may even help with generalization.  We often use it just before or after completing a life skill.  For example, a student is about to go into the kitchen to complete a task that requires them to follow a recipe and cook something in the microwave.  We may have them sit down and do this activity prior to going into the kitchen to allow for them to have some practice before doing the real thing.  Some of our favorite activities, that get used the most are: the Measure / Mix / Bake activities done back to back, the Microwave activity the Vending Machine, the Grocery List...Oh I could go on and on!  This site is just amazing!  Great practice opportunities in a fun, non-intimidating format...just what I need in my classroom!

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Providing accommodations in the community...

It is a balancing act, this transition teaching thing...  I always go back and forth between wanting to throw my students into the community without any supports, just like sending me a traveler to a foreign city with no map, and have them "look" just like everybody else, or to to provide the accommodations they need and have them learn valuable information from the experience.  I never want to draw additional attention to my students and I ultimately think them, struggling to find their way, may bring more attention than a simple cue card here, or a picture list there.

So...as we recently embarked out into the community, along came our accommodations!

Fridays are our days in the community.  They are our day to access every bit that the community has to offer, and to take our time doing it.  We have no time limitations on Fridays, they day is set aside completely for the community.  Our original plan this past Friday was to take our annual fall trip out to the Palisades Park in Mt. Vernon.  There, we have a cook out, go on a nature scavenger hunt, and ALWAYS hit up the mural-ed barn for some photos.  See below for a photo from last years trip. 

 

Well, in our Weather studies in the days leading up to Friday, we saw that the weather was not going to be ideal for a day out doors...in fact there were some chances for severe weather.  We quickly moved onto creating a "plan b."  What does one do on a rainy day?!?  It was a unanimous decision...one MUST go to the movies.  The plan was made, notes were sent home regarding the change, and I began to prepare my community accommodations.  My students would be making a purchase on their own for their snack.  They knew that if they had $5.00 to spend they would be able to purchase a beverage and candy or a beverage and popcorn.  So, I created a worksheet to assist them in putting together the information they would need to share with the person at the snack counter.  From that, they created a "script" for ordering their snack.  These scripts were then written onto small (and conspicuous, I might add) note cards, that each student carried with them and used to order their snacks at the movie.  See picture below for worksheet.

Creating this worksheet to help students put together their wants, then taking those to create a script and a small cue card was incredibly helpful once we were out in the community and had other customers around to distract, pressure, and even support our students.  Upon walking into that community, there are so many factors that we cannot control, I have found that it helps to provide some structures for our students in the things we know we can control.  This helps ease their anxieties and creates a more positive and powerful learning experience for not only the student, but those who work with our students in the community as well!

The only thing I would change, is taking pictures and/or video so I could share with you all what an awesome outing this was, thanks to the work both the staff and the students put in ahead of time!

If you would like a copy of this worksheet, or others that we use to provide accommodations in the community, please feel free to contact me! :)

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Unique learning environment

Teaching transition and functional life skills to students with disabilities definately requires a unique learning enviornment.  It requires access to the places these skills are going to be used.  It requires a kitchen, a laundry room, the community.  I consider myself very blessed to have all of those things, and more at my figertips on a daily basis.  This makes my job 100 times easier because I don't have to spend my planning time trying to find kitchen access or figuring out how I am going to train one student to fold laundry while I am responsible for 7.  I will share with you today some of the ways I have attempted to even further adapt my unique and tailor-made classroom, to provide necessary supports for my students and allow them to experience independence.

We will start in the kitchen...  Here is a picture of our kitchen:

If you look closely, you can see pictures on each cabinet and drawer throughout the kitchen.  This picture shows the items that are in that particular cabinet or drawer.  Once opened, there are additional pictures designating the appropriate location for each item.  This helps students and staff while they are preparing a food item, so they can quickly find the item they need.  It also helps students know the appropriate place to return the dishes after they have been washed and dried.  Staff is not required to hover over and make sure everything goes back in its home, and it ensures that everyone has equal opportunity and support in locating the items they need.  Similar cues can be found throughout the center, including cues for cleaning products in the laundry room.  Efforts were also taken to ensure this kitchen provided equal accessibility for all students, regardless of their mobility.  Some modifications include front dials on the range, an accessible sink, and an island created to allow a wheel chair to pull up under it.

Our students spend a lot of time in this kitchen.  They use it to prepare lunch daily and learn to create snacks and meals through lessons on a weekly basis.  We have found that organization allows for the students to experience the kitchen on a higher level of independence, so it is always our goal to have the kitchen clean and organized.


Moving onto the laundry room...

Please excuse the mess, student learning is in progress.  A space to allow our students to daily participate in completing laundry tasks was very important.  This give students the opportunity to see through several loads of laundry from start to finish, as well as going back and forth between completing laundry and other activities.  Our students wash our kitchen laundry, such as wish rags and drying towels, along with clothing, including workout clothing, as well as smocks and uniforms from the work place.  This provides opportunities to learn the steps for washing, drying, and folding a variety of different laundry types.  Also included in this space is a closet with hangers...another place to practice necessary life skills.

Welcome to our living room...

Also included in our classroom is another great learning environment for functional life skills.  This is our living room.  This space allows for our students to practice different skills such as dusting and vacuuming in a home-like setting.  It is also a space for our students to go and learn/enjoy recreational/leisure activities such as watching movies, playing the Wii, and completing a puzzle.

This classroom allows for us to meet the functional needs of our students on a daily basis.  We can dive into the teaching an learning of all those skills one will need when living on their own, right in the comfort of our own classroom.

Do you have pictures of your own transition or functional classroom that you would like to share?  If so, please contact me and help us grow our community and provide better services and opportunities for the young adults we serve!

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Building a community of support

"Come to the edge, he said.  They said, we are afraid.  Come to the edge, he said.  They came.  He pushed them.  And they flew."

This quote by Guillaume Apollinaire pefectly sums up my professional drive and mission.  I am a Special Education teacher passionate about teaching students to take risks and live life to their fullest potential in the adult world.  But, this does come easily...to anyone involved.  These risks are scary, not only for my students but for their parents, siblings, friends, community support systems, and sometimes even myself.  But, when a student is pushed to the edge, and find success, they are able to not only fly, but soar, into a world full of wonderful opportunities and fulfilling experiences!

Being a secondary special education teacher, I have found over the past few years that there are not a lot of places to go for ideas, lesson plans, and even emotional support or understanding.  One afternoon, after spending what seemed like forever on the internet trying to find something new to try in my classroom, and coming up short, I felt motivated to make a change.  I know there are other secondary special education teachers out there who are doing amazing things.  Teachers who spend countless hours putting together visual cues, cutting velcro, planning the next community outing.  I wondered how could I pull these amazing teachers together and build a community of support in the world of secondary special education and teaching transition and functional life skills.  Out of that wonder grew this blog.  I hope it is a place readers can go to not only find ideas to implement in their classrooms, but also find a place where they feel understood and supported.  Teaching young adults the skills to live as independently as possible in their adult community is not an easy job, but many of us are out there giving it our all every day.  Let us all come together and teach these young adults to fly!