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What Is Digital Citizenship? | Common Sense Education

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What Is Digital Citizenship? is a video from Common Sense Education. Use this video to help your students learn and thrive in our connected world.

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This is a great resource for parents, caregivers and educators from The Autism Partnership of Easterseals Chicago. iap@eastersealschicago.org

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What's important about Autism and Coronavirus?

Why do we need to tell students with autism about the Coronavirus? Because most students with autism already know about it. It doesn't matter if they are young or older. They may have a lot of language or demonstrate limited communication skills. But in some way they probably know something is different. That's how it works.

Our students will notice something strange like a person wearing a face mask. They will pick up fragments of information from TV or people talking. Perhaps they sense your anxiety. Or they may even see pictures of people wearing hazmat suits.

It all creates anxiety. And student anxiety will rise when schools close and the student's daily schedules and routines change unexpectedly. And that is exactly what may be happening.

Several states have already announced closing schools for several weeks. Probably more will follow.

How do you help?
Parents and teachers need to give information to their students. But here is what's important to understand. Just telling them is not enough. This is a really important time to make it visual.

Create a conversation book
Creating written conversations is really one of my favorite visual techniques. I'll describe the procedure here. Of course, you'll modify it as needed for your child or your student, depending on age and level of understanding. But here it is.

Get a folder or binder or notebook
1. Label it.
I think books need names. You can call it The Coronavirus Book. Or call it "Emily's Book." Or you or your student may come up with something more creative. That's OK. Just give it a name.

2. Have a conversation with the student about the coronavirus.
But here's what is important. Write down whatever you talk about.

Ask the student with autism what he/she already knows about the coronavirus. Write it down.

Explain the situation in a clear but simple way. Write it down.

You might also explain that what you hear on TV can be very confusing. But write it down.

Ask him what questions he has. Write down the answers.

Tell her what questions you have. Write the answers.

You can ask things like:

What are you worried about?

Does something make you afraid?

What do you need to do to be safe?

Why do you need to wash your hands?

Be sure to affirm to students that they are safe. Parents and teachers will help them.

Remember this
Don't get hung up on the writing part. You can write it. The student can write it. Type it on the computer. It doesn't matter. Remember, this is not a lesson in handwriting. It's a communication activity.

Add some pictures
Find them on the internet. Draw them. Take photos. Cut them out of a magazine. Use a computer picture program if you have one. They don't all need to be the same style. But the pictures will add context. They will help the student remember the conversation. And they will add some entertainment to the activity.
Here' an example of a simple conversation
Here's a really important part
Sometimes people try to write all of the information in one big conversation or one big story. I prefer to do it in a different way.

I like to cover the information in several smaller conversations on different but related topics. Write each one as a separate page or "chapter" in your book. For example, separate topics can include:

Why do I need to wash my hands.
What is a virus
Why do people wear masks.

Make sure it's personalized
What kinds of topics do you need to have conversations about? Make sure you are including topics that are very important to this individual.

What surprised me?

Why Disneyland is closed.

Why I can't watch March Madness on TV.

Why Louie is not going to work.

Why they didn't have any toilet paper at the grocery store.

Why we won't go on vacation during spring break.

When will I go back to school?

What is a virus and how does it work?

What does a virus look like?

Don't be surprised if the topic of greatest interest to this student is not really the main point of the national emergency. That's the way students with autism make connections sometimes.

This is an interactive activity
Remember, you are having conversations with the student and then you are writing that information in the book. That means you do this together. You can write what you think needs to be in the book but also write what he/she communicates. It's interactive.

There's not a magic formula for written conversations. But when you know a student, you'll know what to include in the book.

What students do
When students are unsure or anxious about situations, it's not unusual to revisit topics over and over. If that happens, here's what you can do.

When a topic gets expanded, say "Oh, we didn't put that in your book yet." Then add that information or question to your Coronavirus Book. (This is one reason I like to make separate pages or chapters for different topics. Then we can add information to the correct page.)

If the student is more apt to repeat or perseverate on a concept, you can say, "We already wrote about that in your book." Then direct him to find that topic in the book and re-read it or go over it again.

It's a strange thing, but having the information in a visual or written form seems to "anchor" it a bit. Revisiting it over and over helps the anxiety go away.

The book becomes a very important tool
Putting this information in the book gives you and the student the ability to go back and review it over and over again. You are showing the student that you understand his questions and concerns. Recording the conversations in writing makes them "stick."

It's strange, but that ability to repeat and revisit the topic provides a sense of comfort that a conversation that is only verbal doesn't accomplish in the same way.

This is what's tough
Unexpected surprises are the worst for these students. It's difficult because they can't prepare for the unexpected and they can't easily shift when something occurs. But the conversation book is a perfect tool to help with that.

If you are anticipating something that will possibly or probably happen, try writing about it in your conversation book. Give information that something MIGHT happen. It's a great concept to learn.

It's a long-term tool
Using a book for written conversations is not just a tool for autism and the coronavirus. This is a technique you can continue to use long term. It gives an opportunity to expand conversation skills, develop memories and deepen understanding.

P.S. These written conversations are somewhat different from Carol Gray's Social Stories TM which are another tool for giving information to students. Creating her Social Stories follows a more structured formula and defined criteria. Here's a story that Carol wrote called My Story About Pandemics and the Coronavirus.

The written conversations that I'm describing in this post are a less formal but a very valuable tool to capture the spontaneous conversations you have to help students understand our confusing world.

P.P.S This is important. It doesn't matter if students can read. Create your book in a way that the student will understand. If they can read it, that's great. Or you can read it to them. Include enough pictures to keep their interest. It's really a personalized formula.

P.P.P.S How have you been preparing your students with autism to manage this unexpected Coronavirus crisis? Please share below.
Here's another helpful post. Check out the Autism Survival Toolbox

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Autism and Coronovirus: Helping Students Understand

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What's important about Autism and Coronavirus? Why do we need to tell students with autism about the Coronavirus? Because most students with autism already know about it. It doesn't matter if they are young or older. They may have a lot of language or demonstrate limited communication skills.

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Couples Counseling San Diego | Marriage Therapist | Estes Therapy

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TIPP skills are best used when we are need to be brought back down to a calm state. Distress can come from feelings of anxiety, sadness, or feeling hurt. These different skills can be used at different levels of distress. When we feel ourselves creeping up the distress scale, we can use the less intense skills that take less time - like paced breathing. When we're feeling close to our breaking point, well past the point of logic, we'll need to turn to more intense skills like intense exercise. (Remember the emotion thermometers, like the anger thermometer? The same idea applies to a distress thermometer.)

T - Temperature

When you get worked up about something, your body physically becomes hotter. We can often feel this. However, we often overlook the connection between physical sensations and our emotions. To counter this heating up, hold an ice cube, take a cold shower, blast the AC on your face. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it lasts for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you're 10/10 extremely heightened and emotional, dunk your head in ice water (if doing so is possible/realistic). This activates our mammalian diving response , signalling a chemical change in our body. This change will bring us back to a more relaxed state. Whether you need the intense ice water head dunk or the less intense holding of an ice cube, cooling down your body physically can help cool you down emotionally.

I - Intense Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins reduce our perception of pain as well as trigger positive feelings (this usually happens after 20-30 minutes). This means exercise helps combat sadness, anger, and anxiety while increasing feelings of happiness. What we're talking about with this skill, however, is intense exercise and its immediate benefits. This isn't a light jog around the block - this is a sprint down the street, a hard session with a punching bag, or doing jumping jacks. Your intensity of emotion and fitness level will play into what you decide to do for this TIPP skill. When you increase your oxygen flow, it decreases your stress levels. Exercising intensely can help you feel like you're expelling the bad energy and negative thoughts. It can help you feel like you've accomplished something with your intense emotion, instead of letting the emotion control you. It's hard to stay "out of control" upset when you're exhausted. Try to wear yourself out.

P - Paced Breathing

Relaxing and focusing on being mindful and present increases the release of dopamine, serotonin, melatonin, and endorphins. ( You can check out our top apps for meditation here. ) Paced breathing is a form of meditation that helps take you from a heightened state to a more relaxed state. This TIPP skill is best used when you're lower on your scaling of emotion, from around a 4 to a 7. There are different types of paced breathing. One form is box breathing. Picture your breaths as a box. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, breathe out for 8, hold for 7. Repeat. Try to focus on your breathing until you notice you start to calm down. This one is especially useful after a frustrating email as you can use your computer screen as a guide! Breathe in as you trace the top of your monitor, hold as you trace the side, breathe out as you trace the bottom, and hole as you trace the other side. Explore different breathing techniques by checking out a breathing app or just heading over to Google for some ideas.

P - Paired Muscle Relaxation

This skill is my personal favourite. I hold a lot of my negative emotions in my shoulders and jaw and it can be before I notice. (Which also indicates to myself I need to be making more time for mindfulness.) Paired muscle relaxation is when you progressively tighten and then relax muscles/muscle groups. Purposefully tightening an already tense muscle allows you to get to the next step of relaxing that muscle. Often only afterwards do we realize how tense we were. If you can, I like to start from my forehead and work all the way down to my toes. However this might not always feel possible. Scrunching your face in a work meeting may not be ideal. So, in those moments pick a muscle group that feels doable - like working from your glutes down to your toes or shoulders down your arms to your fists. Relaxed muscles require less oxygen, so this will lead to your breathing and heart rate slowing down. hours Here is a guided video I like to use.

Different levels of distress call for different techniques to bring yourself back down. The more heightened you are, the more intense your skill will need to be to work. When you're close to your highest point, paced breathing won't help, but intense exercise will. When you're at a lower level of distress, paced breathing can do wonders and take significantly less time. The goal is to get used to paying attention to your body cues that you're starting to get heightened and catch it as soon as possible. This will help stop you from getting to a high level of distress that may lead to you avoiding loved ones, shutting down, acting out, or hurting yourself or others.

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Need some TIPPs to better understand how to tolerate distress?

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TIPP skills are best used when we are need to be brought back down to a calm state. Distress can come from feelings of anxiety, sadness, or feeling hurt. These different skills can be used at different levels of distress. When we feel ourselves creeping up the distress scale, we can use the less intense...

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Let's talk about disrespectful behaviors in the classroom. The child who talks back. The student using their cell phone, even after being told to put it away. The kid who refuses to do their work, and even loudly tells you, "no!" when you try to politely give some encouragement. The student who jokes about your class being dumb, causing an eruption of laughter in the room.

As educators, we've all encountered some (or probably all) of these situations from time to time. Here are some strategies to help you manage these challenging behaviors and get back to what you do best - teaching your students.

Change your mindset. First, the most effective strategy is actually a mindset shift. Kids aren't being rude to be rude or disrespectful. Kids and young adults are coping with challenging feelings the very best way they know how to in the moment. Let's think about it: Wouldn't it actually be easier for a student to follow the rules and just fly under the radar? In most cases, it would. So, it's important to remember that disrespectful, rude, or challenging behaviors are not really directed at you. They are just a way to communicate needs.

Have empathy. Remember that we don't know what goes on in the lives of our learners. Take a trauma-informed approach. Rather than blaming and accusing the student for their behavior, take a step back and consider that they are struggling in some way. Even if we don't know the reasons for the struggles, it's helpful to have empathy always.

Be consistent with expectations. Kids and teens need boundaries. Spend time teaching, discussing, and practicing the expectations. Adults can be fun and still have rules. The key, though, is that kids need to know and truly understand them. Prior to group work, talk about what the expectations for being a good ground member are. Act them out and highlight them while kids are working. Before independent work, model what a good independent worker looks like. Give reasons and explanations for these expectations. It's also important to note that this isn't just something for the beginning of the year. Reviewing expectations should be a year-round and continuous process. All kids benefit from a refresh and some kids truly need it.

Train yourself to not take offense. This takes real work. Remember, though, that these are kids and young adults. They are still learning and growing. It's critical to stress that these behaviors are not often meant to be directed at you. Also, think about it: Are you really offended that a 10-year-old made fun of your hair? Do you actually feel upset that a teen said your class was stupid? When we phrase these "rude" situations like this, it seems even a little silly to take offense, really. With that said, there are times when kids and young adults can use their words as weapons. When this happens, it's important to view those behaviors as needs and skill deficits. Train yourself to not take offense so that you can stay calm and collected.

Consider skill deficits. When a student says something mean or rude, consider how it could be the result of a lack of social skills. For example, if a student keeps blurting out in class, are they really purposefully being rude or are they struggling with self-regulation? If a child tells you that your shirt is ugly, are they trying to be mean or do they lack a strong social filter? While not all "rude" behavior fits into this category, it's worth taking the time to consider first.

Focus on the relationship. Continually focusing on the relationship with your students demonstrating rude behaviors is extremely important - for you and for them. First, so often, a child or young adult with challenging behaviors needs connection. Spend time talking about non-school related topics, find out their interests, hear about family, and listen to their favorite music. No relationship-building topic is too small. There needs to be connection before there can be correction. There really is no other way. Use this free printable relationship-building questions list or read up on more strategies for building relationships with your learners.

Ignore what you can ignore. Sometimes, kids and young adults act out as a way to express their feelings. Of course, they aren't going about it the right way, but in the moment is not the right time to address it. Other times, kids might be acting out for attention. In both cases, ignoring what you can ignore is often the best action in the moment. Walk away or pretend you didn't see that eye roll. If you have to address some behaviors in the moment, say, "We'll talk about it later." This gives the adult the opportunity to let others know they are handling it, but also reduces any chance for power struggles along the way.

Be prepared for behavioral episodes. Using the word "ADAPT," you can remember to act calm, de-escalate, acknowledge feelings, problem-solve, and think reflectively.

Avoid the impulse to punish. Now, I'm all for logical consequences. Punishments, though, are a whole different ball game. Sometimes, when a kid or young adult acts out, our first impulse is to punish them by giving them a detention or assigning extra homework. Almost all of the time, these on-the-fly punishments will do more damage to the relationship than they will help the problem. Problem-solving over punishing will always win.

Keep them in the room. As long as students are in your room, they can keep learning. This is especially important for those kids who refuse to do their work. Even if the student is not starting the classwork, leave them be. They will get much more out of the class conversations and discussions than they would in the office or in a desk outside your room. There are exceptions to this, of course, including when students are disruptive to the learning to others or if there are any acts of violence. It's safe to say that those are times when additional support outside of the classroom is necessary. When possible, though, keep them in the room.

Use de-escalation strategies. Strategies to defuse a bad situation are worth their weight in gold to an educator. I strongly feel these strategies should be emphasized, discussed, and practiced during educator training every single year. Grab this free list of de-escalation strategies to print as a reminder and read up on more de-escalation strategies.

Consider the why. There is always a reason behind the behavior. If a student is acting out when they have to do math problems at the board, maybe they are really embarrassed to do work in front of others. If a learner disrespects you when you ask for the homework, maybe they didn't understand it and they don't want to look dumb. Don't focus on the what. Focus on the why. These will lead you into the right direction of problem-solving, rather than blaming.

Be self-reflective. Take some time to reflect on the situations that led up to the problem situations in your classroom. Of course, this isn't a blame game. Being self-reflective means just considering what went wrong and what could have gone better. Could you have asked a question in a different way? Did you put the student in a situation that was maybe extremely uncomfortable for them? Was the classroom too noisy, causing the child some distress? Be open-minded and ask yourself some questions to figure out what you could do better next time.

Meet privately with the student. Not punitively, meet with the student and talk with them. Rather than blaming them personally, highlight that you noticed there was a problem and you want to help solve it. For example, you might say, "Jane, I noticed there was a problem when you were working in a group yesterday. What's going on with that?"

Listen. As educators, sometimes we have the habit of talking more than we listen. In this case, rather than talking at the student, give them time to speak. Sometimes, you will be amazed at what you learn. Maybe that student didn't realize they were calling out. Maybe the student felt disrespected by something you said first. Regardless of what you think about their behavior, give kids a chance to speak. They deserve that. It can become the foundation for repairing relationships and moving on.

Brainstorm solutions. After listening to a student, brainstorm some strategies that might solve the issues together. Again, stay open-minded about suggestions from the student. Offer some of your own ideas as well. Actually brainstorming solutions goes a long way. The best solutions are almost always developed together.

Make a plan together. After brainstorming, set up a specific plan of action with your student. Come up with at least one thing the student can do and one thing you can do to do better next time. For example, if a student was acting out when in a difficult group setting, perhaps they can come up with a list of group ground rules, and you can agree to ask their input about their groups in the future. It doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to show that you care and you both are working in the right direction.

Make time for social and emotional supports. All kids and young adults deserve a supportive check-in with an adult. This can be done during morning meeting advisory, homeroom, or even study halls. Talk to kids about how their feeling and what's going on in their world. You can even t each SEL skills with this morning meeting set for the year that I developed. While this intervention won't fix disruptive or challenging behaviors in the moment, it is a proactive approach that will help learners throughout the year, even halting problems before they start.

Teach the skills. If a student is lacking some social skills, teach them. If they need to work on managing their emotions, teach emotional management and coping strategies. If they need to work on self-control, discuss and practice strategies for self-regulation. While not all educators have time for this set up in their schedules, there are many ways you can integrate social skills into your instruction. Another option is talking with support staff about setting up a small lunch group to teach the skills kids need explicitly.

Focus on your own self-care. Working with challenging behaviors can be stressful. Schedule time for yourself to unwind and relax. Whether you take time reading at home, head to the gym, or schedule time with friends, find what works for you. Use this printable self-care poster for educators to remind you throughout the week.

Throughout these strategies, there is a solid theme. Educators can learn to ADAPT. This is a acronym I created to stand for: Act calm, De-escalate, Acknowledge feelings, Problem-solve, and Think reflectively. These are the essential elements of handling challenging behaviors in the classroom, including behaviors we see as disrespectful and rude. If you are a subscriber, head over to the free resource library to grab your very own ADAPT poster as a reminder. If you aren't a subscriber yet but are curious, head over here to learn more and join.

Have you been successfully managing disrespectful or rude behaviors in the classroom? Feel free to share what is working for you!

Tagged With: behaviors

Self-control is our ability to stop and think before making decisions. This involves taking a pause when our emotions want to take over so we can think through the situation, consider solutions, assess the consequences, and move forward with the best choice in that scenario. Self-control is particularly difficult executive functioning skill for kids and young adults, and there is actually a scientific reason for that! The limbic system in our brains, which is responsible for managing emotions, develops ahead of the prefrontal cortex, which is the area responsible for planning, suppressing urges, and using self-control. Simply put, that means kids and young adults are going to need lots of practice with using skills for self-control.
Using Games to Teach Self-Control
Games are a great technique for practicing self-control skills because they are instantly fun and interactive. Kids and young adults are far more likely to learn and practice the skills if it's something interesting to them. Whenever you play any of these games, it's important to be purposeful about the skills you are teaching. First, explain what self-control is and why it's so important.

I love to give examples about situations involving self-control that all kids can relate to. One example is: Imagine you are going over to your friend's house. You see a delicious chocolate cake just sitting there on the counter. You really WANT to just eat a piece or taste the frosting with your finger. What should you do? How could you use self-control? What could happen if you don't use self-control? These questions are an important foundation to help students understand self-control and why it matters. Let students know they are playing the game in order to practice and strengthen their skills for self-control. Then, let the games begin!

Since games are a great tool to teach skills, you might also want to read up on games to teach social emotional skills and games to strengthen executive functioning skills, too!

Games To Try

Jenga. I love this game because it's the perfect blend of structure and chaos (perfect for your kids who really need self-control practice!). As students play, remind them to have self-control every time they remove a block from the tower. The more cautious and careful you are, the more likely you are to win. Not only is this a really fun and interactive way to practice self-control, but the entire game becomes a metaphor for self-control in life. If you aren't careful, things can fall apart. Take your time, stop and think, breathe, and carefully move forward. This is a game you can practice again and again. It never gets old!

Self-Control Speedway. I developed this self-control board game as a fun but direct way to target self-control skills. Students will move along the racetrack game board answering critical questions about self-control. I truly love the idea of comparing self-control to driving because I always it is teaching kids that they are in the driver's seat!

Blurt. This is by far one of my favorite ways to practice self-control. If you're not familiar with it, Blurt is a set of cards with definitions for vocabulary words. A leader will read the card and students "blurt" out the answer. My favorite way to play is "around the world" style. Have two students stand next to each other for a duel. Read the card and allow only those two students to shout out the answer. All other students in the room have to use self-control and not shout out, even if they know the answer when no one else does! This can be a big challenge (and GREAT practice) for those students who struggle with shouting out when it is not their turn. Note that if you don't have blurt, you can always make up your very own cards with content area questions!

Guard Duty. Use this as a secret weapon when you want students to use self-control in the hallways. The idea is simple: Tell students that they are guards for the palace. They have a mission to be as serious and guard-like as possible. That means using self-control and ignoring anyone who tries to distract you! Anyone who fails the challenge has to go to the back of the line. It can be added fun if you have another teacher do something to try and distract your students.

Freeze. This game incorporates movement, play, and self-control all in one. Just play some music and let kids dance, wiggle, and walk around. Have one person be the leader (a teacher to start) and yell "Freeze!" at any time. As soon as someone shouts it, everyone should freeze in place, with the music still playing. This can be challenging with the music still going, because you might have the urge to keep dancing. This is a great game to practice at the end of the week for some added fun.

Simon Says. This game focuses on attention skills, but self-control, too! Kids have to be focused to listen for what Simon says to do, while using self-control to stop themselves if "Simon" doesn't say it! Stand in front of the class and shout out commands like "Simon says put your hands on your head" and "Simon says stand on one foot." Then, throw one in there that doesn't say "Simon says" and see who can follow along. Afterwards, you can switch it up and have students be the leader as well.

Social Problem Solving Board Game. This social problem-solving board game is one of my favorite games I created because it targets so many different social areas all in one. Students move through the game board answering a variety of social problem-solving questions about school, home, activities, and friends. This is a great way to practice self-control because students need to stop and think about how they will solve each problem.

Wait Five. I love this game because it can be played with any trivia, vocabulary, or academic content. This makes it a great review game, too. Ask one question at a time but students must wait a full five seconds before shouting out the answer. This can be especially helpful for those students who love to shout out the answer without being called on. Of course, you can play around with the rules, making the wait time longer or shorter, and even allowing only certain students to shout out at certain times. The whole idea is to build self-control by waiting just a little bit longer than we really want to!

Role Play. Kids and young adults love acting scenarios out, but it can also be a great way to practice skills for self-control. Come up with your own scenarios or use these social scenario task cards. Have students act out the situation in partners or small groups, considering what they would do and why. You can even invite students to act out the situation at the front of the class. It is most important to highlight the socially appropriate choices and why they matter. This can be a fun addition to any morning meeting or social group time.

Self-Control Task Cards. I added these in because you can use these self-control task cards along with any turn-taking game. Just have students answer one card before they can take their turn. It's a win-win because kids and playing a game they love while learning about self-control at the same time.

Orchestra. Anything that incorporates music and skill practice is a win! For this game, you can choose to pass out instruments to your students if you have them (such as triangles or drum sticks). If you don't have them, that's okay, since students can use their hands, pencils, or imaginary instruments to go with the beat. Play a sample of music and have students play to the beat. Continue with many different samples, both slower and faster. The whole idea is that students are able to use self-control to stay with the beat, even if they want to go faster or slower in the moment.

Stoplight. This game is another quick activity that can be done any time with no props. Start by shouting out, "Green Light". Let students walk around the classroom, talk, and mingle. You can even let them dance if you want to! Then, after a few seconds or minutes, say, "Yellow Light." At this time, students have to slow down and go at a snail's pace. They can still move, but it has to be slow! Finally, end with "Red Light," and have students completely stop in their tracks. You can continue over and over with as much time as you have.

Games can be the perfect way to integrate social skills and self-control practice into your classroom! Do you have other games that work in your classroom? Share them below!

Filed Under: Behavior Management, Classroom Management, Executive Functioning Skills, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

Teaching empathy is important. In the simplest of terms, empathy is the ability to notice, understand, and share the emotions of others. It is a critical social skill for all people to have. In many ways, empathy is the social skill that paves the way for all other social skills. It helps us to take someone else's perspective, understand each others' emotions, connect with one another, show compassion, make good social choices, and ultimately develop lasting relationships.

What does a lack of empathy look like? Learners who lack empathy can end up with many social challenges. These kids and young adults may struggle to build friendships, have difficulty working with others, and make poor social decisions overall. Most importantly, kids and young adults who lack empathy are often unaware their behaviors can negatively impact others. These learners might do or say something that makes sense to them in the moment, without giving consideration to those around them.

Learners who lack strong empathy skills might:

Do or say something that appears rude or inappropriate, such as loudly commenting on someone else's pimple.

Engage in socially unexpected behaviors, such as cutting to the front of the line when they want to be first.

Make comments that hurt others' feelings, such as telling someone their shirt is ugly.

Fail to recognize times to be sensitive to others, such as mentioning how much they love their dog right after a friend's dog passes away.

How can educators build empathy? It is critical for educators to recognize that having a lack of empathy is a skill deficit and not a behavior problem. In the words of Ross Greene, "Kids do well if they can." There are many ways to teach, highlight, and practice skills for empathy, so these abilities can be learned over time. If you want to get started right away, I have created a whole unit targeting perspective-taking and empathy. It's important to note that some learners are going to struggle with these skills more than others. What's important is that you work on them slowly and watch the skills grow. Quite often, these strategies can be integrated into the classroom to help support a positive learning community for all. It's a win-win!
Here are some strategies for building empathy:
Use literature. Using short stories and novels, you can help learners to think about the emotions and motives of characters. You might ask: How do you think they feel right now? Why do they feel that way? What might they be thinking? How would you feel if you were in their shoes? What might they do next? Best of all, using literature is an easy way to integrate social-emotional learning since it's something that teachers teach every day!

Teach "being in someone else's shoes." Use situations to encourage students to think about how they might feel. Then, go the extra step and have students think about how someone else might feel. This is a critical component of empathy because how we feel might not be how someone else might feel. It's a skill that can sometimes require lots of practice and discussion with others.

Watch videos and movie clips. Similar to literature, videos and movie clips can be a strategy to think about the emotions of characters. This may be a helpful tactic for learners who struggle with reading or just a fun activity for the end of the week. Just play a quick video clip (or watch a whole movie) and discuss the characters' feelings, thoughts, motivations, and reactions.

Talk about emotions. Talking about feelings should be normal and expected in the classroom! Model using I-statements and teach about different emotions as they come up.

Use optical illusions to teach perspective-taking. Optical illusions are a fantastic way to teach perspective-taking because they show students that we all think differently and that's okay! Simply show an optical illusion and have students independently write down what they see. Then, have them discuss. Soon, students will realize that they don't all see the same thing. It's a great way to start the discussion on perspective-taking and empathy. You can use this free perspective-taking lesson to try right away!

Keep an emotion vocabulary board. Improve each student's emotional vocabulary by keeping a board posted with all different emotion words. Students should recognize that there are multiple shades to every emotion, from irritated to irate and content to elated. Make these words part of the norm so that students can learn to use them effectively.

Identify emotions in photos. Get random old magazines or use your own photos. Have students look through magazines or photos to find images of people. Encourage them to identify how each person might be feeling or thinking. This is such a fun activity that can be done again and again.

Teach social cues. Learners who struggle with skills for empathy can greatly benefit from learning about facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. These can be critical cues for them to start recognizing the thoughts and feelings of others. This can be fun to teach as "social detective work."

Role-play social scenarios. Discuss a variety of social situations and have students act out what they might do. For example, "Imagine you see someone fall down in the hall. What would you do?" This social situation encourages students to think about how someone else might feel as well as how they should respond. Come up with your own scenarios to discuss or use task cards. I have created social scenarios for elementary students and social scenarios for middle and high schoolers. Start off with this free social problem-solving task cards set to see how your students do!

Play empathy games. For learners who struggle with empathy, it is a difficult skill to learn. Games can be a highly motivating way to learn these skills. I developed a fun empathy game with many different scenarios to help learners think about how others feel and how they might show empathy to others. Best of all, there are so many scenarios that kids can play again and again.

Watch animal live cams. Who doesn't love animals? I've found that kids who really struggle to show empathy with other kids are still very likely to empathize and care about animals. With that, there are many free animal live cams you can stream. In my classroom, we loved watching an owl cam, a bald eagle nest, and even a giraffe who was about to have a baby. Of course, there are many ways to integrate science, reading, and writing to any of these animal live cams. This can be a great way to help kids learn to care about and for something else.

Have a daily morning meeting. It's important to give every student a daily check-in time. Every child and young adult needs to know they are valued, loved, and supported. Use a 10-minute morning meeting time to check-in with students and let every voice be heard.

Teach coping strategies. Kids and young adults need effective strategies for managing their tough emotions. Spend time teaching, discussing, and practicing a variety of strategies that might work for them. Practice mindful coloring, listening to music, exercising, and even yoga. It's important to practice these activities when students are calm so that they can use them when they really need them the most. Use these coping strategies visuals or grab this free coping strategies list to give you some ideas on how to start! Also, read up on some fun and unique ways to teach coping strategies to kids and young adults.

Start an emotion journal. Help students connect with their own emotions by journaling and writing about how they are feeling. This is something that can be done first thing in the morning to help students start the day off in a positive way. Give time for students to share their feelings if they are comfortable. Not only will students benefit from expressing themselves, but others will build empathy by hearing the thoughts and feelings of those around them.

Teach how to see the other side. Learners need to understand that we all have different opinions and thoughts. Use topics such as "favorite pizza" and "best sport" to drive conversations about differences of opinions. Help all students see that we all think differently and that's perfectly okay.

Give responsibilities. Use student strengths and abilities to give every student a responsibility in the classroom. If a student does well with technology, have him or her be the computer troubleshooter. If a student loves nature, have them water the plants on a regular schedule. Responsibilities are a great way to have each student caring and thinking beyond themselves.

Teach how our words matter. Have each student draw a heart on paper and cut it out. Talk about different things we can say to each other that can be kind or hurtful. For each statement, have students make a fold in their heart. At the end of the activity, open the heart back up and discuss that the marks are still there long after the words have been said. Remind students that our words leave a lasting impact so it's important to stop and think about what we say to each other.

Build confidence. Sometimes kids and young adults who lack empathy appear to be over-confident because they don't seem to care how others feel in the moment. However, this can actually be superficial. These learners may actually struggle with feelings of rejection from their peers, leading to lower self-confidence. Make sure to spend time on building every child up and helping them share their strengths, passions, and dreams. When kids feel better, they usually do better, too. Use these confidence-building activities to get started.

Collaborate with school specialists. If you have a student who is struggling with showing empathy, talk with the school counselor or social worker for additional input and ideas. It might even be beneficial to have them come into your class for a quick lesson or activity.

Practice mindfulness. Kids and young adults can greatly benefit from learning to be in touch with their own emotions first and foremost. Spend 5 or 10 minutes practicing mindfulness after lunch, before a big test, or just to start the morning out in a more positive way. Read up on ways you can practice mindfulness and some free resources to help you practice mindfulness with students.

Encourage random acts of kindness. Kindness is about being thoughtful without expecting anything in return. Teaching and encouraging kind acts can help learners start to think about the feelings of others. You can start a random acts of kindness jar or bulletin board in the classroom. When a student witnesses a kind act, have them write it on a slip and post it. At the end of the month, you can choose to pick one randomly to win a special reward.

Engage in community service. Empathy and compassion go hand-in-hand. Encourage learners to think about the community and world by doing community service acts. Spend time cleaning up the courtyard, visit another class to read books to younger students, or even come up with a plan to donate supplies to a local animal rescue organization.

Start a kindness share. Give each student a piece of paper (have them cut it into a heart if you want!). Have students write their names on the paper and pass it to their right. When they get a piece of paper, they should write something kind about that person right on the paper. Continue the share until all students have written something kind about someone else. At the end, every child will have given back AND gotten kind words in return.

Teach students to respectfully disagree. Part of building empathy means recognizing that others can think differently from you. Help students learn the skills to accept and respect the opinions of others when they disagree. Encourage students to use phrases like, "I see your point," and "I have a different point of view, but I see where you are coming from."

Teach social-emotional learning explicitly. Give social and emotional learning the time it needs by dedicating time each day or week to these skills. One of my favorite strategies for this is using a daily ssocial-emotional learning journal to teach and discuss the skills every day of the year. I have also developed a complete social emotional learning curriculum for elementary learners to help students learn the skills they need in an explicit way. I also have a complete social-emotional learning curriculum for older kids.

Do you have other strategies for building empathy? I'd love to hear them! Share your thoughts in the comments!

Filed Under: Behavior Management, Classroom Management, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

Good study habits and techniques are critical to help students learn more efficiently, feel more academically confident, persevere through challenges, and ultimately do their best. Sometimes, it's easy to assume that learners already have these skills intact. The truth is that they sometimes don't; many learners might not actually know how to study for tests or how to keep their binders organized. While these skills can be a challenge for many students, they are skills that can be improved over time.

If you notice some of your students are struggling with basic study skills and habits, make time to address and teach the skills. You can choose to dedicate time during morning meeting, resource room, or even a separate study skills class. Whatever you choose, make a schedule and stick with it. Teaching these skills early on is important for help all learners do their best. I've put together a list of ideas and resources, but check out this yearlong Executive Functioning and Study Skills activities set if you want to get started on teaching these skills right away.
Here are some simple tips, tricks, and strategies you can use to help students develop study skills in your classroom:
Build relationships first. Simply put, learning new study strategies can be tough for kids and young adults. It's always worth spending extra time early on to develop strong relationships. Not only will this help you to get to know your students, but it will help them to persevere and succeed in your class. Use these strategies to focus on building relationships with your learners.

Know your learners. Before getting started on teaching study skills, assess what your students know first. One helpful place to start is using this free Study Skills Checklist. It can be a great tool to help students develop self-awareness about their skills, while also giving you critical data on what you need to teach.

Teach how to study for tests and quizzes. Spend time teaching a variety of different study strategies for success: taking notes, quizzing yourself, making flashcards, having a partner quiz you, re-doing problems, and more. Different strategies are going to work for different learners, so it's important that all students are exposed to several activities.

Practice studying just to learn. Sometimes students think that studying is only important when a test or quiz is coming up. Instead, help kids embrace the idea that studying is part of the learning process. Studying just to learn can help reduce the amount of time students will have to study when a test or quiz comes up, and it helps them to learn the material better in the first place.

Practice study skills with current curriculum. Sometimes, students feel like learning study skills is a waste of time for them. They would rather be getting homework done or chatting with friends on their downtime One way to make the study skills meaningful for kids and young adults is to help them apply them right away with current classwork. If you are learning how to make flashcards, use current vocabulary terms. When teaching about time management, practice with a project kids are actually working on. Using current curriculum along with teaching the skills can make it more meaningful and memorable.

Teach about the power of habits and routines. Students can benefit greatly from understanding how important our habits are. Spend time discussing and highlighting some current habits students already have (brushing their teeth in the morning or cleaning up their trays after lunch). These tasks are much easier when they just become part of our everyday routines. This can eventually encourage students to develop habits for writing homework down, organizing their binders, and studying for tests.

Teach executive functioning skills. Study skills are inherently linked with executive functioning skills. Students can benefit greatly from improving skills with planning, organization, self-control, attention, flexibility, perseverance, and more. Most importantly, teach students that they can often improve these skills over time with practice and hard work. If you could use more background knowledge on these skills, catch up on a basic understanding of executive functioning skills in this blog post.

Teach time management. Understanding how to manage time well is a powerful skill. Teach about understanding time by having students estimate how long a task will take (such as doing 10 jumping jacks or walking to get a drink and back). Then, have students actually perform the task and check how close their estimate was. You can easily relate this back to having students consider how long tasks will take by thinking about what they have to do and then reflecting on their progress along the way. Read more about strategies and interventions for time management skills.

Discuss what it means to prioritize. Prioritizing is the ability to determine which order tasks should be completed in. This is a critical skill, but can be challenging, especially when students are juggling many different responsibilities. Talk through some examples and discuss: You have a test tomorrow and a big project due in two weeks. What should you do? Having students problem-solve these types of scenarios can help them understand how to prioritize in the future.

Practice making test and quizzes. Have students get into the mind of a teacher by creating their own test and quizzes for class content. This can help them consider what material might be on an actual test or quiz, making them better at studying and knowing what is important.

Teach organization. One of the most important study skills is learning how to be organized. Spend time explicitly teaching learners how to organize materials, schedules, and projects. If you are interested specifically in organization, use this Organization Boot Camp to help get kids' organization skills in shape. You can also start with this free organization activity to get going right away.

Revisit organization on a weekly basis. Even after teaching the basic skills for organization, it is important for students to make organization a weekly practice. Choose one time a week (such as Friday afternoon or whenever time you have available) and dedicate that time to re-organizing materials.

Set up a homework binder (or folder). One helpful strategy for many learners is setting up a homework folder or binder that goes everywhere with them. This folder contains all current homework that needs to be done or needs to be turned in. Simply label a folder "Done" and "To Do" on each side. This is an especially helpful tip for students who lose or misplace assignments. Use this free homework binder to get your students started.

Teach how to write homework down. I know this example sounds silly, but many learners don't know how to write homework down in an organized and consistent way. Practice what it means to write homework down accurately and explain why it is important. Doing daily or weekly homework log checks are helpful, too.

Find study buddies. No matter the age, all students should have one or two classmates to reach out to for support with homework and studying. This is a critical skill that helps build independence. When a student isn't sure what page the homework was or didn't understand the math lesson, it can be a good option to reach out to a classmate instead of always depending on the adults.

Teach goal-setting. All students should learn how to create action-oriented plans to reach their individual goals. This is a study skill, but also a life skill! Help students brainstorm and come up with one or two SMART goals that they want to accomplish in a short time-frame. Then, revisit those goals on a regular basis to make sure progress is being made.

Play games. Learning and improving study skills can be tough for learners. With this, games are always a helpful strategy to sneak in more learning opportunities. You can actually play any game while practicing study strategies. Just put questions for an upcoming test or quiz on flashcards. Each time a student takes a turn, they need to pick up a card and answer! If you're looking for something more, I developed an Executive Functioning Challenge Game that students can play again and again to practice their skills.

Chunk projects and long-term assignments. Long-term assignments can be particularly overwhelming for kids and young adults. Teach students how to break them apart into smaller and more manageable chunks. Giving mini-deadlines along the way also helps students stay on track.

Teach stress management. Simply put, school is stressful for kids and young adults. It's critical to help students learn coping strategies to help them deal with their feelings in more healthy ways. Spend some time discussing how to exercise, journal, read, practice mindfulness, and more. Grab this free list with 100 coping strategies to give you even more ideas.

Help students develop a study space. Every student should have a designated study space at home and at school to help them accomplish homework and assignments. While these study spaces might look different for every learner, having this area can help keep students organized and consistent.

Have a daily check-in and check-out. Spend just 5-10 minutes at the beginning of each day to help students get organized, check to see if they have what they need, and make a plan for the day. Do the same in the afternoon to make sure students have a plan for homework and studying after school. The goal is for students to check-in with themselves on their own, but this needs to be taught and practiced to make that happen

Practice taking brain breaks. All students need a mental break from time to time. Encourage students to check-in with themselves and notice when they need one of themselves. Practice different types of brain breaks, from exercising to practicing mindfulness. Use these free mindfulness coloring pages to have a brain break that is ready to go.

Engage in class discussions. Part of learning how to study well is problem-solving when challenges come up. Encourage students to talk through issues and brainstorm solutions together. For example, ask students what they might do when they have a lot of homework but also have basketball practice at 6:00 pm. Ask students what they might do if they have a big homework assignment due tomorrow but they can't remember the page. Start by just asking the question and letting your students guide their way through. These executive functioning task cards are perfect to guide discussions on a variety of topics or you can come up with your own questions on the fly!

Practice the art of memorization. Sometimes studying involves memorizing certain dates or vocabulary words. These are skills that can be taught, practiced, and strengthened over time. Have fun teaching this skill by memorizing lists, lyrics, numbers, and more.

If you find yourself in need for lessons and activities to teach study skills, check out my yearlong Executive Functioning and Study Skills set. It includes everything you need to teach the skills kids need for success from how to study, get organized, develop SMART goals, and much more.

Filed Under: Back to School, Classroom Management, Executive Functioning Skills, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Study Skills, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

Mindfulness has been a growing trend with kids and young adults, and I have been a huge supporter from the beginning. About ten years ago, I started practicing yoga, which introduced me to the benefits of deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness in my own life. Without a doubt, it has made a huge difference for me, so I love the idea of sharing some of those same strategies and practices with kids and young adults. Today, I have heard that many schools are getting on board with meditation rooms instead of detention and daily mindfulness practice during morning meetings. This just makes sense, so I wanted to share more about what mindfulness is and how you can practice it with your learners.

What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a practice that helps us to focus on the present, rather than the past or the present. Learning to be more present in the moment is a critical skill, especially in today's fast-paced world. When we work on this practice, we can actually improve our focus, strengthen our emotional control, increase positive feelings, and bring calm to our everyday lives. It's important to note that learning to be mindful doesn't happen after one activity or lesson. The idea is that it is a "practice" because it is something we are always improving.

When Can We Practice Mindfulness? Mindfulness can really be practice anytime! Some of the best times to practice mindfulness include right before a big test, after a noisy lunch, before or after a transition from one activity to another, or just in the morning as a positive start to the day. The biggest benefits to mindfulness are seen when it becomes a regular practice. So, try to incorporate it either once a day or once a week - whatever works best for you and your learners! Feel free to read up more on 10 Best Times to Practice Mindfulness in the Classroom.

Remember, that you don't need to be a mindfulness expert to start the practice with your students. Let them know you are learning and growing, too! If you notice that mindfulness is something you're interested in practicing with your learners, but still need extra support, I've got you covered. You can use my set of Mindfulness Activities filled with lessons, task cards, breathe boards, and crafts centered around helping kids become more mindful.
Here are five FREE mindfulness activities to help get you started today:
#1 Mindfulness Breathe Boards. One of the most important components to mindfulness is learning to control our breathing. Sometimes this can be abstract for students, so these mindfulness breathe boards serve as concrete visuals to help. Just have students trace their finger around the visual while breathing in and out. This should be done multiple times. Best of all, these breathe boards can be placed on a student's desk, in a binder, in a calm down area, or anywhere else a student might need them.

#2 Mindful Coloring. Drawing and coloring are often calming activities to begin with, of course. You can use these free coloring pages or just find any coloring books of your own. I often let my students choose from a huge pile of coloring books so they had more buy-in when practicing together. Start by explaining your students will be practicing mindfulness while coloring. It's important to highlight that if students feel like they made a mistake, they should just breathe in and out and let it go. Mindfulness is about being present in the moment, making judgments about what is good or bad. Let students choose their coloring page and give them access to the coloring materials you choose. Encourage the students to color quietly on their own. You can dim the lights and play calming music while they color.

#3 Practice Guided Meditations. Guided meditations are a short script or video clip you can play that helps students relax their minds and bodies. There are many free guided meditation videos for kids on YouTube and other video platforms. Have students sit comfortably or lie down on a rug. Have them close their eyes and practice their deep breathing. Turn the lights off for an added calming effect! As they get comfortable, start the guided meditation and let it play through. Kids might feel silly at first, but with just a few minutes, they will notice the calming effect this meditation can bring!

#4 Positive Affirmations. There is not much else better than positive affirmations! Teaching kids to read positive affirmations aloud to themselves or just in their heads can bring a sense of calm while also increasing confidence. It's a win-win! Use this free list of positive affirmations. Have students circle or highlight the positive affirmations they love the most. Have students read these to themselves or make index cards with their favorite sayings.

#5 Mindfulness 5-4-3-2-1. This is one of my favorite strategies for practicing mindfulness because it can be done anywhere and anytime. You don't need any special props! Have students sit comfortably and just look around the room. Tell them to use their senses to observe the immediate environment. Slowly go through the list. Have them identify 5 things that they can see, 4 things they can touch, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can small, and 1 thing they can taste. Take your time with each and remind students to absorb the feelings they experience.

Give one or two strategies a try! It might take some time, but it's wonderful to see students really getting into their own mindfulness practices. Of course, mindfulness is always helpful for adults, too!

Rewards and incentives can be a critical component to classroom management success. They are also the perfect tool to help learners to go outside their comfort zones and learn new skills. Simply put, providing rewards and incentives encourage positive behaviors. Sometimes rewards are seen in a negative light when they are compared to bribes. This just isn't the case! In real life, we all work for incentives and reward ourselves from time to time. After working on report card comments for a few hours, you might reward yourself with some downtime reading or watching television. You might also save a little extra money each month in order to go on a special vacation or trip, your incentive. These are adult real-life examples just to illustrate that rewards and incentives can be positive and encouraging. It is important to be mindful about how and when rewards and incentives are given, but they are a powerful tool!

When should I provide incentives? Incentives and rewards are extremely versatile. You might give a random whole-class reward when you are out sick and get a stellar report from the sub that day. This will highlight and reward the positive behaviors of the class as a whole, encouraging the same behaviors for the next time. You might also set up individual rewards with a student who is struggling with a specific behavior, such as completing homework or raising their hand in class. You could make a contract with that student and set up some rewards they will earn when they achieve their daily or weekly goal.

Why do I need a reward list? It's important to always keep things fresh, fun, and interesting for kids. Sometimes the same old rewards and incentives can get stale or boring for students. That doesn't mean you won't be able to use them again in the future - you definitely can! It just means it's often helpful to change things up. To help, I put together a list of over 50 reward ideas for kids. You can grab this free printable reward list and keep it in your teacher binder for reference when you need new ideas!
Reward Ideas for Kids:

1. Drawing time

2. Choose your seat

3. Teacher helper

4. Craft time

5. Reading time

6. Extra music time

7. Extra recess or gym time

8. Extra art time

9. Line leader

10. Half homework pass

11. No homework pass

12. 10-minute break pass

13. 10-minute talk with a friend pass

14. Choose your partner or group

15. First to share

16. Lunch with teacher

17. Lunch with a friend

18. Bonus points on test/quiz

19. Extra computer time

20. Sit in special seat

21. Borrow principal's chair for the day

22. Choose the music

23. Positive phone call together

24. Visit another teacher

25. Positive principal visit

26. Listen to music while working

27. Positive note home

28. Show and tell with class

29. Choose the read aloud

30. Swap seats for a day

31. Tell jokes to the class

32. Choose from prize bin

33. Special snack

34. Pretend it's your birthday

35. Work in the hallway

36. Write with special pen all day

37. Read the morning announcements

38. Get a mystery gift

39. Have teacher attend after school event

40. Pick out new game for class

41. Pick out new classroom materials

42. Choose a classroom job

43. Assign classroom jobs

44. Wear a hat for the day

45. Borrow a game for the weekend

46. Help design and put up bulletin board

47. Earn a certificate

48. Library pass

49. Help in the office

50. Help the custodians

51. Help in the library

52. Work anywhere in room

53. Help teach a lesson

54. Feed class pet

55. Read to younger students

56. Lesson of their choice

57. Read to the class

58. "Student of the Day"

59. Allow student to create a club

60. Invite parent for the day

61. Help make the quiz/test

62. Book fair certificate

63. Free answer coupon

64. Take a walk pass

65. Royalty for the day

66. Best seats at assembly

If you love this list, make sure to grab your free copy with reward ideas for elementary kids, older kids, and even whole-class rewards. What rewards would you add to the list?

Filed Under: Tagged With: Behavior Management, behavior management, classroom management, rewards Classroom Management, Positive Behavior Supports, Social Emotional Learning, Special Education, Teaching, Tips for Teachers

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Let's talk about disrespectful behaviors in the classroom. The child who talks back. The student using their cell phone , even after being told to put it away. The kid who refuses to do their work, and even loudly tells you, "no!" when you try to politely give some encouragement.

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Expanding your eLearning vocabulary can help increase productivity and avoid any confusion with your team and clients. Whether you are an instructional designer or an eLearning developer, you should commit these 8 key basic eLearning terms to memory...

1. Instructional Design

Instructional Design (ID) is the systemic process of identifying learning gaps, and then designing and developing content to close those learning gaps.

It involves delivering (both digital and physical) created learning products, as well as tracking performance and adjusting content as necessary. These learning products include online courses, instructional manuals, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, training videos, learning simulations, infographics, and more.

Instructional Designers adhere to instructional design models, which provide a framework to organize and structure learning materials. Two widely used models are ADDIE and SAM.

ADDIE is an acronym whose letters stand for the five phases in its approach to design, which are (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Develop, (4) Implement and (5) Evaluate. This is traditionally considered a linear model in which one phase would be finished, before moving on to the next.

SAM, which stands for Successive Approximation Model, is considered to be a more agile approach to design that has three stages: (1) Evaluate, (2) Design and (3) Develop.

My personal preference is ADDIE, but my team and I don't follow a traditional approach to ADDIE. We use ADDIE Agile. We even train other development teams on how to apply Agile to ADDIE to get better results. T his model is super simple and can easily be duplicated across all training projects. When you apply Agile principles, you reduce the limitations created by linear phases.

The eLearning term, Blending Learning, also called hybrid, mixed or integrative learning, is an approach to education that combines two main learning methods: (1) online learning and (2) traditional classroom-based learning (CBT).

Blended Learning programs typically consist of three primary components:

1. In-person classroom instruction and activities facilitated by a trainer.

2. Online learning materials, such as videos, interactive courses, pre-recorded lectures, etc.

3. Structured study time with peer interaction that is guided by both the online learning material and skills developed during the in-person classroom instruction.

For example, using a Blended Learning approach, learners may be asked to complete an online course or watch an online training video before coming to class.

During the in-person classroom instruction, the learners and facilitator would discuss what they learned in the online materials. In this case, online learning materials support in-person learning experiences.

So why are many consultants, facilitators and other learning professionals moving from traditional learning programs towards Blended Learning?

1. Flexibility

Blended Learning provides ultimate flexibility when it comes to presenting content. Material can be presented in a live setting, while other subject matter can be available online. With an online component, you can increase flexibility and convenience over how and when your learners take training.

Wouldn't it be great if you could have your learners get the basics out of the way prior to a live learning experience so that you could just dive into the application and practice?

2. Efficiency

Blended Learning enables organizations to efficiently and quickly deliver training to a wide audience. Online material, such as videos, interactive courses and pre-recorded lectures, can be reused to get new employees up to speed quickly.

3. Extend Reach

It provides organizations the opportunity to extend their reach to geographically dispersed employees by offering their learning programs online.

With the reduction of in-person classroom time with a Blended Learning approach, facilitators are able to run more programs simultaneously and reach employees around the globe without incurring travel or event costs.

3. Learning Management System (LMS)

A Learning Management System, often referred to as an LMS, is a software platform that organizations use to create, organize, deploy, and measure the performance of online training courses and educational programs for both onsite and remote learners.

The role of an LMS varies depending on the organization's objectives, training strategy and desired outcomes. However, the most common use for LMS software is to deploy and track online training initiatives. With that said, most LMSs have advanced tracking and reporting capabilities.

This enables eLearning professionals to track an online learner's progress and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the eLearning course to enhance performance and continued learner improvement.

4. eLearning Authoring Tool

Simply put, the eLearning term, authoring tool, is the tool you will use to create eLearning material. It is a software package that features asset libraries and design tools that allow Instructional Designers to create online training materials that are engaging and interactive for learners. We use the eLearning authoring tool Articulate 360 for most of our eLearning solutions.

If you are just starting out as an eLearning developer, we offer downloadable custom eLearning templates in The Shop to give you a head start on your eLearning course!

These t ools may include pre-made interactions, images, graphics and audio that can be quickly uploaded into an eLearning template to reduce development time. They can also assist in organizing and delivering eLearning content through an LMS platform.

eLearning Authoring Tools can be categorized into three different categories:

1. Computer Download eLearning Authoring Tool

Like most programs you use on your computer, many authoring tools have you download and install an application on your computer. After installation, you can then use it as you would any other application even if you do not have an internet connection.

2. PowerPoint Add-Ins and Plugins

PowerPoint is always a bad thing! Add-ins and Plugins can extend PowerPoint's capabilities by adding a tab to your ribbon in PowerPoint. iSpring is one example of a PowerPoint plugin that you can purchase to create SCORM compliant eLearning with PowerPoint. Once you click the tab, it opens the additional eLearning features that you can apply to normal PowerPoint slides.

These PowerPoint add-ins and plugins tend to offer simpler eLearning features than a computer download or cloud-based tool would, but still super useful for quick eLearning development. However, they can be very useful for people who already have a lot of PowerPoint slides that they would like to repurpose as online education.

Check out this article for more information on the available add-ins and plugins for PowerPoint.

3. Cloud-Based eLearning Authoring Tools

Many of the newer authoring tools, such as Storyline, Captivate, and Elucidat, are cloud-based. This means you access the tool using the internet.

The biggest benefit of cloud-based eLearning authoring tools is that you can work on your content from any computer anywhere. You can start work on a lesson in your office, travel to a satellite office across the country and continue working there, without having to take your files with you.

For more examples of eLearning cloud-based authoring tools, check out this 9 eLearning Authoring Tools: Comparison and Review article.

SCORM, another eLearning term, which stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, has become so widely used, it is often referred to as the default standard of eLearning.

It refers to a popular set of technical standards for packaging eLearning software products, so they work correctly once uploaded to any LMS. SCORM allows training developers to distribute their content to just about any LMS system with few, if any, issues.

In essence, a training professional will create an eLearning course using an authoring tool and export the material into a SCORM compliant output, which is a zip folder. The zip folder is then uploaded to the LMS of the users choice and published to learners. The learner can then launch it in the browser, and the LMS tracks and reports on the SCORM compliant course.

Instructional Designers are subject matter experts in designing learning experiences, and engaging learners. In some cases, they may also be experts in building out eLearning courses. They are not experts on the content that is covered in the courses they build, however. That is where a SME comes into play.

The SME, which stands for Subject Matter Expert, is the person who has extensive knowledge about the subject matter you are creating eLearning for. This person involves himself throughout the development of the content and the eLearning course development to validate and ensure content is accurate.

Here are six tips on how to effectively partner with an SME throughout the course development process:

1. Establish expectations and course objectives, so that you are both aligned.

2. Host a Scoping Meeting to complete the Training Analysis template.

3. Create a backlog of all tasks that need to be completed to deliver the project as quickly as possible.

4. As you build out content, write down any questions that come up and bring them to your meetings with the SME.

5. Take detailed notes during your meetings with the SME to avoid misunderstandings and inaccurate content.

6. Ensure that you engage with your SME throughout the design process to get their approval of your eLearning course content.

Storyboarding allows learning developers to outline eLearning courses in detail at the very beginning of an eLearning project, before the development process starts.

A Storyboard highlights eLearning course design elements, such as visuals, text, audio, interactions, navigation and anything else that will be used in the eLearning course. In essence, the storyboard serves as the course blueprint that tracks each step a learner must take to complete the eLearning course from start to finish.

This is a very important step because it helps ensure everyone involved in the project is in alignment with the course objectives and direction of learning. It helps everyone understand what they need to design and develop to have a successful end product.

Gamification is the concept of applying game-design mechanics and elements to non-game applications, such as eLearning courses. It can include gaming elements such as: rewards, challenges, points, levels, titles, a leaderboard, and positive feedback.

You present the learning materials to your learners in a fun and unique way to help them grasp concepts faster and increase retention. It provides a better learning experience because learners are able to stay engaged throughout the course. In addition, employees become more productive in the workplace with the shortened learning curve Gamification creates.

To highlight the importance of Gamification in eLearning, TalentLMS conducted a survey in 2019 that found that, "Employees say gamification makes them feel more productive (89%) and happier (88%) at work."

In addition, TalentLMS also reported that "83% of those who receive gamified training feel motivated, while 61% of those who receive non-gamified training feel bored and unproductive."

So, there you have it. Drop a few of these terms during your next team or client meeting, and you are sure to impress. However, let's not stop at just these 8 eLearning terms. What other basic eLearning terms must you know to be successful? Please post below. I would love to hear from you!

JOIN OUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK OF IDCers!

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8 Basic eLearning Terms You Must Know Instructional Design

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Expanding your eLearning vocabulary can help increase productivity and avoid any confusion with your team and clients. Whether you are an instructional designer or an eLearning developer, you should commit these 8 key basic eLearning terms to memory... Instructional Design (ID) is the systemic process of identifying learning gaps, and then designing and developing content to close those learning gaps.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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For those of you using Android in instruction, the collection below is definitely worth checking out. This is a list of some of the best educational Android apps out there based exclusively on our experience with reviewing tons of Android apps. Of course, the collection is not comprehensive and we only included what we think are basic apps every teacher using Android devices should know about. We have divided the apps into the following categories: apps for taking notes, apps for creating and sharing presentations, apps for creating digital portfolios, Android reference apps, apps for creating videos and mind maps. Have a look and share with us your feedback on our Facebook page.

First appeared here

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Helpful Educational Android Apps to Use in Your Teaching

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For those of you using Android in instruction, the collection below is definitely worth checking out. This is a list of some of the best educational Android apps out there based exclusively on our experience with reviewing tons of Android apps.

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When you can't meet up with loved ones, here are some fun activities and games to play on Facetime with grandparents and friends.
Most of us are still getting our heads around the fact that we're not going to be socializing how we're used to socializing for quite some time.

Explaining to our kids that they can't see their friends and family has been tough.

Right now, keeping everyone safe is all that matters so play-dates and family dinners are on hold for a while.

Thankfully though we have the technology that allows us to get together online...thank you FaceTime!

So, we're learning to make the most of it by playing some fun FaceTime games.

FaceTime games and activities are not only great fun but they also reduce the amount of time our three year old spends pressing his nose up to the phone screen 🤣

To Play Games On A Video Call You'll Need:

Games For Kids To Play On FaceTime With Grandparents

Grandparents ask them to find "something blue/ smooth/ starting with the letter c".

Kids run around trying to find an object and bring it back.

One player chooses an animal or object and everyone else takes turns to ask a question so that they can guess what they are.

"Yes" and "no" answers only.

The perfect game for grandparents tp play with grandkids of FaceTime. Show them an old photograph of a family member for them to guess who it is.

Someone starts with "I went to the shop and I bought...a packet of crisps".

Next person starts from the start and adds their own - "I went to the shop and I bought...a packet of crisps...and a bunch of bananas".

Carry on for as long as you can without getting confused!

One player acts out the title of a book or film one word at a time for others to guess.

Choose a topic like "household items" and take turns to say one in alphabetical order. So, "armchair", "biscuit tin", "coat rack"...

Who remembers this on TV!?

Both sides of video call to choose 15-20 objects and lay them out in a line.

One side to show the other side their items.

Other side has 1 minute to remember all objects.

As they guess correctly items are collected up and counted at the end.

Ask and discuss..."Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater?"

Prepare some questions for each other and take turns being interviewed.

Is a lovely activity for grandchildren to find out more about their grandparents.

A fun variation is to become characters in the Hotseat. So, for example you could interview Grandpa Pig.

Like the game Mr and Mrs on TV. Ask grandparent a question like "what's your favourite food?" Child and grandparent to write their guess/answer down on paper and reveal at the same time.

Do they match?

Grid games like battleship can be played over a screen.Cook

Like the TV show; contestants are given a few set ingredients with which they have to create a delicious meal.

Some games like Guess Who? and Twister work well over a screen if you both have a set.

Play this fun fast-paced game together using household items to complete tasks in less than a minute. Here are some fun task ideas.

Say a quote from a movie for the other team to guess who said it.

One person to draw while the other guesses what it is. My nephew's played this over Facetime with their Grandparents who had to do a forfeit if they guessed incorrectly!

This popular word guessing game works perfectly over a videocall.

One player is Simon and gives commands to everyone else. If they say "Simon says...sit down/ hop" everyone must do that action. If they say just "sit down/ hop" everyone must remain still or they are out of the game.

Like Pictionary but mold your word with playdough.

Other people are also reading Gifts for Self Isolating Loved Ones

Facetime Activities To Do With Kids

If you don't fancy a FaceTime game you might prefer doing an activity on Facetime.

There are loads of activities that work well on video calls and allow you to spend some time together.

Read a book together or have grandparents read to younger children.

I loved performing for my grandparents each Christmas. If you have some performers then ask them to practice a performance and put on a show. Popcorn optional.

Spend some time thinking about all that's good in your life. You can print a gratitude dice for free here.

Use our free kids gratitude journal template to record all the things that are good about being you. It's not only a wonderful emotional boost at this tricky time, practicing gratitude has also been proven to improve our physical health.

Help a child write a letter to a friend or relative. You can write for a young child or help an older child to write their own. Rather than post it you could send a photo of it digitally.

If your kids are younger them they'll probably enjoy watching a puppet show performance.

Why not spend some time helping out with some homework? Talk through it together over FaceTime.

If you're musically talented then get your instruments out and play together.

Prepare a collection of funny jokes. Who gets the biggest laugh?

Turn up the music and have a boogie!

Older kids might enjoy baking something tasty while person on the other side of FaceTime guides them through a recipe or follows along themselves.

After a baking session why not sit down and enjoy what you've baked together.

If you're used to spending a lot of time together it can be the simple things that you miss the most. Arrange to serve dinner at the same time (or if you're close-by you could deliver some to them).

Games For Kids and Toddlers To Play On FaceTime With Friends

Choose a special item that they can share with each other.

Agree on something to draw and give it a go at the same time. This can be as serious or as silly as they like.

Put a yoga session on YouTube and follow the story together.

Who can pull the silliest face? Keep going until someone laughs 🤣

Take turns finding an object which starts with a specific letter. Work your way through the alphabet to see how far you can get.

Make up a story one word at a time. Each person chooses one word quickly so you keep a bit of a rhythm.

Once-upon-a-time-there-lived-a-snail-who....

See what you come up with!

Chat and play. Build a tall tower. Make a robot. All while chatting.

One person to think of an animal and the other person to ask questions until they guess correctly.

You must only answer "yes" or "no".

I loved putting on shows with my sisters and cousin as a child. Edward Scissor Hands was our specialty!

Spend all day practicing and perform on FaceTime when you're ready.

While talking try and sketch each other.

Who can stare for the longest without blinking?

Try to get someone else to say "yes" or "no". If they do then you win!

You may also enjoy these indoor games to play with kids.

games to play on Facetime printable

Do you have any other suggestions for games to play on FaceTime?

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50+ Games To Play On Facetime With Kids (Free Printable) | fun video call games

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When you can't meet up with loved ones, here are some fun activities and games to play on Facetime with grandparents and friends. Most of us are still getting our heads around the fact that we're not going to be socializing how we're used to socializing for quite some time.

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Click here for the online version of the infographic.

I have a vivid memory from my experiences teaching as a full-time art history instructor at Sierra College that has left a lasting impression on me. It was around 2004 and I had been teaching online for about a year or so and I was seated with other faculty at the Sierra graduation ceremony. It was a hot Rocklin afternoon and the sun was in my eyes, but I was excited to experience the magical, inspirational event of graduation. As I sat listening to the names of students be called out as they walked across the stage and accepted their diplomas, I heard the name of one of my online students be announced. An strange, unfamiliar feeling came over me. Yes, I clapped and cheered, just as I was doing for other students (especially my own), but it was different. At that very moment, I realized that he and I would not be sharing a handshake or a hug, as I would do with my face-to-face students, after the ceremony. It dawned upon me that he would not be able to identify me as his instructor and nor him.

That moment awakened me to the gap that can exist between students and their instructors (and students-students) in online classes. And, from that moment, I made an effort to reconcile this gap. I started by toying with Audacity to transform my text announcements into voice messages to my students. That was a good change. But it wasn't until I started using VoiceThread and bought a Flip video camera to record an introductory video of myself that I had evidence of bridging this gap.

The evidence came on another warm afternoon when I pulled into the college parking lot. As I opened the door, I was greeted by a young man who exclaimed, "You are my online instructor!" It was a very cool moment and one that I cherish to this day. We had a brief conversation and I walked away with a smile.

Since then, I've tried lots of different strategies in my classes and, despite the fact that our world has become more connected through social technologies in recent years (that are easy to use and often free), I still have students who regularly share with me that my class is different -- because they feel like they know me and they feel like I care. This isn't to say that online instructors who use voice/video and interactive tools to design and facilitate their courses are the only instructors who care. But these strategies are key to my ability to be present in the experiences of my students. And they're key to my ability to share my inflection, my concern, and my enthusiasm for them -- nuances text cannot convey.

This week, a series of online conversations spurred by Laura Gibbs and Amy Collier surfaced that delved into the value of an active, authentic presence by an instructor in online classes. They made me recognize how important this conversation is and I hope these dialogues continue.

Meanwhile, my with my team at CSU Channel Islands, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to "humanize" an online class. I started using this term when I wrote my eBook about VoiceThread, but using VoiceThread is not the only way to humanize an online class. Below, you will see a new infographic I put together in an attempt to concisely communicate what humanizing is to me.

These are principles we have infused into the Online Teaching Program at CI and they seem to be making an impact on how faculty relate to the idea of online classes. It really does matter when faculty development for online teaching is provided in an online format. It is the only way to immerse faculty in an experiential learning experience and recognize just how meaningful online learning can be and how important it is to know your instructor as a human. I work about 300-miles away from the faculty I support in these classes. I believe their experiences would not be quite as impactful if I was in an office down the hall.

We've shared the infographic is shared with a CC-BY license, which provides permission for you to re-use the infographic without permission, as long as it is attributed (this item has a joint attribution to me and Teaching & Learning Innovations@CI).

Next week at ET4Online in Dallas, Jill Leafstedt, Kristi O'Neil, and I will be using the infographic to frame our workshop, How to Humanize Your Online Class. And next month, I'll be facilitating an online workshop for ELI on the same topic. I hope to connect with some of you in these two venues!

I hope this is a resource that will be used by many.

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Infographic: How to Humanize Your Online Class

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Click here for the online version of the infographic. I have a vivid memory from my experiences teaching as a full-time art history instructor at Sierra College that has left a lasting impression on me. It was around 2004 and I had been teaching online for about a year or so and I was seated with other faculty at the Sierra graduation ceremony.

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IEP GOAL ASSESSMENT TOOLBOX

A few years ago I got really tired of running around the room whenever I needed to assess my students. I decided to put all of the manipulatives that I might need in one place. You can use any type of container you want, but I found this super cool toolbox that I LOVE! I found this one on Amazon and it was really inexpensive! You can find it HERE! I also have another one very similar from Home Depot. You can really use any plastic container, but this toolbox keeps everything super organized! I can take it around the room to test each student. I also include student folders with data recording sheets and assessment tracking sheets. I bring all of it with me for documentation and recording. It's also great to keep any work samples to bring to the IEP or to review when writing IEP progress reports! Not every student will need everything that's in the box but I tried to make it as complete as possible for all students.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR ASSESSMENT TOOLBOX

The way I figured out what to put in the toolbox was to first gather all of the student IEP goals. I always kept mine in data folders with ONLY the goals and data forms. This way you don't have to fumble through the entire IEP looking for the goals. You will find that many students may have the same goals, so you would only need to include one clock or one set of coins to use with multiple students. Most of these items will already be in your classroom or are pretty easy to make, but I have included links to a few items from my store and some great FREEBIES!
Here are some of the items that I included:

COINS

UPPERCASE AND LOWERCASE LETTERS

NUMBERS (for identification and/or writing)

COUNTING CUBES (can also be used for patterns)

CLOCK WITH MOVEABLE HANDS

POSITIONAL WORD CARDS (can also use actual pieces for kids who need it)

FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS CARDS

SIGHT WORD FLASHCARDS

NAME PRACTICE ( for both writers and non-writers)- I use letters with and without a model for my non-writers. These are just plastic pencil boxes where I store the letters for the student's name.
For my writers, I LOVE this sheet with dates so that you can see the progress through the entire year. I use this as a student work sample and to show parents during an IEP! You can find this name sheet in my assessment pack.

STUDENT DATA FOLDERS

These are really the foundation of the toolbox. I first put all of the goals in the folders and then added assessment sheets and data forms. That way it was all right there when we needed it! Both my para and I made sure these were pre-filled. You can find some editable data forms and assessments here>> DATA FORMS AND ASSESSMENTS

Again, it really depends on your class IEP goals, but by filling the toolbox ahead of time you will not waste so much time running around the room looking for items to use to assess your students. You can just grab the box and go to where the student is or pull them to a table, or whatever works best for you.

These pencil pouches are great for many IEP goal assessments and they each come with half page assessment sheets that fit right in the pouch. Just make multiple copies and store them right in the pouch. You can find the ALPHABET TRACING set for FREE HERE

OTHER ITEMS INCLUDED IN TOOLBOX:

scissors for cutting assessments along with printed circles, shapes, and squares for cutting. YOU CAN GRAB A FREE CUTTING ASSESSMENT HERE.

tongs for fine motor

shapes and colors

WH questions with data sheets (FREE)

pencils, dry-erase markers

writing paper for writing goals

calculator

reinforcers!

Don't forget to bring a few reinforcers for students who may be a bit reluctant to show you what they know! I used stickers or snacks, but you know your kids and what will motivate them! :)

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A few years ago I got really tired of running around the room whenever I needed to assess my students. I decided to put all of the manipulatives that I might need in one place. You can use any type of container you want, but I found this super cool toolbox that I LOVE!

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The best instructional design books can help you better understand everything that goes into creating effective learning experiences. They provide an overview of the core principles, tools, and strategies that are essential for crafting engaging eLearning content.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, instructional design books can help you create more impactful online courses and learning experiences for students.

Every book from the list will help you broaden your horizons as an eTeacher, or encounter alternative approaches to what you thought was written in stone. My review covers 100 titles in 16 categories.

In addition to reading the best instructional design books out there, I also highly recommend taking an in-depth course on the subject to truly master the subject and to better improve your odds of landing a great job in the field.

Unleash your true potential with Emeritus' Professional Certificate in Instructional Design program and take your career to new heights.

Discover the basics of instructional design, explore popular theories, and learn practical strategies for designing online learning environments.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced professional, this program is perfect for unlocking your full potential.

You can learn more about the program and request a brochure at this link.

Now, let's get down to some reading!

Cover

Book name

I. Beginners' guides

II. Classic Works on e-Learning and Instructional Design

III. Practical Course Authoring

IV. Visuals & UX Design

V. Video Production

VI. Course Scenario How-tos

VII. Project Management

VIII. ADDIE

IX. Agile/SAM

X. Children and Teenage Learning

XI. Adult Education

XII. e-Learning in Business

XIII. Blended Learning

XIV. Education and Psychology

XV. Gamification

XVI. General Topics

Beginner's Guides

Here you can find a list of books I recommend for novice course authors and trainers. Read on for basic principles, terms and scenarios.

1. Design for How People Learn (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)
By Julie Dirksen, 2015
A great fit for beginners and experts alike, this clearly written book underlines the key factors behind learning, memory, and knowledge acquisition that instructional designers should leverage to create engaging materials. Great imagery, facts, figures, and an impeccable sense of humor.

2. Essentials of Online Course Design: A Standards-Based Guide (Essentials of Online Learning). 2nd Edition
By Marjorie Vai, Kristen Sosulski, 2011
A brief overview of e-Learning development and implementation, this work outlines smart pedagogical, organizational and visual design tools, and best practices. Practice supported by theory, a checklist of standards, assessment techniques, writing styles, group work recommendations, and nice illustrations inside.

3. Instructional Design for ELearning: Essential guide to creating successful eLearning courses
By Marina Arshavskiy, 2013
This book is an easy introduction to Instructional Design (ID). How-tos, comprehensive tables, surveys, nifty visuals, templates, and tips for keeping up knowledge retention. A good summary of theoretical and practical issues unveiled in simple precise wording. Highly recommended for beginners.

4. Delivering E-Learning: A Complete Strategy for Design, Application and Assessment. 1st Edition
By Kenneth Fee, 2009
Looking for a strategic perspective? Then it's wiser to pick another source. This text's goal is merely to provide clear step-by-step guidance to course creation. The book slants towards learning approaches rather than specific technology, deciphers jargon, and dispels misconceptions.

5. E-Learning Fundamentals: A Practical Guide Paperback

Why e-Learning? What is an LMS? How to write a storyboard? These and more questions find concise answers in this book. Basics of e-Learning design, test questions, efficient media, review and assessment processes are covered in this beginner's guide.
By Diane Elkins, Desiree Pinder, 2015
6. Systematic Design of Instruction. 8th Edition

Once dubbed 'the Bible of Instructional Design', this text covers all the fundamentals for edu decision-makers. Best procedures for designing, developing, and assessment. A simple yet meticulous approach to prioritizing and reaching learning goals. A handbook for future Masters in training.

7. Principles of Instructional Design. 5th Edition
By Walter Dick, Lou Carey, James O. Carey, 2014
Leveraging psychology and information processing, this guide to ID describes comprehensive courses and instruction modules. The technology part may sound outdated, but the cultural context and learner-driven approaches are here to stay. Handy reference book for newbies and power designers.

8. Instructional Design. 3rd Edition
By Robert M. Gagne, Walter W. Wager, Katharine Golas, John M. Keller, 2004
A source of inspiration for K-12 teachers, this work speaks of declarative and procedural knowledge, various learning scenarios and techniques. The authors follow the ADDIE model to support their ID vision. Most grads and practitioners find this book a valuable investment!

9. Designing Effective Instruction. 5th Edition
By Patricia L. Smith, Tillman J. Ragan, 2004
A classic ID textbook and reference material juxtaposing theory and real-world examples for teachers-to-be and seasoned trainers. Easy-to-follow advice applies smoothly to K-12, higher education, distance learning, and business training. Authors blend behavioral and cognitive methodologies for comprehensive results.

10. Instructional Design that Soars: Shaping What You Know Into Classes That Inspire
By Gary R. Morrison, Steven M. Ross, Jerrold E. Kemp, 2006
ID from planning to delivery in just 10 short chapters. An easy-to-read non-academic book containing worksheets, templates and checklists. This edition is suitable for beginners, and addresses a broad audience of educators, HR managers, and small business owners.

ID Classics

These books are among my favorites as classic works on course design and e-Learning. Some of them are new, others were written 10-15 years ago, yet they still make great reading.

11. The Essentials of Instructional Design: Connecting Fundamental Principles with Process and Practice, Third Edition.
By Guila Muir, 2013
'The Essentials' provides novice instructional designers with an overview of key procedures including audience/task analysis, needs and objectives analysis, organization of the learning environment, learner evaluation, etc. Here you can find a variety of approaches to each step. Easily digestible, yet comprehensive.

12. Revolutionize Learning & Development: Performance and Innovation Strategy for the Information Age. 1st Edition
Check out on Amazon →
This book introduces new techniques to training environments. Major changes may be overwhelming for practitioners, yet there's always room for perfection. Learn more about the concepts of research-based frameworks, performance support, informal learning, etc. A source of inspiration for innovators!

13. ISD From the Ground Up: A No-Nonsense Approach to Instructional Design Paperback
By Abbie Brown, Timothy D. Green, 2015
This work focuses on Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and the classic approach to course authoring. Basics of ISD, ADDIE, lesson plans, tips, and more! A plethora of guidelines and best practices that will benefit beginners and experts alike.

14. The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips. 2nd Edition
By Clark N. Quinn, 2014
This handy reference book builds on an overview of theory-powered practices for e-Learning. The key takeaways from this work include the use of technology in online teaching, tailored pedagogical tips, insights into latest cognition research. Highly recommended to novice e-teachers!

15. e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. 3rd Edition
By Chuck Hodell, 2011
A must-read for instructors engaged in online teaching and e-Learning, 'The Science of Instruction' builds on evidence-based findings and practical guidelines. Complex concepts are explained in a clear fashion, making the book accessible to both ID experts and aspiring students.

16. e-Learning by Design. 2nd Edition
By Judith V. Boettcher, Rita-Marie Conrad, 2016
A comprehensive e-Learning handbook addressing the modern world of ID, social learning, mobile learning, games, and beyond. A down-to-earth resource that helps trainers to develop meaningful classes, create tests and assessments, and craft simulations and individualized programs. Clear language, succinct style!

17. First Principles of Instruction. 1st Edition

The book advocates the student-oriented approach (as opposed to content-oriented), and offers proprietary concepts like the 'Pebble-in-the-Pond' instructional design model. The e3 ID Checklist is a great benchmark for assessing existing instructional programs and making changes on the fly.
By Ruth C. Clark, Richard E. Mayer, 2011
18. About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design

'About Face' comes high on the heels of the technology shift we've been witnessing in the past decade. Design for mobile platforms and touch interfaces, interactions, collaboration tools, and a goal-directed methodology are unveiled in this highly relevant empirical work.

19. Design for Information: An Introduction to the Histories, Theories, and Best Practices Behind Effective Information Visualizations
By William Horton, 2011
The book provides an ample overview of historic and up-to-date visual solutions employed in information delivery. A well-structured source for graphic designers and course authors that spans cognition, perception, and computer interaction, and suggests smart engagement and instruction techniques.

20. Immersive Learning: Designing for Authentic Practice
By M. David Merril, 2012
Koreen Olbrish Pagano's text leverages immersive learning techniques to bring maximum value to academia and workplaces. The books describes how instructional designers can manage and channel learners' cognitive experiences, elicit feedback and map out short-term and long-term consequences. Highly recommended!

Practical course authoring

This set of books will provide you with basic steps towards successful course authoring.

By Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, Christopher Noessel, 2014
21. The New Art and Science of Teaching: More Than Fifty New Instructional Strategies for Academic Success.

This work builds on the three pillars of effective instruction: students must get relevant material and constant feedback, and have their psychological needs met. 'The New Art' gives full strategic guidance and practical advice on efficient teaching and course authoring.

22. The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age
By Isabel Meirelles, 2013
A fresh view of e-Learning, basics of course design, scenarios, interactivity, and visual design. The work is more suitable for beginners, or as the author puts it, accidental instructional designers. What to do and what to avoid in this soon-to-be-classic handbook.

23. Designing Successful e-Learning, Michael Allen's Online Learning Library: Forget What You Know About Instructional Design and Do Something Interesting. 1st Edition
By Koreen Olbrish Pagano, 2013
This collection of e-Learning techniques will help you achieve specific educational objectives through motivation and smart design. Based on theory and experience, Michael Allen suggests you do something to stand out, and reap the benefits. The book tells you how!

24. Streamlined ID: A Practical Guide to Instructional Design. 1st Edition
Check out on Amazon →
The book unveils the basics of ID through the prism of ADDIE. An ideal reference for streamlined course authoring, this text caters to a variety of pedagogical approaches: Instructivist, Constructivist, and Connectivist. Every chapter highlights key concepts and provides additional assignments.

25. Ten Steps to Complex Learning: A Systematic Approach to Four-Component Instructional Design. 2nd Edition
By Robert J. Marzano, 2017
A no-nonsense work on instructional technology that covers the design of edu games, social learning media, neuroscience, etc. 'Ten Steps' outlines the course roadmap from training problem to solution. A reference book for ID practitioners from all walks of life!

26. How to Personalize Learning: A Practical Guide for Getting Started and Going Deeper. 1st Edition
By Cammy Bean, 2014
This book covers the different skills of an Instructional Designer, ideas for personalization, gaining attention and knowledge retention, effective writing, smart visual design and well-weighed interactivity. All these concepts rendered in easy clear language. This work is a genuine pleasure to read!

27. Telling Ain't Training: Updated, Expanded, Enhanced. 2nd Edition
By Michael W. Allen, 2007
The authors highlight the importance of pure fun and interactivity. The book distinguishes between various types of knowledge and lays out the key motivating factors for learners. This work is enriched with quizzes, visuals and short summaries for better understanding.

28. Best Practices in Engaging Online Learners Through Active and Experiential Learning Strategies (Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning)
By Miriam Larson, Barbara B. Lockee, 2013
This book blends active and experiential approaches, including social media integration, gamification, scenario-based courses, etc. The authors present guidelines for peer-learning and collaboration in the web-based classroom and beyond. Efficient goal-driven learning tools and best practices in this book.

29. The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide

This is a practical work aimed at blended classroom teachers. A friendly resource that delivers instructions, tools, and templates that will help you on the road from brick-and-mortar towards the shiny flipped classroom. A step-by-step guide to blended course design.
By Jeroen J.G. van Merriënboer, Paul A. Kirschner, 2012
30. Instructional Design-Step by Step: Nine Easy Steps for Designing Lean, Effective, and Motivational Instruction

This work avoids abstract preaching and gets right to the essence of practical design. An A-to-Z guide on crafting insightful materials of varying complexity and target audience. 'Instructional Design' makes light reading and empowers you with some great ID tricks.
By Barbara A. Bray, Kathleen A. McClaskey, 2016
Visuals & UX Design

A bunch of resources on User Experience, Visual Design and good-looking courses.

31. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design (Interactive Technologies). 1st Edition
By Harold D. Stolovitch, Erica J. Keeps, 2011
The presented work covers a wide range of UX issues, from general sketching and early prototyping to mobile technology, smart devices, and more. 'Sketching User Experiences' includes a handful of case studies, exercises, and projects to showcase the author's methods.

32. Visual Design Solutions: Principles and Creative Inspiration for Learning Professionals. 1st Edition

'Visual Design Graphics' provides a bunch of ideas for further improving the visual side of your e-Learning courses and modules. Dive into the book to learn more about better organization of screen objects, working with images, typography and imagery.
By Stephanie Smith Budhai, Ke'Anna Skipwith, 2016
33. Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics that People Understand

An earlier work by Connie Malamed, this guide features insights into visual design, and a host of how-tos. Organizing graphics, highlighting relevant information, thingification of abstract ideas, optimal expression of visual complexity, and more in 'Visual Language for Designers'.

34. The Non-Designer's Design Book. 4th Edition
By Kathryn E. Linder, 2016
For 20+ years, Robin Williams has taught readers how to design professional-looking courses. The 4th edition of 'The Non-Designer's Design Book' adds more practical tips, touches upon the basics of typography, and includes an array of quizzes and exercises.

35. Graphic Design for Nondesigners: Essential Knowledge, Tips, and Tricks, Plus 20 Step-by-Step Projects for the Design Novice
By PhD John S. Hoffman, 2013
The book features twenty step-by-step design instructions for everything: websites, T-shirts, or training courses... This work is pretty general, yet it speaks volumes to non-designers looking to learn a thing or two about space, color, types, and other visual elements.

Video Production
Check out on Amazon →
e-Learning video tricks, general recommendations and equipment tips.

36. Rapid Video Development for Trainers: How to Create Learning Videos Fast and Affordably
By Bill Buxton, 2017
This all-around tutorial involves both the theory and practice of creating instructive high-quality videos. Focusing on cost-efficient solutions, the author explains how to edit and publish video for best results, and accomplish maximum visibility and ROI with a simple 12-point plan.

37. Creating Video for Teachers and Trainers: Producing Professional Video with Amateur Equipment 1st Edition
By Connie Malamed, 2015
Tim Spannaus has come up with some best practices in instructional video. Plan, design and perform outstanding video projects with the use of cost-efficient software. Evidence-based guidelines, plus tips and tricks for telling video stories in the classroom and online.

38. E-Learning with Camtasia Studio

Efficient screencasting with Camtasia is no rocket science, or so we learn from this nifty handbook. You'll find out how to create project plans, develop storyboards, grab video footage, publish video as-is or as LMS content, add quizzes, and more.
By Connie Malamed, 2011
39. How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck: Advice to Make Any Amateur Look Like a Pro. 1st Edition

This guide does not specifically target e-Learning, but it's a pretty cool compendium of video shooting tricks. Unless you think hitting 'record' and letting the camera do the rest might actually work, dive into the book for battle-hardened video recording tips.

40. The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media. 2nd Edition
By Robin Williams, 2015
Ever thought of video authoring from a filmmaker's perspective? This work is your chance. 'The Visual Story' presents a clear outlook on story/script structure and visual composition of multimedia items. Learn how visual components can bolster your ID experience!

Course Scenario How-tos
By Tony Seddon, Jane Waterhouse, Rick Landers, 2009
Sources of advice on scenario-based training, and practical tips.

41. Scenario-based e-Learning: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Online Workforce Learning. 1st Edition
Check out on Amazon →
'Scenario-based e-Learning' is a powerful source of reference for instructional designers. The ins and outs of scenarios employed in the workplace or in academia, with illustrative materials spanning all walks of life and industries. Find task-oriented instructional techniques inside!

42. Scenario-Based Learning: Using Stories To Engage e-Learners (Scenario-Based Learning, Volume 1)
By Jonathan Halls, 2012
Tell stories using off-the-shelf or bespoke scenarios, and design your own ideas. This book accumulates tons of valuable workouts and samples, plus a wealth of Scenario-Based Learning (SBL) tools and references. The author is a true expert in the field. Highly recommended!

43. Scenario Planning in Organizations: How to Create, Use, and Assess Scenarios
By Tim Spannaus, 2012
In Chermack's book, one will find practical advice on business training. Discover a five-phase scenario planning system: from project preparation to assessment. Once you are done with the set of steps, proceed to the complexities and workarounds to get the big picture.

44. Case Scenarios for Teaching and Learning Social Work Practice (Teaching Social Work).

Any issues with new in-class activity scenarios? Browse this book for advice. 40 cases imbued with social work knowledge. A variety of settings and challenges matched with solid assessment techniques and intervention plans. Worthy reading for ID specialists.

45. Scenario Based Learning: A Better Methodology of Teaching English and Mathematics
By David B. Demyan, 2014
This book highlights English and Math studies in primary school, and the way SBL can help to boost knowledge acquisition and retention. The work in question will benefit researchers, educators, administrators, parents, and students. Clear concise style. Good reading.

Project Management

PM in Instructional Design and beyond. Industry-specific projects and general tools

46. Project Managing E-Learning: A Handbook for Successful Design, Delivery and Management. 1st Edition
By Steve Stockman, 2011
The book offers well-weighed advice in managing e-Learning projects for academic and corporate environments. It guides managers through the entire project cycle from conception to delivery, and factors in risk management, performance, and potential roadblocks on the road to success.

47. Project Management for Trainers. 2nd Edition
By Bruce Block (Author), 2007
This work is a handy reference for PMs and trainers. It covers project goals, scope, restrictions, schedule, milestones, stakeholders and pretty much everything related to the process. The book also highlights the importance of post-project assessment to facilitate future developments.

48. Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. 7th Edition
Check out on Amazon →
Unanimously dubbed 'the PM standard for trainers', this book has undergone multiple editions to address the evolving requirements. In the 7th edition, it examines traditional and agile methodologies, and refers to a companion website packed with exercises and PowerPoint slides.

49. Project Management: Tools and Trade-offs. 1st Edition
By Ruth C. Clark, Richard E. Mayer, 2012
'Project Management' unveils the essentials of cross-industry PM and focuses on tradeoffs in critical project environments. The book offers the right balance of theory and practice, takes on an analytical approach, and includes Excel templates on an attached CD.

50. Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager: A FranklinCovey Title

This book explains the basics of PM in a simple concise manner and provides relevant references to PMBOK and other project management pillars. This is a practical handbook free from academic veneer. A good fit for novice and intermediate project managers.
By Ph.D. Ray Jimenez, 2009
ADDIE

Learn to Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate with a bunch of nifty handbooks.

51. Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right. 3rd Edition
By Thomas J. Chermack, 2011
An industry standard guide to crafting effective and instructive materials. 'Rapid Instructional Design' unfolds the ADDIE model from analysis to evaluation, unlocks popular shortcuts for rapid design, provides real-life examples, and investigates methods for the booming trends of instruction.

52. Instructional Design: The ADDIE Approach
By Shirley M. Haulotte, Jane A. Kretzschmar, 2011
This well-written book focuses on ADDIE principles, and builds on sound theory and research. A good fit for intermediate course authors, yet a little too general for seasoned IDs. The book constitutes a handy reference source for e-Learning specialists.

53. ISD From The Ground Up: A No-Nonsense Approach to Instructional Design. 4th Edition
By Navnath Tupe, 2013 Check out on Amazon →
Chuck Hodell's writing helps you better understand ADDIE and its significance in course design. The book brings a fresh outlook on objectives, lesson plans, designs, focus groups, etc. The 4th edition adds new chapters and a revamped glossary.

54. Designing Effective Instruction. 7th Edition

This book follows the principles of the classic ADDIE methodology, and integrates success stories of ID practitioners with many years of experience and great scenarios under their belt. Valuable discussions of learning styles, cognitive procedures, explanations on sequencing, etc. Highly recommended!
By Maggie McVay Lynch, John Roecker, 2007
55. The ISD Handbook: Everything You Should Know About Instructional Systems Design, But Didn't Know to Ask! Kindle Edition

A solid foundation for studies in Instructional Systems Design along with a comprehensive overview of ID basics and terminology. Check out the book for information on the ADDIE approach, and use it as an initial teaching tool and reference guide.
By Lou Russell, 2016
Agile/SAM

Books on Agile methodologies and the Successive Approximation Model in learning.

56. Leaving ADDIE for SAM: An Agile Model for Developing the Best Learning Experiences
By Robert K. Wysocki, 2013
In this book, Michael Allen asserts that ADDIE has to give way to newer methodologies. As a replacement, the book advocates SAM (Successive Approximation Model) and the Savvy Start concept. Delve into this work for contemporary design theory and efficient teaching techniques.

57. Leaving ADDIE for SAM Field Guide: Guidelines and Templates for Developing the Best Learning Experiences

The practical sequel of 'Leaving ADDIE for SAM', written by Michael Allen's coauthor Richard Sites and Angel Green, it provides the tools and templates to keep SAM rolling. An excellent handbook for creating courses in compliance with evolving e-Learning demands.
By Ted Klastorin, 2011
58. Agility Shift: Creating Agile and Effective Leaders, Teams, and Organizations
By Kory Kogon, Suzette Blakemore, James Wood, 2015
'Agility Shift' by Pamela Meyer puts together various application fields, IT and non-IT. The book shows project managers how to build an agile ecosystem in the volatile world of information. This work offers actionable strategies and practical advice on going agile.

59. Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products. 2nd Edition
Check out on Amazon →
Another general PM book that provides a substantial overview of agile methods and goals, performance management techniques, and leader skills. Read this work and learn how to optimize the five stages of an agile project: Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close.

60. Agile Methodology for Developing & Measuring Learning: Training Development for Today's World
By George M. Piskurich, 2015
This agile-centered work is tailored to individual training needs. It introduces the reader to flexible development techniques, and helps create self-organizing teams and split larger arrays of material into smaller chunks and multiple iterations. Also, you can consult this book for self-assessment tips.

Child and Teenage Learning

Engagement techniques and theories applied to young learners. Early development, teenage training, etc.

By Robert Maribe Branch, 2011
61. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

In his book, Paul Tough maintains that success has little to do with formal knowledge. It's personality that matters. According to Paul, perseverance and curiosity must be the decisive factors to cultivate in modern schools. Makes interesting reading!

62. Hacking Engagement: 50 Tips & Tools To Engage Teachers and Learners Daily (Hack Learning Series Book 7). Kindle Edition
By Chuck Hodell, 2016
'Hacking Engagement' provides creative ways to engage learners, tips and tools that will help you to step away from traditional approaches and think outside the box. Although the book does not specifically target child education, it's a cool practical reference for teachers.

63. Secrets of the Teenage Brain: Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Today's Adolescents
By Gary R. Morrison, Steven M. Ross, Howard K. Kalman, Jerrold E. Kemp, 2012
Teenagers can be a handful when you don't know how to deal with them. This book unravels the mysteries of the teenage mind and offers well-chosen stories and research in adolescence and its issues. Learn more about teenage psychology and education!
By Garry Neale, 2016
64. The Exceptional Child: Inclusion in Early Childhood Education. 8th Edition

In 'The Exceptional Child', the authors discuss key approaches to children with special needs. The book is clearly written, well-structured, lightweight and easy to use. Spot-on information that teachers and caregivers may use to build appropriate learning environments for exceptional kids.
Check out on Amazon →
65. A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom. 6th Edition
By Michael W. Allen, Richard Sites, 2012
The 'Guidance Approach' focuses on the ages between 3 and 8 years, and serves as a reference book for education professionals. The first part explores early childhood learning, and the second part provides tips on shaping up an engaging classroom. Worthy reading for pedagogues!

Adult Education

A few works on helping grownups imbibe knowledge in the most efficient manner possible.

66. Leading for Powerful Learning: A Guide for Instructional Leaders
By Richard Sites, Angel Green, 2014
This book blends theory with best practices to formulate a vision of next-gen education. The practical part describes a harmonious adult learning framework, and involves a variety of tools and protocols employed by leading schools, districts, departments, faculty members, etc.

67. Designing Training and Instructional Programs for Older Adults (Human Factors & Aging)
By Pamela Meyer, 2015
This work provides valuable insights into older adults' learning, and focuses on existing and prospect training programs, retention and knowledge transfer, and e-Learning and multimedia formats in elder perception. Implications of learning theories and adaptation of popular methodologies in this text.

68. Teaching Adults: A Practical Guide for New Teachers (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education). 1st Edition
By Jim Highsmith, 2009
In this book, readers will find general teaching frameworks, the author's four keys to smart instruction, an in-depth analysis of unique challenges in adult learning, motivation techniques, and a means of dealing with difficult audiences. Well-written and full of practical wisdom!

69. How to Teach Adults: Plan Your Class, Teach Your Students, Change the World, Expanded Edition (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education). 1st Edition

A hands-on guidebook on instructing grownup learners, this work is full of real-life examples, course design tips, lesson plan recommendations, suggestions on developing your teacher image, and more. A great fit for managers, teachers, instructional designers, course authors and even parents.
By Kaliym A. Islam, 2013
70. Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A Practical Guide. 3rd Edition

This well-structured guide includes ample information on every aspect of the adult education process, from training objectives to delivery methods. The book includes a multitude of program planning models, a ton of exercises and examples, foundational knowledge of program planning, etc.
Check out on Amazon →
e-Learning in Business

Your breadcrumbs in the forest of business training: a few relevant books on corporate e-Learning.

71. Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning: Building Interactive, Fun, and Effective Learning Programs for Any Company. 1st Edition
By Paul Tough, 2013
Industry influencer Michael Allen rightly reprimands ineffective learning techniques and provides practical advice on creating great-value training solutions. The book lays out down-to-earth, precise, witty approaches to technology-assisted learning for business executives, turning them into keen e-Learning investors.

72. Training That Delivers Results: Instructional Design That Aligns with Business Goals
By James Alan Sturtevant, 2016
This work proposes a new way to educate employees and match learning materials with business goals. The author empowers IDs with a proactive attitude to define problems and develop interventions, analyze performance issues, build consensus and evaluate the outcomes.

73. Employee Training & Development. 5th Edition
By Sheryl G. Feinstein, Eric Jensen, 2013
The book covers the fundamentals of employee training, and efficient learning techniques for the contemporary workplace. Split into five parts, this work speaks of context, design, needs assessment, methodologies, and career issues. The text is easy to read and understand. Big kudos!

74. The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning: How to Turn Training and Development into Business Results
By K. Eileen Allen, Glynnis Edwards Cowdery, 2014
Like the name suggests, 'The Six Disciplines' helps business trainers, HR managers and other decision-makers boost their education programs. A full overview of existing research, insights, and goals. Focus on ROI and clever ways to decrease time-to-market and learning curves.

75. Learning to Succeed: Rethinking Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change. Kindle Edition

Jason Wingard makes the reader re-think corporate training polices in the view of 'unrelenting change'. The book helps develop a Contiguous Integration of Learning and Strategy (CILS), introduce thought leadership, tackle budgetary issues and build a unanimously accepted learning ecosystem.
By Dan Gartrell, 2013
Blended Learning

Pick one of these works to learn how to blend online courses with brick-and-mortar schooling for best results.

76. More Than Blended Learning: Creating world-class learning interventions. Kindle Edition
Check out on Amazon →
Leveraging case studies, storytelling and thorough analysis, Clive describes how blended learning (BL) can reshape the modern educational landscape. The 'More Than' approach focuses on adult learning interventions and ensures the outcomes trigger positive repercussions in the real world.

77. The Online Learning Idea Book, Volume Two: Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning. 2nd Edition
By Angela Breidenstein, Kevin Fahey, Carl Glickman, Frances Hensley, 2012
The book delivers specific examples of inspirational educators, worthy course materials, great tips and tricks in e-Learning design and development, synchronous, asynchronous and self-paced learning, and more. A spot-on resource to help you author outstanding blended courses within a reasonable timeframe.

78. Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change. 1st Edition
By Sara J. Czaja, Joseph Sharit, 2012
The book shows the advantages of blended learning as opposed to traditional instruction. In this comprehensive work, readers will find breakdowns of the most effective classroom setups, tips for leaders, ideas for personalization, suggestions on device policies, and more.

79. Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. 1st Edition
By Ralph G. Brockett, 2015
A field guide to the blended model, this book unveils recommendations for implementing BL in K-12 classrooms. Learn how to mitigate related risks, find answers to key questions, and get an implementation plan for creating student-centered environments in your institution.

80. Blended Learning in Grades 4-12: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-Centered Classrooms. 1st Edition
By Dan Spalding, 2014
In this guide, Catlin Tucker shares a vision of blended learning for schoolkids. The author provides a bunch of tools to build a student-centered classroom from scratch. Also, learn about some tricks for integrating new technology into traditional infrastructures.

Education and Psychology

Efficient knowledge acquisition without cognitive load, empowering students with confidence and soft skills, and more, in my selection of edu psychology books.

81. Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All
By Rosemary S. Caffarella, Sandra Ratcliff Daffron, Ronald M. Cervero, 2013
This book radiates the optimism and confidence craved by creative people, designers of all kinds, course authors, and other content makers. The authors touch upon the techniques that boost our creative potential and allow us to innovate and be more productive. Inspiring reading!

82. Bringing Out the Best in People
Check out on Amazon →
This book may be your life-changer if you tune in to its core conception. Learn more about behaviors and their consequences, battle-hardened motivational methods, innovation and creativity. A great fit for managers, parents, instructors, supervisors, business owners, and anyone else.

83. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. 1st Edition
By Michael W. Allen, 2003
'Make It Stick' helps you structure learning and assessment processes, and boost knowledge retention. Appealing to students and teachers, the book advocates lifelong learning and self-improvement. Also, find enclosed 27 pages of endnotes on scientific studies in this research-based work.

84. How to Turn Learners On... Without Turning Them Off: Ways to Ignite Interest in Learning. 3rd Edition
By Dick Handshaw, 2014
This text is aimed at boosting student motivation and positive attitudes. In the book, the readers will find out how to cut down on negative attitudes and maximize the pure joy of learning, reduce frustration and cognitive load, develop desirable outcomes, etc.

85. Educational Psychology. 12th Edition

'Educational Psychology' is a clearly written book encompassing theory and practice. While reading, you will discover a plethora of examples, lesson samples, case studies, and practical tips from education gurus. Valuable insights into student psychology and cognitive disciplines! Highly recommended.
By Raymond Noe, 2017
86. Psychology for the Classroom: E-Learning

What are the psychological implications of technology-assisted learning? Delve into this book for the answers. Useful e-Learning analysis, interpretations of conventional theories, discourses on virtual learning environments, social networking, personalization, e-security, avatars, blended learning techniques, and more!

87. The Art of Mental Training: A Guide to Performance Excellence (Collector's Edition)
By Roy V. H. Pollock, Andy Jefferson, Calhoun W. Wick, 2015
'The Art of Mental Training' provides the basics of performance-driven instruction along with multiple real-life stories from the author's impressive background. The book helps you unlock your true potential, transform negative energy into confidence, adjust focus, improve visualization techniques, etc.

88. The Living Classroom: Teaching and Collective Consciousness (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
By Jason Wingard, 2015
A fundamental work on instruction and transpersonal psychology, this book researches the phenomenon of collective consciousness in the classroom. Juxtaposing science and personal stories, the author speaks of 'learning fields' and forms of collective 'id', and provides great practical advice.

89. Positive Psychology in the Elementary School Classroom (Norton Books in Education). 1st Edition
Check out on Amazon →
A compendium of positive psychology factors described and explained in elementary school applications. Learn how to focus on the opportunities of differentiated learning, and, ultimately, on the well-being of children! The book encourages social awareness, positive relationships, and self-motivation.

90. Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology: A Guide for Instructor. 1st Edition
By Clive Shepherd, 2015
This book by two leading experts rolls out a list of interactive classroom activities, covers classical topics of existing psychology textbooks, and emphasizes hands-on experience. 'Positive Psychology' will be of great interest to teachers, graduate and undergraduate students, and more.

Gamification
By Patti Shank, 2011
Five select works on gamification in contemporary e-Learning and traditional classroom.

91. Gamify: How Gamification Motivates People to Do Extraordinary Things.

'Gamify' by Biran Burke unravels the mystery of gamification in action. Burke spots the areas where business and game objectives overlap. The book describes games as a powerful tool to encourage people to achieve more, modify behaviors, and develop new skills.

By Catlin R. Tucker, Tiffany Wycoff, Jason T. Green, 2016
92. Actionable Gamification - Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards

In this well-paced insightful work, Chou outlines eight motivating forces - the 'core drives' - and provides recommendations on how to use them in learning projects. Each core drive comes with a few related techniques, an exercise, and a reference to Chou's website.

93. Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Gamification, Game Thinking & Motivational Design
By Michael B. Horn, Heather Staker, Clayton M. Christensen, 2014
A handbook for game thinking that unlocks multiple theories and practices of gamification. A must-read for project managers, instructors, and anyone interested in reshaping their business or academic training environments. Well-written and informative, with tons of practical wisdom and subtle humor.

94. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. 1st Edition
By Catlin R. Tucker, 2012
A bible of gamification, this work inspired many to become 'ludomaniacs', but in a good way. Karl Kapp starts with the essentials (the role of rewarding and behavior changing) and leads up to authentic understanding of Game and Gamers.

95. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
Check out on Amazon →
The book spans over 80 games aimed at improved communication, team collaboration, and joint creativity. This work will help the reader overcome conflicts and boost engagement, assist understanding by role-playing customers, employ simulations and interactions, identify and remove bottlenecks, etc.
By Tom Kelley, David Kelley, 2013
General Topics

96. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

The book encourages people to become more inspired at work and inspire their colleagues and customers. Simon Sinek demonstrates what the world's influencers do differently in terms of thinking, acting and communicating, and makes us believe we can do even better.
By Aubrey Daniels, 1999
97. Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead (Business Books)

Many of us are introverts. Is this a stumbling block on the road to success? Turns out it's not. This book helps introverts tap into their strengths, speak up about their achievements, and climb the career ladder while gaining well-deserved recognition.

98. Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change, Second Edition
By Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel, 2014
From page one of 'Influencer' you hop on a worldwide tour spanning the U.S., Thailand and South Africa, where you witness seemingly 'insignificant' people making game-changing improvements. Leverage the power of influence and dare to feel better with this inspirational book.

99. Analyzing Performance Problems: Or, You Really Oughta Wanna-How to Figure out Why People Aren't Doing What They Should Be, and What to do About It
By Robert F. Mager, 1997
'Analyzing Performance Problems' is a step-by-step guide for resolving performance issues. All you have to do is identify the roots of an issue, apply 'fast fixes' where possible, and work out economically feasible solutions. An insightful book for a broad audience!

100. The Personal Efficiency Program: How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed and Win Back Control of Your Work
By Anita Woolfolk, 2012
This is a practical handbook on self-organization, time management and efficient execution. By reading this book, you will learn how to stop procrastinating or feeling overwhelmed, and start enjoying your work life and career. Procrastinator-tested 🙂 Makes nice reading!
By John Woollard, 2011
A Final Word on the Best Instructional Design Books

I hope this far from exhaustive list of learning-centered publications will help you get through your studies or instructional design challenges. Feel free to add more suggestions.

If you are on the list of award-winning instructional design book authors, feel free to embed this badge on your website! To do so, just copy and paste this code in an HTML editor:

<a href="https://myelearningworld.com/instructional-design-books/"
target="_blank"><img src="https://myelearningworld.com/badge.png"
style="max-width: 100%;"/></a>
By DC Gonzalez, 2013
I'd be honored!
By Christopher M. Bache, 2008 By Patty O'Grady, 2013 By Jeffrey J. Froh, Acacia C. Parks, 2012 Check out on Amazon → By Biran Burke, 2014 By Yu-kai Chou, 2015 By Andrzej Marczewski, 2015 By Karl M. Kapp, 2012 By Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo, 2010. Check out on Amazon → By Simon Sinek, 2011 By Nancy Ancowitz, 2009 By Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, 2013 By Robert F. Mager, Peter Pipe, 1997 By Kerry Gleeson, 2008 Check out on Amazon → Have any other suggestions for my list of the best instructional design books? Leave a comment below to share some of your favorites!

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The 100 Best eLearning & Instructional Design Books (2023 Guide)

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Looking for a great selection of Instructional Design books? Here's your one-stop resource. Check out 100 books on edu technology!

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CLASS DISCUSSION TECHNIQUES: NO HIDING, NO OVERPOWERING

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'Split into small teams and discuss ...' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn4BX9Pes3c Why won't they discuss? There might be a whole lot of reasons for that: I don't know enough words. I'm worried about my grammar. I'm worried about my pronunciation. I'm not interested in the topics. I don't have enough time to think.

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SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Years ago I would get some disapproving looks when I mentioned how much classroom time I dedicate to social emotional learning. "What about the curriculum! You'll never get through it all if you don't start right away!"

But I did get through it all, sometimes with time to spare. Why? I found that if we solidified expectations for kindness, inclusion and self-management early, and spent a LOT less time on disruptions through the year. Plus, we were shaping future citizens; it's not just about getting through this year - it's about skills students will need for success throughout their lives.

That's not to say that it was smooth-sailing every day. We still revisited and reinforced social skills daily. However, the overall atmosphere of peace and happiness allowed us to get through a lot more curriculum than we would have otherwise.

I feel strongly that as teachers we are responsible for teaching the whole child. My goal is not just to teach academics, but to teach skills that help students recognize and manage their own emotions, foster a growth mindset and treat others with compassion and respect. I want these things for my own children, so why not for my students?
My main goal as I begin each year is to directly teach concepts like self-management, anti-bullying, respect, inclusion, conflict resolution, and gratitude.

SEL PROGRAMS

So where to start? I've used a number of programs over the years:

The first program I tried over 25 years ago was called the Second Step Program. It uses specific puppets that you can purchase within the program to act out scenarios with very young students.

The How Does Your Engine Run (within the Alert Program) was helpful in teaching students to become aware of their own energy levels (ie. too excited to focus), and the The Zones of Regulation also helped my students become aware of which energy zone they were in at any given time.

We were lucky to have the trainers from the Mind Up program come to our school and educate us on how to teach mindfulness to our students. I would highly recommend investigating any of the programs I've listed above to see if they are a good fit for your students.

The year-long program I currently use is called The Kindness Classroom, and I've given some examples for the first few units below. I print and laminate the materials to use year after year. The class across the hall from me also uses this program, so many of our primary students are familiar with the same language and social skills being explored.
The full year curriculum is divided into 8 different units:
Exploring Emotions

Growth Mindset

Self-Regulation & Management

Kindness & Friendship

Conflict Resolution Strategies

Respect & Inclusion

Personal Responsibility & Citizenship

Gratitude

SOCIAL STORIES

One of the reasons I feel this program is so engaging is that each unit contains a read-aloud story based on a the same central characters.These 14-page books can be printed, or used as e-books, and they provide context for discussion of the new topic. The characters explore a number of social emotional concepts together, and I often hear students referring back to the stories when they make connections.

Even if you don't use a specific SEL program, there are many wonderful books with social/emotional topics to explore. You can see a list of them on a separate blog post by clicking here.

PARTNER PLAYS

The Kindness Classroom also contains 9 different partner plays based on the characters from the books, which are fun to perform with the class. If your students are able to write, students can create and perform their own partner plays for the class, based on events that are relevant to them.

ROLE PLAY

Even if your students are too young to read and write, role playing can be a valuable way to explore SEL topics that arise in your classroom. Through the day, there are many situations that can become the topic of role playing. Perhaps there was an argument about sharing materials, or something happened out on the playground - these are perfect for discussion.

Role playing has the advantage of giving specific examples of what may have been said, and specific examples of responses. The best part is that the examples are relevant to your classroom, and can be done with only 10 extra minutes. The Kindness Classroom includes several opportunities to role play, and encourages students to discuss and common issues in the primary classroom.

JOURNAL REFLECTION

Journaling is an open-ended way to explore personal ideas about SEL topics. You can begin with a prompt, or give students the freedom to write about anything they like. The Kindness Classroom program has approximately 40 different journal prompt pages to choose from, ranging from topics like big emotions, growth mindset ideas, bullying, conflict resolution, making good choices and citizenship. These kinds of personal writing are often very revealing and provide me with a unique understanding of my students.

TEACHER SCRIPTS

One of the biggest frustrations I hear from teachers is the increased problems with behaviour and self-regulation. Even though giving time for SEL lessons is sure to help, it can be hard to know where to start, and HOW to start! What I love about using the Kindness Classroom is that the teacher scripts are included in the lessons plans so I don't have to remember what to say. I use the scripts as a guide to get started, and then let the conversation lead us. Having said that, the scripts also keep me focused on the main idea, and often introduce the next activity we will be using to explore the concepts. It's a real time saver!

SEL TOPICS TO EXPLORE

So what are the main topics to explore in SEL? Each classroom is different, but to begin I have to ask myself "What sorts of conflicts am I dealing with most often in my classroom?" Often I am helping students navigate a lack of understanding of other people's feelings. Other times, they are unable to recognize and deal with their own big emotions. So in my classroom, exploring emotions is the place to begin.
UNIT 1 OVERVIEW: Exploring Emotions
I have noticed that many students have never thought about their own emotions, and need explicit direction to recognize and label them. I have taught several children over the years who had great difficulty in reading emotions and body language in their peers. They also had trouble connecting specific emotions to the events that caused them. Because of these observations, we begin by looking at emotion cards and labeling not just the emotion, but possible situations that might cause someone to have that facial expression.

Also, students do not always realize that people may feel completely differently than they do about the same event or situation.We talk about how some people may find a roller coaster exciting, while others may find it terrifying. Another key concept: emotions are temporary, and this is an important thing to realize, even for adults!

Unit 1 of the Kindness Classroom program is broken down into 28 different activities exploring the concepts discussed above, including reading and discussing the story, journal writing, whole group games, and partner plays.
UNIT 2 OVERVIEW: Growth Mindset
Once students have an awareness of emotions, I want to make sure they are also aware of their thoughts! The Growth Mindset unit makes students more aware of their inner words, and how that affects their actions. It also reinforces a classroom environment where mistakes are perfectly okay, and just a vehicle for improvement rather than judgement. The story Little Penguin Learns To Fly explores these concepts, as do the partner plays, role play cards, flip books, journals, games, poems and art projects included.

We also explore the "power of YET" in our positive thinking, create our own comics, and play board games to reinforce concepts.

After four lessons learning about perseverance and learning from mistakes, we put our learning to the test with a STEM challenge! Students are encouraged to embrace challenges. They are prompted to look forward to learning from their mistakes. They know to expect that they will have to change ideas that don't work out as they wanted.

It's very powerful to watch students recognize their feelings of disappointment and discouragement, and then use their new skills to turn it into something positive. These are skills they will lean on throughout their whole lives.

Take a Look Inside!

If you'd like to see more details about all 8 units in The Kindness Classroom, keep reading!

Take a look at some examples below, or click on any image to see a more extensive preview.

I've compiled a snapshot of each unit below, with visual images from each unit so you can see what's inside.

Click HERE to see LOTS of pictures and sample lessons in the preview!

SOCIAL STORIES

Do you use social stories in your classroom? These are simple social skills that are taught directly in ways that students can relate to and practice. These are game changers in my room - take a look at the set that I use below. It includes an entire week of lessons for each topic!

Pin for later!

Pin for later!

Pin for later!

Here's a free download sample from Unit 1 - Exploring Emotions!

Students use any sort of clay or dough to make parts of the face. If students can read, they make facial features that match the sentence at the top, and check off the circles below using a ball of dough. Just print and laminate - they can be used with dry erase markers as well! Click below to grab them!

SOCIAL SKILLS - PAPERLESS TEACHING

What if you're in a rush, or your curriculum doesn't allow for a lot of extra time to address social skills? One idea is to use Paperless Social Skills Lessons - they project onto your white board so you have a new topic to explore each day for the whole year. PS: I use a similar activity each day for projectable MATH lessons (click HERE) and READING lessons (click HERE). I like to have the whole year planned out to make sure I don't miss anything (and it's much easier to use if you job-share with another teacher through the week!)

Here's how it looks:

And here's the full year collection of topics:

Click HERE to take a look at the full-year bundle of over 200 conversation prompts which are similar to the free sample above.

Thanks for taking a look!

Continue exploring with any of the links below:

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Social Emotional Learning in the Primary Classroom - Whimsy Workshop Teaching

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Years ago I would get some disapproving looks when I mentioned how much classroom time I dedicate to social emotional learning. "What about the curriculum! You'll never get through it all if you don't start right away!" But I did get through it all, sometimes with time to spare. Why?

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This is an #ELSAFREEFRIDAY resource. It consists of a display poster for you to use to talk about coping strategies. It also has a worksheet for children to come up with their own coping strategies.
Download: A TO Z OF CALMING TECHNIQUES

Other Resources you will love!

Calming down resource pack for pupils to learn different coping strategies for emotional regulation. This consists of: 24 Posters to put in your calm down...

£3.00

Emotions Intervention This emotions intervention is written for a group of six children and is led by an ELSA or teaching assistant. It covers recognising,...

£3.00

The Emotions game - is a game to help teach emotional awareness. It will help with emotions vocabulary, recognising facial expressions and give an understanding...

£3.00

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A to Z of coping skills - ELSA Support . Coping Strategies

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This is an #ELSAFREEFRIDAY resource. It consists of a display poster for you to use to talk about coping strategies. It also has a worksheet for children to come up with their own coping strategies. Download: A TO Z OF CALMING TECHNIQUES Other Resources you will love!

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ASU Instructional Designers Infographic - e-Learning Infographics

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This is a great instructional design infographic produced by Arizona State Univeristy (ASU). Several professionals are involved in the instructional design field. However, the full range of what an instructional designer do may be unknown. A large group of ASU Instructional Designers and Technologists were asked to tell about the work they do and the ASU Instructional Designers [...]

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When I went back to school this year, I spent two full days in meetings. After a summer of relaxation and moving to the beat of my own wishes, I was required to sit for hours in a hard plastic chair while my well-intentioned principal droned on about the same information that he had written on the text-heavy slide show he was projecting. Every now and then we got a chance to question and discuss, but for the most part, we sat and listened. And squirmed, and doodled, and tuned out, and wished we were back on the beach. The next day we went to a PD session. The screen was bigger and the presenters were far more engaging, but the chair was just as hard. By mid-morning, I was day dreaming. After each session, many of us wondered about the wisdom of having people who have been off for two months sit still all day. Ironically, however, many of us repeated the same scenario with our students the next week.

WE NEED TO MOVE TO LEARN:

The human body is not designed to sit for long periods of time; yet, that is exactly what it does in school. In Brain Rules (2008) brain researcher John Medina states that "physical activity is cognitive candy" and that "exercise boosts brain power." In fact, study after study points to the same conclusion: learners need to move. But is this research just about kinaesthetic learners? Definitely not, for we all benefit from moving and stretching. It gets the blood flowing, it boosts creativity, and it breaks up the monotony of sitting in those hard old seats!

EASY WAYS TO GET STUDENTS MOVING TO LEARN:

I'm lucky to teach with some creative and inspiring teachers who use lots of active learning in their classes. One physics and math teacher has a trunk full of toys and games that get students moving as they learn about the principles of physics. If you walk by his class on the right day, you might even witness students in egg throwing contests. His most popular game, though, is in his math class, where enthusiastic students play "Sig Fig Says" to learn about significant figures. Another math teacher has a chin up bar hanging from the ceiling so students can take action breaks, and a biology teacher has exercise balls for students to sit on so as to better engage their core. Others have taken students paint-balling to re-enact battles in WWII or the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. The students in these classes clearly have lots of opportunity to move to learn. But do you have to go to great lengths to get your students' bodies and brains moving? Do you have to spend hours thinking up crazy lesson plans and field trips? No, because there are some very simple ideas that you can use every day. Here are some of my favourites:

1. At any point: one of the simplest ways to wake them up is to just have a break in the middle of class. Tell them to stand up and move around for a few minutes. We've all been in long meetings and know full well how welcome a little break to move around would be.

2. When students do group work, tape a piece of chart paper on the wall, so they have to do their work standing up. They don't need the chart paper either; they can stand around their desks and work at any time.

3. If you're comfortable letting them leave the room, send them for a walk 'n talk as they discuss their ideas. Send them in pairs or small groups for a walk around the school, or outside on the school grounds.

4. If students need to answer questions on a text: post them on pieces of chart paper that you will tape up in various locations in your room-use the hallway too, if you can. Students can move around from question to question with their notebooks to answer the questions. They can do this individually or in groups.

5. If you want to review homework or reading of a text: group students and send them to different parts of the classroom. Ask them to stay standing as they discuss the homework or the questions you have posed. Then, you can either have a full class discussion while they are sill standing or after they have returned to their seats. "Taking it to the Wall" is always a great way to get students moving to learn.

6. If you want students to work on vocabulary building: on the top of several pieces of chart paper, write single words or full sentences that contain basic vocabulary. Tape up a number of them throughout your classroom and have students circulate around the room, adding synonyms to the page. If the page has a full sentence, they could suggest a change for any word in the sentence. They can't repeat a word, so as they move around the room, it will get more difficult for them to come up with a synonyms. When they finish, the can debate the "best" words on the sheets.

7. If you need your students to learn or practice skills: set up . Instead of giving them a long handout on how to write an essay or how to include research in their writing, break the process into small steps and have them do an activity at each station. For example, station one might have an exercise that teaches them how to write a thesis statement, station two might be about transitions, etc.

8. If you're working on debating skills: write debatable questions on several pieces of chart paper. You will need one for each side of the topic. (For example: School uniforms should be mandatory and School uniforms should not be mandatory). Ask students to choose a topic and stand by the sheet that represents their views. They can write their reasons on the paper, and then they can take turns having an informal debate.

9. Use either at a group of desks, or using chart paper on the walls, have students discuss issues that could come from the novel they are reading or from current events Give them ten minutes or so at each station and then have them move to the next one. (Along with movement, it's a great way to have them work on speaking skills in a safer environment). Once they've visited each station, you can have a full class discussion.

10. Any time you have students do group work on chart paper, have them do a gallery walk after. You can find out more about that in this post.

Would you like to try some of these ideas but are worried about classroom management? You can get some advice You can also find many of these ideas for moving to learn in my free product at my TpT store. Just click .

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10 Simple Ways to Get Your Students Moving to Learn - Learning in Room 213

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When I went back to school this year, I spent two full days in meetings. After a summer of relaxation and moving to the beat of my own wishes, I was required to sit for hours in a hard plastic chair while my well-intentioned principal droned on about the same information that he had written on the text-heavy slide show he was projecting.

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So you have a student that isn't doing well. Your school uses some version of the RTI model and you've tried to help them in the classroom. But, no matter what you do, they still are struggling so your Child Find team decides its time to explore special education. You start hearing words thrown around like "accommodations" and "modifications" but you're not quite sure the difference. Aren't they both kind of the same thing?

No, they're not. Accommodations are the basis of a 504 plan, and Modifications are the basis of "specialized instruction" or an IEP. Here's why:

Accommodations:

Let's start with accommodations. Accommodations are things that you put in place that help a student access the curriculum.

Common accommodations that I see a lot are; preferential seating, copies of notes, shortened homework.

These are all things that can be provided in the general education class by the general education teacher. (I hate the term "regular ed" so you will never see me use it, but that's beside the point)

If you are new to teaching or are a parent let me explain:

Preferential Seating:

Giving the student a specific place to sit in the class. Often people assume that this means front and center, and sometimes it does. But not always.

I have had students that were easily distracted so I put them in the front but in the corner away from the door so they weren't distracted by people coming and going.

There have been students in my classes that really needed to get up and move during class. I have advised teachers to put these kids in the back, so they can stand as needed and not distract everyone else. For these students there were clear guidelines as to what standing and moving looked like so that they didn't throw off the whole class.

Preferential seating can be anywhere that you decide would benefit the student and this should be defined in their IEP or 504 to make it clear to future teachers.

Copies of Notes:

For students who have OT difficulties, organization difficulties, or attention struggles, I sometimes decide that they would benefit from copies of notes.

For these students, they are still expected to take notes during the class to ensure that they are doing their best to pay attention. But after the class is over they are provided with copies of notes. This way they can compare what they took down to what they should have taken down and learned from the differences.

For paraprofessionals, they are not given the time during the day often to prep and prepare notes so I instruct them to either take a copy of the teacher's notes or if unavailable, to take a copy of a model student's notes. But to quickly check it over and add anything missing. This way they can still pay attention to the other students in the class and not have to ignore them while the para takes notes.

Shortened Homework:

This is debated upon in my school. Is shortening the homework an accommodation or a modification? I think it is an accommodation because you are not changing the difficulty of the homework, you are just cutting down the number of problems for students who take hours to complete 20 minutes of homework.

Modifications

Where an accommodation is helping a student access the curriculum, a modification is when you change the curriculum itself. When you have a student that is working below grade level and you have to modify the curriculum that they are learning so that they can make effective progress.

Accommodations can be provided through a 504 plan. But, once modifications get involved, the way I understand it is that now an IEP has to be written.

Modifications are things like; changing the vocabulary/spelling list from 20 to 10, creating an alternate assessment, working on different content altogether.

Changing the spelling list:

By giving a student a list of 10 words instead of 20, you are adjusting what the student is being expected to learn. Another alternative to this is if you give them a completely different list of words. Words that are achievable for them.

Creating an alternate assessment:

This is one that I have to do a lot, especially in math. For example, a teacher may give a test on solving equations where the students are expected to be able to go up to 5 or 6 steps. I may make a modified test where they are only expected to be able to do 2-4 steps. Now I have modified the performance expectation of the student.

Working on different content:

When this happens, it is often in a substantially separate classroom. All of the things I have stated prior to this are things that I do in my inclusion classroom. Often the students don't know that their tests are any different.

Sometimes a student is below grade-level and it is determined that they should be placed in a more restrictive environment. For example, in the eighth-grade math class, students could be working on finding the equations of a line. While in a substantially separate classroom, the students could be working on integer operations or order of operations.

Still have questions?

This book is one I used in a course I took and it was great on getting ideas for teaching students with disabilities!

This is only a basic overview of the difference between accommodations and modifications. If you have any questions please send me an email or ask them in the comments and I will do my best to answer you!

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Special Education Guide: The Difference between Accommodations and Modifications

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So you have a student that isn't doing well. Your school uses some version of the RTI model and you've tried to help them in the classroom. But, no matter what you do, they still are struggling so your Child Find team decides its time to explore special education.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Learn more and understand better with BrainPOP's animated movies, games, playful assessments, and activities covering Science, Math, History, English, and more!

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Eat a variety of healthy foods each day

Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat

Explore Canada's food guide

Recipes from the kitchen

Subscribe to get the latest healthy eating updates.

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Find our healthy eating recommendations, food guide kitchen, tips, resources and more.

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Making Inferences with a Movie Short - Cassie Dahl | Teaching + Technology

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Using movies, short films or animations in the classroom is extremely engaging for students. I use short films from Pixar Studios to teach a variety of skills

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Find information about labour standards, rights and responsibilities in the workplace and termination of employment.

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Self-talk is the inner voice that goes on inside our heads throughout our waking hours. Positive self-talk is when we talk to ourselves in a reassuring, kind, and more optimistic way. It's the difference from saying to yourself: "I'm an idiot, I can't believe I failed this math test" or "I'm disappointed in how I did on the math test but I'm going to talk to the teacher and study more next time".

Positive self-talk can have a big impact on how we think and feel. Over time, engaging in more positive self-talk can help reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase motivation, inspire productivity, and improve overall mental and physical health. Educators, counselors, and parents can have a huge role in helping kids and young adults develop a greater voice for positive self-talk.
Here are six strategies that educators and parents can use to teach and practice positive self-talk with kids and young adults:
1. Model positive self-talk. Practice using positive thinking skills aloud when talking about yourself and others. A simple way to start is with positive thoughts in the morning such as, "Today is going to be a great day" or "I'm ready for whatever the day brings me". It's helpful to highlight the positive, even in difficult situations or setbacks. After a bad grade on a test, you might talk with the child to say, "It's one bad grade and you'll be okay. You can learn from this can get better next time. The most important thing is that you try your best". Similarly, give genuine compliments to others freely and encourage seeing the bright side of things. That type of optimism is often contagious.

2. Create a list of positive self-talk statements. Use this free list of 101 Positive Thinking Affirmations to help kids and young adults read through a list of positive self-talk statements. Kids can select from the list or come up with their own to create their own personalized list of ten favorite statements. Having a pre-made list can be helpful to start discussing exactly what positive self-talk sounds like.

3. Discuss the benefits to positive self-talk. Be open about what self-talk is and how it helps. Kids, and especially teens, might be skeptical about why they should change their thinking at first. Many psychology and self-help resources online can be worth reading and discussing together. Also know that practicing self-talk out loud might seem silly at times, but you have to change your words before you can really change the silent thinking in your head.

4. Incorporate crafts as a way to remember positive self-talk. Creating simple crafts with positive self-talk can be a great way for kids and young adults to learn positive self-talk. Best of all, kids can keep their craft for times when they need extra support. They can use it to help them start the day on a positive note or when they are feeling anxious, stressed, sad, or angry. You can create crafts on your own or find sample crafts to use. The craft below is a Positive Self-Talk Flower Craft that is easy to make and small enough to bring anywhere.

5. Practice changing negative thoughts into more positives ones. You can do this with made-up examples or real-life situations. Using an example like, "I only did well on this test due to luck", challenge kids and young adults to turn the statement into a more positive one. Also, when a kid or young adult brings up a negative thought, encourage him or her to change it to positive self-talk.

6. Talk about real life challenges and situations. Talk about the challenges kids and young adults are going through and how they feel about those situations. This can be done in small groups, 1:1, or even in larger groups. Ask questions like, "What can you learn from that situation?", "What could the positive to that be?", "What did you do right?" and "How could that help you for the future?". Try to focus on the positive, what went right, and what can be learned instead of dwelling on the negative. Setbacks and failures are great times to use positive self-talk because they are the prime time for feeling down. Use these real-life situations to show how positive self-talk can help you get back up again when faced with a difficulty or disappointment.

Remember that you don't need to be a counselor or psychologist to practice positive self-talk with kids and young adults. It's true that anyone can teach and practice it. The ultimate goal is for kids and young adults to develop a stronger sense of self-confidence, allowing them to become more independent and reach their individual potentials along the way.

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Self-talk is the inner voice that goes on inside our heads throughout our waking hours. Positive self-talk is when we talk to ourselves in a reassuring, kind, and more optimistic way.

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Kids and young adults need extensive practice in strengthening their executive functioning skills. Executive functions are the processes in our brains that help us accomplish all tasks from beginning to end. We use them when we plan our day, organize our materials, begin a chore, focus on important information, use our time wisely, and work through challenges until we accomplish a goal. The specific skills include: planning, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, self-control, metacognition, attention, flexibility, and perseverance. While all kids could use extra practice with executive functioning skills, the ones who need it the most are often disorganized, struggle to finish assignments, lose items, have difficulty paying attention over periods of time, and give up on tasks that are difficult. These are the kids who could benefit the most from executive functioning skills instruction and practice.

If you're looking for an executive functioning review game you can download and use right away, check out this Executive Functioning Challenge! It can be played as a board game with partners and small groups, or as a whole-class challenge. The game includes over 200 executive functioning cards so you can play again and again!

Simply put, executive functions are often critical to the success of kids and young adults. So, it makes sense to make practicing them fun and engaging! Games are a great way to weave executive functioning practice into your routine. You can choose to play a game on a Friday afternoon, after a big test, or as a class reward.
Here are ten games for practicing executive functioning skills: #1 - BLURT
Skills: self-control, metacognition

How to Play: In this game, the teacher reads a definition of a word and kids have to figure out the word itself. For example, a question might be, "What is a partially dried grape?" When the student answers "raisin", they win that turn. I like to play "around the world" style. All students will sit at desks or chairs around the room. Select two kids to play against each other and have them stand next to one another. Read the card and whoever "blurts" the answer first, wins and gets to move on to the next person. The idea is that only the kids playing can blurt out, and everyone else must have self-control, even if they know the answer. This game can also be played with your own content area questions too, which is great for a review before a test!
#2 - SCRABBLE
Skills: planning, organization

How to Play: In scrabble, kids use random letters to build words and keep score as they go. You can have students play in small groups and even partner kids together who may need extra support with spelling or language. Planning and organization is required because kids need to build off of each others' words as the game progresses. As an extension, have kids look up definitions to the words they create or use the word in a sentence before points are scored.

#3 - PICTIONARY

Skills: flexibility, time management

How to Play: This game has students drawing phrases on paper or a whiteboard that others must guess correctly. Kids need to use time management to best draw their phrase before the time is up. This is such a fun game! I even love taking pictures of some of the drawings that are both hilarious and amazing.

#4 - DISTRACTION
Skills: working memory, attention

How to Play: In this card game, kids work on remembering numbers given to them while encountering distractions, including questions they have to answer. It is a great activity to teach about distractions that can throw us off!
#5 - 5 SECOND RULE
Skills: time management, task initiation

How to Play: Kids must name 3 things that fit a given topic. For example, kids might need to name 3 professional basketball teams or 3 pieces of jewelry. The categories differ greatly so kids have to be on their toes. As an accommodation, I sometimes play as a "10 second rule" to give kids enough time to process the question.
#6 - FREEZE
Skills: self-control, attention

How to Play: Freeze is a game where you play music and allow kids to be silly and dance. Then, at any moment, say "Freeze!" and kids need to stand completely still. It takes a lot of self-control to stop dancing to a song you're into! This can be fun to let kids take the role to freeze the class, too.
#7 - JENGA
Skills: self-control, flexibility, planning

How to Play: In this game, kids pull blocks from a tower carefully. They must plan and be careful so they are not the one who causes the tower to fall over. This is a fun game because everyone likes to see towers get knocked down sometimes!

Skills: perseverance, flexibility

How to Play: Brainteasers are drawings and words that have a special meaning that kids must figure out. For example, when "man" is written on top of "board", it means "man overboard". These type of brainteasers are a great feat in perseverance and flexibility to figure out. They are great for a morning meeting or "do now" when kids walk in the door to start their brains off strong.
#9 - CHESS
Skills: planning, flexibility, working memory

How to Play: Chess requires kids to learn specific rules for different pieces and then use those skills to take out their opponent. This game requires a tremendous amount of planning, flexibility, and working memory to think through your moves ahead of time. It is also a great option when you need a quiet game.

Skills: perseverance, working memory

How to Play: Sudoku is a math puzzle game that allows kids to use critical thinking skills. Each grid has the numbers 1-9. Each row and column must add up to 9 separately, so the numbers need to be arranged correctly. Incorporate this activity for kids to work on in small groups or just for a fun challenge.

I have always loved using games to teach and support critical skills in the classroom, so I put together some games for social emotional learning skills! This set consists of five games focusing on executive functioning skills, social problem solving skills, empathy, social language, and more. You can really maximize learning time in your classroom by making "break time" skill-focused, too!

If you find yourself needing lessons and materials for direct instruction of executive functioning skills, consider this Executive Functioning Bundle. It teaches all ten executive functioning skills, study strategies, and SMART goals with enough materials for the entire year. You really cannot teach or practice EF skills enough!

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Games to Improve Executive Functioning Skills

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Kids and young adults need extensive practice in strengthening their executive functioning skills. Executive functions are the processes in our brains that help us accomplish all tasks from beginning to end. We use them when we plan our day, organize our materials, begin a chore, focus on important

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Coping strategies are techniques that help reduce negative feelings when someone is feeling under stress. Those feelings might be the result of anxiety, anger, depression, or just general day-to-day stress. Practicing coping strategies can help kids and young adults learn how to manage their emotions in a positive way.

Every child or young adult should have a "toolbox" of coping strategies that works for them. It's important to recognize that what works for one person may not work well for another. For example, one student may utilize a stress ball quietly and calmly to reduce anxious feelings during a test. A different student may try to use that stress ball and find themselves unable to hold onto it without tossing it, only creating more anxiety about getting in trouble. That is why it's important to have a large list of positive coping strategies that kids and young adults can choose from.

If you're looking for a fun craft to practice and try out some of these coping strategies, try this Coping Strategies Fortune Teller Craft. First, students will identify their top coping strategies from the list or on their own. They will write those strategies in the printable. After coloring and decorating, students will then cut out their fortune tellers and then use the directions to fold their craft together. Let students practice their coping strategies by playing with their fortune tellers in partners or groups. Encourage students to read each others' coping strategies and even practice them, when appropriate. This can be a great activity in small groups to discuss strategies and identify what works best for each individual student. Give it a try!

Get your free printable list of 100 Coping Strategies here. Use this quick guide to help teach, practice, and choose the best coping strategies for your students. It can a fun and positive activity to read through the list and choose coping strategies to practice.

Here is a list of 100 coping strategies for emotional management:
1. Take deep breaths

2. Do a positive activity

3. Play sports

4. Think of something funny

5. Take a quick walk

6. Practice yoga

7. Stand up and stretch

8. Listen to music

9. Take a time out

10. Slowly count to ten

11. Use positive self-talk

12. Say something kind to yourself

13. Talk to a friend

14. Talk to an adult

15. Close your eyes and relax

16. Say, "I can do this"

17. Visualize your favorite place

18. Think of something happy

19. Think of a pet you love

20. Think about someone you love

21. Get enough sleep

22. Eat a healthy snack

23. Read a good book

24. Set a goal

25. Jog in place

26. Write in a journal

27. Hum your favorite song

28. Doodle on paper

29. Draw a picture

30. Color a coloring page

31. Clean something

32. Meditate

33. Use a stress ball

34. Dance

35. Write a letter

36. Look at pictures you've taken

37. Make a gratitude list

38. List your positive qualities

39. Do something kind

40. Give someone a hug

41. Put a puzzle together

42. Do something you love

43. Build something

44. Play with clay

45. Hug a stuffed animal

46. Rip paper into pieces

47. Play an instrument

48. Watch a good movie

49. Take pictures

50. Garden

51. Write a list

52. Keep a positive attitude

53. Schedule time for yourself

54. Blow bubbles

55. Write a positive note

56. Chew gum

57. Paint your nails

58. Write a story

59. Blog

60. Read a joke book

61. Write a poem

62. Drink cold water

63. Draw cartoons

64. Read a magazine

65. Write a thank you note

66. Count to 100

67. Make a list for the future

68. Read inspirational quotes

69. Compliment yourself

70. Visualize a stop sign

71. Laugh

72. Smile in the mirror

73. Smile at others

74. Do schoolwork

75. Look at animal pictures

76. Hyperfocus on an object

77. Notice 5 things you can see

78. Paint with water colors

79. Use a relaxation app

80. Watch a funny video

81. Drink some tea

82. Cook or bake

83. Plan a fun trip

84. Use an I-statement

85. Identify your emotions

86. Express your feelings to someone

87. Write down your thoughts

88. Identify a positive thought

89. Make your day's schedule

90. List 10 positives about you

91. Ask yourself, "What do I need right now?"

92. Tell someone you are thankful for them

93. Pet an animal

94. Make a list of choices

95. Ask an adult for help

96. Organize something

97. Play a card game

98. Listen to nature sounds

99. Sit and relax all your muscles

100. Ask for a break

If you are interested in even more coping strategies, consider my Mindfulness and Coping Strategies Mega Bundle. With this resource, you will get over 600 pages of lessons, activities, crafts, task cards, posters, and more focused on practicing coping strategies and mindfulness.

Also, make sure you read up on one way I practice coping strategies with a craft! I'd love to hear what other coping strategies work for you and your learners!

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100 Coping Strategies for Anger, Anxiety, and More

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Coping strategies are techniques that help reduce negative feelings when someone is feeling under stress. Those feelings might be the result of anxiety, anger, depression, or just general day-to-day stress. Practicing coping strategies can help kids and young adults learn how to manage their emotion

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About the Author

About the Author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers, editors, and community moderators. Many of them learn and think differently, or have kids who do.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Margie B. Gillis, EdD is the founder and president of Literacy How, which provides professional development for teachers on research-based reading practices in the classroom.

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A Day in the Life of a Child With Dyslexia

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The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers, editors, and community moderators. Many of them learn and think differently, or have kids who do. Margie B. Gillis, EdD is the founder and president of Literacy How, which provides professional development for teachers on research-based reading practices in the classroom.

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Attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) is more complex and nuanced than most people realize. Its symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe. More often than not, it coexists with other conditions, including learning disabilities. And many of its challenges are "invisible" or easily blamed on laziness.

Though teachers may recognize that students with ADHD forget to write down assignments, lose completed homework, and need fidgets to improve focus, many educators are frustrated and confounded by not-so-obvious ADHD behaviors when they inevitably pop up. And that is where this handout comes in.

Thanks to renowned ADHD experts Chris Zeigler Dendy, author of Teenagers with ADD & ADHD: A Guide for Parents and Teaching Teens with ADD, ADHD, & Executive Function Deficits, and her son Alex, this download is available as a tremendous resource for parents and educators alike.

Download this resource and share it with your child's teacher to promote a better understanding of the ADHD brain - and how symptoms impact executive functions and emotions. The first step toward greater learning is greater understanding.
Chris Zeigler Dendy, M.S., is a member of ADDitude's ADHD Medical Review Panel. NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.
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What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD: A Poster for School

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Many educators are frustrated and confounded by not-so-obvious ADHD behaviors when they inevitably pop up. That is where this poster comes in. Print it out and share it with your child's teachers.

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The Quality Circle is an opportunity for the person attending, their parents/support staff, and The LifeSkills Centre to share information and identify a goal for the year. Activities and resources are identified that would lead the person to their established goal.

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The Quality Circle is an opportunity for the person attending, their parents/support staff, and The LifeSkills Centre to share information and identify a goal for the year. Activities and resources are identified that would lead the person to their established goal.

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"My Overcoming Obstacles" is our unique online platform that gives you the ability to truly make Overcoming Obstacles your own. With our easy-to-use tools, you can customize every part of an Overcoming Obstacles lesson, down to each word.

Maybe you want to change a starter activity, so it ties into something unique about your school? Or perhaps you want to take one of our decision making lessons and align it with an historical event that your students are learning? Whatever you need, "My Overcoming Obstacles" is here for you to use however and whenever you want. It's simple, intuitive, and-like all of our other resources-100% free.

Click Here To Try It Out!

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Overcoming Obstacles - Overcoming Obstacles - Free K-12 Life Skills Curriculum

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Overcoming Obstacles is a free, award-winning, and research-based curriculum for Elementary, Middle & High School Students. Learn More & Download for Free.

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Self-Check Behavior Checklist Maker | Intervention Central

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What started out as an extended spring break has turned into an extended amount of time out of the classroom. Everyone's lives have been spun around with mass school closures. At first, we prepared for a couple of weeks out of school. Now it seems we may not return at all this year. Finding a meaningful way of supporting special needs students online can be a real challenge for both parents and teachers. So, if you're spinning your wheels trying to figure out how to teach special ed online, here are some suggestions.

1. Actually Connect

My 5th grader has been hopping on Zoom to connect with his teacher and his classmates a couple times a week. That's all well and good for most neurotypical kids. When your students have severe and profound disabilities, however, hopping on Zoom is likely out of the question.

Only problem is this isolation then impacts those students more. They need social interaction just as much as the next person. If you were back on campus, how would you accommodate a special ed student who was having a hard time with whole class instruction? You would use repeat/review, notes, and small groups! So, instead of trying to schedule an entire class Zoom try a couple of alternatives.

Small Group Zooms

First, if you can, schedule some small group Zooms with leveled peers or social groups. This will allow more processing time, more meaningful interactions, and you will still be able to guide the groups as you connect. If you want to work in some academics, then go for it. And these do not have to be hour long power sessions. Plan on 15 minutes. It's just to break up the isolation.

Record A Lesson

Second, if video conferencing is not an option, then try to record yourself reading a book or story and share the link with parents. You will get to reuse the materials and students will get to see your face and hear your voice. Add in a few seconds of wait time after you ask a question. Then a parent working with a child can pause the video and initiate interaction. For students with the most severe disabilities, suggest some props a parent can use while you read. That could be a stuffed animal while you read about dogs or a wet washcloth while you read about oceans. Parents can help connect the student to you as you read.

Flip Your Lessons

Third, it may be time to explore flipping your lessons. Provide parents with a video of you reading a lesson or presenting materials that they can access at their leisure. Try using Loom so you can record the screen and you at the same time. I actually love Loom (no affiliate marketing here). Then, schedule a time where you can engage with the student in a small group or one-on-one. By doing this, you will minimize the time on task for the 'in person' session. For so many of our students, attention spans are short. Asking for a student to sit through the instruction and the interventional lesson is a big ask. It is also taxing on the parent. They may have other kids who need to get online, work obligations, or spotty connectivity. All three of these tips will help you connect as you teach special ed online.

2. Break from the Velcro Tasks

It is okay to admit that, as a special ed teacher, you have a set of tasks that you use... a lot. We sped teachers love the smell of lamination. We feel a rush of joy when Amazon delivers our bulk order of Velcro. At home, though, our parents are more concerned with Amazon dropping off groceries, not Velcro dots. Asking them to reproduce your favorite activities is not realistic and, quite honest, could be quite burdensome. So what are some alternative tasks your students can do at home if, in the classroom, they've been getting a lot of support and tasks?

Try using predictive templates with a variety of materials. It's easy to bust out a file folder activity as a companion tool to a book your class is reading. It gives your students some hands-on activities while still engaging in what the rest of the class is working on. Now, that same file folder activity may not be a possibility. That doesn't mean that you have to break with predictive templates that your students can access in its place.

My go-to are graphic organizers!

No matter what reading materials are in front of them, students can work on who, what, where, when and why. Maybe cause and effect is better for some kiddos or during Science class. Whatever graphic organizer you like, find one that best meets the skillset of your student. Then provide that one sheeter to parents. Now they can use it with a multitude of reading material and even online resources. (Read more about Graphic Organizers here.) Now your student is mastering the analysis of the materials and not being bogged down with the process. If you then need to provide added materials as a companion, whip up connection icons. Add images for who, what, where, when and why in an easily printable page for the stories that week. That makes it easy on the parents and on you too!

Second, try some predictive tasks that go along with easy items to find at home. Every week I get a Mac truck delivery of store flyers in my mailbox. Knowing that parents can easily access an item like this, create a task just for them! I have a Grocery Store Flyer activity focused on improving shopping skills. If you're a math teacher, create a grocery store flyer task that incorporates the skills you're targeting with these fresh sets of flyers that a parent gets every week. I have already brainstormed a list of a dozen math activities you can pair with a grocery flyer. Check out that post here. It's a great way to make a predictive task with what is easily available for a parent. Break your lamination-addiction!

3. Remember Communication is KING!

Okay... you know what I am about to say is the honest truth. It takes eons to build good communication skills with students who have significant disabilities. Oftentimes we work all the way from elementary through high school to create an effective way for students to communicate. Extensive time outside of the classroom, like during this school closure, means significant regression.

While schools are closed, we have to figure out a way to effectively work on communication skills in a meaningful and functional fashion. I've said this a million times. The only way for a student to master a communication system, whether that be a VOD or low-tech core board, is to see it modeled by the adults around them and be forced to interact with it on a frequent daily basis. Fortunately, that can be a big ask for parents at home. It might not be a fight they are willing to have.

On top of that, many of our students don't have access to their voice output device or communication system because it's locked up in a classroom somewhere. So, as our students best advocate, we have to figure out a work around to get them communicating with the people around them. If you don't have a paper core board to share with parents who are without electronic systems right now, get one! Find one that you think would work best for your students. Then get it in their hands as fast as possible. Seriously, communication regression is real! You can check this one out in the Noodle Nook store in both a digital and paper copy.

Once your students have access to a communication system, we have to provide guidance to the parents. They need to know how to interact with that system and their child and also how often it needs to happen. In addition, schedule some video conferences with your students. Use one on one or small groups so that you can practice in real time. We cannot neglect communication while at home learning... the consequences are too severe. I offer parents some advice on increasing communication opportunities in a post on at home learning for students with disabilities. You can read more about those suggestions here. Offer those tips to parents so they can also increase the amount of meaningful time their child spends working on communication.

4. Provide STRATEGIES!

It is easy to get caught up in the academics of at home learning. What seems to be going under the radar as special education teachers figure out how to teach special ed online are the strategies we use to support students every day.

Things like wait time, effective use of visuals, structuring the physical environment, and strategies for before a behavior occurs are all things we've studied over time. Our parents, however, might not be equipped to do now that they are playing the role of 'teacher'. more importantly, the longer our students go without these strategies in place, the more difficult it will be when school starts back up again. We kill ourselves in routine and procedures at the beginning of every school year... we don't want it to get worse because our students have been out of the classroom so much longer this time.

Think about a strategy that you can provide parents on a weekly basis that is pertinent to their child or their classroom setting. If you can make a video to model that behavior, that's great! Maybe you can share a YouTube video that is full of tips and examples of the strategy you're targeting. The big thing is our parents need a little bit of training. They're taking on a task they've never done before, that of their child's primary teacher. It's a different gig all together! Our parents need those extra supports and, if they're going to get them, we're going to be the one to provide them.

As a special education teacher, I would target things like wait time, first then charts, antecedents for behavior or how to use a token board. It really doesn't matter what you pick, just provide some strategic support! It will be worth its weight in gold when school starts back again.

5. Be a Cheerleader!

Okay. Time to dive into the feels. We have parents out there who feel like they're failing their kids because they're having a hard time dealing with the emotional toll of this extended closure. They're dealing with the financial reality of either being out of work or working with fewer hours. They are working through how to homeschool their child with significant disabilities and work remotely from home too. They're having to learn how to cope with being their child's sole touchstone with no break. For some of our parents, this long stretch of time alone with their child with no support staff, respite care, or break is a burden. And there's a lot of guilt with feeling that way.

Right now, we all need a little bit of cheerleading. We're working outside of our comfort zone, dealing with things that we've never had to think through in the past. We're all struggling with some peace of this extended isolation, but no one more so than a parent of a special needs child. There is no parenting manual, and there is definitely no manual on how to teach special ed online as a parent. Take a moment to think about how you're going to support parents as well as students. Because they both need to hear that they're doing a good job.
Be sure to share the sister post to this one all about Online Learning for Parents.
Wrapping It Up

Okay, there you have it... 5 tips as you work through how to teach special ed online. One last thing before you go.
You are AMAZING!
I have seen teachers shine and really go all out for their students as well all figure out how to teach special ed online. Online teaching has a steep learning curve and implementing it with special needs students with zero notice and minimal guidance as so many of you have done is inspiring. You are what keeps our students growing and improving without due recognition, compensation, or respect. I just want you to know, you're doing a great job.
Stay strong and teach on!

CONNECT
Tips, tricks, resources, and FREE tools for teachers in Special Ed and Autism Units. Listen, read and watch to learn how to be more successful at Noodle Nook. And be sure to subscribe to the monthly newsletter TODAY!

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How To Teach Special Ed Online | NoodleNook.Net

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What started out as an extended spring break has turned into an extended amount of time out of the classroom. Everyone's lives have been spun around with mass school closures. At first, we prepared for a couple of weeks out of school. Now it seems we may not return at all this year.

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About the Author

About the Author

Kate Kelly has been writing and editing for more than 20 years, with a focus on parenting.

Reviewed by

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Nelson Dorta, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist and an assistant professor of medical psychology in child psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University.

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Kate Kelly has been writing and editing for more than 20 years, with a focus on parenting. Nelson Dorta, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist and an assistant professor of medical psychology in child psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University.

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Arcademics - Math Games, Language Arts Games, and More

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Mastery-Based Teaching Through Adaptive Practice

Developed by MIT graduates since 2003, MathScore helps students acquire a deep understanding of math by providing adaptive math practice that functions like self-guided lessons. MathScore is fun, but the real magic is the improved confidence and grittiness that MathScore instills. For any important math concept, we help students achieve mastery in 3 phases:

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2. Develop computational excellence: Using adaptive techniques, we efficiently develop strong computational skills. For example, we are tremendously effective at helping students learn their math facts by creatively honing certain subsets of the math facts.

3. Develop analytical understanding: This is the ultimate goal, which is to apply the concept in real world situations. This becomes possible after a student achieves a strong definition-level understanding as well as computational excellence. Typically we will use word problems or graphs to hone this ability.

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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home!

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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home! Back to Home See all breadcrumbs Online tours Virtual tours Through materials and objects, this exhibition describes exchanges between distant worlds - exchanges often far more ancient than the explorations of the 16th century. From deepest antiquity, carnelian, lapis lazuli, ebony and ivory circulated along trade routes...

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health and Safety Guide

ASERT has compiled resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

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This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism about social distancing and why it's important when people are sick. This resource has also been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. An animated version is also available.

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This information was developed by the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT). For more information, please contact ASERT at 877-231-4244 or info@PAautism.org. ASERT is funded by the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, PA Department of Human Services.

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ASERT has compiled resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current COVID-19 outbreak. This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism about social distancing and why it's important when people are sick. This resource has also been translated into Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese.

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health and Safety Guide

ASERT has put together some resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current Coronavirus outbreak.

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This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism on how to wash hands to help stay healthy. This resource has also been translated into Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.

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This information was developed by the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT). For more information, please contact ASERT at 877-231-4244 or info@PAautism.org. ASERT is funded by the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, PA Department of Human Services.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ASERT has put together some resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current Coronavirus outbreak. This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism on how to wash hands to help stay healthy. This resource has also been translated into Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health and Safety Guide

ASERT has put together some resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current Coronavirus outbreak.

Overview

This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism about the coronavirus and how to stay healthy. This resource is also available in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.

Coronavirus Social Story: Spanish

Coronavirus Social Story: Arabic

Coronavirus Social Story: Russian

Coronavirus Social Story: Chinese

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This information was developed by the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT). For more information, please contact ASERT at 877-231-4244 or info@PAautism.org. ASERT is funded by the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, PA Department of Human Services.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ASERT has put together some resources for those with autism and those who care for people with autism relating to the current Coronavirus outbreak. This resource provides a visual guide for individuals with autism about the coronavirus and how to stay healthy. This resource is also available in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.

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Sensory Activities and Crafts for Teens

It often feels like when it comes to sensory activities and cool crafts, older kids get left out. Like their sensory needs just disappear when they are a tween or teen, right? No, they don't! Light Play activities are popular and beneficial for all.

But take a look around on the internet and it often seems like most of the light play activities are geared for toddlers and preschoolers. Let's fix that. Light play activities for older children are important too.

Too often, kids with disabilities get infantilized. That is, they are talked down to, condescended to, talked to in a sing-song baby voice and so on. While our kids may be behind their age-peers in skills, it's important that we keep moving them forward and not allow them to stagnate.

Mind you, if a child enjoys an activity, I say let them enjoy it. I think that it's fine for older kids to enjoy Sesame Street, Thomas or anything really. However, I always welcome the opportunity to encourage my child to enjoy things that are more age appropriate. And, even though I don't have a problem with older kids liking younger-kid things, it doesn't mean that they all necessarily like them.

Benefits of Light Play for Teens

1. Light play can fulfill a sensory need.

2. It helps brighten a dark day, particularly in winter when days are shorter. We love this as a 4-5 pm activity with his home team.

3. Often, the child can maintain focus longer.

4. Light play can beneficial for many visual impairments such as CVI.

5. It often has a calming effect and can help with emotional regulation.

6. Who doesn't love light play? It's entertaining!

7. Sensory and Light Play is very versatile.

8. You can educate them, and they usually don't even know it.

9. Light play can be used for multiple disciplines: , science, language, fine motor skills, , the possibilities are endless!

Cool Crafts for Teens

Many of these focus on light play or sensory, but they have a cool STEM component to them too.

1. Glow in the Dark Sand by Growing a Jeweled Rose

2. Soda Bottle Lantern by Juggling with Kids

3. Glowing Ice & Oil Experiment by Growing a Jeweled Rose

4. Color Mixing with Light Refraction by De-Tout-Et-De-Rien

5. Glowing Cloud Dough by Growing a Jeweled Rose

6. Glowing Ice & Salt Experiment by Growing a Jeweled Rose

7. Make Your Own Black Light Water Beads by Epic Childhood

8. Glowing Rainbow Water by Growing a Jeweled Rose

9. Window Art with Glue & Food Coloring by Still Parenting

10. Oil Sun Catcher by Education

11. DIY Big Lite Brite by Tinkerlab

12. Glow in the Dark Sensory Alphabet by Still Playing School

13. Glowing Eggs by Epic Childhood

14. Glowing Dough by Lemon Lime Adventures

15. Glowing Magic Milk Experiment by Learn Play Imagine

16. Float or Sink Experiment on Light Table by I Should Be Mopping the Floor

17. Push Light Planets by Play at Home Mom LLC

18. Fractions with Pattern Blocks on Light Table by Still Playing School

19. Rainbow Salt Writing Tray on Light Table by Where Imagination Grows

20. Lava Lamp Sensory Bags by Growing a Jeweled Rose

21. Glowing Rainbow Rice by Growing a Jeweled Rose

22. What to do with Water Beads by Artful Parent

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21 Cool Teen Crafts | STEM | Sensory | Light Play | A Day In Our Shoes

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It often feels like when it comes to sensory activities and cool crafts, older kids get left out. Like their sensory needs just disappear when they are a tween or teen, right? No, they don't! Light Play activities are popular and beneficial for all.

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The coronavirus pandemic is a challenging time for all of us, and it can be especially difficult for individuals with autism. Family routines have been disrupted, social outlets have been removed, and professional supports have been decreased or eliminated. Our team has put together resources and activities to help keep your loved ones busy and engaged.

Webinar Series
Our Center's experts are hosting a free COVID-19 Webinar Series that is open to the public. Each webinar will provide strategies and resources to help families affected with autism as they navigate this difficult time. Participants will have the opportunity to ask the experts questions.

Follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date with upcoming topics and schedules.

Past COVID-19 Webinar Presentations
Conversation Skills
Research has suggested that teaching active listening skills is a critical step in promoting good conversational skills in children with social difficulties (Frankel & Myatt, 2003).

Clapping Game. Pick a target word or have your child pick a target word. You will say the target word along with distractor words (words either related in theme or similar sounds). Every time you say the target word have your child clap. You can make the task more challenging by increasing the rate at which you say the words.

Simon Says. An adult takes the role of "Simon" and gives instructions, such as put your hands on your head, to the other players. The players will only follow the instructions when prefaced with the phrase "Simon says." If you follow the command when not prefaced by "'Simon Says" the player is out.

The Telephone Game. The first player will come up with a single word or phrase and whisper it in the ear of the second person in the line. The second player will repeat it to the next player and so on. When the last player is reached they announce the message that they heard. You can make the game harder by saying a longer phrase.

Freeze Dance. Encourage your child to dance or move to music. When the music stops they need to freeze.

Traditional board games such as Zingo and Guess Who can also be used to promote listening.

Some language research suggests that up to 70% of communication occurs through nonverbal modalities, making nonverbal communication a critical social skill to target for children with autism. Below are some activities to practice nonverbal communication.

Follow My Eyes/Face to the Prize. (Gutstein, S. E. & Sheely, R. K., 2002) Hide 3-5 desirable objects (such as stickers or snacks) around the room or house. Use only your eyes & facial expressions to provide information on the location of the objects.

Simon Does. This is a variant of Simon Says. In this game, direct your child to watch & do what you do, and ignore what you say.

Charades. You can print pictures from your computer using clipart, draw pictures, or write down words on pieces of paper. Each person will take turns selecting a piece of paper and acting out what is on the paper using their facial expression, arms, and bodies. For younger children, start with animals. For older children, you can think about emotion words.

Children with autism often have difficulty initiating and maintaining conversation topics. Here are some activities that you can do to promote conversations

Candy Game. This is a Seaver Autism Center favorite. This game is played with any multi-colored food, such as M&M's, fruit snacks, or Fruit Loops. Prior to playing write out specific prompts for each color. For example, red: tell us one thing you learned today, yellow: tell us one thing you would like to do this summer. Each person will close his/her eyes and pick one food item. After they share something based on the color they have chosen, they get to eat the food item. As the activity is mastered you can encourage family members to ask questions or make comments.

Conversation Ball Game. You can purchase a thumball such as this or get a medium sized ball and write down different topics/questions on it. You throw the ball to someone and they respond to the question or topic where their thumb lands. A variation of this is conversation dice. Again you can purchase conversation dice or make your own using a tissue box and markers.

Conversation Jenga. Write down questions on each jenga piece. As you play jenga, players have to answer the question written on the piece that they remove.

Phone Calls and Face Time. During this time of social distancing making phone calls and having face time chats with friends and relatives is critical. Before making a call you can role play with your child and identify some conversation starters and topics that they might discuss given the other person's interests.

Theory of Mind (ToM) or perspective taking is the ability to attribute mental states-beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.-to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own (Premack & Woodruff, 1978). Deficits in theory of mind is a core feature of autism. Below are some activities to work on theory of mind.

Movies without Words. Watch an unfamiliar television show or movie clip. First watch the clip on mute. Encourage your child to think about what is happening in the clip, the characters' facial expressions and body language to determine the story line. Then unmute the clip and rewatch it to see how accurate you were and what you missed. Hint, shows like Mr. Bean and I Love Lucy are great as the actors are very animated.

Books. For younger children, you can pause while reading a book and ask them to identify the character's feelings. Encourage them to look at the character's facial expression and body language. Once they have identified the character's feelings you can ask them what the character is thinking. If they get stuck you can prompt them by saying "What would you be thinking if you were that character in that situation?"

Many of these activities have been adapted from the Seaver NETT (Nonverbal communication, Emotion recognition, and Theory of mind Training) Curriculum:
Soorya, L.V., Siper, P.M., Beck, T., Soffes, S., Halpern, D., Gorenstein, M., Kolevzon, A., Buxbaum, J., Wang, A.T. (2015). Randomized comparative trial of a social cognitive skills group for children with autism spectrum disorder. JAACAP, 54(3), 208-216.

Resources and Activities for Teens and Adults with Autism
For teens and adults with autism, the COVID-19 pandemic can come with mixed emotions. There might be an increase in anxiety for those following the news or dealing with a change in routine. There could also be some relief that everyone is being asked to not leave their home and not socialize.

We have created resources to help teens and adults stay busy and maintain their physical and mental health during this uncertain time.
Additional Resources ASF Resources-Autism and COVID-19, Autism Science Foundation COVID-19 INFORMATION AND RESOURCES, Els For Autism COVID-19 Information and Resources, Autism Speaks Supporting Individuals with Autism Through Uncertain Times, Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules COVID-19 Information By and For People with Disabilities, Green Mountain Self Advocates How to Explain a Global Health Crisis to Children with Autism, Psychology Today Helping Autistic Kids Cope with the Chaos and Uncertainty of Coronavirus, The Washington Post Resources for Corona Virus for Special Needs Facebook Group Autism Society Coronavirus Response and Resources
Access COVID-19 Symptom Guide
Social Stories about COVID-19 Coronavirus Social Story, Little Puddins The Autism Educator My Story about Pandemics and the Coronavirus, Carol Gray Autism and Coronavirus: Helping Students Understand, Linda Hodgdon Use Visual Strategies for Autism Behavior Management 15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum, International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards Tips for Managing Challenging Behaviors, IncludeNYC Challenging Behaviors Toolkit, Autism Speaks Apps Best Apps for Kids with Autism, Common Sense Education Specialized Instruction and Student Supports Resources, NYC DOE Best Autism Apps for kids on iPad, iPhone and Android in 2020, Autism Parenting Magazine Family Going Crazy These Apps, Websites, and Games Can Help, Wall Street Journal Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Visual Supports Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autism Speaks Visual Schedules: A Practical Guide for Families, Katherine Havlik Sensory Related Resources How to Create a Sensory Room for Your Autistic Child, Very Well Health Sensory Play! 101 Sensory Activities for Kids With Autism, Meraki Lane Cultural Resources and Virtual Field Trips At Home Activities, Museum Arts Cultural Access Consortium Recursos adicionales en español
Español COVID-19 Síntomas

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COVID-19 Resources at Seaver Autism Center | Icahn School of Medicine

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The coronavirus pandemic is a challenging time for all of us, and it can be especially difficult for individuals with autism. Family routines have been disrupted, social outlets have been removed, and professional supports have been decreased or eliminated. Our team has put together resources and activities to help keep your loved ones busy and engaged.

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More than 60 percent of injuries in the food service industry involve kitchen workers. This video introduces our kitchen safety series, which demonstrates proper techniques for using equipment and performing common tasks, and features well-known B.C. chefs who offer safety tips and lessons from their own experiences. Related videos:

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Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail

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By Caroline Jelovcic

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climate change for students, climate change in classrooms, climate news for kids, climate news for students, sustainability

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The Ultimate Virtual Tour Guide Featuring 100s of Locations to Explore

My kids and I were out traveling when we found out that this virus really was shaping up to be something that was going to impact all of us. Little did we know that our next travel opportunities may be limited only to virtual travel.

We were in Disneyland on our Spring Break when checking the Disneyland app, we saw the announcement that the park was closing in 2 days! My first thought was this must be serious for Disneyland to close its gates!

That was when I began to check the news for what was really going on as I had only been checking times for park openings, ride waits, and character locations for the past few days.

Now, just a bit over a week after that day, we are all practicing social distancing and travel has all but come to a standstill. This is not only horrible for us travel lovers, but also for our beloved travel industry.

Pin and Save for Later!

The amazing thing is, many bucket list travel destinations are offering us the ability to explore them through virtual travel across the web.

Let me show you some of the most amazing spots you can travel virtually with your family while you are all spending time together at home.

Experience Art and Culture Through Virtual Tours of Museums from Around the World

View the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel with these 360 tours. Don't forget to move your screen UP and look at the beautiful ceilings and artwork all the way up. Then meander outside and tour the Vatican City with this narrated tour of one of the tiniest countries in the world.

Google Partnered with over 2500 Museums to bring virtual tours right into your home through Google Arts and Culture. You can scroll through and pick one by name, or even better, explore the world map and choose by location what to explore with your family.

Some have 360 Virtual Tours, but not all. It is kind of like a treasure hunt explore to find the most interesting tours and museums of the world.

You will find some specific ones below but explore through all of them as you have time.

Tips on using the list of 2500 Museums ...Many simply offer a look into the museum through images of the works stored there.

Some add Online Exhibits found at the top of the Museum listing. This offers a more comprehensive view of a full exhibit housed at the museum including information about the works.

Some go even further and as you scroll to the bottom of the listing; you will find the virtual tours. These are the amazing 360 tours of some of the floors of the museum. Many of these allow you to get closer to some of the exhibits than you could in real life.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has all three types of experiences. Check it out so you can see what some of the museums will have to offer as you explore.

Some others to check out include:

The J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California

The Guggenheim Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain

The Natural History Museum in London, United Kingdom

The Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, Amsterdam

The British Museum in London, United Kingdom takes its tour a step further with the Museum of the World: History Connected. This is an incredible site where the user can tour a historical timeline and click on exhibits to see a picture and learn more about it.

The National Gallery in London features 3 different virtual tours you can take including many of their exhibition halls and rooms.

Explore the Palace of Versailles This doesn't offer a 360 tour, but you can view beautiful photographs and read the descriptions of many of the rooms and locations on the Palace Grounds.

Tour three of The Louvres exhibits including, Egyptian Antiquities.

Travel ideas to save for in-person travel:
Best LEGOLAND Tips for a One Day Visit Best Things to do in Las Vegas With Kids, Off the Strip Amazing, Unexpected Free Las Vegas Art Exhibit
Take a trip to enjoy the Opera at the Metropolitan Opera. According to their website, "during this extraordinary and difficult time, the Met hopes to brighten the lives of our audience members even while our stage is dark. Each day, a different encore presentation from the company's Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming."

View free architectural wonders tours from around the world.

Virtual Travel to Worldwide Wonders

Take a virtual walk along the Great Wall of China

Similar to Google Arts and Culture, Google Street View offers a 360 walking tour of the outside of several iconic locations around the world that will amaze you and your kids alike.

You will feel like you are standing outside viewing these grand locations and walking around the neighborhood in these virtual walkarounds.

Enjoy some like:
Machu Picchu
The Great Pyramids of Giza

The Colosseum in Rome The Sydney Opera House View from the roof of the Taj Majal
Explore underground caves at The Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Even try flying through them with the bats! When you are done there, follow the guides to other natural parks around the country!

Tour Yosemite as if you are there. This virtual tour is epic. It even includes the sounds of the park as you tour it virtually, from the tourists chatting to the waterfalls roaring. What a magnificent virtual experience! (I think this is my favorite.)

Learn Science and History on Virtual Tours

Take a self-guided "walk" through The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History.

Experience NASA through both the Langley Research Center and the Glenn Research Center's online tours. Also, check out the virtual tours and "augmented reality" experiences offered in The Space Center Houston's app.

Learn about great women in history through the National Women's History Museum's online exhibits and oral histories.

Other things to catch up on while at home:
Complete an Important Annual Financial Check-Up Is your Budget or Spend Plan a Good One? Top Ways to Improve Your Credit Score
Explore the history of the United States Air Force through the virtual tour offered by the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Visit with the Animals Webcams and More

The Calgary Zoo is offering Daily Dose, a series on YouTube where employees and veterinarians from the zoo will offer behind the scenes animal content.

Take a floor-by-floor tour of the famous Baltimore National Aquarium.

Another aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has many live webcams capturing the animals swimming in the tanks at their aquarium's Habitat exhibit.

San Diego Zoo is offering guests what may be the most live cam options of their animals, here you can visit with the elephants, penguins, and even the koala bears!

Amusement Parks Virtual Walkarounds

Even though the Magic Kingdoms are closed to guests, you can still visit them through these Disney Parks Virtual Tours.

Visit Orlando including theme parks such as Disney World, Legoland, Sea World, beaches and more. This is the most comprehensive virtual tour of an area, use the interactive map to jump from location to location and decide what you will do when you next visit Orlando!

Other

When you are traveling for free and with the use of your internet surfing device, you may even travel to places you may not be able to in real life.

How about traveling into the human body, by way of the nose?

Let us know in the comments which your favorite tour was, or if you have found more, please add them below!

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Explore Virtual Travel and Tours from Home | Fab Life Now

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My kids and I were out traveling when we found out that this virus really was shaping up to be something that was going to impact all of us. Little did we know that our next travel opportunities may be limited only to virtual travel.

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I have compiled some of my favorite virtual math manipulative web apps in this one resource that I hope you and your students can use this year!

👆You can share that link in Google Classroom, Seesaw, your LMS, etc.

Students will be able to click on the laptops to visit five different virtual manipulative sites. The individual manipulatives that appear on the bookshelf are also hyperlinked to that specific tool.

Most of the manipulatives will work on any device with a web-browser.

Math Learning Center does provide Apple & Chrome store downloads. Also, they have recently launched a sharing option which allows educators to pose problems and investigations for students using an 8-character code or link! Students can even share their thinking with their teachers and classmates. Right now the sharing feature is available on Number Pieces, Number Rack, Number Line, Number Fames and Math Clock. More coming soon!

The link above automatically launches the slide in "present" mode. I will update the file if any of the tools stop working.
I have had a few requests for the iframe embed code for teachers to add to their LMS. Here it is for you to copy:
Need more digital math resources? Check out these resources in my TpT Store:

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A Collection of Virtual Math Manipulatives

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I have compiled some of my favorite virtual math manipulative web apps in this one resource that I hope you and your students can use this year! 👆You can share that link in Google Classroom, Seesaw, your LMS, etc. Students will be able to click on the laptops to visit five different virtual manipulative sites.

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All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet
https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

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Math-Drills.com includes over sixty-four thousand free math worksheets that may be used to help students learn math. Our math worksheets are available on a broad range of topics including number sense, arithmetic, pre-algebra, geometry, measurement, money concepts and much more. There are two interactive math features: the math flash cards and dots math game.

Math-Drills.com was launched in 2005 with around 400 math worksheets. Since then, tens of thousands more math worksheets have been added. The website and content continues to be improved based on feedback and suggestions from our users and our own knowledge of effective math practices.

Most Math-Drills users are classroom teachers or parents. Classroom teachers use our math worksheets to assess student mastery of basic math facts, to give students extra math practice, to teach new math strategies, and to save precious planning time. Parents use our math worksheets to give their children extra math practice over school breaks and to enhance their math education. Home schools use our math worksheets in their programs to develop and strengthen math skills in their children.

Most Popular Free Math Worksheets this Week

Supporting Student Learning with Free Math Worksheets by Math-Drills

Math-Drills believes that education should be accessible to all children despite their socioeconomic situation or any other factors. Since it began in 2005, all the math worksheets on Math-Drills have been free-to-use with students learning math. The Math-Drills website works well on any device and worksheets can be printed or used on a screen.

Math-Drills worksheets are also used in special education, adult education, tutoring, colleges, high schools, prisons and a variety of other situations. Special education teachers especially like that we break down math skills and provide large-print options. Adult learners appreciate the simple uncluttered format that our worksheets offer. Tutors use our math worksheets to reduce their costs and focus on student learning. High school, college and university educators sometimes need remedial resources for students to allow them to continue with more advanced topics.

Students who practice their math skills with our math worksheets over school breaks keep their math skills sharp for upcoming school terms. Because we provide answer keys, students are able to self-assess and use the immediate feedback provided by an answer key to analyze and correct errors in their work. Our interactive (fillable) math worksheets allow them to fill in their answers on the screen and save or print the results.
Math-Drills.com Tour on YouTube.
Join the Math-Drills Newsletter

Join our newsletter to find out about new math worksheets and other information related to the website.

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Math-Drills includes over 58 thousand free math worksheets for students in elementary and middle school. Our easy to print math worksheets are free to use in your school or home.

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Download free coloring pages of your favorite characters from Cartoons, Video Games, and TV.

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Dental Hygiene | Teaching Dental Care to Kids

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Contacts for NH Dept. of Labor School to Work guidelines and regulations. * The Federal Government does not regulate school to work programs. It is regulated at the state level.

New Hampshire Department of Labor, P.O. Box 2076 Concord, NH 03302
603-271-6294 or 603-271-1492

DOL School to Work Website with all the information you need to

NH Dept of Education Bureau of Career Development- The Bureau of Career Development provides leadership and support for the career and technical education (CTE) systems at both secondary and postsecondary levels. This system provides education in career pathways leading to further education and employment opportunities.

Web Sites on Vocational and Workplace Readiness Skills

What is School-to-Work?

Providing Community and Work Experience- Working with students with intellectual disabilities, BC Resource Guide for Teachers.

Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities- Taxonomy of Transition Programming.

Helping Students with Cognitive Disabilities Find and Keep a Job- A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANUAL:Title I of the ADA

Handbook for Implementing a Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act from National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)

Job Accomodations Network - Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Asperger Syndrome

Vocational Curriculum Resources

Life Skills For Vocational Success- When one considers all of the skills that go into maintaining a job, it becomes clear that life skills are as important as job skills. Prior to going to work, a person must figure out what to wear, wash up, figure out what she is going to eat at breakfast and lunch, and make sure she has transportation to get to work on time. Once at work, she needs to interact appropriately with her co-workers and supervisor, handle problems appropriately, and understand her paycheck. She needs to know how to budget that money wisely, and engage in healthy, enjoyable activities outside of work. Major skill deficits in one or more of these areas could result in loss of job and require further training at a community rehabilitation program. Without the resources to teach a person life skills, further job skill training could be a wasted effort.

Teaching Networking Skills: Paving a Way to Jobs and Careers (Teaching manual) This curriculum is for trainers working with individuals with limited work experience; its goal is to help those job seekers to become engaged in career and job exploration through Networking. It is designed for professionals working with school-to-work transition-age youth, however it has broad applicability to others with limited work experience.downloadable

Summary of Predictors Categories, Outcome Areas, Level of Evidence, and Descriptions- Research from National Secondary Technical Assistance Center. ex. Students in the School to Work Transition Program who exited school with high job search skills were more likely to be engaged in post-school employment...

Introduction to Work and Why People Work - Lesson plan

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Vocational Skills Training for Youth with Disabilities

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Contacts for NH Dept. of Labor School to Work guidelines and regulations. * The Federal Government does not regulate school to work programs. It is regulated at the state level. New Hampshire Department of Labor, P.O.

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20-Minute Hip-Hop Dance Class | LEARN A DANCE WITH ME!