SMART Inclusion

Adapted from Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB)

SMART Inclusion- Engineering the Classroom to Promote Success for All Students

Goals:

  • Create inclusive classrooms where ALL students benefit from the use of technology.
  • Situate technology (SMART, standard SEA equipment) within the context of educational models (UDL, Differentiated Instruction), and speech/language models (Participation Model, Aided Language Stimulation) to promote inclusion (academic/social participation)
  • Combine: theories/models, standard SEA equipment, and SMART technology to achieve SMART Inclusion.

Process:

  • 8 schools (total of 11 classrooms) involved in pilot
  • North Affiliate: Blessed Kateri (2), St. Michael, (1) , St. Patrick (1)
  • South Affiliate: Monsignor Morrison (2), Holy Rosary (2)
  • West Affiliate: St. Paul (1), St. Theresa (1), Holy Cross Secondary (1)
  • Each classroom will have at least one student with pervasive/extensive support levels
  • Total of 11 SEA claims (including SMARTBoard)
  • Extensive 5 day training for teachers, SPSTs (Student Program Support Teachers) and EAs
  • Training and coaching on theories and technology provided by Bridges, SLPs/ALTs
  • Quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered on: academic participation, social participation, communication skills, learning skills and inclusion.
SEA Equipment:
Equipment Items /
Description
BoardMaker Plus / To create symbol-based activities
SymWriter / Symbol-based word processor
Intellitools Access Bundle #5 / Will allow access to curriculum in a visual manner
Time Timer Software / Visual representation of length of time of activity
Desktop Computer
Colour printer / For student to access software
Laptop computer / For teacher use – drives the SMARTBoard
SMARTBoard (Gen 3) with custom stand
SMART Speaker
Notebook 10 software
Document camera / SMARTBoard would allow teaching staff and peers to actively communicate with student (using visual supports both to communicate to him/her and to receive information from him/her)

***Please note that the above listed equipment is ordered for a specific student as part of a SEA claim;

therefore it will move with the student each year into his/her new classroom.

Training 2009-2010:

Session

/ Date / Topic / Presenters / Participants / Location
1 (full day)
Summer Institute / August 25
(9:00-12:00) / Understanding underlying theories / Bridges, SLPs, ALTs / Full group / Holy Cross Secondary
August 25
(1:00-4:00) / Overview of SEA software + SMART / Bridges / Full group / Holy Cross Secondary
2 (half day) / Sept. 21
(1:00-4:00) / Notebook software / Bridges / Full group / CEC
3 (full day) / September / Integrating SEA software with SMARTBoard technology / Bridges / School team / Home school
4 (full day) completed over two half days / October / Integrating SEA software with SMARTBoard technology / Bridges / School team / Home school
5 (full day) / To be determined by school / SMART Inclusion preparation / Self-directed / School team / Home school
6 (full day)
completed over two half days / October –November / Coaching & co-teaching with Bridges trainers / Bridges / School team / Home school
(in-class)
7 (half day) / Dec. 14
(1:00-4:00) / SMART Inclusion sharing / Pilot schools / Full group / CEC

Rationale:

Promotes Inclusion (academic/social participation)

  • Using a combination of SMART technology and standard SEA equipment (Classroom Suite, Boardmaker, Symwriter), the teaching staff will be able to create a multi-media language immersion context to integrate communication programming into the everyday curriculum activities. The SMARTBoard is an essential and critical tool to support the student in accessing the curriculum in the classroom context.

Supports Differentiated Instruction

  • SMART + standard SEA equipment will allow ALL students to receive language and curriculum input through multi-sensory support, including: auditory (teacher’s speech/voice, speech output from computer, music, sound effects), visual (picture communication symbols, printed words, photos, graphics- on SMARTBoard), and proprioceptive (touching, adding to and moving information on the SMARTBoard)

Improves Communication and Social Development

  • SMART technology would allow teaching staff and peers to actively communicate with students with severe communication impairments (using visual supports both to communicate to the student and receive information from the student)

What to Expect:

To measure the success of this project, we will be collecting information regarding the student’s academic participation, social participation, communication skills, and learning skills. The expectation of the teachers in the pilot include:

  • Attendance at all training dates including Summer Institute
  • Implementation of Participation Model for goal setting and lesson planning
  • Attendance at monthly consultation meetings
  • Use of SEA equipment for a minimum of one instructional period per day
  • Completion of surveys
  • Interviews regarding student progress
  • Consent for classroom observation and videotaping by speech-language pathologist

______

Classroom TeacherPrincipalSpeech-Language Pathologist