All students, including special education students, could be parents one day, and need a firsthand experience with RealCare Baby. As with everything that is implemented in the classroom, the teacher needs to design the student’s experience with their special needs in mind. Sometimes these students need to have RealCare Baby programming altered from that of the rest of their classmates.
I take several steps to help increase the odds of success for these students. First, I talk with the teacher of record to discuss the student’s special needs and how to best adapt the assignment to meet those needs. Next, I make contact with the child’s parent(s) to discuss the project with them. I have found that if I include the parent(s) in the programming choice for their child, I have a greater chance of gaining their support. That way the student has a better and more lasting experience with RealCare Baby, rather than an experience that is beyond their frustration level.
There have been very few occasions that it was decided by the teacher of record and the parent(s) that it was in the student’s best interest to do an alternative project. When this has occurred, the alternative project is discussed with the teacher of record and the parent. I have students write research reports, do PowerPoints presentations or pair up with another student that has already completed their project.
Special education students can truly surprise us in what they can accomplish with RealCare Baby. Some of these students have even found greater success than some of my best academic students.
Post submitted by Wanda Hoover, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher and Realityworks Trainer