Effective Technology for Special Education Students
by: Carrie A Dickinson
In order for students to be successful in the classroom, in many cases, differentiated instruction needs to take place. This is true for all students, especially students with special needs. Differentiated instruction can take many forms. In the case of my one-to-one 8th grade science classroom, technology plays a big role in ways differentiated instruction can take place.
For my action research study, I wanted to know whether video instruction, direct teach instruction or podcast instruction had the most significance when it came to the achievement of 13, 8th grade special education students. This study lasted three days and took place in my and my 8th grade teaching partner’s classrooms. All achievement tests were digital and were administered on district issued Chromebooks through Canvas. Students without technology were given paper tests.
On day 1, students learned about the causes of day and night and the causes of the seasons by video instruction and a graphic organizer. Students were given a time frame in which they were to watch two videos and complete their notes and organizer. After instruction, students took a 5-question achievement test over what they learned. Of the 13 special education students, 1 made a satisfactory score of 60%.
On day 2, students learned about the sequence of the lunar cycle through direct teach instruction, notes and graphic organizer. My teaching partner and I taught the lesson the nearly the exact same way within a 45 minute period. We wrote our notes and completed a graphic organizer with our students. After instruction, students took a 5-question achievement test. Only 1 special education student made a satisfactory score of 60%.
On day 3, students learned about the causes of ocean tides through podcast instruction with the aide of a graphic organizer. The podcast was roughly 3.5 minutes long and students were given a time frame to complete their graphic organizer before taking their final achievement test consisting of 4 questions. When it came to the results of the achievement test after podcast instruction, 3 out of 13 students made satisfactory scores. They were also at a met grade level standard at a 75%, 75%, and 75%.