MOOC-Ed: Learning Differences: Strategies for Supporting the Whole Student

During Week 5 of the above-mentioned MOOC-Ed, we have been encouraged to share the following activity to support students with learning differences:

Consider whether one of the following activities might work well for your colleagues and context during a regularly scheduled staff/department/PLC meeting.

Create a Student Profile and Plan for What to do Next:

• Have each teacher on your team make a profile of one student they’re trying to “figure out.” This profile should include strengths, weaknesses, and specific evidence (try to avoid judgmental statements like “s/he’s so disruptive,” instead tell how s/he disrupts, when, and in what way). 
• Bring the profiles to a PLC meeting and allow each teacher 5-10 minutes to present the student and the evidence and have a productive conversation similar to the what would you do next activity.
• Follow up next week - how did the plan work? 

Experience Learning Difficulties Through a Child’s Eyes:

• Using a common student (can be one of the students from part one or perhaps a different student) and go to the website Understood.org. 
• Go to this link and fill out the information about the student you’re thinking of.
  
• Complete the simulation.
• Discuss how the simulation affected your perception of the student. What are you doing that really works for this student? What might you do differently?

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You may also use some of these tech tools to help students further their learning on/off-line:

• 30/30: It's a free time management app where students list their tasks as well as the time required for them to complete them. Students can also "see" the time left before they can move onto another task or take a break.
• This research project calculator. This somewhat clunky program helps students prioritize and plan for long term assignments.
• StudyBoost: This app #fliperentiates student learning beyond the brick and mortar setting. Students practice/review/study by answering self or teacher-prepared questions on the go!

Source: The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation  - North Carolina State University