Inflating the tires, not reinventing the wheel ®

 

  • Home

  • Focused Instruction

  • Services

  • Resources

  • About Us

  • Blog

  • Contact us

  • Blog

  • More

    TESS

    Total Education Systems Support

    Slow Down on the Content, Not the Delivery

    October 12, 2015

    |

    Gene Tavernetti, Ed.D.

    What is the one of the most frequently repeated pieces of advice given to Special Education teachers? They say you have to slow down.  It takes special education students longer to learn.

     

    I agree and disagree.  I agree you must slow down in the sense that you must provide smaller chunks in each lesson and provide more lessons for the students to learn the content.  But, I disagree that you must slow down during each lesson.  In fact, I would argue that teachers going slow during a lesson directly contributes to struggling students struggling even more as well as teachers collecting inaccurate data from students.

     

    During a lesson I recently observed in an SDC classroom, the teacher provided a clear model for the students.  The teacher progressed in the lesson to facilitate guided practice. 

     

    The teacher directed the students to execute the first step of the math procedure. The procedure called for building a simple model using manipulatives. From my vantage point near the back of the classroom I was able to quickly observe nearly all the students were completing the assigned task within 20 to 30 seconds.   

     

    It was not surprising that the students were able to accomplish the task, the first step of the procedure, so quickly and easily. 

    Students had completed a similar task during a previous lesson presented in a different context.  In addition to being successful on a previous day, the students also built the same type of model during the review portion of the current lesson. 

     

    Even though the SDC students had provided data indicating the first step of the procedure would not be difficult for the students, the teacher inspected each student’s work individually.  Even though there were only 9 students in the class it took several minutes for the teacher to get to each student in the class to check their work in spite of the fact that the students had been successful in the task. In truth, the further in the order a student was in the checking of their work, the longer it took for the teacher to observe and give feedback.

     

    Why was it taking longer to check the latter students?  As an observer, it was very clear what had happened.  The latter students, who were being checked up 5 minutes after the task was assigned, had already created the model with the manipulatives, disassembled the model, and began building other non-lesson related creative objects.  When the teacher arrived to check their work, each student had to disassemble the manipulatives and reassemble them into the requested model as prescribed by the procedure.

     

    In other words, it was not the students who were slowing down the process; it was the teacher’s structure and strategy for checking each student that was the slowing down the lesson. 

    As the lesson slowed down, the students’ attention wandered, behaviors began to manifest, and incorrectly, the teacher determined that the students were not as ready for the lesson as she thought.

     

    The moral of the story:  If you properly chunk a well-designed and properly sequenced lesson, nearly all students will be able to perform requested tasks in a timely manner.  Make sure you have structures, procedures, and strategies in place that permit you to keep up with your students’ pace.  Don’t you be the reason the class is slowing down.

     

     

     

    Tags:

    special education

    SDC

    slow down to speed up

    manipulatives

    Please reload

    RSS Feed
    Join Our Newsletter
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Featured Posts

    "But, where should we start?"

    December 6, 2016

    Multiple Initiatives, Multiple Rabbits Leave You Disappointed

    September 2, 2015

    "Who says? Compared to what?"

    February 1, 2017

    1/10
    Please reload

    Recent Posts

    Simple rules save lives and student motivation

    February 24, 2017

    "Who says? Compared to what?"

    February 1, 2017

    A simple idea, elegant execution

    January 17, 2017

    Why Students Achievement is Not Soaring: A Shocking Secret

    January 11, 2017

    "But, where should we start?"

    December 6, 2016

    Sorry, Not Sorry

    November 29, 2016

    Who said this was a good idea?

    October 25, 2016

    The order makes a difference, for words and for school improvement

    September 9, 2016

    Students avoiding the task? The solution might be smaller chunks

    August 17, 2016

    This too shall pass, be it muscle soreness or stress

    August 1, 2016

    Please reload

    Archive

    February 2017 (2)

    January 2017 (2)

    December 2016 (1)

    November 2016 (1)

    October 2016 (1)

    September 2016 (1)

    August 2016 (2)

    July 2016 (1)

    June 2016 (3)

    May 2016 (4)

    April 2016 (2)

    March 2016 (4)

    February 2016 (2)

    January 2016 (1)

    December 2015 (2)

    October 2015 (3)

    September 2015 (2)

    August 2015 (2)

    June 2015 (1)

    May 2015 (4)

    April 2015 (4)

    March 2015 (1)

    February 2015 (3)

    January 2015 (2)

    November 2014 (2)

    October 2014 (2)

    September 2014 (3)

    August 2014 (2)

    Please reload

    Search By Tags

    10000 hour rule

    15%

    21st century

    BOB time

    CCSS proficiencies

    Celebrate

    Choice Theory

    Dr. William Glasser

    Grit

    January to January

    Morale

    OWL time

    Professional Development

    Reflection

    SDC

    Symptoms

    TOTS

    Teacher Support

    Trainer of Trainers

    accountability

    accountability data

    analysis

    application

    art of teaching

    balanced approach

    be a student

    bike whisperer

    boss of the book

    buzz

    buzz words

    check for understanding

    chunking

    clarity

    classroom hacks

    close reading

    cognitive load

    collaboration

    collaborative learning

    common core

    complex tasks

    concept development

    concept maps

    critical thinking

    curriculum

    data and research

    dialog

    differentiation

    direct instruction

    discipline

    educational research

    educationese

    effective instruction

    enjoy the ride

    evaluate the research

    expensive purchase

    expert

    expert tip

    feedback

    first grade

    first instruction

    focus

    focused application

    focused instruction

    growth mindset

    homework

    humility

    implementation fatigue

    improving

    independent practice

    inflating the tires

    initiatives

    inspiration

    instruction

    instructional framework

    instructional leadership

    key ideas

    kwl

    language frame

    leadership

    leading with vision

    learning

    less is more

    lesson plan

    lesson steps

    lesson videos

    manageable chunks

    manipulatives

    meta-cognition

    modeling

    neomania

    new assessment

    new curriculum

    new name

    notes from the field

    parents

    planning

    planning tools

    prescription for success

    problem solving

    problem solving method

    productive struggle