It’s only the end of September and students, teachers and parents are already asking me if my classroom is building the igloo this winter. Of course we will be!! Every year, my students collect over 300 gallon-sized jugs starting in October to build a life sized igloo in the winter months. This is a perfect example of how I foster experienced-based learning in my classroom. During the cross curricular subjects of the Arctic, students are actively engaged in learning and obtaining a deeper knowledge of the subject. From past experiences, it is evident that they retain the knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning. Last year, I was lucky enough to present at the First New Jersey Educator’s Conference titled, “Raising the Bar: Educational Approaches that Go Beyond the Labels”. My presentation focused on the difference between facilitating “discovery” and “teaching” in the classroom. The workshop looked at how through asking the right questions and providing specific kinds of experiences, educators can assess a child’s foundational capacities that support the comprehension of academic content. In order for children to internalize concepts, they must make them their own. Providing opportunities for the “discovery” of the “meaning” of concepts allows even the most diverse learners to develop true comprehension and knowledge. During the presentation, I showed the process of the life-sized igloo in my room. I explained that although I provided the students with the jugs, I had them discovery how to build it through trial and error. Then once they built it, I asked many thought provoking without telling the students all about igloos. They asked questions and I helped scaffold questions to lead them to problem solving a solution. I leave you with this thought. Wouldn’t it be great if all schools could put the textbooks down and have the students participate in high impact lessons inclusive of emotional components? Then they could capture and tap into the students’ affect and interest, thus supporting deeper connections and understanding of targeted concepts. I am lucky that Celebrate the Children allows me to use experienced based teaching in my classroom. It was nice to start the year reflecting on my teaching methodology. I will be sure to share a picture of our igloo this winter including some of the questions my students ask and some of the questions I will ask to get them problem solving. (Jennifer Robak, Teacher, Celebrate the Children)
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An excerpt from Dr. Knox's Dissertation: Celebrate the Children (CTC) strongly embraces contemporary research indicating autism is not a cognitive disorder but more so a movement disorder. In students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the ability to sequence ideas with purposeful movement is a challenging motor task (Hill & Leary, 1992, 1993). According to the National Autism Association (2012), autism is a bio-neurological developmental disability that clearly influences movement. In support of this theme, Donnellan and Leary (1995) coined the term “movement differences” to explain this movement disorder as a person having difficulties in starting, stopping, combining, executing, continuing, and switching movements. Performing dual cognitive and motor tasks is very difficult (Burke, 2005). A movement disorder affects the profile, such as a person’s speech, images, thoughts, perceptions, memories, and emotions. Movement differences make it impossible for an individual to demonstrate competence, particularly through traditional assessment tests (Donnellan & Leary, 1995). According to Donnellan & Leary (1995), the movement disorders are the following (p. 36): · repetitive movement--self stimulation and repeated actions; · abnormal facial movement—expressionless, flaccid, or fixed expression, abnormal eye movements, grimaces, teeth grinding, facial tics, lip movements; · abnormal gait—to fast, slow, halting, peculiar, stiff walking; · mannerisms—posing, unusual manner of eating, tic-like movements; · blocking and freezing—lack of movement, difficulty starting movement, stopping during on-going movement, difficulty completing actions; · unusual postures—odd hand and body gestures, flexion of neck, trunk, or limbs; and · abnormalities in muscle tone—too little or too much muscle tone, rigid, floppy. The concept of movement differences is complicated to grasp, especially for schools or individuals with no problems with movement. However, a profound appreciation can be developed by considering it through the eyes of someone with movement impairment. As indicated by Tracy Thresher (2005) during a conference at Syracuse University’s Institute of Communication and Inclusion (ICI) he told his story: Movement is my disability. Perhaps I look like I do not understand you, but I do. What is hard is for me to show you. Typing allows me to show you my intelligence. More importantly, the typing gives me focus you see Harvey holding my arm. That support helps me focus on typing. The typing then flows from my brain, the words leaping out like flames. Learning just the right amount of physical support is essential, too little or too much and I cannot type the words. The more the facilitator learns very much then hooks into my confidence. . . . This is my biggest problem getting my hand to do what I want it to. Feeling my body in space is not easy. It is lost much of the time and without the facilitator’s physical touch. I have problems with slowing down and I type automatic words. I get going to fact and can’t stop with movement issues like initiation, rhythm and pace, perseveration, impulsiveness, and lack of proprioception. . . . FC is for people like me who have little control over their speech and have problems with controlling their bodies. . . . Typing is my true voice without it I am lost in a world of silence. The facilitator must understand that my speech is not reliable and does not reflect my true intelligence. (Thresher, 2005) Tracey’s account offers a convincing image to help explain the experiences of students with ASD who also have motor deficiencies. Fortunately, CTC does a great job understanding the connection to movement and presuming nonverbal students are extremely intelligent, which is a significant departure from traditional thinking in many places called schools. (Dr. Mike Knox, Principal at Celebrate the Children)
Research identifies engagement, joint attention, as required in order for language and cognition to develop. We also know much more about how all kinds of learning occurs. We understand that we learn with our minds and our bodies. For example, we need to incorporate the understanding of how the ability to see things from different views supports the gestalt of what we are discovering and learning; how the ability to plan and sequence motor actions is related to initiating and sequencing ideas. This whole-body approach to learning is progressive but, at the same time, so fundamental in the world of developmental approaches to learning. When children learn to master and integrate their emotions, ideas, and bodies, the sky is the limit!
Progress must start with a relationship. We want to support children to become happy, secure, social and creative people, who can think outside the box and think on their feet. We must respect and support each child's unique profile while promoting development through meaningful, relationship-based experiences. The relationships that support this development are built on respect and trust. For children who experience the world in an often disorganized and sometimes fearful way, these trusting relationships require patience and nurturing. A key component to the approach at Celebrate the Children is the involvement of families in the intervention. Sometimes this simply starts with helping the parent and child get back to a place where they can enjoy each other again rather than solely focusing on the challenges. Once we have taken the time to get to know the child and learn about the unique way in which they experience the world, we can support them in reaching higher levels of development. Autism is a sensory-processing disorder, not an intellectual disorder. Many ASD children are highly intelligent and often gifted. Therefore, if we can make a connection with them, we can tap into all the wonderful gifts they have to offer. We target development from the foundations of self-regulation and engagement, all the way through emotional and abstract thinking and reflection. The most recent research in the field of autism now supports the notion that critical neurological connections are made when children are engaged in pleasurable and meaningful interactions with their caregiver.
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AuthorsContributions to this blog are made by Celebrate the Children's highly talented, interdisciplinary team and wonderful families. Archives
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