Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

By:  Caitlyn Pagnottaro, ECSEAT Scholar There’s a lot of things that children tell us every day and a lot of messages that they send us, even if we don’t receive those messages verbally in a way that we can understand. That’s why as educators it’s important for us to have the ability to recognize whether a child can’t do something simply because it’s too difficult, or because we haven’t provided them an environment where they’re comfortable and capable of doing the work. That’s the whole idea behind flexible seating. More and more educators in grades K – 3 are adding this into their practice where children get to choose their own workspaces. Traditionally, children would be introduced to their desk space labeled with their name, but instead teachers are introducing them to spaces that they can choose to work from such as crate chairs, exercise balls, kneeling tables and much more. It’s up to the student to choose where they think they’re going to do their best work. For a lot of ch...

By: Sue Stubbs , EC-SEAT Scholar Managing behavior in a classroom is ever changing. One’s style of behavior management is never the same from year to year, maybe similar but not exactly the same. Behavior management truly depends on the class dynamics. I have found some Low Cost and Low Tech Assistive Technology tools that work in a preschool classroom to help assist with behaviors and children with varying needs.  Specialized Chairs  Specialized chairs with leg support and Box Chairs help assist children with sitting. These tools help children  have upright posture when sitting at circle or at a table. It provides one with the ability to be able to focus and maintain attention during instruction time. Wiggle Cushion  These assist with attention and provides a child with sensory needs the ability to sit in a whole group or small group setting while providing some movement.  Weighted Blanket and Vests These help with sensory integratio...

Created by: Hannah Arnold and Angie Dalessio (EC-SEAT Scholars 2013-2015) during their internship year in Deerfield, NH Note: EC-SEAT scholar interns provide two professional development workshops for cooperating teachers and interdisciplinary teams (including families and paraprofessionals) as part of their early childhood education: special needs option graduate programs at the University of New Hampshire. This adjustable storage folder was a low-tech Assistive Technology solution created by Hannah and Angie with paraprofessionals in their early childhood classrooms. Student Reflection:  Hannah Arnold and I did a presentation at Deerfield Community School for paraprofessionals. This project was a collaborative effort with not only Hannah and myself, but it originally it started with Pat Rose, the Occupational Therapist and Bob Layton, who is part of the Technology department at Deerfield Community School. Included in this presentation you will find: Materials needed, an...

By: Kyleigh Pharris,  EC-SEAT Scholar, Seacoast Reads Coordinator While participating in an online course at the University of New Hampshire, EDUCATION 703/803 C Classroom Management: Creating Positive Learning Environments, I reflected upon the importance of teacher language in the early childhood classroom. Through this process of reflection I created a table outlining recommended guidelines for teacher language. Focusing on teacher language is important in the purpose of understanding how a teacher’s conveyed message can impact the management of the classroom. As Patenaude (2011) stated, “A teacher ’ s words affect the students who hear those words.” It is through language that teachers are able to create a welcoming atmosphere for children and families, establish a collaborative community, and engage children in learning encounters. As an EC-SEAT scholar I wanted to share these guidelines for positive teacher language with early childhood professionals to illustrate ...

Blogpost by: Carrie Portrie, M.Ed, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator The more I talk with other early childhood educators and the more I learn about using technology with some of our youngest children, I find myself coming back to the Colorado Department of Education Results Matter video library.   What strikes me about each video is the wealth of resources and practical suggestions. Wondering about documentation using Teaching Strategies (TS) Gold ? Want to know about recommended websites and apps that teachers are using with young children? This could be a great place to start. Also below are some other useful sites mentioned in the Results Matter video  Using Technology to Enhance Instruction and Family Engagement   (and some additional resources).  What are your favorites that you would recommend to others? How do you get inspired?  New England Aquarium - Live Stream NGAKids Art Zone - National Gallery of Art (you will need the Shockwave plug-in and do...

New York Times Article - Rethinking the Colorful Kindergarten Classroom By: Kyleigh Pharris, EC-SEAT Scholar As a certified preschool through third grade educator and a special education kindergarten intern, I am constantly in search of new research that will assist me in creating a classroom environment that is respectful to young learners. Stumbling upon The New York Times blog article Rethinking the Colorful Kindergarten Classroom by Jan Hoffman, really got me thinking about what our classroom environments really say to children. In the article, Hoffman describes a study conducted with 24 kindergarten children through the Carnegie Mellon University. To broadly sum up the findings in the study, researchers discovered that classroom walls that were highly decorated in teacher bought posters of bright colors and cartoon characters, meant to inspire children to learn, really distracted them from learning. The research supports austere classroom aesthetics for young lea...