A weekly half hour chat focused on improving access to education for PK-12 students through the use of Accessible Educational Materials (AEM), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Assistive Technology (AT).
Who's w/ us this evening? Please introduce yourself. Don't forget to use the hashtag #PatinsIcam with each tweet, or you will be talking to yourself! #PatinsIcam
Q1: It's not uncommon to find a gap in information and collaboration between special and general educators in a school or district setting. Why do you this happens? #PatinsIcam
Q3: If you had to choose, to which side of the scale would you place your Admin & the decisions they make - Gen Ed or Sp Ed? Does this impact anything? #PatinsIcam
A1: We already have limited time, different schedules and a million things to do on prep. Sometimes these moments take a back seat and leave us in the dark with each other! #PatinsIcam
Q2: I work in multiple schools in my District...building relationships with both gen ed and spec ed teachers. Connections usually start face to face-then transition to emails or phone calls. #PatinsIcam
A1: Time is of the essence when planning and collaborating with teachers. It’s the magic golden nugget...We must embrace it and reach out with regular education teachers. #PatinsIcam
A2: When I traveled as a teacher for the blind, I would try to connect to schools' cultures by buying their tshirt, eating lunch with staff, paying attention to school news #PatinsIcam
R1: The gap in communication could be a result of having a different "vocabulary" therefore, not being on the same page when info is shared. #PatinsIcam
A2: Being on "teams" always helped. Making sure I was THERE when I was collaborating. Joining outside team building things so that I could get to know people...#PatinsIcam
A1: I think this happens because federal legislation was pretty deliberate about establishing separate but equal silos... we created it very well! #PatinsIcam
A4: I felt left out of SIOP training and When I learned that so many principles overlap with what a SLP does/provides, I wish I could have shared my resources! #PatinsIcam
R4: Changing class schedule without informing me. Because I have 7 schools, schedules are a huge deal. One small tweak can upset the entire dynamic which affects many students. It can be done, but it's a challenge. #Itinerantlife#PatinsIcam
A4: When a whole field trip was planned and "my kids" knew nothing about it. I scrambled around and felt left out...and left out for my kids. #Patinsicam
A4: Not many times, but teachers would just ask me to take the student out for a lesson, so that they didn't need to deal with the challenge of adapting it or including them. #PatinsIcam
A1: I'm seeing a consistent theme with not enough time to collaborate. Anyone in a district that provides collaboration days or an extra hour/wk for teachers to get together? Just curious! #PatinsIcam
A3: Decisions must be made for all with the premise of understanding and advocating for the whole child whether it be general or special education. All means all. #PatinsIcam
A5: When a geometry teacher I collaborated with actually built me in to ever lesson plan. she made suer I introduced a subject and treated me as a true co-teacher. We are still the best of friends 10 years later and a state apart. #PatinsIcam
A2: I always tried to connect with other Ts in my building through my Ss. I always tried to make my Ss a part of all that I did, including conversations with other Ts. #PatinsIcam
A4: Special educators weren't well represented in the textbook adoption committees I was a part of. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have allowed that to happen #PatinsIcam
This is a true feeling for many. Getting out of your comfort zone can be hard but a must & we will support you however you need in bridging those gaps. #PatinsIcam
R6: Building a relationship with the GE T. Finding a way to help out while I'm in the class. Making connections with other students. This assists classmates to not treat "my" students any differently. Being genuine builds trust and that helps being on the same page. #PatinsIcam
A1: I think this happens because federal legislation was pretty deliberate about establishing separate but equal silos... we created it very well! #PatinsIcam
Absolutely! I went from working in a center where we were all on the same page to a high school where I was an afterthought. SO many decisions were made that did not include my students. #PatinsIcam
A4: Special educators weren't well represented in the textbook adoption committees I was a part of. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have allowed that to happen #PatinsIcam
A6: The best resource I can imagine is UDL. Noticing that so many of our students learn differently makes us all be come specialists in what makes a classroom the best it can be! #Patinsicam
A7: For me being on the sped side of things, feeling like I was asking Gen Ed teachers to do 1 more thing. When I would share ideas I made sure they were dynamite/did uproot the entire flow. #PatinsIcam
I love watching students participate in out of school events like sports or fine arts. Such a great space to celebrate achievements for all. #PatinsIcam
A8: Creating a #UDL environment, facilitating independent learners by providing accessible ed materials. Student centered environments allows Ss to be active participants in their own learning. Learning shared by ALL #PatinsIcam
A7: For me being on the sped side of things, feeling like I was asking Gen Ed teachers to do 1 more thing. When I would share ideas I made sure they were dynamite/did uproot the entire flow. #PatinsIcam
I love watching students participate in out of school events like sports or fine arts. Such a great space to celebrate achievements for all. #PatinsIcam
A7: For me... biggest barrier is still separate funding streams, followed closely by SpEd Ts not confident in content and GenEd Ts not confident in acronyms and accommodations and everyone not confident in Changing CULTURE. #PatinsIcam
We need to look at the expert model differently. Make it inclusive and respectful to everyone's levels of expertise as we fit the puzzle pieces of support and teaching together. #PatinsIcam
A8: It's ideal when leadership supports a shared responsibility from the top down, which means that admin must stay connected to their staff. I've seen admin quickly forget what it was like to be in the classroom after moving into the position #PatinsIcam
Q9: All Ts, no matter what ur license, will work with Ss with a disability #PatinsIcam ALL preservice Ts should be exposed to & taught of accessibility, accessible ed materials, EQUITABLE education, #UDL#PatinsIcam
A8: Like @ksuding said start with changing the language to "our kids". Showing gen ed teachers how they dont need to change things for 1 kid, but rather how it will help all Ss. #PatinsIcam
A9: @jconradslp always asks the preservice university students we teach a question: How many of you will be teaching special education? Then she says "ALL OF YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR HANDS UP!" and explains that all kids are our kids! #patinsicam
When my co-op went through redistricting, the most beautiful refrain from the superintendents was that they wanted THEIR kids back in the districts. #PatinsIcam
A8: Like @ksuding said start with changing the language to "our kids". Showing gen ed teachers how they dont need to change things for 1 kid, but rather how it will help all Ss. #PatinsIcam
R9: I think this would foster that sense of shared/equal responsibility for our sp ed students, and lessen the sense of overwhelm that many of the gen ed teachers are feeling when working with high need Ss. #patinsIcam
A9: I believe all preservice teachers would greatly benefit from a dual license! I only had 1 memorable special education class in all of my general education classes. I was clueless in my first IEP meeting #PatinsIcam
R9: Out OTs and I Ihave had this discussion in the context of providing approp. sensory environment in the classroom. All kids would benefit from "special" educ. #patinsIcam
I understand this thought...although I truly feel like everything I learned about how to specialize happened ON the job, not before I got there. Good foundations...but real experience was the key! #PatinsIcam
R9: In my training, being dual certified was frowned upon. I was told more than once I needed to make up my mind & choose 1 or other. After graduation, that professor apologized to me. Said I must've known something she didn't! Our Ss deserve both skill sets! #PatinsIcam
A9: This would be ideal, in addition, to a neuroanatomy class. I'm a little biased bc I love that stuff, but all learning starts with the brain. I think we're seeing more of this with @desautels_phd's work as well #PatinsIcam
While I really want to agree with this... I honestly believe that GREAT teaching is as complex as rocket science or heart surgery and I'm not sure I want my heart surgeon not being specialized. #PatinsIcam
Maybe specialization could be a minor or you could choose to focus more on gen ed or a specialization as part of your dual license coursework.. I think there's still room for specialization! :) #PatinsIcam
Maybe part of the solution is to view teaching with a collaborative, child study, problem-solving perspective among key stakeholders in the child's life. #PatinsIcam
Nothing beats real experience. I learned 100 times more in my teaching position than I did in class. Talking about it and doing it are 2 very, very different things!! #PatinsIcam
