Blog - Positively Learning

Organization for Special Educators

Quick Special Education Organization Tips! Do you love the idea of a new teacher planner or crossing items off your to-do list? Maybe it's the idea of trying a new organization system because THIS is going to be "the one" - the system that's finally going to tackle those stacks of sticky notes and piles of paperwork. Wish or Plan? Why not both? For getting on top of those to do lists, I've been trying out Google Keep and I LOVE IT! Google Keep can be used as an i-phone app or on your ... continue reading...

By Jennifer 4 Comments

Better Data Collection

I'm so lucky to be in a position to talk with special educators every single week. These teachers have varied backgrounds, from multiple settings to a wide range of experience. One thing that they all have in common? They are looking for a better data collection system to capture student progress. Data Collection is the most common topic I'm asked about, so I chose to tackle it head on. I created an email series for my newsletter and boy, did it resonate! There was a lot of ... continue reading...

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Mix and Fix Word Work

Mix and Fix CVC Word Work is a student AND special education teacher favorite. Please Note: CVC words refer to consonant - short vowel - consonant spelling patterns, like cat, dog, and fun. What does Mix and Fix mean? The "mix" refers to scrambled letters and the "fix" refers to students unscrambling to spell the correct word. This can be done "hands on" with individual letter cards - scrabble letter tiles work really well, too! I also have these digital task cards - ... continue reading...

By Jennifer Leave a Comment

Geometry Ideas for Math Intervention

A quick question before jumping into sharing how we tackled geometry in our math intervention groups: How do YOU feel about geometry? Most people answer with either an enthusiastic "LOVE it!" or just "eh." I admit I'm a bit in the latter category, or at least I used to be... As a special educator, we often did NOT write IEP goals and objectives for geometry. Most of the goals my students were working on targeted building up number sense. After that, we often moved to basic operations ... continue reading...

By Jennifer Leave a Comment

What to do with Wiggly Students

I feel like the topic of wiggly students is something that's not addressed nearly enough. Or maybe it's addressed in conversations sprinkled with developmentally appropriate research ("children need to move!") and theory ("kinesthetic learners learn when their bodies are in movement"). But HOW exactly do you address wiggly students in the learning environment? I know it can't be just me. Or maybe it is. Either way, I've definitely had classes where the entire group feels the need to ... continue reading...

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