I have Mary Poppins singing "A Spoonful of Sugar" going through my head right now. Last week, the job coach that works with a lot of our students had the idea to label the shelves in the cafeteria kitchen so that the students could be sent to get something when they are working. She wondered if we could do it on the computer. And, as I mentioned, my duty this year is to provide tech support to the special education department. We looked at different label templates available in Word, and then the job coach and a student went back over to measure the front of the shelf.
The next day, the student came down with a list of items they had found by inventorying the shelves. I set up the template for him, and he started typing. The student already knew how to find clip art, and digital pictures, so only needed minimal assistance for that. In fact, he was able to get about 15 done in the period, with pictures, and ready to print. He only needed help when the picture wasn't clear.
The benefit to this, beyond the students being more independent, is that a lot of our cafeteria staff are not native English speakers. It will also help keep things organized on the shelves. Oh... and the student also learned a very valuable skill which he is starting to generalize to other areas.
4 months ago
2 comments:
I luv it when students get to do something at the right challenge level that the community needs - because they're part of the community, not because they "have to." Somehow those skills tend to stick better!
This is a big thing for me. My school does community based instruction and work skills pretty well. They're always actively seeking meaningful activities for the students to complete. By doing this, the students become a part of the fabric of the community, and are recognized as important. They gain a sense of pride from a job well done. Uh-oh... another Broadway song is coming... This time, from the musical adaptation to Studs Terkel's Working. The song title is, "Something to Point To", and states that everybody needs something to have something they've done to point to. Interestingly enough, the concept CD for the show includes songs by James Taylor.
In other schools, community instruction has often been an excuse to eat lunch out or for the teachers & staff to shop. After some trial and error, I've found community organizations that need help, and have skills my students can do. We've worked in soup kitchens serving lunch, and sorting items (clothing and food baskets), with the local Red Cross chapters (yea, like that was a big surprise to anybody!), etc. It has offered some unique experiences, such as the time my students appeared in a local Red Cross chapter's fire awareness campaign or helped celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Red Cross by working at one of the airports near the convention site for that important milestone.
Post a Comment