Penny Harris

The Sensory Room: Helping Students With Autism Focus and Learn

https://youtu.be/zULwQUQDMuM

At Hanover Elementary School in Meriden, CT. Patricia Sullivan Kowalski the director, Heather McDonnell a physical therapist,

and Cheryl Cunningham a SPED teacher, are all involved with the STARS program: Students Teachers Achieving Remarkable Success.

These educators have set up a room in their school to help autistic students self-regulate and de-escalate their emotions by using tools

swings, light walls, crash pads, and yoga. The Sensory Room, “has increased time on task, and decreased negative behaviors,” states

Mrs. Kowalski. The school furnished the room with carpeted floors to absorb sound, and shades on the lights, to create an ambiance

of walking into another space. The students go to the room once a day for 30 minutes, experiencing different scenarios from hitting a

light wall, punching a bag, or shaking some ropes. It is all to help calm and stabilize their bodies so they are ready to focus and learn in

the classroom. The room is also available for the general population to use too.

The STARS students really seem to enjoy the Sensory room, and it is helping them to concentrate and be more centered in their

learning. I agree with everything these educators were engaging in with their students. What an awesome way to interact and assist

their students with special needs. It would be wonderful if every school had the resources and abilities to meet the challenges of

teaching SPED students.

Questions:

1. How do these instructors identify what exercises or physical tools would be most beneficial to their students?

2. What characteristics distinguish the learning styles of an autistic child and a child without special needs?

3. Can you assess the value in providing autistic students with sensory activities so they can stay on task and focus in their

classrooms?
Penny Harris

A Daily Support System for Students

https://youtu.be/MyPUY38blZQ

This video takes place at Fall Hamilton Elementary School in Nashville, TN. At Fall Hamilton they have implemented a mentor

program called Check IN/Check OUT. There are 41 students involved with the program, and every adult at the school mentors a child

in the program. Students check in with their mentor in the morning, and check out with their mentor at the end of the day. The

student and their teacher decide what the child is struggling with, then come up with a plan on what to work on. Using a point sheet,

students get points throughout the day (0-2). If the student has a good day, they earned prizes like a school supply or a positive call

home to a parent. If they had a bad day, they determined what the struggle was, and tried for a better day tomorrow. It taught the

students accountability, and as the video states “builds relationships for success”.

This is a remarkable program for at risk students that may be struggling in school. I really liked the individual interest the principal

and the teachers took with these kids. The two students featured in the video were very insightful and showed great appreciation for

what their principal and teachers were doing with them. This program gave them a sense of acceptance and the positive attitude that

they could accomplish anything they set their minds to.

Questions:

1. What other types of non-physical rewards could be employed to motivate a child? Explain.

2. How would you motivate a child that is having a bad day? A bad week?

3. Identify and explain what the most important objective(s) is of the Check In/Check Out program.
Penny Harris

How to Keep Your Elementary Students Focused

https://youtu.be/Y3LgOo3r-9Y?list=RDCMUCdksaQxXH13BMeHo09MorBg

This video was very insightful and eye opening. It explained five ways of keeping elementary students focused. The first way was keeping

lessons 10-15 minutes long in order to keep younger students’ attention. The second way was to take breaks by getting up to move, listening to

music, or going outside for a brain break. The third way to keep students’ attention was to minimize bulletin boards/excess art/etc on the walls, by

keeping them 20-50% clear. The fourth way was to mix things up in the classroom by having small groups and working on independent tasks, such

as an assignment on a Chromebook. Lastly, a teacher could adjust her seating chart, and keep chatty kids away from each other.

I think these are all important strategies for any classroom. It makes sense to keep lessons short for younger kids, because sometimes they have

issues just remaining still for the 10-15 minute lesson! I also like what the video said about getting up and moving. Sometimes that’s all a class

needs to re-focus. The strategy of having walls 20% to 50% clear was something I never heard of. I work in an elementary school, and I know I

create bulletin boards to decorate and entertain, I never thought of them as being distractions. I also whole heartedly agree with what the video said

about adjusting a seating chart to keep students focused. Noisy, distracted kids not only are hurting themselves learning wise, but are keeping

students around them distracted, and upset at times, as well as being very disrespectful to their teachers.

Questions:

1. How can teachers develop strategies with their students on maintaining a learning focused, non distracted classroom?

2. How could you distinguish between a distracted student and a student that may have a special need such as ADHD or autism? Could you

recognize the difference?

3. Could incorporating fidget toys or other sensory objects into a classroom setting help with distracted students? Why?
Penny Harris

A Project Based Approach to Teaching Science

https://www.edutopia.org/video/project-based-approach-teaching-elementary-science

At Michigan State University, Joseph Krajcik, Director of Create for STEM Institute, wanted to do an experiment with students in 3rd grade to

see if using a project based approach to teaching students Science would benefit them more that the traditional “cookbook” approach, as stated by

Deborah Peek Brown, Educational Outreach Specialist at Michigan State University. They took 46 schools, split them in half, and had a project

based group, and a traditionally taught group. In the project based groups, students were doing what real scientists do, asking questions or coming

up with a hypothesis and then trying to prove it. The students worked on four units of study for the school year; Squirrels. Toys, Birds, and Plants.

Incorporated in the lessons were Language Arts, Math, and Reading. Professor Barbara Schneider, made sure that the 1100 students used in the

experiment had the same achievement, population characteristics, and school enrollment size. At the end of the school year, Michigan Education

Department developed a science test for both sets of students in the experiment. The project based group did considerably better on the test. They

found that kids did better regardless of gender, race, or being an exceptional reader or a struggling reader. The takeaway from the video was how

asking a child a specific question, and then having them analyze, experiment, and figure out the answer themself, would create an inquisitive and

excited learner.

I think this video was very informational. When kids can dig in deep, find something that they want to learn about, and investigate, it makes for

an exceptional learning experience. Teachers could try to model all of their teaching experiences around this, not just science.

Questions:

1. What other subjects could students analyze and create a meaningful and endearing learning experience?

2. Why is it critical for experiments like these to demonstrate project based learning success?

3. How would you conduct an educational experiment on your students? Or have your students conduct one on you?
Penny Harris

Art as Text: Bridging Literacy and the Arts

https://www.edutopia.org/video/art-text-bridging-literacy-and-arts

At Concourse Village Elementary in The Bronx, NY, students are learning reading through doing art! What a creative and fun way to learn!

Courtney Watson is an art teacher at the literacy based school. Students are learning to read by “reading” artwork. In the video, Ms.. Watson

teaches a 2nd grade class about rural, urban, and suburban communities. Her class uses literacy strategies such as making connections, visualizing,

predictions, and inference, to help students read artwork. Students look at the light, colors, and what is going on in the pictures, to talk about the

mood, tone, and what is would feel like to be in the picture. After the lesson, the students create their own artwork applying the literary concepts

they just learned about. Then they go on a “gallery walk” to critique each other’s work, and talk about what literary concepts they have discovered

in their peer’s artwork, and what they like about the art. Ms. Watson says that her students are able to make connections from her art class, as well

as other classes, about literary concepts they have learned from these alternative sources.

I am in total agreeance with “reading” artwork. You can see and learn so much from just looking at a picture. If it it dark or foreboding, or light

and sunshiny, it tells a story. It may not be an actual book with words, but a picture could say a thousand words. It can help to make inferences and

predictions. I really like that the students put their lessons to work, and practice what they learned by making their own art, and then critiquing their

classmates.

Questions:

1. What artist would you choose for your students to demonstrate their “reading”? Why this artist?

2. Illustrate how you think this would benefit students with lower reading skills.

3. Compare and contrast the differences in learning visually over learning verbally.
Penny Harris

A Student-Driven Approach to Experiential Learning

https://www.edutopia.org/video/student-driven-approach-experiential-learning

At Wooranna Primary School in Australia, educators are taking a unique and ingenious approach to learning. Students are employing the Reggio

Emilia philosophy, which means they take the lead in their learning. In Reggio Emilia, it is believed that a child has 100 languages that range in

how a child learns; from drama to construction. The school is trying to incorporate the best way their students can express themselves. Along with

a student’s home and school, environment becomes the third instructor. Children at Wooranna are learning through play, and each grade level has a

special place to learn. From a spaceship to a pirate ship, there are computer labs, flight simulators, and specialized white boards to peak students

curiosities and imaginations. The principal, Roy Trotter, sums up learning at Wooranna best when he says, “If it’s fun, if it’s something the children

want to do, children will pursue it.”

This is an example of an alternative way of learning that really works. The students in this video were very engaged in their learning, and had so

many ways of expressing their needs and interests. I loved the that the students had these very thought out places to conduct their learning

experiences, such as a huge dragon boat. Not only was it visually stimulating, but it provided cool places to sit and read, and stations for learning.

Schools here in the U.S. should take some of these ideas and incorporate them into their curriculums.

Questions:

1. Propose an idea for using materials in your classroom for students to use their unique languages. Do you think this approach will motivate

students?

2. What Reggio Emilia “language” translates best for you as a teacher?

3. Do you feel the Reggio Emilia approach is beneficial to students? Compare and contrast your personal teaching philosophy with Emilia’s.
Penny Harris

Making Self-Paced Learning Work for Younger Kids

https://www.edutopia.org/video/making-self-paced-learning-work-younger-kids

At Myers E.S. in Bellwood, PA, younger students are learning in a Modern Classrooms model. This is a Differentiation approach that involves

blended instruction, self-pacing, and mastery based grading. Instead of math teacher Ms. Pfiester giving a 50 minute lecture on a math concept, she

has made instructional videos featuring herself explaining the concept and guided notes that go along with the videos. The students then practice

their newly acquired math skills with worksheets or learning centers. After students feel comfortable with what they have learned and practiced,

they have a mastery check to see if they have grasped the concept. If they have, they move on to the next task, with the use of their “road maps” the

teacher has set up for them; if not, Ms. Pfiester, or another classmate that has mastered the concept, help their classmates. With this Modern

Classroom model, the teacher really gets to know her students and vise-versa, their learning strengths and weaknesses, and the students not only

learn to become self-paced and independent, but also how to work collaboratively with each other, helping and teaching each other.

Here is another example of how educators have thought outside of the box to deal with the crisis that the pandemic has created. Teachers and

administrators have had to really think on their feet to figure out how to help students be their best, with all of the obstacles, such as social

distancing and quarantining, standing in the way. Thanks to the pandemic, education will never be the same. But it really is quite amazing that new

models of teaching, like the Modern Classroom, are teaching kids to direct their own learning, think for themselves, and help each other out.

Questions:

1. Evaluate students of the “pandemic” and all the roadblocks they have faced. Are they more, or less, self-reliant and independent? Why?

2. Differentiate a teacher made instructional video and an educational website’s video. What are the pros and cons of each?

3. Why is the Modern Classroom model significant in designating a new approach to how teachers educate their students?
Penny Harris

Morning Meetings: Building Community in the Classroom

https://www.edutopia.org/video/morning-meetings-building-community-classroom

At Highlander Charter School in Providence, RI, 1st and 3rd graders are starting their days with Morning Meetings. Morning Meetings are

composed of 4 different aspects; Greeting, Sharing, Activity, and Schedule Review, and last about 15 minutes. Students in both their 1st and 3rd

grade classes sit in a circle, and have a choice of how they would like to greet each other, whether it be a handshake, rolling a ball to one another, or

a variety of other choices. Second, the students share with each other what’s going on in their lives, what happened over their weekend, or even

politics or world events. Third, students play a game or get out their last burst of energy before starting classroom instruction. Last, the teachers go

over the schedule for the day, because as 1st grade teacher Ms. Gallagher states, “knowing what happens next is important to kids”. The Highlander

school follows a Responsive Classroom model. The teachers there feel that the Morning meetings let their students know that they are “safe, seen,

and cared about”. Finally, Monica, a 3rd grader, said that the Morning Meetings helped her “focus, put her in a good mood, and ready to learn”.

I like the Morning Meeting idea. It is fantastic that students get to say “hello” to each other, share their thoughts and feelings, get out some

energy, and know what is expected of them for the day. A lot of times when a teacher is trying to teach, students want to tell their stories of what

has/is happening in their lives at the moment. This way, students have this opportunity first thing in the morning, which may make for less

interruptions and distractions later in the day.

Questions:

1. How are Morning Meetings crucial for students’ socio-emotional health?

2. Compare and contrast the 4 parts of Morning Meetings. What do you feel is most/least important?

3. Justify why knowing what their schedule is throughout the day, is so pertinent to a student’s school life/behaviors?
Penny Harris

Learning to Measure the Size of a Problem

https://www.edutopia.org/video/learning-measure-size-problem

Kids at Lister E.S. in Tacoma,WA are learning to manage their problems. Once a month at their school, students, as well as their parents, engage

in a socio-emotional lesson. The lesson detailed in this video, was how you choose to respond to small or big problems. Ms. Parker, a 4th grade

teacher at Lister, feels that these lessons are just as important to students’ education as math is. In this lesson, problems were rated from 1 to 5; 1

being the smallest of problems, 5 being a large problem that affects a lot of people, or may take a long time to solve. The students were learning the

“how/whys” of solving certain problems. Parent Yvonne Moreira likes the classes very much and stated how “important it is for children to learn

how to react in any situation and how it builds their personalities”.

Nowadays more than ever, it is prudent that students learn how to react to certain situations. As stressful as the pandemic was, and still is, it is

necessary that kids learn coping strategies and ways of reducing stress and minutia in their daily lives. I feel like all schools in the United States

and other countries, are going to have to incorporate some type of education program(s) like this for today, and for years to come.

Questions:

1. How could you create a lesson about a socio-emotional problem/stressor that are affecting your students right now?

2. What impact has the COVID pandemic had on your students? Compare and contrast the similarities and differences the impact has had on

younger and older students? Has the pandemic had a drastic effect on yourself as a teacher? How do you cope?

3. Collect data on how students were handling stress/problems before the pandemic and after the pandemic. Is there a major

increase/decrease? What can we do as teachers to make our classrooms safe and calming havens for our students?
Penny Harris

A Public School Transitions to Montesorri

https://www.edutopia.org/video/public-school-transitions-montessori

South Carolina has the largest number of Montessori schools in the U.S. In 2010 in Latta, SC, at Latta E.S. they transitioned to the Montessori

way. Latta is in a small, rural part of S. Carolina. Montessori schools emphasize student agency, cooperation, and self-directed learning. They also

show students how to be a person who can respect themselves and others, as well as take care of themselves. The staff at Latta said that

transitioning from traditional classrooms/curriculum to Montessori was one of the hardest things they have ever done. But it has been worth the

time and effort. The students learn in multi-grade level classrooms, the older students help the younger students, and they all have individualized

work plans, and students can either work together or individually. Another obstacle that teachers had to overcome was making sure that all

students’ standards are being met. A teacher in the video stated that is took her about 2 years to be trained in Montessori, and that you just have to

“live it to understand it”. Montessori also stresses socio-emotional concepts as educating and taking care of the whole child.

Montessori concepts are very relevant in today’s society. I hear a lot of educators, therapists, and school districts talking about the importance of

education and socio-emotional skills to benefit the “whole child”. The Montessori method also emphasizes making students think for themselves

and stresses independence and corroboration as the same time. I think it is wonderful that this little school in rural S. Carolina cared so much for

it’s students, that it took the time and effort to change over to a totally non-traditional way of teaching to enhance students’ learning.

Questions:

1. What concepts or ideas could you take from the Montessori theory of teaching and apply to your classroom?

2. Why is it so important for students to learn to think for themselves and be part of a group that learns independently and that corroborates?

What are some pros and cons to the this theory?

3. Debate the concept of the “whole child”. Has it always been an important and necessary objective in the American education system?