In the spirit of inclusive practices, let’s consider an instructional strategy that not only works well for students with intellectual disabilities, but for all learners. The school day is full of opportunities for students to make meaningful choices. We can give our students options for how to get new information or ways to demonstrate what has… Read More Increase Engagement by Giving Students More Choices
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #4 Feedback for Growth: Error Correction
One of the most powerful teaching and learning practices is providing specific, timely feedback (Hattie, 2008). Feedback can take the form of acknowledgement and praise or error correction to help guide learners in strengthening new skills. This week’s post and accompanying module focuses on best practices for respectful, dignified, and effective error correction. The linked… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #4 Feedback for Growth: Error Correction
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #3 Engaging Students in Learning: Opportunities to Respond
Providing multiple opportunities to respond (OTRs) is a practice that allows students many chances to actively participate in their learning, and also provides teachers frequent opportunities for formative assessment. It is important to consider providing both high rates for response (i.e. frequency), as well as providing variety. When considering frequency – how often students are… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #3 Engaging Students in Learning: Opportunities to Respond
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #2 Scaffolding
Research shows that students who experience high rates of success remain engaged and the provision of scaffolding as an evidenced based practice helps maintain high rates of success as students learn new or challenging content (Dickson et al.,1998). Knowing this is a critical component of establishing an effective classroom system, educators can embed key elements… Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #2 Scaffolding
Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #1 Procedures and Routines
As we embark on a new school year, most educators are planning to use a teaching matrix to develop and model expectations within the learning environment. Using a classroom matrix (Robbie et al., 2022, pg. 4) that aligns with the language of the school-wide matrix (Robbie et al., 2022, pg. 5) is critical for success…. Read More Effective Classroom Practices to Get Ready for the New School Year: #1 Procedures and Routines
Supporting Staff through Acknowledgment: Voice, Recognition, & Wellness
As educators, we know that students thrive in a safe, positive, nurturing learning environment. In the same way, it has become increasingly important to recognize that staff also thrive in a supportive community. Teacher retention is a critical problem facing education across our nation. Research clearly shows that a key factor in teachers staying or… Read More Supporting Staff through Acknowledgment: Voice, Recognition, & Wellness
Is Your Summer All “Booked” Up? What to Read to Prepare for a Successful School Year
The summer slam is upon us and with limited time and competing priorities, leaders often find themselves wondering how to select the most important topics to focus on when planning for a new year. In an effort to curate a few resources that align with the VDOE’s Special Education Roadmap and TTAC’s overall mission, we… Read More Is Your Summer All “Booked” Up? What to Read to Prepare for a Successful School Year
