Good morning: my name is Mrs. B, and I will be a helper in your class this year. I want to share a little about myself and my job in the classroom. First, about me, I love to learn; my favourite colour is blue; I like to make all kinds of things; I enjoy cooking and going on adventures with my husband and two dogs. I have three grown-up kids and one granddaughter. Most importantly, I love kids! I love kids so much that I returned to university so I could work in the schools. 

    Every September, I get to come to a new class and a new teacher, just like you.   And every year, the class is filled with many questions about what I do. “Aren’t you a teacher?” Why do you spend so much time with one student? “Can I ask for help too?’ and so many more.  

    I am an EA, the initials used for an Education Assistant. My job is to support the classroom teacher using the many tools in my toolbox to help ensure everyone can learn and help make us an inclusive classroom. That means helping the teacher with my tools and creating a classroom where everyone can participate in learning and has fun. (UDL)

Did you know we all learn differently? What do I mean when I say we all know differently?  

We all have natural abilities that help us learn. Did you know that there were different ways to be "smart"? Can anyone guess what they might be?

Here is a list of ways to be naturally "smart" in learning. 

Verbal -speaking, writing and words

Body (kinesthetic)- moving, sports and doing things.

Groups (interpersonal)- working with others, helpers, sharing emotions

Visual (spatial)- putting things together, drawing, patterns, puzzles and picture instructions.

Self (intrapersonal)- reading, writing and preferring to work independently.

Thinking (logical)-figuring out math problems and big ideas like space.

Natural- watching, touching, smelling, tasting, hearing. ( 5 senses)

Music  rhythms, poems and songs

Now that we know we all have natural abilities in learning, Let's look at how the four different types of teaching that were designed to fit all eight types of smarts. There are four universal ways to present information when teaching new ideas.

Visual, Speaking, Reading and Writing, and Doing

All eight learning types will learn from one of these teaching styles. Can you match them up?

Verbal-Speech

    Body (kinesthetic)-.Doing

    Groups (interpersonal)- speech

    Visual (spatial)- picture, examples on the board, visual instructions

    Music- Speech

    Self (intrapersonal)- reading writing.

    Thinking (logical)-reading, writing

    Natural- doing

You will notice your teacher does this every day for you. First, you get a worksheet; then, they speak and “teach” the class while writing examples on the board. Then you read and write in doing the worksheet, and because we often sit in groups, it allows for questions and conversations for the verbal learners.

            Today class we will be .....

        Now that we know everyone has different natural abilities and how teachers support these smarts in their lessons. Let's look at brains. Did you also know that not everyone's brain works the same? I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. 

Just as our natural abilities influence our learning, our brain's understanding of what we learn can also be diverse. 

     Sometimes people's brains go too fast and don't know how to slow down. Other times it affects people's control of their movements, and they need a wheelchair. Or they could have a loss of hearing or sight or speech. And sometimes, the brain won't even allow control over the person's emotions. Other times, the amount of light or sound or how something feels can make them feel unsafe.  

       Could you imagine not having control over these things? Why would someone's brain work this way? Mainly because they are born that way. It is normal for them; that's just the way they are. Like the colour of your eyes, they are normal for you but different than the student next to you. Just is. Now for a few people, their brain was injured by sickness or accident, and just like there is no right or wrong way for each of us to learn, there is no right or wrong way for our brains to work. It is just the way it is, like the colour of your eyes. 

I know enough. Why would you need to know about learning, teaching and how others process information? 

This is how I do my job because I know this stuff; I can adapt and modify classwork or activities so everyone can participate actively in this class. Your teacher does their best to meet your needs, but those whose brains process information differently may need information presented differently. That’s where my toolbox comes in, and I have six adoptions for everyone and three modifications to use in case of an emergency only! So we can build an Inclusive classroom together. 

    Fair Is Not Always Equal 

As an EA, I will do whatever I can to ensure that all the students in my care feel valued and supported. I will meet each student where they are to provide what they need to ensure they have equitable Access to Learning.. even when Equitable does not look fair for each student, I believe by ensuring, everyone is given the tools to succeed, that is when Inclusion can be achieved.

Sincerely Mrs. B

        Okay, I know. You what to know what is in the toolbox. What tools could I have to help with learning? There are six tools, and now I am proud to present 

Mrs. B's ToolBox...

How to Use Different Teaching and Presentation Styles

Visual schedules 

Break up the instructions into "CHUNKS." 

Use the I do, we do, you do strategies. 

Use things in students' lives to make it make sense (basketball and angles) 

Provide a time for questions.

Use Different Materials and Equipment

Some may need visual support to help them remember the next steps

Others will need devices to help them speak

Some may need touch programming to do their work

Others may need written instructions, and others need verbal 

Some may need pencil support to help with writing 

Others may need some glasses to help them see. 

Adapt the Workload

Use Audiobooks

Cut the fluff, find the critical points only

Use apps

Chunk it Up

Reduce when needed

    This could look many ways depending on natural learning smarts and how they best learn. But please know Mrs. B is aware of what each student is capable of, and this tool does not mean less work, just adapted for students' success.

 Change the Environment

For some students quiet space works best 

Other it low lights

Others it is in groups 

For some, it might be a busy room

Finding the proper environment is essential. We can't calm our brains to learn if we feel uncomfortable or unsafe.