Middle School Teaching Units » Imagination

Educating Autistic Children

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:59:09 +0000

Chances are that any children with autism spectrum disorder that are schooled in mainstream education are likely to need a certain amount of support within the classroom.

All children with autism spectrum disorder will have a triad of disabilities common with this condition.

Social deficits

Communication deficits

Imagination and interaction deficits.

The triad of autism symptoms will vary between individuals, however all will have this triad of autism symptoms.

The asperger syndrome student will almost certainly have an average or above average IQ.

There is no formal teacher training for autistic educators. Research also suggests that 70% of all autistic educators are less that satisfied with the amount of support and in school training they receive.

So how can we make educating autistic children easier?

Research has suggested that autistic educators are using autism social skills stories to help teach autistic students social skills vital to classroom inclusions.

We know children with autism spectrum disorder have the triad of impairments making social, communication and imagination issues a problem within the classroom.

For example the autistic student may find following lessons difficult and loose concentration quickly.

They may lack the ability to follow school rules and not understand, sharing, or working quietly. They may shout out in lessons and be unable to stay on track unless the lesson has captured their interest.

An autistic educator can find help using autism Continue Reading

Christmas Presents For Children , Education or Imagination – Tip 2 For Choosing The Right Gifts

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:15:53 +0000

When we are picking out Christmas presents for children it can be difficult to decide exactly what kind of toys to buy. I am a really big fan of the educational type toys and games but we have to remember that imaginative play is just as important.

I have to admit that the educational toys make me feel better about buying the gifts. I like to know that while my child is playing he is learning. After all that is what children are doing when they are playing. They are learning and perfecting skills. It is very important that our children learn and improve their reading and math skills, even when they are not at school.

These are not really the only skills that they will need in life though. We can’t forget about promoting our child’s imagination because that is really just as important as the rest of it. While it may seem like they are just playing and that there is not really much going on there are some important things that they are learning.

While they are playing with those Transformer toys and making up conversations and events they are really learning how to play out scenario’s in their head. This is something that we all have to do in life. (Playing out scenarios, not playing with Transformers) It is imagination that allows us to play out different scenarios in our head and try to predict what will happen with the choices that we make.

Without our imagination then we would not be able to predict outcomes. It takes imagination to realize that if say something cruel to a co-worker that they will react to it with hostility. Or if you give them a compliment that it will likely improve your working relationship with them. (An office appropriate compliment of course) It is your imagination that allows you to see into the future and predict how you believe they will react to what you say or do.

This is only just one use for your imagination and Continue Reading

Middle School Science Fair Projects

admin — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:05:28 +0000

Who said Science fair projects are boring and a chore? With a little bit of imagination you can come up with a winning science fair topic that will not only be interesting but one that you will enjoy doing.

Yes, a middle school science fair project can be a really exciting time for all middle school children. Having fun working on a science fair project while learning different aspects of scientific spectrum is a great and fun way to teach all children and students that the sciences are, contrary to popular belief not a boring chore but can be a lot of fun, which is something far too many schools seem to neglect telling pupils these days.

Below is a fun and interesting middle school science fair project. This example is intended to give you an idea on how to help your child with his or her science fair project. The example is merely a blue print which can easily be built upon.

Four Eyes? Oh Please!

Everyone knows someone who wears glasses. All you need for this science project is a friend or two who wear glasses. Then before the fair, a poster board could be made with a picture of the eye, the different parts (Retina, cornea, etc) labeled, and a brief description on how we see things.

Take a pair of your friend’s glasses and hold them at arms length, does what you’re looking at look smaller? Or does it look Larger? If the view looks smaller, it means your friend is nearsighted also referred to as short sighted. They can see things that are close to them, but may not be able to see things that are far away, this would be a likely indication that their eyeballs may be too long. On the other hand if the view that they see is big, or even upside down, then they are farsighted also known as long sighted. In other words they can see things that are far away, but not when things are closer up to them, the probable of this is that their eye ball is too Continue Reading