Pamela Hill
Articles by Pamela Hill
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Am I providing ‘appropriate’ special education?
Monday, June 26, 2017On March 22, a Supreme Court ruling emphasized that schools that provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students who have a disability now need to view "appropriate" more critically. What does Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District mean for special educators across the country?
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Giving students what they need most
Monday, May 08, 2017What do students with learning disabilities need the most from their special educator? While many individualized skills and interventions are needed, there is one skill all students need from their special educator: the ability to problem-solve.
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Considering the importance of creativity
Monday, February 20, 2017Albert Einstein has been credited with the phrase, "Creativity is intelligence having fun." Learning is hard work for students with learning disabilities, and most instruction for students with learning disabilities is very structured, direct, and scripted. However, many students with learning disabilities are very creative. They have the ability to "have fun" with their intelligence and develop creativity, but it must be welcomed.
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KWL for professional development
Monday, January 09, 2017The beginning of a new year is a natural time to reflect on the past year's experiences of teaching students with special education needs. When seeking ways to make educational changes based on past experiences, professional development opportunities may be considered.
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Follow the leader: Letting students take ownership
Monday, December 05, 2016"Follow the leader" is a game in which "the participants copy the actions and words of a person who has been chosen as leader," according to the Oxford Dictionaries. In many ways, this mirrors the instruction of a special educator and her resource students.
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Partners in learning: A twist on the school‑home collaboration
Monday, October 17, 2016The typical connection for communicating information from the school to home is between parent and teacher. At the start of each new school year, parents look for the basic weekly classroom newsletter, parent-teacher notebook or notes from the teacher.
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Instructional journaling for improved teaching and learning
Monday, January 25, 2016Teachers of students with learning disabilities make multitudes of curricular and instruction decisions in any given day. Therefore, they must know the instructional methodology they are choosing is effective. In reality, special educators are always learning and improving their craft, and reflection by journaling is an important piece of this decision-making process.
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Encouraging students with learning disabilities to talk
Thursday, December 03, 2015Talking is the most natural skill for almost every person. Talking begins early in development and needs little coaxing. There are some students with learning disabilities who are gifted at talking. By that, I refer to their natural desire to talk to anyone and about almost anything. Children have free rein to talk as long as they want and about any topic they are interested in — until they begin school.
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Drawing is an integral learning tool
Monday, November 02, 2015In schools, the act of drawing is often pigeonholed to specific areas of academics and instruction. It is observed in lower elementary grades as a constant, but less and less as students progress through higher level grades.
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Occupational therapy: An important support
Monday, October 26, 2015Many students with learning disabilities have attention and sensory processing issues that can be assisted and improved by occupational therapy. Occupational therapy focuses on functioning in daily life. In the school, the focus is on attention and performance of skills in the classroom.
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Transitioning to college: The responsibility shift
Tuesday, September 08, 2015More students with learning disabilities are enrolling in college than in the past — the number has tripled in the last two decades. However, students with learning disabilities are dropping out of college at a higher rate than their peers. Why? The students often do not reveal to college personnel that they have a disability.
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Monitoring accommodations for effective learning
Monday, July 20, 2015Students who receive special education services rely on accommodations to help them learn and to help make learning environments accessible. The accommodations are typically chosen by the special education team during a student's annual or initial Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meeting. Accommodations can also be added to a student's IEP at any other time that a change is deemed necessary.
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Quest for quiet: Considering noise control as an accommodation
Monday, June 29, 2015When educators plan Individual Educational Programs for students with learning disabilities, they use several key considerations for possible instructional and test accommodations to help students improve their individualized learning.
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Summertime for special educators: Learn something new
Monday, June 15, 2015If you are a special educator and have reached the last day of school, congratulations! Another school year is complete! At some time during this month all schools that follow a traditional calendar will provide a summer break of several weeks. Schools who follow year-round calendars will also have break, typically in August. In all situations, the special educator will have an extended time to have a break from teaching.
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Setting summer goals: Linking school years together
Monday, May 18, 2015For many, there are just a few days left in the current school year. Some educators are making final lesson plans for the school year, others are developing summer school lesson plans, and parents are making plans to fill the months of summer with activities.
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For the love of reading: Using technology to draw students to literacy
Monday, May 11, 2015My love for reading goes back further than I can actually recall. As an educator, I want my students to love to read, not just learn to read. Parents of students with diagnosed reading disabilities want their children to read and enjoy reading as well. Students with diagnosed reading disabilities spend more of their educational hours in intensive reading instruction than the average reader.
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2 heads are better than 1 — in the right circumstances
Monday, April 13, 2015As a special educator, I want to use well-researched practices with my students. The reasons are logical: I want my students to learn well, I want to try researched practices so I can share them with credibility with my educator peers, and best practice dictates that IEP goals are based on researched practice.
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Learned helplessness: A daily tug of war
Monday, March 23, 2015A teacher excitedly explains to his class that they will be beginning a new writing project that will be self-defined by the students' favorite activities outside of school. The students will choose an activity to explore, choose the means of writing and how to present the final project. The students in the class excitedly begin discussing with each other what their favorite activities are and begin to brainstorm what they will do.
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Telling or teaching? Knowing when it’s right to ‘give a fish’
Monday, March 09, 2015A famous proverb tells us, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." When applied to teaching — and, more appropriately, to special education — it also begs a question. Who decides if the best approach is to give a fish or teach fishing lessons when teaching a student with learning disabilities?
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Motivation + trust = learning
Monday, March 02, 2015As March begins, we are all feeling the need for spring break. In the Midwest, we are in need of a thaw and for the students to go outside and run. The signs of the season tell us that we have surpassed the middle mark of our school year. By now, the goals you set at the beginning of the year are starting to show signs of either being met or needing to be adjusted. You have had time to evaluate your students, and you can plan for how you will spend the time that is left for educational success.
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The power of observation
Tuesday, February 10, 2015How do we know that a student is learning? What behaviors must they demonstrate for the teacher to draw the conclusion that the student has learned? Who determines learning? The teacher, the curriculum and the standards do. The current measure of learning is assessment. The student must indicate what they know by answering questions in a test format. However, there is a piece missing that is important to determine if a student has learned and is learning.
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How special educators can handle testing season
Tuesday, January 20, 2015In numerous schools, assessment season is just beginning. Countless public schools administer districtwide assessments three times a year, and they administer federally-mandated yearly statewide testing during the spring season.
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Starting the new year: Begin anew by cycling back
Monday, January 05, 2015It's a new year once again. Most traditions say to begin anew. Put aside old ideas and behaviors that did not work. In special education, it is important to build upon what has been taught successfully. Do not start with something entirely new, rather cycle back and refresh with students what they know and what they have learned.
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Collecting IEP goal data: Students, teachers working in partnership
Wednesday, November 19, 2014At the conclusion of an initial or annual IEP review, after everyone has shared information about the student and developed the best IEP plan for the student's success, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. The "save" button on the computer IEP program is pressed, and voila! The educational goals become active.
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Student self-assessment: Understanding with purpose
Monday, November 03, 2014Student assessments drive education. Academics are carefully measured with every student to determine at what level he is learning and if any interventions are needed to assist him for improved learning.
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Collaborating with students: Invite them to the IEP process
Tuesday, October 21, 2014In the typical special education scenario, the special education team sets the goals for the student receiving an Individual Education Plan. However, at the age of 14 the student reaches the age of transition and begins to collaborate with the special education team to plan goals for his future.
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Who is responsible for IEP goals?
Tuesday, October 07, 2014As the beginning of autumn appears, public school is well underway for the more than 2 million students identified with learning disabilities in the United States. These students are being instructed by teachers whose responsibility is to assist them in meeting their Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals.
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Is the resource room a waste of time?
Tuesday, September 23, 2014Recently, I read a Facebook entry written by a parent of a student with learning disabilities. The parent said, "The resource room is a waste of time for my child." The comment took me aback. I began to internalize the comment and wondered if my work with students was a waste of time.