Communication and collaboration are key components of any effective classroom. Indeed, they are vital skills that will enrich students’ personal and professional lives long after graduation. But facilitating the development of those skills can be a challenge, particularly if, like me, you are working with students who have special needs. Here are the tools and strategies I’ve found effective in helping students communicate and work together over the course of my 25 years in the classroom.
Tech tools
I use anything and everything at my disposal to help my students connect with the world around them, and sometimes tools that help students communicate and collaborate come from the most unlikely places. All my students have individualized education programs. Many of them don’t have full use of both hands, so our school’s occupational therapist often recommends typing instruction because handwriting is not a viable option for them.
When I began using TypeTastic in my classroom, I expected my students to learn some keyboarding skills. I didn’t expect it to help my students improve their letter-recognition skills. I didn’t expect it to improve their problem-solving skills, so they could meet the goals of two-handed instruction when they only have use of one. I didn’t expect it to help create an atmosphere of friendly competition as they raced their peers to reach the next level of the program. But learning to type has done all these things for my students, and some of them have even been able to communicate verbally instead of relying on image-based expression.
Beyond typing, I use a variety of tools in my classroom to facilitate communication for students. Selection is based on the needs of the student and the circumstance in which the collaboration occurs.
A student with language-processing issues who becomes overwhelmed in a large group discussion, for example, can participate using Flipgrid, which allows them to create videos to talk and reply to one another. Voki helps students with speech issues use their voice to express their opinions in fun and imaginative ways.
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