Building Engagement with Distance Learning

The Distance Learning Series is designed to support educators and families to provide effective supports (e.g., schedules, engagement in the learning process) and instruction in an online format.

The Distance Learning articles are organized by the priority Learning Components that provide multiple ​learning opportunities in inclusive environments across the day for students with significant cognitive disabilities. For a full description of the Learning Components refer to Distance Learning Engagement: An Overview Framework.

Distance Learning article list (Google Doc)

Participating in Routines and Transitions

   

Self-Determined Schedule Making

This article includes two strategies for helping parents support their child in planning their daily schedule and following through using time management skills. These resources can help all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, build independence in creating and implementing daily routines for at-home learning.

   

Time Management During Distance Learning

This article includes a strategy for helping parents support their child in following through using time management skills. These resources can help all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, build independence in creating and implementing daily routines for at-home learning.

Engaging in Grade Level Academics and Other Essential Skills

   

A Collaborative Start to Behavioral Supports

Positive and consistent behavioral supports are needed by all students, and for some students, they are absolutely vital for meaningful engagement to be achieved. By intentionally identifying, collaboratively communicating, and consistently following through on the identified supports, students with significant cognitive disabilities are more able to participate and engage meaningfully through distance learning. 

  

Effective Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Within the Distance Learning Environment: What in the World Does That Look Like?

During a move to distance and online learning, educators and administrators are struggling with what it means to provide specially designed instruction for students with the most significant disabilities. TIES Center has some considerations around the initial basic questions for supporting students with IEPs.

   

Getting "Unstuck:" Tips to Help Your Child If They Get Stuck with Their Remote Learning

This article includes 4 tips to help parents support their children when they are stuck in their learning during remote learning. These tips can help all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, build independence with their own learning.

  

Distance Learning and Communication Systems

Students who are learning or using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems have added barriers to learning. Here are some ways to support those students even when you aren’t all together.

  

Embedding Instruction at Home

Grade level standards-based curriculum can be taught through authentic learning activities at home. By embedding instruction in home activities, students apply and practice the content in meaningful ways in their own homes. The three-step process provides a means for collaboratively problem-solving how to apply the content during distance learning.

   

Data Collection and Distance Learning

Distance learning does not mean that legal requirements for meeting the needs of students with disabilities have stopped. Educators and administrators are struggling with how to collect and use data in a distance learning structure. This resource provides concrete strategies and tips.

  

Increasing Opportunities to Respond and Provide Feedback to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in Inclusive Online Environments

This Distance Learning Series article helps inform teachers how to deliver effective feedback to students with significant cognitive disabilities through asynchronous (online, not live with a teacher) and synchronous (online, live with a teacher) learning environments. 

Planning lessons for online inclusive classrooms is challenging, but there are strategies for helping make them accessible for all learners. By targeting adaptations and differentiation strategies, teachers can meet the needs of all online learners, including those with significant cognitive disabilities.

  

Grading Considerations for Inclusive Classrooms in an Online Environment

Grading students with significant cognitive disabilities through distance learning requires carefulthought into what grades really mean and how to quantify student learning in a way that isenriching for all students.

  

Embedding Instruction During Hybrid Learning

Many teachers are balancing how to ensure access to the general education classroom for students with significant cognitive disabilities with pressure to ensure their students are also making progress on individualized goals. This DL article explores how embedded instruction can serve as a solution. Teachers, how might you have embedded instruction for your students before, even if you didn’t know it as a specific strategy?

Universal Design for Learning: Intentional Design for All

Distance learning has brought new challenges for how educators approach curriculum. How can UDL support lesson design?

Teaching in hybrid learning can be complicated, whether it is a combination of online and offline learning (synchronous and asynchronous) or online and in-person learning. Are you wondering how you can keep up with all the changes and meet the needs of all learners through different teaching formats? Check out this Distance Learning post about how to plan and organize hybrid learning options in a way that reduces teacher stress and increases student success.

What does it look like has always been one of the biggest questions about including students with significant cognitive disabilities. This post is one example of how a middle school in Carroll County, MD moved their UDL lesson planning process online as a result of COVID. It includes the process and examples of the actual work. 

Interacting With Others

   

Morning Meetings

One of the most important ways to help students feel safer and more in control is to build schedules and routines they can count on. Many elementary classrooms use morning meetings to check-in with students and lay out the goals of the day.

  

Promoting Engagement for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities on Group Learning Platforms

This article helps answer the question of how to keep students with significant cognitive disabilities engaged in an inclusive way during this time when teachers are delivering instruction through online learning platforms. 

Across the Learning Components

   

Distance Learning Engagement: An Overview Framework - Update!

Building Engagement with Distance Learning provides a framework for supporting all students, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, to actively:

• Interact with others; Engage with classmates;
• Learn grade-level general education curriculum and other essential skills; and
• Participate in routines and transitions

   

Dealing with Uncertainty: A Plea for Thoughtful Plans and Patient Collaboration

Systems change is always a challenge. During a pandemic, it is a huge and unexpected change for everyone, including districts, teachers and families. None of us are experts in this area...yet. That will come, but in the meantime, we need to allow the space and patience for each of us and ourselves to grow.

  

Reflections About Individualizing Supports for Children and Families: Olivia’s Story

Olivia is a teenager, at home experiencing distance learning just like everyone else. She also has autism as an attribute. This is a reflection that her mother shared regarding what school teams need to take into consideration right now.

  

Start Now to Plan for Students Transitioning Back to School

Even as teams continue developing their skills to provide distance learning to students with significant cognitive disabilities, states are discussing various scenarios for when and how-to bring students back to schools. Proactively thinking now about what needs to be considered to successfully transition students back to school will help facilitate this transition.

  

Distance Learning is Emotional Work: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

This article includes tips to help caregivers, parents, and children manage their emotions -These tips can help all learners, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, gain self-regulation and executive functions skills that are critical for learning.  

  

Teachers: Understand and Communicate about Emotions to Support Deep Learning

This article includes 4 tips to help educators help and children understand their emotions -These tips can help all learners, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, gain self-regulation and executive functions skills that are critical for learning.  

  

Planning for Instruction both at School and Distance Learning: The 5C Process

This article provides a process for planning the learning priorities and steps to plan and transition between inclusive instructional programs for students with significant cognitive disabilities at school and at home during periods of distance learning. The 5C Process are key: learning components, collaboration, continuity, collecting data, and capacity building. 

  

Preparing for the First Week of School

Planning for the 2020-21 school year may seem a bit different than planning for previous years.  Here are some checklists and ideas for getting ready for successful communication with families, peers, and students.

  

The First Days of School

The first days of school may look a little different if you are teaching in-person, online or a combination of both, but the need to set norms and classroom routines are necessary.

  

Distance Learning and Deafblindness: Learning From Parents

Looking for inspiration to help you with the new academic year? In this DL article, we highlight the voices of parents of children with deafblindness. Check out collective wisdom on how to be more proactive and inclusive in distance learning.

  

Pivoting Between Paraprofessional Support in Inclusive Schools and Distance Learning

Paraprofessionals are central to the success of educating students with disabilities in general education contexts, especially students with significant cognitive disabilities. Distance learning is pushing the field to consider how paraprofessionals can fulfill their roles in new and creative ways, particularly with the use of technology. Apply the Learning Components framework to clarify paraprofessional roles and how they can be carried out whether instruction is in-school or during distance learning. 

   

The 5-15-45 Tool: Grab a Partner and Let's Collaborate!

Many teachers and administrators are struggling with how to support inclusive practices for students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive classes, especially during distance delivery.  This new 5-15-45 Tool can kick start collaboration whether you have 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 45 minutes or more!

    

Not letting LRE slide:  Ensuring inclusive education during COVID

During COVID, how can teams prioritize the least restrictive environment and inclusive education? How do we assure that we are teaching students with significant cognitive disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible during distance learning and as we return to various in-person delivery models? Considering three questions at key decision points regarding instructional models can raise the awareness of the impact of a team’s decision on a student. 

   

Collaboration in the Trenches: Lessons Learned about Inclusive Technology During COVID

In this DL post, the specific collaborative activities to support the continued use of assistive and educational technology during distance learning are explored. Lessons for teachers and leaders from the work in Loudoun County, Virginia are listed.