SHIFT OF DISTANCE LEARNING
THIS SPRING WAS CHALLENGING FOR
ALL STUDENTS BUT ESPECIALLY
DIFFICULT FOR CHILDREN WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS.
PARENTS SAY THEY ARE NOT
GETTING THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.
MINNESOTA HAS YET TO MAKE FINAL
PLANS CONCERNING SCHOOL IN THE
FALL.
TODAY I TALK WITH DAN ABOUT HOW
PARENTS CAN ADVOCATE FOR THEIR
STUDENTS.
WHAT MADE THE TRANSITION TO
DISTANCE LEARNING SO DIFFICULT
FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
EDUCATION GOT FLIPPED ON ITS
HEAD THE SPRING WHEN THE
PANDEMIC HIT.
AND ONE OF THE KEY THAT
HAPPENED, ESPECIALLY FOR
STUDENTS WITH INITIAL NEEDS,
WAS THAT IT REALLY CHALLENGED
THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THEY WERE
USED TO HAVING WITH THE
TEACHER.
AND THE FAMILIES WERE USED TO
HAVING WITH THEIR SCHOOL.
ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVING TO
AND BEING IN THE CLASSROOM AND
UNDERSTANDING ROUTINE, TOTALLY
SHIFTY.
AND THAT WAS A REAL CHALLENGE.
SHAKING THINGS CAN BE PRETTY
DRASTIC.
SOMEWHAT CAME.
DUE TO KIND OF ADVOCATE FOR
THEIR STUDENTS AS THEY CONTINUE
IN THIS PROCESS.
THERE ARE MANY MANY THINGS
THAT PARENTS CAN DO TO ADVOCATE
FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
BUT I GENERALLY TEND TO SEE
THREE KEY THINGS THAT I WOULD
SAY OVERWRITE A MEMBER OF THE
OTHER THINGS IN TERMS OF BEING
ABLE TO ADVOCATE.
THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY IS
REALLY ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP.
PARENTS CAN HAVE A REAL IMPACT
ON HOW THE RELATIONSHIP IS PAIN
BETWEEN HOME AND SCHOOL.
ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD
REALLY OFFER FOR PARENTS TO DO
IS, WHEN POSSIBLE, THIS SUMMER
OR EARLY INTO THE SCHOOL YEAR,
TO REALLY GET IN TOUCH WITH THE
TEACHER AND THE SCHOOL.
AND FINDS A WAY TO DEVELOP A
PARTNERSHIP AND CLEAR
COMMUNICATION.
BUILDING THAT RELATIONSHIP IS
REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THEN PARENTS CAN
UNDERSTAND.
YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT
THINGS TO CHANGE IT TOO MUCH.
THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID
ABOUT CONSISTENCY.
IS A HUGE PART TO BE SAID
ABOUT CONSISTENCY.
ESPECIALLY FOR STUDENTS WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS.
THE CONSISTENCY OF WHAT TO
EXPECT EVERY DAY. SOMETIMES
EVERY HOUR WHEN THEY ARE IN
CLASS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY LEARN,
KNOWING WHAT THE ROUTINE IS
GOING TO LOOK LIKE. KNOWING
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM FROM
MOMENT TO MOMENT OR CLASS TO
CLASS.
OR EVEN THE TYPE OF WORK THEY
ARE GOING TO BE DOING IS REALLY
IMPORTANT.
IF THERE IS DISTANCE LEARNING
THIS YEAR, PARENTS, IF THEY
HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP
ESTABLISHED CAN CONNECT WITH
THE TEACHER AND UNDERSTAND WHAT
IS THE SCHEDULE GOING TO LOOK
LIKE?
ARE THEY GOING TO BE EXPECTED
TO DO CERTAIN TYPES OF
SUBJECTS?
AND ONE CAN BE EXPECTED OF THE
PARENTS AS WELL TO MAINTAIN A
RELATIONSHIP AND CONSISTENCY OF
INSTRUCTION.
I HAVE HEARD OF THE
MULTISENSORY APPROACH.
HOW DOES THAT APPLY TO CHILDREN
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?
GREAT QUESTION.
CERTAINLY WITH STUDENTS WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS, THEY DO REQUIRE
A GENE FOR DIFFERENT REPROACH
APPROACH TO LEARNING.
ENGAGING ALL THE DIFFERENT
SENSORY SYSTEMS IN THE PROCESS
OF LEARNING.
REALLY HANDS-ON.
CONNECTING THE HANDS-ON WORK TO
WHAT THEY ARE DOING VISUALLY
AND WHAT THEY ARE LISTENING TO.
SO MAKING SURE YOU HAVE ALL
THOSE THINGS IN PLACE IS REALLY
IMPORTANT.
DISTANCE LEARNING MODEL, ONE OF
THE THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT IS
THAT THE PARENTS AND TEACHERS
AND SCHOOL CAN CONNECT TO MAKE
SURE MATERIALS THAT ARE USED
FOR MULTI SENSORY INSTRUCTION
CAN FIND THEIR WAY HOME.
THE PARENTS KNOW WHAT THEY
SHOULD BE USING.
TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW KIDS
ARE ABLE TO LEARN AND PROSPER.
WE HAVE BEEN GROSE ACADEMY
FOR 47 YEARS.
AND THE SCHOOL WAS STARTED BY
AN INTREPID APPEARANCE WORKING
WITH HER OWN CHILDREN WHO HAD
LEARNING CHALLENGES AND
LEARNING DIFFERENCES THE TYPE
OF STUDENT WE WORK WITH HAS A
DIAGNOSIS OF AND CALLED
DYSLEXIA OR ADHD, THEY GOT
READING CHALLENGES AND OTHER
CHALLENGES HOW THEY LEARN.
GROVES IS KNOWN FOR AND HAS
BEEN KNOWN FOR FOR A LONG TIME.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW WE ALSO HAVE
TWO OF COMPONENT ORGANIZATION.
THE LEARNING CENTER WE OFFER
GNOSTICS AND ASSIST TO
UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHALLENGES
STUDENTS MIGHT BE FACING.
WE ALSO OFFER TUTORING AT A
SUMMER PROGRAM IN SPEECH AND
LANGUAGE THERAPY.
THE THIRD COMPONENT IS WHERE WE
TAKE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED OVER
47 YEARS WORKING WITH STUDENT
AND WE BRING THAT GREAT LITERACY
INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOL IN
THE TWIN CITIES
THE PANDEMIC IS A FLUID
SITUATION.
ESPECIALLY WITH FOUR SCHOOLS
COMING IN THE FALL.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS
FOR THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION.
I WISH I COULD TELL YOU
EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS.
BUT WHAT OF THE RINGS I KNOW IS
THAT WHILE THERE ARE A LOT OF
CHALLENGES, I BELIEVE IT IS A
HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS
EDUCATORS TO EXAMINE HOW WE
ACTUALLY DELIVER EDUCATION TO
ALL STUDENTS.
CERTAINLY STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS, BUT STUDENTS IN GENERAL
EDUCATION ALSO.
EDUCATION HAS BEEN THE SAME WAY
FOR ABOUT 200 YEARS.
I THINK THIS PANDEMIC IS A
SCARY AND CHALLENGING
SITUATION.
THE TYPE WE NEEDED TO ACTUALLY
DECIDE TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE
MAY CHANGE IN DELIVERING
EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS.
I REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE
OPPORTUNITIES.