130 likes | 536 Views
It Takes a Village…. Marcia Bagley, M.S. Preschool Coordinator Nashua School District. Learner Outcomes:. Learn strategies to address language development in preschool settings Understand the importance of addressing all areas of development in preschool students
E N D
It Takes a Village… Marcia Bagley, M.S. Preschool Coordinator Nashua School District
Learner Outcomes: Learn strategies to address language development in preschool settings Understand the importance of addressing all areas of development in preschool students Learn how to differentiate strategies in order to meet the needs of all learners Learn the importance of working as a team to meet the many different needs of preschool students HAVE FUN!
Nashua Early Education Program“Integrating Children’s Unique Abilities Since 1976” • The Nashua Early Education Program (NEEP) provides a developmental learning approach where children with special needs, along with typically developing children, come together to learn, grow, and play. • NEEP provides a positive, structured learning environment with a multi-curricular approach in which children have positive social relationships, acquire and use knowledge and skills, and take appropriate action to meet their needs. Curriculum is taught using activities designed to foster growth in all developmental areas through thematic units.
Nashua Early Education Program…continued“Integrating Children’s Unique Abilities Since 1976” • The Nashua Early Education Program Curriculum has been designed to meet the expectations of the New Hampshire Early Learning Guidelines and the Preschool Child Outcomes for Young Children with Disabilities Ages 3-5. We are committed to providing a developmentally appropriate preschool experience that meets the needs of our preschoolers; therefore our curriculum has been designed to include the infant toddler indicators from the NH Early Learning Guidelines.
Preschool Special Education Outcomes: NH Early Learning Domain Areas: Approaches to Learning Creative/Aesthetic Development Communication and Literacy Social/Emotional Physical Cognitive Health and Safety • Children have positive social relationships. • Children acquire and use knowledge and skills. • Children take appropriate action to meet their needs.
Skill Development • For preschool students (and all students), skills don’t develop in 30 minute increments. • We must target children’s development as a whole child, and not compartmentalize skills. • It takes a “village” to meet our students’ developmental needs.
So what does all this MEAN?? How do we do this? • One team meeting time per month is dedicated solely to lesson planning based on theme. • All team members work together to develop the lesson plan(s) for the month. • Team members move away from pulling students out of the classroom to provide related services and begin to “push in.” • Provide training and support to all classroom staff (especially paraprofessionals!). In order to meet the needs of our students, we need to work together as a team to target all domains of development. This takes careful, collaborative planning and the ability to have fun and be flexible with our students and co-workers. We need to think outside the box of how “we’ve always done it” and be innovative with our lessons. Possible Obstacles: Pressures from parents or other outside professionals to provide X number of units of service on an individual basis. All members of the team may not buy in to this approach. Not enough planning time.
Planning • Skills – based curriculum • Color(s) of the Month • Shape of the Month • Concepts of the Month • Areas to Target: • Ready to Learn • Literacy • Math/Science • Communication • Social/Emotional • Self-Help • Fine Motor • Gross Motor • Things to remember: • Planning for 3- and 4 -year olds • Repetition, repetition, repetition • Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done! • Assume ability for all students • Differentiate as needed • KISS
Team Lesson Planning: 3 year olds Theme: Apples and Trees Color(s): Red, Yellow and Green Shape: Circle Objective (what do we want them to know?): Apples grow on trees.
Notes: • Concepts to focus on (post on wall in class to remind everyone to incorporate these into play and language): • Apple, tree, leaves, fruit, pie, juice, applesauce, seeds, core • Eat, pick, climb, cut, grow, peel • Bottom, top, down, up • Whole, half, big, little, round • Turn Kitchen area into apple orchard • Jane, SLP, will do circle on Tuesday and Thursday and will push in units on Monday and Wednesday • Joe, OT, will do art center on Monday and Tuesday and push in units on Thursday • Sally, PT, will do obstacle course in “orchard” on Wednesday • All staff will participate in applesauce-making activity • Differentiations: • MB expectation to stay attending for up to 5 minutes • EC use small container with water and materials to use on wheelchair tray • SJ attach tube (small PVC pipe?) to apple half to help grasp apple and make print; board books available • HM, ST and BB have topic boards