Special Needs, Different Abilities: The Interactive Method for Teaching and Learning

by Marjorie S. Schiering

Overview

This book describes the Interactive Method (IM) for teaching different abilities, special needs, and all learners. It involves hand’s-on techniques for retention of curriculum and the teaching of thinking; from the elementary through college years. Types of comprehension are defined along with how memory works. Chapters address types of special needs and defines the term and different abilities, in conjunction with creating lessons that result in memory acquisition and transference to personal success on tests or exams, as well as daily situations regarding experiential learning. Also offered are entry level means of instruction for developing a sense of self-confidence, efficacy, reliance and skills necessary for future learning challenges. In conjunction with this is the Reciprocal Thinking Skills Cognition to Metacognition Chart for identification and application of what one is thinking when engaged in the aforementioned IM. A few examples of this are provided through a listing and explanation of the values of this method, lesson objectives and application of these. Personal narratives are provided by teachers and/or parents of children with different abilities before the author’s closing comments respective of one’s being enough and practice of providing lift-up statements to encourage student learners in the academic and social cognition environments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475849950
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/24/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	154
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Marjorie S. Schieringhas devoted her career as an educator to developing teacher’s and learner’s comprehension of self- efficacy through experiential learning, which focuses on the Interactive Method (IM) and its components. She continually addresses sharing the Cognitive Collective (Reciprocal Thinking and Feelings) to establish and maintain a viable, safe, positive and congenial classroom community where there is teaching of thinking.

Table of Contents

Prelude

Foreword: Patricia Eckardt and Madeline Craig

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part one: information gathering and distribution concerning special needs and different ability learners

Chapter One: Reaching/Teaching Varied Learners

Chapter Two: Response to Intervention, Individual Education Plan and Classroom Organization

Chapter Three: Individual Processing Style and Social Cognition

Chapter Four: The Interactive Method, Student Engagement and Self-Efficacy

Chapter Five: Memories and Interactive Learning Techniques

Chapter Six:Interactive Learning Technique Pluses, Leadership Building, and Alternative Means of Assessment

Chapter Seven: The Reciprocity of Thinking

Chapter Eight: The Cognitive Collective: Thinking and Feeling

Chapter Nine: Definition and Examples of Reciprocal Thinking Phases’ Skills

Part two: different ways of teaching, personal commentaries, and author’s closing thoughts

Chapter Ten:The IM’s Self-Reliance and the “How To” of Teaching Thinking

Chapter Eleven: Objectives of the Interactive Method and its Components

Chapter Twelve: Two Personal Perspectives Addressing Special Education

Disabilities, Differences and Diversity: Maggie Blair

Autism Awareness: Author Interview of a Different Abilities Child’s Parent: Kevin Cooney

Chapter Thirteen: Commentary and Personal Experience: Teaching and Being Special Needs

Commentaries and Personal Experiences: Special Needs and Different Abilities

Commentary: Engaging Students with Exceptionalities: Patricia Mason

A Teacher with Epilepsy: From Childhood through Retirement: Marc Hoberman

Chapter Fourteen: Author’s Summative Sharing: Classroom Comfort Zone

References

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

With the current explosion of children being born with various special needs, especially on the autism spectrum, it becomes imperative that educators seek ways in which they can best meet the educational needs of these children, and all those they educate, so they can reach their potential. Educators, over the past decade, differentiated the curricula by adapting and adopting new ways of teaching the students they serve. However, there have not necessarily been real workbooks for educators to reference and use.

Eve Dieringer

Dr. Schiering’s interactive new book acknowledges neurodiversity as a form of human diversity to be embraced! The acceptance of every learners’ unique set of strengths and needs propels the educator to developing instruction that is creative and caters to each person’s learning process. This book advocates for acceptance and evoking in each learner the idea, 'I am enough'. A wonderful contribution to the field.

Diana N. Abourafeh

This workbook demonstrates how and why alternative thinking is necessary when experiencing different abilities of students. It viably addresses a wide variety of circumstances encountered in teaching students with different abilities. It reminds us of how traditional methodologies oftentimes do not apply in special needs situations. Subsequently, applying differentiated instruction to meet the multi-variate needs of students must be explored until one is found. That is the essence of this author’s messages for teaching thinking and addressing students’ aptitudes.

Andrew J. Smith

Dr. Marjorie Schiering examines a most interesting, important, challenging issue in her latest book: The need to see students as individuals, with diverse talents and struggles. In her carefully-researched work, she pinpoints practical approaches the educator should consider to achieve the best learning, offers colleagues personal narratives and commentaries of how some have experienced different abilities and the books interactive approaches, and invites us to do likewise. A truly rewarding work!

Robert Kinpoitner

As both an educator and parent of special needs children, I am well aware of how the world of special education can seem overwhelming. Different Abilities: Special Needs: Different Ways...An Interactive Workbook, is a vital tool for both educators and parents at all levels. It provides practical researched information, as well as that of veteran teachers. There are time-tested strategies and useful anecdotes to help teachers and parents navigate the often-confounding waters of special education, as well as different abilities students. For teachers, it offers first-rate techniques for making their classrooms most inclusive and welcoming for students of varied abilities. For parents, the anecdotes validate the struggles they go through to do what is best for their children and leaves them with this reminder: You are not alone. Truly, this book is an invaluable addition to any teacher or parent’s library.

Timothy Ryley

Marjorie Schiering has written a must-read educational manual/workbook for being a most effective educator. She has provided real world examples and guides for implementation of differentiated instruction. This workbook is an excellent resource! As a professor of graduate students who teach in special education and Ell classes from preschool to high school, I have presented the ideas in this book. As a result, the teachers in my classes have created lessons that use interactive instructional resources for multi-sensory and high levels of student engagement. This book also provides a good deal of information about goal-setting to meet the needs of all students and assist them is developing their thinking skills.

Angela Sullivan

This activity-based workbook is an asset to everyone that reads it, as it states, “We are all teachers of something.” It is invaluable, in that it includes activities that can be used in multiple ways, whether that is to interactively teach, learn, or provide general information. Readers of this work will benefit, as they observe how students can be engaged in activity-based learning, and come to be aware of what thinking skills apply to each activity. Also, at the end of the workbook, there are personal stories from former special needs students, teachers or their parents. Most important about this writing is that of celebrating student differences. If one life lesson can be taken from this book, it is to realize that we are all enough, just as we are, and that we are capable of anything to which we set our minds. Teaching those ideas are two of the strengths of this book on differentiation of instruction.

Lauren Spotkov

This workbook is an excellent resource for seasoned teachers as well as new educators! This is because of the “interactive” society we experience today. In recent years it seems the increase in students with special needs and different abilities has all concerned persons looking for ways to differentiate their instruction to reach learners. This workbook is an asset, due to the multitude of information about individual educational programs and intervention techniques. There are also ways to teach thinking, strategies for using an interactive method, activities provided to support the first two sections information, and then, sharing by teachers and/or parents about their own learning different ways or experiences with a diverse population of learners. This workbook is intuitive and inspiring for educators to assist them in their students reaching their full potential. Overall, this workbook is an invaluable interactive reference guide for educators everywhere!

Clare King

With the current explosion of children being born with various special needs, especially on the autism spectrum, it becomes imperative that educators seek ways in which they can best meet the educational needs of these children, and all those they educate, so they can reach their potential. Educators, over the past decade, differentiated the curricula by adapting and adopting new ways of teaching the students they serve. However, there have not necessarily been real workbooks for educators to reference and use.

Dr. Schiering has written and compiled a workbook that enhances the curricula, has strategies for teaching thinking interactively, and assist educators in developing and using new activities for teaching all students. This is a hands-on workbook which educators will find invaluable in their daily lessons. The activities can and should be used to teach all children: those with special needs, and different abilities through use of different ways.

Barbara Hayes

As both an educator and parent of special needs children, I am well aware of how the world of special education can seem overwhelming. Different Abilities: Special Needs: Different Ways...An Interactive Workbook, is a vital tool for both educators and parents at all levels. It provides practical researched information, as well as that of veteran teachers. There are time-tested strategies and useful anecdotes to help teachers and parents navigate the often-confounding waters of special education, as well as different abilities students. For teachers, it offers first-rate techniques for making their classrooms most inclusive and welcoming for students of varied abilities. For parents, the anecdotes validate the struggles they go through to do what is best for their children and leaves them with this reminder: You are not alone. Truly, this book is an invaluable addition to any teacher or parent's library.

Dr. Marjorie Schiering examines a most interesting, important, challenging issue in her latest book: The need to see students as individuals, with diverse talents and struggles. In her carefully-researched work, she pinpoints practical approaches the educator should consider to achieve the best learning, offers colleagues personal narratives and commentaries of how some have experienced different abilities and the books interactive approaches, and invites us to do likewise. A truly rewarding work!

This activity-based workbook is an asset to everyone that reads it, as it states, "We are all teachers of something." It is invaluable, in that it includes activities that can be used in multiple ways, whether that is to interactively teach, learn, or provide general information. Readers of this work will benefit, as they observe how students can be engaged in activity-based learning, and come to be aware of what thinking skills apply to each activity. Also, at the end of the workbook, there are personal stories from former special needs students, teachers or their parents. Most important about this writing is that of celebrating student differences. If one life lesson can be taken from this book, it is to realize that we are all enough, just as we are, and that we are capable of anything to which we set our minds. Teaching those ideas are two of the strengths of this book on differentiation of instruction.

With the current explosion of children being born with various special needs, especially on the autism spectrum, it becomes imperative that educators seek ways in which they can best meet the educational needs of these children, and all those they educate, so they can reach their potential. Educators, over the past decade, differentiated the curricula by adapting and adopting new ways of teaching the students they serve. However, there have not necessarily been real workbooks for educators to reference and use.

Dr. Schiering has written and compiled a workbook that enhances the curricula, has strategies for teaching thinking interactively, and assist educators in developing and using new activities for teaching all students. This is a hands-on workbook which educators will find invaluable in their daily lessons. The activities can and should be used to teach all children: those with special needs, and different abilities through use of different ways.

Dr. Schiering's interactive new book acknowledges neurodiversity as a form of human diversity to be embraced! The acceptance of every learners' unique set of strengths and needs propels the educator to developing instruction that is creative and caters to each person's learning process. This book advocates for acceptance and evoking in each learner the idea, 'I am enough'. A wonderful contribution to the field.

Marjorie Schiering has written a must-read educational manual/workbook for being a most effective educator. She has provided real world examples and guides for implementation of differentiated instruction. This workbook is an excellent resource! As a professor of graduate students who teach in special education and Ell classes from preschool to high school, I have presented the ideas in this book. As a result, the teachers in my classes have created lessons that use interactive instructional resources for multi-sensory and high levels of student engagement. This book also provides a good deal of information about goal-setting to meet the needs of all students and assist them is developing their thinking skills.

This workbook demonstrates how and why alternative thinking is necessary when experiencing different abilities of students. It viably addresses a wide variety of circumstances encountered in teaching students with different abilities. It reminds us of how traditional methodologies oftentimes do not apply in special needs situations. Subsequently, applying differentiated instruction to meet the multi-variate needs of students must be explored until one is found. That is the essence of this author's messages for teaching thinking and addressing students' aptitudes.

This workbook is an excellent resource for seasoned teachers as well as new educators! This is because of the "interactive" society we experience today. In recent years it seems the increase in students with special needs and different abilities has all concerned persons looking for ways to differentiate their instruction to reach learners. This workbook is an asset, due to the multitude of information about individual educational programs and intervention techniques. There are also ways to teach thinking, strategies for using an interactive method, activities provided to support the first two sections information, and then, sharing by teachers and/or parents about their own learning different ways or experiences with a diverse population of learners. This workbook is intuitive and inspiring for educators to assist them in their students reaching their full potential. Overall, this workbook is an invaluable interactive reference guide for educators everywhere!

With the current explosion of children being born with various special needs, especially on the autism spectrum, it becomes imperative that educators seek ways in which they can best meet the educational needs of these children, and all those they educate, so they can reach their potential. Educators, over the past decade, differentiated the curricula by adapting and adopting new ways of teaching the students they serve. However, there have not necessarily been real workbooks for educators to reference and use.

From the Publisher