Play for All
Katie Robertson, Preschool Teacher, 2023-2024 School Year
Description & Need:
The purpose of this project will be to bring more inclusive practices into the classroom. As an early childhood team, we have a limited number of tools to support children's access to their environment and engage with their peers. These tools would allow all children, regardless of ability, to engage in play and classroom tasks.
How project meets Instruction Goals and Mission Statement:
Columbus Public Schools strives to "Engage All Learners to Achieve Success". We can work towards this mission by purchasing adapted materials, games, and activities that generally wouldn't be available to individuals with multiple disabilities. In the past, our team's Gold scores have also highlighted a need to improve children's social-emotional skills. These materials will promote socialization between children with disabilities and their peers.
Major Objectives:
2c. Interacts with peers: Uses successful strategies for playing with peers using similar materials or actions.
2d. Makes friends: Plays with preferred playmates and shows pleasure when seeing a friend.
7a. Uses fingers and hands: Uses fingers and arm movements to manipulate and explore objects.
8a. Comprehends language: Responds appropriately to specific vocabulary and simple statements, questions, and stories.
11a. Attends and engages: Sustains work on age-appropriate, interesting tasks.
11b. Persists: Practices an activity many times until successful.
11d. Shows curiosity and motivation: Shows eagerness to learn about a variety of topics and ideas.
12b. Makes connections: Draws on everyday experiences and applies this knowledge to a similar situation.
Teaching Methods:
In preschool, we would use direct instruction and modeling as the primary method of teaching. Teachers in the classroom will primarily model the tools during centers and small group times. Repetitive use of these tools will lead to a strong learning connection. While this project is designed to improve the engagement of children with a disability, the instruction will also improve the social-emotional and cognitive skills of the peers in the classroom as well. By building relationships amongst children, peers are learning to build empathy which promotes an overall positive classroom environment.
Grade Level Impacted:
This project targets students at the Kramer Education Center. There are initially five classrooms with approximately five children with a disability verified in each classroom. All children in each classroom will have the opportunity to interact with the materials to improve the engagement and interactions of all peers. As the Kramer Center continues to expand, the opportunity to reach and teach more children increases. The interactions and connections created in preschool, can be implemented at the elementary level. Through the transition from preschool to kindergarten process, the early childhood team will share information with the elementary team about ways the child can be successful in their new environment. The team can also share information on which peers would be grat peer models and help ease that transition to the elementary level.
Additional Materials:
Our team currently has a variety of switches to utilize with these adapted toys. We would like to expand the types of tools and toys that our current switches can operate. In the future we could investigate other adapted materials that would target specific learning areas, like science and math; however, nothing additional needs to be purchased at this time.
Project Evaluation:
As required by the state of Nebraska, GOLD assessment data is completed at a minimum, two times per year in October and May. The objectives stated above come directly from this assessment. We will know these objectives have been achieved when the children using these tools show growth by moving columns or color bands in May checkpoint. It's very typical for children in preschool with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to have goals based on social-emotional learning, classroom engagement and access, and independence skills. These materials also seek to improve outcomes on IEP goals.
