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Increasing Student Voice

Jennifer Ziolko, ATP, Instructional Coordinator Kathy Versteeg, SLP, Instructional Coordinator

West Linn-Wilsonville School District October 1, 2015

West Linn-Wilsonville School District

�  Mission Question: How do we create learning communities for the greatest thinkers and most thoughtful people…for the world?

�  Vision Themes:

�  Academic Excellence

�  Personalized Education

�  Community Partnerships

�  Circle of Support

�  The Whole Person

�  Integrated Technology

WLWV Student Services

�  Works directly with students, classroom teachers and parents to create a circle of support for educating the whole student.

�  Our goal is the personal and academic success of each child

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Student Services Focus Areas

Focus Areas �  Improving Instructional Practices

�  Assessment for Student Learning �  Student Engagement & Purpose �  Curriculum & Pedagogy

�  Creating Inclusive Cultures �  Gen/SpEd Collaboration �  Belonging through Co-Curricular Activities �  Every Student’s needs met at home school

�  Increasing Student Voice �  Developing Growth Mindset �  Student Involved IEPs �  Every Student Effectively Communicates

Demographics �  Across 16 schools:

�  7 schools have students using higher end devices �  At least 17 students who use personal high-tech Speech

Generating Devices (SGD) �  5 use a SGD produced by Prentke-Romich Company

�  7 use an iPad with Words for Life APP

�  1 uses with eye gaze produced by Tobii/Dynavox

�  4 are in between devices or learning a new device

�  5 schools provided with an iPad dedicated for communication using the Words for Life app

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Increasing Student Voice

Our goal is to get students using their devices across all settings, throughout their school day…

HOW??????

Professional Development �  In the past:

�  Offered trainings on the language system of specific devices to staff in special education classrooms

�  Worked with staff in special education classrooms

�  August 2015: �  Team approach

�  Special educators, SLPs, General educators, and parents �  Attendance throughout the day:

�  3 parents, 3 SLPs, 2 Gen Ed teachers, 6 SpEd teachers, 2 Student Services Administrators, 1 grad student

August Professional Development

�  8:00-11:00 �  Audience: Special educators, SLPs, Parents, and

General educators �  Focus: introduction to student voice and the Unity/

Minspeak language system in devices by Prentke-Romich Company (PRC)

�  12:00-3:30 �  Audience: Special educators, SLPs, and General

educators �  Focus: increasing student voice throughout a

student’s day, using low and high-tech systems in the general education setting

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Student Voice �  We believe

�  All students have the ability to be active participants in their educational setting and

�  That every child deserves a voice and

�  Student talk is one of the greatest indicators of student engagement and learning

�  Turn & Talk: �  How do children develop oral language?

�  For students who do not have typically developing skills, how do they develop expressive language?

AAC �  Some students may need additional tools to help

enhance their communication

�  The American Speech and Hearing Association’s (ASHA) definition of AAC “Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. We all use AAC when we make facial expressions or gestures, use symbols or pictures or write.”

AAC systems �  AAC system can range from simple to more

complex: �  Paper and pencil

�  Communication boards �  Communication books �  Low-tech devices

�  High-tech devices

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Importance of a team approach

�  “The average 18 month old child has been exposed to 4,380 hours of oral language at a rate of 8 hours/day from birth. A child who has a communication system and receives speech/language therapy two times per week for 20-30 minutes sessions will reach this same amount of language exposure in ___ years.” (Jane Korsten)

�  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flFNMky22-U

Importance of a team approach

�  “The average 18 month old child has been exposed to 4,380 hours of oral language at a rate of 8 hours/day from birth. A child who has a communication system and receives speech/language therapy two times per week for 20-30 minutes sessions will reach this same amount of language exposure in 84 years.” (Jane Korsten)

�  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flFNMky22-U

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Aided Language Stimulation �  Indirect teaching method that takes advantage of

naturally-occurring opportunities

�  Modeling target words in ways that reveal their meanings �  Vary the number of selected icons according to the

user’s ability

�  “Building a foundation with aided language input” �  http://screencast.com/t/dNshNa5Bf

�  PrAACtical AAC

Turn & Talk �  In groups of 2 or 3, talk about ways that you have

used aided language stimulation or how you see it may be used with your student(s) �  COSA: talk about ways you have observed aided

language stimulation in your classrooms or how it may be beneficial to your students

�  Share out highlights from your conversation

Unity/Minspeak Intro �  Jason Smith, PRC representative partnered with us

for training and practice

�  5 patterns of Unity 1.  Verbs, Adjectives, Category Nouns 2.  Pronouns 3.  Pronoun Phrases 4.  Grammar Words (interjections, determiners,

conjunctions, prepositions, question words, adverbs) 5.  Nouns Quick reference guide: https://www.prentrom.com/support/attachments/261

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Advice to teachers from people who use AAC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVSGxiHhvcY

Lesson planning Goals:

�  Through collaboration, we will increase opportunities for student voice in the general education classroom and

�  Increase engagement for students using AAC

Teaching vocabulary Does the student use core vocabulary?

�  If not, it may be beneficial to teach and explain core vocabulary first �  Core words- 80% of what we say; these words can be

used in multiple settings for multiple purposes (basic nouns, pronouns)

�  Fringe words- 20% of what we say; these words may be more specialized and context-specific. (Think about putting these on a manual communication board)

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Remember…. �  Robin’s advice: “When you ask them questions,

don’t ask them to say words not in their devices. And don’t put them in because it is a waste of everybody’s time. Instead, help the student to learn to say simple words to give answers because these are the words they need to learn to talk, read, and write.”

�  Phillip’s advice: “They will need to tweak the class a little, such as the homework load. And ask questions that the student can answer with words already in his or her communication device.”

SETT Process �  Student-Environments-Task-Tools

�  Identify communication demands �  General communication

�  Classroom specific �  Activity specific

�  Identify current levels of communication

�  www.joyzabala.com

Identifying current levels Setting/Environment and Communication Partner

Task (Message/Purpose)

Current Communication (Tools)

Desired Communication & Vocabulary (Tools)

Classwork/Teacher Clarify what to do when finished with work

Sit and wait or gets up and walks around the room

“I’m finished. What’s next?” using a picture symbol or device

Library/Adult checking out books

Greet adult and let them know they want to check out a book

Stand and wait “Hi. I want to check out this book.”

Lunch/peer or adult

Help opening

Offers container to adult

Using device, asks “open please”

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Lesson planning framework Activity Outcome/

Function of Communication

Who/Where Target Vocabulary

Action Plan

Lesson Planning �  In your school team, pick an academic activity

�  Identify activity, desired outcome, who and where (setting), target vocabulary and action plan (how to teach this skill and collect the data)

�  If times allows, select a social, leisure activity/community activity and repeat the lesson planning

�  Pick one area your team will focus on for increasing student voice and plan to share with group (chart paper)

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Building Capacity �  To build capacity for students to increase their

voice and use AAC systems throughout their school environment:

�  How do we incorporate peers in modeling and incorporating the AAC system?

�  How will you spread capacity in adults in the school?

Data collection

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https://realizelanguage.com/info/

Ticket Out the Door On a notecard:

1.  One new idea you learned today that you will implement at the start of the year for increasing student voice for your student(s) using AAC tools

2.  Is there anything you need as support to help your student(s) with using AAC?

One new idea you learned today that you will implement at the start of the year for increasing student voice for

your student(s) using AAC tools

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One new idea you learned today that you will implement at the start of the year for increasing student voice for your student(s)

using AAC tools

�  Lesson planning template helped plan for device use on a daily basis

�  Implement core vocabulary words into multiple subjects

�  Model, model, model! Have peers use the device

�  “I learned that AAC devices exist”

�  Better understanding of device and navigation

�  Make use of devices/low-tech systems; make language visible

�  Adding/programming words for different lessons is the opposite of helpful…in general

Is there anything you need as support to help your student(s) with using AAC?

�  Brainstorming ways to facilitate/encourage use in the community

�  Using PASS on computer to make manual boards

�  Dedicated time for GenEd/SpEd planning together

�  How to incorporate peers or train peers about device

�  Help figuring out which device is best for individual students

�  How to integrate AAC devices into our classroom

�  Be able to observe how to use the device for reading

Parent Feedback �  “The sooner I get something, the better. The class

was a real eye opener and am excited to communicate with [my son] more effectively”

“Thanks all so much for caring so much about [my daughter’s] communication”

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Next Steps �  Support staff

�  Observe students using communication systems across settings and collect data

�  Capacity building of teams

�  Continue to partner with parents

Resources �  PrAACtical AAC- http://praacticalaac.org/

�  http://praacticalaac.org/praactical/aac-vocabulary-lists/ (core vocabulary list for various age groups)

�  http://praacticalaac.org/praactical/10-aac-intervention-strategies-we-cant-live-without/ (10 AAC intervention strategies that we can’t live without)

�  http://praacticalaac.org/praactical/how-i-do-it-marlene-cummings-on-strengthening-the-communication-environment/?subscribe=success#blog_subscription-2 (strengthening the communication environment)

Resources �  AAC Language Lab- learning tools for using and

teaching AAC (especially for Unity/Minspeak): www.aaclanguagelab.com (paid subscription) �  https://aaclanguagelab.com/resources/free (includes

LAMP/Words for Life Manual Boards)

�  Caroline Musselwhite tips and resources:http://www.aacintervention.com andhttp://aacgirls.blogspot.com/

�  Storybook boards (primary): https://aac-ucf.unm.edu/resources/aac-boards.html

�  ASHA on AAC: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/AAC/