Meaningful Activities
Goal Setting
When a student with cerebral palsy (CP) is involved with goal setting, their learning experience can be enhanced and promoted in a variety of positive ways. CP can be debilitating and can hold students back from fully contributing to regular classroom activities. It can make them feel as if they do not have control over their own learning. Giving the control back to the student by goal-planning together can give the student an opportunity to take the most out of the classroom. By creating a more inclusive environment through a specific plan will help the student take ownership for their learning, and give them responsibility to follow through on his or her own specific objectives (Alberta Education, 2010.)
The process of goal-setting will also be supportive to the teacher. It will help the teacher guide lessons to be more inclusive for the student, and will give him or her strategies that can help increase the student's learning success. The process will help the teacher to get to know what supports the student needs, and answer questions that the teacher might have about CP and how it affects the student specifically.
Goal setting is not just a one-time experience. It must be repeated and frequently revisited in order to provide the feedback as to what it working and what is not. Active goal setting will help both teacher and student remain consistent with their strategies, or identify when new strategies are necessary (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Effective Supports
The main goal of instructional supports is to provide all students with the same opportunities as the others. The supports will optimistically help students gain contact to the curriculum, and give them the chance to display the knowledge, skills and attributes the curriculum is pushing for. Instructional supports are typically grouped into one of three categories: 1) Environmental Supports, 2) Instructional Supports and 3) Assessment Supports.
Environmental Supports usually refer to the materials a student with CP can utilize to succeed, such as ramps or adaptive devices, as well as the specific layout of a classroom. These supports address the physical attributes of a classroom and provide the student a way for the student to participate at the highest capacity possible.
Instructional Supports refer to the way information is conveyed in the classroom. This might be how notes are written on the board, or alternative reading materials. This helps the student access parts of the curriculum in a "language" they understand or can utilize. For a student with CP, this might mean providing written instruction for the student if his or her hearing is poor (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Assessment Supports refer to the way a student can demonstrate if they understand or know the content that has been taught. For a student with CP this could mean giving an oral test, giving extra time, or rest breaks in order to complete the test to his or her best capacity.
Their can be a fair amount of "overlap" between these supports, meaning that a specific support can address more than one need. For an example, a support could be both instructional and environmental while also covering some of the students assessment needs (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Assistive Technology
Students with CP may experience many different barriers that can affect their performance in a classroom setting. These may include, but are not limited to: problems with printing or handwriting, reading issues, vision problems, hearing impairments, speech impediments, issues using computers, communication problems and other physical issues. As described by Alberta Education, Assistive Technology for Learning, or ATL are devices that could help students reach their learning goals. Some lower technology options might include alternative writing tools, or highlighters to support memory. Students with CP might have a hard time writing due to muscle tension, and so alternative writing tools could be very beneficial for students in getting their ideas out on script. Some "mid-tech" options could include voice recorders, spell checkers and special word processors. Those with CP would be able to utilize such tools in many ways, like having a voice recorder to remember concepts that he or she might have missed in class due to hearing impairment. Some higher end technological options include voice-to-text devices or specialized software. Such devices can be tailored to students so that they serve the purposes of the students unique needs.
Many students will actually utilize several options from differing ranges to create an optimum learning experience.
When a student with cerebral palsy (CP) is involved with goal setting, their learning experience can be enhanced and promoted in a variety of positive ways. CP can be debilitating and can hold students back from fully contributing to regular classroom activities. It can make them feel as if they do not have control over their own learning. Giving the control back to the student by goal-planning together can give the student an opportunity to take the most out of the classroom. By creating a more inclusive environment through a specific plan will help the student take ownership for their learning, and give them responsibility to follow through on his or her own specific objectives (Alberta Education, 2010.)
The process of goal-setting will also be supportive to the teacher. It will help the teacher guide lessons to be more inclusive for the student, and will give him or her strategies that can help increase the student's learning success. The process will help the teacher to get to know what supports the student needs, and answer questions that the teacher might have about CP and how it affects the student specifically.
Goal setting is not just a one-time experience. It must be repeated and frequently revisited in order to provide the feedback as to what it working and what is not. Active goal setting will help both teacher and student remain consistent with their strategies, or identify when new strategies are necessary (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Effective Supports
The main goal of instructional supports is to provide all students with the same opportunities as the others. The supports will optimistically help students gain contact to the curriculum, and give them the chance to display the knowledge, skills and attributes the curriculum is pushing for. Instructional supports are typically grouped into one of three categories: 1) Environmental Supports, 2) Instructional Supports and 3) Assessment Supports.
Environmental Supports usually refer to the materials a student with CP can utilize to succeed, such as ramps or adaptive devices, as well as the specific layout of a classroom. These supports address the physical attributes of a classroom and provide the student a way for the student to participate at the highest capacity possible.
Instructional Supports refer to the way information is conveyed in the classroom. This might be how notes are written on the board, or alternative reading materials. This helps the student access parts of the curriculum in a "language" they understand or can utilize. For a student with CP, this might mean providing written instruction for the student if his or her hearing is poor (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Assessment Supports refer to the way a student can demonstrate if they understand or know the content that has been taught. For a student with CP this could mean giving an oral test, giving extra time, or rest breaks in order to complete the test to his or her best capacity.
Their can be a fair amount of "overlap" between these supports, meaning that a specific support can address more than one need. For an example, a support could be both instructional and environmental while also covering some of the students assessment needs (Alberta Education, 2010.)
Assistive Technology
Students with CP may experience many different barriers that can affect their performance in a classroom setting. These may include, but are not limited to: problems with printing or handwriting, reading issues, vision problems, hearing impairments, speech impediments, issues using computers, communication problems and other physical issues. As described by Alberta Education, Assistive Technology for Learning, or ATL are devices that could help students reach their learning goals. Some lower technology options might include alternative writing tools, or highlighters to support memory. Students with CP might have a hard time writing due to muscle tension, and so alternative writing tools could be very beneficial for students in getting their ideas out on script. Some "mid-tech" options could include voice recorders, spell checkers and special word processors. Those with CP would be able to utilize such tools in many ways, like having a voice recorder to remember concepts that he or she might have missed in class due to hearing impairment. Some higher end technological options include voice-to-text devices or specialized software. Such devices can be tailored to students so that they serve the purposes of the students unique needs.
Many students will actually utilize several options from differing ranges to create an optimum learning experience.