I never imagined homeschooling high school would be this way. I thought it would be more hands-on and I'd be more involved. I had no idea how learning would work, how so much time would be spent "cocooning" and being nocturnal, how things would seem to be moving in slow motion and then would suddenly start moving at warp speed, with astounding bursts of intellectual growth and emotional maturity.
Six months ago, Chen wasn't sure she even wanted to go to college or not. I was trying to figure out how much time, money, and energy to devote to getting testing accommodations.
Chen has always had a "processing issue," meaning she reads things 4 times before she understands them. I noticed when she first started reading that she would read, understand some of it, read it again, understand more, read it again, understand more, and read it again. She liked and likes to read the same things over and over. She also has always had some trouble with fine motor things like buttoning, zipping, spreading cream cheese, putting hair into a ponytail, etc. None of these things were a major issue because in homeschool, we could take the time for her to do things at her pace.
When I asked her about college plans last year, thinking about the SAT/ACT, Chen didn't know what she wanted to do. She wasn't enthused about classroom learning, had about a 15-20 minute attention span when we studied Bio, could hardly tolerate lectures. She wasn't sure college was suited to her style of learning and I tended to agree with her. She's always been a kinesthetic learner who likes to choose what to learn, which is why unschooling worked out so well for her. As much as I think college is still the gold standard for getting a job (though not essential), it seemed like there was a good chance she'd be miserable and would not thrive. I talked myself down, telling myself that my goal is for her to be emotionally capable of supporting herself. And if her idea of supporting herself is living in a tiny apartment and making barely enough money so she can travel the world, well, that's a life and it's a rich one.
She has a 504 from taking a couple of classes in the school I work at, where they quickly realized she's unusually slow and gave her extra time to complete her tests. I had her tested by the district, and here's the frustrating part about homeschool and special ed: since she was working on grade level, she didn't qualify for an IEP. But. Since she's homeschooled, I've been giving her the accommodations she needs in order to do grade level work! So we don't have years of documentation that she needs extra time or other accommodations, like typing essays.
So we can do psychoeducational testing. Six months ago, I didn't want to invest in that (it's very pricey) if she might take the SAT/ACT and she might want to go to college and it might or might not be worthwhile. So we didn't.
Fast forward a few months later, and finished with one college course (Russian) and halfway through another (Psych), and it's like she has a fire lit under her. She spends time doing math problems every day. She took out some ACT books from the library. She feels sure she will do very well on the test--if she has the time to actually process the questions so she can understand them. I'm not sure if she can get the extra time she needs for the ACTs. They also have an option to spread the test out over more than one day, and since she does reach saturation with stimulation, that would help a lot, too.
It turns out you can't have testing done less than 6 (4?) months before taking the test. It's March now, and she registered to take it in June. That means the June test won't take into account any recommendations.
So for now we try to see if the 504 is sufficient. But I'm also trying to get her tested. An official diagnosis would give her the accommodations she needs. And if that's the case, then she probably won't take the ACT in June, but later. And that might affect applying to colleges. But in homeschooling we are nothing if not flexible.
Showing posts with label special ed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special ed. Show all posts
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Proposal: Special Ed program for "active" children
Some students, particularly boys, have difficulty sitting and doing work in the current school climate. This is a proposal for a classroom setup and curriculum for active children who would otherwise require a shadow or medication, and who might be able to thrive in a modified educational environment.
There are different academic stages. Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Early High School and Late High School. A major premise would be that more play and activity in earlier years will make it easier for these active children to focus academically in later years.
We will discuss classroom setup, recess and activity level, academic expectations and goals, and special concerns.
Early Elementary (kindergarten - Grade 3)
classroom setup
Imagine trying to walk a group of active students to the lunchroom, when all of these students have a tendency to wander off or dash away. A ratio of 3 active children to 1 adult will be manageable, but will still leave the adult feeling somewhat frazzled on a tough day.
The classroom should have space for the students to move around a lot. Having a classroom set up like a preschool room would be ideal for active children all the way to 3rd grade. The toys can be geared for older children and educational: small legos, gears, tangrams, magnets, construx, pipeworks. There are numerous toys that will give active students opportunities to learn kinesthetically and interact with their environment in an educational manner.
The library corner and choices of books are very important. Books about science, animals, body systems, maps, atlases, aleph beis, parsha, navi, etc can be provided with detailed pictures. Active children often spend hours poring over these books and learn tremendous amounts when they have the freedom of movement and the choice to walk away and to pick them up when they want.
Auditory learners will do well with a selection of songs or stories about the aleph beis, davening, parsha, and other Torah subjects.
Charts and posters are also very useful. Active children will often spend time looking at what is hanging on the walls and asking questions about them. Make sure they are laminated so that they can withstand being touched by these active learners.
An arts and crafts section with scissors, markers, pencils, tapes and glue will also provide many opportunities for active learners to be creative.
Make sure there is a lot of space in the classroom for these children to move around.
recess and activity level
The children should be able to play outside or on some type of climbing structure or in an area where they can run around for a half hour in the morning, a half hour at lunchtime, and a half hour in the afternoon.
As mentioned above, the classroom should also be set up so that there is space for active children to move around. Being able to move around sufficiently will more than halve discipline issues.
academic expectations and goals
In the early elementary grades, active children should primarily be allowed to play. Activities and games that are holiday themed or parsha themed can be offered to create a Torah environment. The skills most focused on should be basic reading and writing in Hebrew and English, and basic arithmetic.
All writing and sitting down work should not be for more than 10 minutes. If you don't expect active children to sit and listen for over 10 minutes, and they are allowed to play or move around, they function much better.
What if an active child was allowed to play and move around when he is younger? What if even a 3rd grade active child was not expected to sit and passively listen for more than 10 minutes at a time unless s/he chooses to? What if he didn't get burnt out, didn't have discipline issues, and continued to love and enjoy learning? What would he be able to do in the later grades, when he has greater self control and greater abstract ability?
The goal in the younger grades would be to be in a Jewish environment and learn basic and minimal academic skills, with an emphasis on being able to touch things, ask questions, interact physically with their environment, and function as a Jew.
special concerns
How will the active child learn self control and discipline?
Demanding more than the active child is capable of does not increase self control, it increases frustration, anxiety, negative self-esteem and stress. Many children who are not subject to years of negativity because of their inability to function in a constraining environment will find it much easier to focus and control themselves when they are in the later elementary and early high school years.
Will the active child fall behind if he plays so much and doesn't focus on academics?
No. It is possible that expanding his mind in a more hands-on way and being respectful to his need for movement will enable him to think more creatively as he grows older. Bear in mind that many of these children struggle academically in their current environments and are not gaining the academic achievement that they are capable of.
How will the active child learn sufficient davening, Ivrit, mathematics, and Torah skills?
I would suggest an evaluation in 5th grade and another evaluation in 7th grade to see which areas need more intensive focus. You will be surprised to find a. the child will not be as behind as you might imagine and b. the child will be much more willing to help himself close these gaps than you imagine.
This is what I have so far. Comments and suggestions welcome.
There are different academic stages. Early Elementary, Late Elementary, Early High School and Late High School. A major premise would be that more play and activity in earlier years will make it easier for these active children to focus academically in later years.
We will discuss classroom setup, recess and activity level, academic expectations and goals, and special concerns.
Early Elementary (kindergarten - Grade 3)
classroom setup
Imagine trying to walk a group of active students to the lunchroom, when all of these students have a tendency to wander off or dash away. A ratio of 3 active children to 1 adult will be manageable, but will still leave the adult feeling somewhat frazzled on a tough day.
The classroom should have space for the students to move around a lot. Having a classroom set up like a preschool room would be ideal for active children all the way to 3rd grade. The toys can be geared for older children and educational: small legos, gears, tangrams, magnets, construx, pipeworks. There are numerous toys that will give active students opportunities to learn kinesthetically and interact with their environment in an educational manner.
The library corner and choices of books are very important. Books about science, animals, body systems, maps, atlases, aleph beis, parsha, navi, etc can be provided with detailed pictures. Active children often spend hours poring over these books and learn tremendous amounts when they have the freedom of movement and the choice to walk away and to pick them up when they want.
Auditory learners will do well with a selection of songs or stories about the aleph beis, davening, parsha, and other Torah subjects.
Charts and posters are also very useful. Active children will often spend time looking at what is hanging on the walls and asking questions about them. Make sure they are laminated so that they can withstand being touched by these active learners.
An arts and crafts section with scissors, markers, pencils, tapes and glue will also provide many opportunities for active learners to be creative.
Make sure there is a lot of space in the classroom for these children to move around.
recess and activity level
The children should be able to play outside or on some type of climbing structure or in an area where they can run around for a half hour in the morning, a half hour at lunchtime, and a half hour in the afternoon.
As mentioned above, the classroom should also be set up so that there is space for active children to move around. Being able to move around sufficiently will more than halve discipline issues.
academic expectations and goals
In the early elementary grades, active children should primarily be allowed to play. Activities and games that are holiday themed or parsha themed can be offered to create a Torah environment. The skills most focused on should be basic reading and writing in Hebrew and English, and basic arithmetic.
All writing and sitting down work should not be for more than 10 minutes. If you don't expect active children to sit and listen for over 10 minutes, and they are allowed to play or move around, they function much better.
What if an active child was allowed to play and move around when he is younger? What if even a 3rd grade active child was not expected to sit and passively listen for more than 10 minutes at a time unless s/he chooses to? What if he didn't get burnt out, didn't have discipline issues, and continued to love and enjoy learning? What would he be able to do in the later grades, when he has greater self control and greater abstract ability?
The goal in the younger grades would be to be in a Jewish environment and learn basic and minimal academic skills, with an emphasis on being able to touch things, ask questions, interact physically with their environment, and function as a Jew.
special concerns
How will the active child learn self control and discipline?
Demanding more than the active child is capable of does not increase self control, it increases frustration, anxiety, negative self-esteem and stress. Many children who are not subject to years of negativity because of their inability to function in a constraining environment will find it much easier to focus and control themselves when they are in the later elementary and early high school years.
Will the active child fall behind if he plays so much and doesn't focus on academics?
No. It is possible that expanding his mind in a more hands-on way and being respectful to his need for movement will enable him to think more creatively as he grows older. Bear in mind that many of these children struggle academically in their current environments and are not gaining the academic achievement that they are capable of.
How will the active child learn sufficient davening, Ivrit, mathematics, and Torah skills?
I would suggest an evaluation in 5th grade and another evaluation in 7th grade to see which areas need more intensive focus. You will be surprised to find a. the child will not be as behind as you might imagine and b. the child will be much more willing to help himself close these gaps than you imagine.
This is what I have so far. Comments and suggestions welcome.
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