Soft Skills Guide

The Office of Disability Employment Policy has developed a great soft skills curriculum for students ages 14 to 21.  The curriculum is titled, "Skills to Pay the Bills:  Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success."  The structure of the program is comprised of modular, hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas:  communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.  What I really love about this curriculum is that the directions and extension activities have been specifically designed and created using the universal design for learning framework.  "Skills to Pay the Bills," takes into account that everyone learns differently, and allows students to demonstrate their learning through multiple modalities.  The curriculum can be downloaded at:  http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
Theodore Roosevelt

Spelling & Technology

Spelling has never been my forte.  That being said, I never understood the concept of looking up words in the dictionary that you don’t know how to spell.  I remember having teachers in school that would say, “Go look it up in the dictionary.”  In my mind I was always thinking, “I would if I knew how to spell it.”

I shared the above story because many students with special needs also struggle with spelling, and I understand their frustration with the dictionary.   I recently discovered a new dictionary app that I love. It makes sense to me!  I believe it will make sense to many of the students you serve too.  My new favorite dictionary comes in the form of an ipad app.  It is The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  This dictionary app offers a voice search tool.  No more looking for the word “phone” in the F’s for elementary students, or the word “psychology” in the S’s for middle school students.  Technology is a wonderful thing!  If you have an ipad, check out The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  It is free to download.  Better yet, if you know of individuals that struggle with spelling, tell them about it!

Back To School

 

It is August, and for most schools in Oklahoma that means back to school! I am excited about the coming school year and hope you are too. Below are links to a couple of articles I found interesting and thought you might also.

This first article I found on SmartBlog. It is titled “Emerging Technologies, Social Media in Education, A Connecting Educator.” The author, Brian Page, discusses how the U.S. secretary of education has named August as Connected Educator Month. Mr. Page goes on to discuss four of his favorite technology tools for the classroom. Take a look!

http://smartblogs.com/education/2012/08/02/a-connecting-educator/

The second article I discovered is from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. This article is titled “Intellectual Disabilities in Your Classroom: 9 Tips for Teachers.” I really enjoyed this article. It provides practical tips on addressing the learning needs of students with disabilities. Many of us, I am guessing, know most of this information already, but it never hurts to review good strategies. Plus, it makes you feel good when a national publication affirms what you are doing right!

http://nichcy.org/intellectual-disabilities-in-your-classroom

The third and last article I would like to share with you is one I found on the Education Week Blog. The article is titled “GAO: Transition for Students with Disabilities Can, Must Improve.” This article talks about how there are numerous federal government programs and services in place to help students with disabilities after they leave high school, but how those programs and services are not well coordinated. I enjoyed this article because it made me stop and think about what I can do to help make high school transitions more effective and efficient. Food for thought: How can you help students become aware of all of the federal programs and services that are available and help them navigate the system?

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2012/08/gao_transition_for_students_.html

Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. – Anthony J. D’Angelo