ACCESS Earth
Sue Hellewell
Carrabec High School
North Anson, Maine
Imagine being in a group of teachers venturing out onto a misty salt marsh one
gray day in July, seabirds mysteriously swirling through fog above the salt hay
and ocean waves crashing in the distance. We were learning research techniques
used by Professors at the University of Southern Maine, which is located in
Portland, Maine, to study the affects of sea level rise on the salt marsh
environment. The science was incredible and transferable to activities that
could be performed back at school. We were also brainstorming and envisioning
ways to make these field activities accessible to students with mobility,
visual, and hearing impediments. If you had returned the following summer you
would have seen roughly twenty students and teachers excitedly working together
to pull a five-meter core sample from the marsh using a vibracore. Only after a
while would you realize that among the close-knit group, there is a young woman
on crutches, there are two people in wheelchairs, and there is a sign language
interpreter for a student with a hearing impairment. The vision of the previous
summer had been fulfilled. Imagine returning a third year to work with students
who have reading and written language disabilities, dyslexia, autism, and
behavioral or attention difficulties.
As an earth science teacher challenged by an increasing number of students with
disabilities in the regular classroom, I was looking for teaching strategies, to
ensure the forward progress of all learners, and the latest earth science
concepts, to incorporate into my curriculum. The Access Earth Summer Institute
provided an experience that opened new pathways for teaching and relating to my
students. The Institute was part of a project sponsored by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation
(NSF), designed to effect long term changes in the number of people with
disabilities pursuing studies in the geosciences (0.2% of graduates in 1995),
and in the methods, materials, and curricula used in high school earth science
classes. One goal of the project was to gain deeper understanding of earth
science by participating in field and laboratory activities that incorporate
earth system science concepts. This was achieved by participating in the ongoing
research of professors at USM, studying the effects of sea level rise on the
salt marsh and the land use changes in a beach-estuarine system at the Wells
National Estuarine Research Reserve located in Wells, Maine. Students and
teachers worked together in the field, and in the science and GIS (Geographic
Information Systems, a computer mapping technique used for storing information
in layers) computer labs at USM. Together we learned to develop adaptations
appropriate for learners with special needs for field and laboratory activities,
including computer based assistive technologies.
During the institute, teachers, staff, and students got to know each other and
learned about the salt marsh as a model system for studying the effects of sea
level rise on soils, plant ecology, water quality, and land use. We learned
about GPS (Global Positioning Systems), remote sensing, and GIS for data
presentation. We also learned how to accommodate the needs of students with
disabilities through instruction from the Access Earth staff on assistive
technologies, by searching for information on websites, and through personal
conversations with the students. This article describes strategies learned from
the Institute that I was able to apply in my classroom.
Developing an Awareness of People with Disabilities: Person First Language
Through instruction and personal conversations with students I learned to focus
on the student before the disability. I became aware of the importance of using
“person first” language for example, “students with disabilities” rather than
“disabled students,” and to avoid statements that qualify the person with a
disability.
Know Your Students
You must give students self-confidence, enabling them to trust you enough to
communicate their needs and advocate for themselves. Before you can make a
lesson accessible, you need to understand the nature of the student’s
disability. We learned from the students at Access Earth that they want to be
asked about their disabilities and in many cases, they can provide the teacher
with the best suggestions for how the teacher can help. In order to give that
self-confidence, a teacher must truly believe in these students and their
abilities to participate, contribute, and have profound insight. Making sure
students with disabilities are included in all aspects of the class provides an
atmosphere that emanates respect and dignity, and acknowledges that students
with disabilities have equal potential to learn and contribute to the class. I
encourage all students to advocate for their needs and to give me feedback on
how I am doing at meeting them. At the beginning of a new class I have all
students fill out a “Getting to Know You” sheet and I ask specifically how I can
help them learn. I follow up the questionnaire by having a one on one
conversation with each student. Important feedback from the student can be given
in writing or through conversation that follows, focusing on building strengths
and expanding our relationships.
Consider How You Teach
Along with understanding my students and the nature of their disabilities, I had
to take a closer look at the way I teach them and ask, “How are students
perceiving me? What does my teaching look like or sound like to them? Am I
reaching them or is it all going by in a blur?” I became aware of this during a
skit put on by the students at the workshop, to show teachers what learning can
be like for students with learning disabilities. The students presented the
teachers with an article that had specific words blacked out. They asked us to
read the article and put it into our own words. We were only given a fraction of
the amount of time it would have taken to read the article. Immediately we
experienced the frustration they encounter every day at school. Asking your
students to enact similar skits about their learning experiences may provide you
with more insight on how to empower them.
This experience made me realize how much I need to pay attention to how I
present material. I have learned to monitor the class’ understanding more
frequently and adjust the pace at which I teach accordingly. By doing this I
stay more in touch with the students’ learning and we move forward on a solid
foundation.
I teach in shorter segments and vary the classroom activities to involve more
students in role-playing, skits, and poster presentations, so that the learning
takes on more of a story format. This active participation gives students
ownership in the class and encourages positive contributions.
Models are great hands on activities. By providing visual, auditory, and tactile
activities, all students have a better chance for learning. Repetition in
different formats and forms of media helps all learners. Before embarking on the
plant and soil studies at the salt marsh, teachers made a poster of the cross
section of the high and low marsh areas. Students were given samples of the
different plants and had to physically place them where they belonged on the
poster. The teachers then demonstrated sea level rise using a large piece of
blue plastic wrap. The students could see how the sea level rise could affect
the distribution of plant types on the different marsh areas. Students and
teachers alike enjoyed the novelty of the blue rising and the tactile placement
of actual plants. Such activities are great as students are experiencing the
content through different senses, which enhances learning.
We learned to help students with organization of material by having them use
computer programs such as Inspiration to create concept maps and models of
systems. You can assist students with reading difficulties by providing books on
tape and use of text to speech programs such as Kurzweil and Quick Light.
In addition to providing a multi sensory approach to instruction, I also offer
multiple ways for students to demonstrate comprehension. Besides using a
traditional test or report for assessment, students may demonstrate their
knowledge in other formats such as a computer presentation or a 3D model. This
is important because different learners have different needs. We should be
adapting to the way students can most easily demonstrate their understanding of
the lesson.
Accommodations for students with mobility impairments, visual impairments, and
hearing impairments can be found on the Access Earth Web Site and an Earth
Systems Idea Book with activities that are accessible to all will soon be on the
Internet.
Finally, a great strategy is to stimulate students’ awareness of the local
environment by involving them in a research project that incorporates real world
problems and the local community. Find a local problem and use the Earth Systems
approach. Not only does this offer an investigative context for learning, but it
also provides an alternative social setting that can open up students’ minds to
learning in new ways and unleashing their potentials. Involving students in
research projects encourages them to develop investigative and problem solving
skills. It gives them the opportunity to see how scientists view the world and
some experience in the approaching of problems in a logical, systematic fashion,
working as a team. It also gives them the opportunity to participate and
contribute, which bolsters self-esteem and confidence. Introducing a research
setting allows for varied forms of student interaction. Students are teammates
as well as co-adventurers. In this type of setting, students reveal hidden parts
of themselves, for some they are now in a setting where they can soar.
