Silly songs help Woodlands teacher reach out to students
Jeb Fleming is Woodland Elementary West's instructional special education classroom teacher. Fleming earned a history degree in 2007 and worked as a paraprofessional in a special education classroom before he pursued a master's degree in special education.
While completing that degree, he started as a paraprofessional at Woodland Elementary West. He earned his master's degree in 2013.
Q: Technology is becoming a big part of classroom teaching. How are you using technology to work with special education students?
A: Technology is so meaningful in a special education classroom because it gives us a powerful tool to tap into students' learning strengths. A lot of our students are visual and hands-on learners, and technology plays on these learning styles. It is also extremely motivating and engaging, which is important for students who have often experienced failure with learning.
Q: What's something different special education students are doing with technology that their peers aren't doing?
A: Technology really encompasses our whole day, with the SMART Board being the star of the show. Through the SMART Board, we use an online behavior management system called ClassDojo that connects parents with students' successl.
We also have an online program called the Unique Learning System that allows us to present and manipulate lessons as an iDoc. We have also worked as teams to make documents with educational videos and games in math, language arts, and social studies/science to correlate with weekly lessons.
Language and communication is another very important use of our technology, and we commonly use the Boardmaker software to supplement our writing projects with visual pictures.
I like to think that my students are not doing different things, but they are doing the same things differently. Technology can really provide a way for my students to access learning differently.
Q: Describe your favorite special education technology lesson and why it works?
A: I love doing science experiments, and it's a great way to make learning fun. Technology is a great way to give visual support to tricky vocabulary and concepts. Last year we made and erupted volcanoes, and I used the SMART Board to preview vocabulary and walk through the steps of the experiment.
I also secretly enjoy hunting down all the silly educational songs floating around on YouTube. It's amazing to see what will stick with a student just through songs. I always joke that my retirement job will be making goofy songs to post on YouTube.
Q: What drew you to work in a special education classroom?
A: I was a student who struggled with learning and had a hard time fitting in. Experiencing the love of God and my family and friends during these difficult times gave me a strong desire to do the same. I was also inspired by a teacher that I worked with as a paraprofessional who showed me the influence a teacher could have on students' lives.