SESA - Fall '02 Reference Shelf - Technology
by Kirsten Haugen
Participation Plan
What -
A Participation Plan is a one page sheet that describe how a student with special
needs participates in a given activity. For example, a plan may explain how
a nonverbal student participates in circle time using a voice output device
programmed by a peer, where to position the device, and what natural cues or
prompts the student needs to communicate using the device. It may even include
alternative strategies if the device is unavailable.
A student may have one or several Participation Plans, depending upon the number
of daily activities that need modifications for the student to participate.
Each plan:
• describes the typical activity
• summarizes related IEP goals
• explains special preparation, strategies and materials (including where
they’re located)
• show how the student participates at each step
• indicates alternative activiti(es), if appropriate
We’ve used Participation Plans in full inclusion settings, resource rooms,
special day classes, lunchrooms, playgrounds, or any setting where a student
needs an alternative plan to participate. Using Participation Plans helped us
make sure each child could participate in a given activity to the fullest extent
possible, using the tools and strategies related to their IEPs. Students also
received consistent and appropriate support, regardless of who was working with
them, because we had a way to share vital information in an efficient, respectful,
and confidential manner. The Participation Plans “worked” even when
they didn’t work because following the plan on a regular basis helped
us stay conscious of our goals and strategies, and we could modify the plans
as needed.
How -
1. Develop your own Participation Plans using the blank template
and the sample as a guide. Modify the Participation Plan format to suit your
own class needs.
2. Prioritize according to need! Begin writing Participation Plans for the most
frequent or frustrating activities, then develop plans for other activities.
3. Develop Participation Plans with input from the whole team. Therapists, teachers,
parents, even peers or the student herself can contribute ideas to improve learning
opportunities and success.
4. Organize Participation Plans so they’re easy to access. Keep all Participation
Plans for one student in a binder at his desk or in his backpack. Or, keep each
Participation Plan with the materials used for that activity.
5. Share the Participation Plans with any staff who’ll be working with
the student. Go over Participation Plans with substitutes, interns or volunteers
before they work with a student.
6. As a student’s skills evolve, set dates to review and revise the Participation
Plans.
Student Profiles
What -
A Student Profile is a one-page summary about a student in your class who has
an IEP. The Profiles provide a quick way to review or share key information
about each student. Depending upon who has access to the Profiles, your version
may include:
• a photo of the student
• student strengths and interests (this is critical!)
• special learning needs or medical needs that impact learning
• special equipment and strategies
• brief summary of each IEP goal
• key student & team contact information
We kept our Profiles binder in a locked drawer in our classroom. The teacher,
regular aides and administrators had access to the drawer. We shared the binder
with substitute staff before the students arrived. The binder also included
other information for staff and substitutes, including the daily schedule, our
discipline policy, a map of the school, and our emergency response plan for
accidents or disasters. We later added a page of staff photos, with names and
room numbers, again to help orient substitutes and new staff.
How -
1 Develop your own Student Profile using the blank template and the sample as
a guide. Modify the Profile format to suit your own class needs. Only include
the “quick look” information your team needs.
2 Decide whether to keep, delete or code any confidential information. Check
your state’s, district’s, and school’s policies on confidentiality.
If your Student Profiles include confidential information, you may only be able
to share them with qualified staff, and you may be required by law to keep them
in a locked file. Including less information may allow you to share a Profile
with more helpers, including volunteers. Some teams have made a second simpler
version so they can share helpful basic information with anyone.
3 Write each Profile collaboratively, at a team meeting or by sharing it among
team members. It helps to get input from as many people as possible, including
the student and his peers, to describe a student’s strengths and interests.
4 Improve teaching consistency: Use Profiles to keep all staff current on strategies,
adaptations and materials. Always have new or substitute staff review the Profile
before working with a student.
5 Update student profiles regularly, as a part of your IEP meetings and whenever
you review or modify a student’s program. Invite student, peer and parent
input.
Facilitating Cooperative Groups at the Computer
What -
Cooperative learning groups can make computer-based activities more productive
for the students and less daunting for the teacher. From a purely practical
point of view, when students work in groups of three per computer, the teacher
faces only one third the potential technical challenges!
More importantly, when students work in structured groups, they are often able
to help each other work through both instructional and technical challenges,
and they learn a great deal from the negotiations that result. All students,
and those with disabilities in particular, benefit from opportunities to share
difficult tasks and observe how others investigate, problem-solve, organize,
compose and edit. At its best, cooperative work also allows students with disabilities
to share their strengths while supporting their areas of need.
Three key strategies play a role in running successful cooperative learning
groups: (a) establishing ground rules and expectations, (b) assigning and rotating
jobs within each group, and (c) having student groups complete a simple self
evaluation form to report on their successes, challenges and progress at the
end of each session. Enlisting student input in creating ground rules means
the students will be more invested in living up to those expectations. Assigning
jobs and rotations insures one student won’t dominate or do all the work
while another day dreams, nor will students waste time negotiating those roles
for themselves. Requiring each group to complete a brief checklist builds self
management skills and reminds students they’ll be held accountable for
their work.
How -
1. Before your first cooperative group effort, meet as a class to introduce
the idea and solicit suggestions from the students about how they could cooperate
at the computer, what role(s) each student could play, and what ground rules
should apply. Use their suggestions to adapt the sample job tags and self-evaluation
included below. Incorporate their suggestions for ground rules, but be sure
to include the following:
(a) It’s always okay to ask your teammates for help with your job.
2. Two to four participants per group seems to work best, as long as you provide
enough space at the computer for all participants and model the roles and strategies
for participants ahead of time.
3. Provide each participant with a specific role. For example, in a three-person
group, the Captain does the keyboarding and fills out the evaluation, the Author
comes up with ideas and controls the mouse, and the Reporter gathers materials
and makes a report back to the class. You can create your own roles and responsibilities,
but try to shape them so that all students need to participate and cooperate
to succeed individually and as a group.
(a) Divide up essential tasks (e.g. keyboarding & mousing) so that students
must cooperate to succeed.
(b) Give the the Captain a checklist to evaluate the group performance
(c) Rotate roles regularly (within one session or from session to session) so
each student takes on each part.
(d) Provide appropriate support to enable students of all abilities to participate.
In some cases, this may include talking word processors, spell-checkers, word
prediction, alternative keyboards, etc.
Reprinted with permission from the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA),
web site: http://www.ataccess.org. This
article was made possible by funding to the ATA from WestEd RTEC, www.WestEd.org.
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