Welcome to Online Degree Answers
Online College Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Online College. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
A Special Education Success Story With Add and ADHD
from: OnlineDegreeAnswers.comThe Problem
In our rapidly moving culture, special education students, diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are an ever-increasing challenge for teachers. Having taught in some capacity for nearly 40 years and being a parent of an active little boy, I have studied these conditions with immediate personal interest.
Holding Their Attention?
Early in my work with the attentionally challenged, I observed that if the learning activity were engaging enough, many of these students could hold attention for long periods. Special Education students diagnosed with ADD or ADHD often have the ability to attend for long periods working with computers or video games. I wondered, could the problem lie more in the pace of the learning activity?
Give Them What They Need
Subsequently, I began to provide activities in my classroom that had some of the same qualities of the immediate response achieved in those computerized attention-holders. One of the most successful of these was the excavation of fossils.
The Setup
Fossil excavation was a 6-week class - more of a club, really – in which students excavated a real fossil fish from a soft rock matrix. This time the class was made up of many special education students with various learning challenges, especially ADHD. The outcome of the class was remarkable.
Getting Their Interest and Attention
We started with a sort of guessing game involving fossils hidden in velvet bags and moved quickly into individual excavation of the fossils. Within minutes, my work was done; the students worked independently for the remainder of the two-hour class. My hardest work that day was to enforce clean-up-the students simply didn’t’ t want to stop working.
Tools And Supplies
The only tools needed for this activity were small screw drivers-the sort that are available from any hardware store in a set of increasing sizes beginning with an eye-glass tool . I also provided magnifiers of varying types. The most sought after were the dissecting microscopes, which gave the individual the best view of the fragile fossil. However, much of the work could be easily accomplished using the naked eye or a magnifier in a stand, just to leave the hands free.
And Then There Are the Behavioral Challenges
I was presented with a new challenge about halfway into the second class: a behaviorally disruptive student who had been removed from another class. I did what I could to introduce him to our work and bring him up to speed. His initial work was little more than digging a hole through his rock, paying little attention to the fossil it contained.
Success!
Then a wonderful thing happened. Another boy, a challenging special education student who generally had little academic success, began to teach. You see, this boy was enthralled with digging out the fossil and he was having incredible success. He single-handedly took over and my work was done.
Students Give Rave Reviews, Almost
The final endorsement came at the end of our 6-week class. Throughout the period, I had rarely interrupted their work, but I had shown a couple of videos to give the students some additional detail about fossil preservation and excavation, geologic history and so on. At the last class, I asked the students to verbally evaluate the class. When I asked how I could improve the class, all agreed: Only show the videos if we can continue excavating our fossils during it!
This is a true story of success. In this six-week project middle school children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD and receiving special education services enjoyed the same success, if not more than, the other students.
Even the most absorbing tool, the TV, was not high on these students’ list of significant work. As a teacher, I felt I had been given a great gift of learning about how to support these special students. I encourage you to try it!
Online College News
Online Degree Programs With Big Demand - San Francisco Chronicle
 PR Web | Online Degree Programs With Big Demand San Francisco Chronicle Are online degrees as respected as traditional college degrees? Although some hiring managers still prefer a traditional degree over an online degree, those rules are rapidly changing. If you attend a college or university that has a large traditional ... My College and Careers Assists Both Education and Job Seekers to Qualify for ... 'Accredited Online College Degrees' Offers Students Helpful Tools, Tips for ... |
Nonprofit group offers online college exam tutorial - Rocky Mount Telegram
Nonprofit group offers online college exam tutorial Rocky Mount Telegram By Jim Holt In an effort to help high school juniors prepare for the ACT and SAT college entrance exams, beGlobal will launch a four-day online tutorial. The exam prep course aims to acclimate students to testing procedures so as to remove pre-test ... |
Abortion pill available at college vending machine - Catholic Online
 Kansas City Star | Abortion pill available at college vending machine Catholic Online By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM) In the bathrooms at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, students can slip $25 into a vending machine and get the "morning after" pill alongside machines offering condoms, decongestants and pregnancy tests. Morning briefing: College offers emergency contraceptive in vending machine |
Celebrate College Goal Sunday - Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
 TribLocal | Celebrate College Goal Sunday Sault Ste. Marie Evening News LSSU and Sault High staff will discuss financial aid and will have computers on hand for students and parents to fill out the FAFSA and submit it online. College Goal Sunday is a collaborative effort of the Michigan Department of Education, ... For college bound, a look at financial aid changes Financial Aid offers FAFSA tips |
Guest commentary: Michigan must regulate online schools - Detroit Free Press
 MLive.com | Guest commentary: Michigan must regulate online schools Detroit Free Press When paired with in-person instruction, online classes can help students catch up quickly. Our concerns focus on cyber charter schools such as the Michigan Virtual Charter Academy in Kent County, whose third through eighth-grade students scored more ... Michigan bill allowing more cyber schools advances |