Get Your Students Hired
I learned that time managment and accomodations are important to online learning. I also learned how motivation works for students and the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
For the past year or so, I have worked with students with various disabilities. All students in the class have some form of disability...ranging from physical to cognitive as well as behavioral. I had one student that was actually a teacher. He suffered a stroke and lost quite a bit of cognitive ability and came back to school to relearn those skills he had lost. A few are almost blind; one has 2 hearing aids and is diabetic as well as other disabilities. The list goes on and on, and there are 28 students enrolled in the class. A couple have amazing cognitive abilities. Some with decent cognitive abilites have conditions that cause them to lose those abilities occassionally. Needless, to say this class is more than a challenge for any instructor. The biggest challenge is reaching them when there are extreme levels of ability in one setting. Of course the poor readers and those with limited eyesight require more attention. So they more capable students are left to fend for themselves which often leads to behavior problems. The atmosphere in the room can often be chaotic. Some students have a one-on-one care provider. Those workers can also be distractive. Maintaining such a classroom takes extreme patience and endurance. By the end of a day, I am totally drained. HOWEVER, I want to emphasize the fact that I love teaching these learners. I fight for their rights while acknowledging that resources are limited in our small rural community. I invest my own funds in resources for my students to help them remain in our program and to help them advance.
Working with students with disabilities is not for everyone, and do not recommend it for most instructors. But, it is rewarding in its own way for the instructors as well as the students. Hopefully, teachers will be able to learn more about these learners because they are a true fact of life for educators. These humans deserve the same advantages and treatment as all people. How we treat them reflects on us as a society.
This lesson focuses on learning styles of the students and assessing preparedness to take an online course. It suggests that teachers and students both assess their skill set for an online course. Students should be provided with feedback to help strengthen areas of weakness for online learning. Just like in a F2F class, have a confidential manner for students to communicate an learning disabilities and meet their needs through the organizations office of special services.
Organization and attention to detail are essential skills for the online instructor. Each student should have a online questionare to help access there strengths and weakness for a online course. I learned that it is important to help the students stay engaged, as students tend to drop from online classes, because they want the feeling of connected (community) for encouragement.
My favorite part of this module is the section on Time Management. I really enjoyed the analogy that time is tangible, visual and measurable. The following is taken from the text:
Students should organize time like they organize space. Students should think of tasks in terms of how they would fit into a given space. Try to get your students to think about time like organizing a closet; if you rearrange your closet, you can always find room for more clothes or shoes. The same goes with time. When students analyze their schedule, clear the clutter and rearrange tasks, room becomes available.
I also learned the name of the 20-80 rule, the Pareto Principle. This principle states that "80% of your actions or efforts contribute to only 20% of your actual results, while 20% of your actions or efforts yield 80% of your results."
Both these concelpts can help students get more done in the same time period. A good lesson/skill for all.
This has reinforced what I have come to know that students need to be assessed to see if they are ready to take on an online course and then areas that they need help with should be instated.
It is important for online instructors help motivate online students. They must want to participate and complete the coursework. Students should be aware that online classes will require anywhere from 3 - 5 hours of work per week to be successful. It may take more time for some students.
When working with a students with diverse learning disablities, it is important to pinpoint just how that indiviual conceptually learns and adapt your teaching strategies accordingly.
Just like in our normal classes, online class need to make sure we are looking at a learner's style and taking into conisderation any accomedations that they should be afforded.
As online instustors, we must have a clearly defined syllabus for succint instructions on assignments, due dates and requirements for the particular course. Each student will have unique challenges to online learning so it may benefit the instuctor to have a survey prior to the beginning of the course to identify students particular needs. By identifying strengths and weaknesses, the instuctor can specifically address the individual students who need the assistance to ensure their success.
Teachers need to personally assess their skills and develop compensatory strategies. One hour online of instruction typically takes 10-20 hours of preparation offline. Expect students to set aside 3-5 hours per week for readings, and other contributions to an online class. Be creative in how you support special needs students. Student motivation is the biggest factor in online success so praise early and often and make the first few assignments those they can easily accomplish.
In this artcile we dive deeper into what it takes to provide a effective online course. Step one is assessment both for instructor and for student. Both parties must identify their strengths and weaknesses. They must both focus on using their strengths to their full capability and finding strategies to improve upon the weaknesses. Time management is talked about in great deal. Both instructor and student must figure out what is proficient for them through the course. deadlines and time frames should be clear and concise.
Although the class is online, as a teacher I need to remember how important feedback is. I need to be giving positive feedback to keep the kids motivated.
Preparing Students to Become Good Online Learners --> Online Persona
It is essential to provide appropriate interventions to help students overcome certain disabilities or develop startegies to assist in the learning process.
I learnt about importance of analysing readiness of instructor and student to online instruction, motivation, time management and need to plan for accomodations for students with special needs.
I will link the analogy of excellent organization of a closet or space to effective time management.
I learned a lot about how to provide for students with special needs, such as, allowing them additional time on tests/assignments or providing the opportunity take an oral exam instead. I am going to look into reader software, i had never heard of this before.
One of the most important things to remember is workload and how long it will take a student to complete an assignment. Time management is also a chief component for students and instructors.
I had a couple ah ha moments while reading this module on how to recognize both teacher and student readiness for online learning. Students have to assume more responsibility with an online curriculum, so students will have to self-evaluate their external environment and their internal drive and perhaps make some adjustments in order to be successful in the online platform. There is so much opportunity for students to be proactive in setting their own learning pace and meet the challenge of online learning, while we all adjust to the shelter in place school year. The module provided strategies on how to keep students motivated and how to draw in the reluctant learner or how to better support all students by understanding their individual needs.
It will take a lot more understanding and evaluation of the needs of students with learning disabilities. You need to understand what exactly what accomodation each student will need in order for them to be succesful. The first individualized meeting will be vital to get the information you need from the student and their parent if appropriate.
Making a schedule for students. Be aware of their online learning needs and make sure to make modifications if needed