Special Education
Resource Corner
Every Montgomery County School has a Resource Program that provides special
education services in the general education setting for students who experience
mild to moderate learning difficulties. Students receive services ranging
from modification of the class instruction to direct instructions from
a special educator.
Every student can be successful in school! According to Jon Saphier and Robert Gower, authors and researchers in education, success or failure is not attributable to luck, natural abilities or difficulty of the task. Children’s effort and application of learning strategies are the key. Therefore, Luxmanor teachers will be supporting students in the following ways and they will:
- Identify, label, model and teach effort
- Identify, label and teach specific strategies necessary for success
- Provide opportunities for self-evaluation of effort and use of strategies
- Plan opportunities for students to set goals for personal learning
- Acknowledge and discuss challenges of maintaining effort
All students can achieve with the support of teachers, parents and most importantly, with their own good effort!
Math
Methods to support learning math:
- verbalize steps for solving problems and computations
- use specific problem solving strategies such as drawing a picture, guess and check, working backwards, looking for patterns, making a model or chart
- use manipulatives, models, and examples to illustrate concepts
- color-code operations to highlight signs
- present problems from easy to hard
- provide visual cues or an example of steps in a process
- use “real life” situations to introduce and illustrate concepts
- make connections among math concepts, common experiences, and previously learned concepts
Materials to support learning math:
- space problems further apart with fewer items on page
- use cover sheet to focus on one item at a time
- use computational aides such as number lines, counters, graph paper, flash cards, math games, fraction circles, geometric shapes, scales
- display steps for problem solving
- use graphic organizers for data and solving problems
Writing
Methods and materials to support writing:
- Use prewriting strategies (brainstorming, talking, using graphic organizers
- Break down assignment into smaller, manageable parts
- Provide models
- Use scoring rubric for content and mechanics and use to proofread
- Support risk-taking to get thoughts down (inventive spelling for fluency)
- Encourage use of dictionaries, thesauruses, spell-check
- Double space rough drafts to leave room for edits and revisions
Reading
Before reading
- activate prior knowledge prior to reading
- preview fiction before reading (look at title and pictures)
- preview nonfiction (look at index, table of contents, headings, maps)
- predict what the text will be about
- set a purpose for the reading
During reading
- use index card to keep place under the line of text
- visualize pictures and ideas in your mind
- stop to ask if it makes sense
- skip unknown words, read on, go back, think about what makes sense
- go back and reread if you don’t understand
- use context to understand unfamiliar words
- discuss concepts and identify concepts or sections that are confusing
- summarize periodically to check comprehension
- make connections to your own life, other books, the world
After reading
- summarize or retell what the text was about
- think about what was important to your purpose
Other Important Sites
Please click on the web site below for more information about Special Education in Montgomery County Schools.
Department
of Special Education
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If you have questions or concerns about the special
education program and would prefer to correspond electronically,
please email me at:
Ms. Noel Bingham |
