Writing Through our Needs
"Whether they are working on letters, numbers, math facts or being given time to free draw after completing their work, they are ecstatic to use the WipeBook Flipcharts"
When you are a student with a learning challenge, it can be a challenge in itself. My students have a different variety of special needs from specific learning disabilities to intellectual disabilities to autism but that doesn’t prevent them from learning. We set individual goals (academic, behavioural, or emotional) and push ourselves toward mastery. One of the ways that we have found to drive our motivation and make learning fun is through Wipebook Flipcharts. We have been using these Flipcharts to be able to utilize the flexible seating within the classroom and complete the work in a position that satisfies our needs.
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Students with complex learning needs require numerous amounts of repetition in order to recall and master a given skill. With repetition of skills, comes boredom from the students. You can only write your letters of the alphabet or numbers so many times without getting tired of completing the same task. We switch it up in the classroom by using different materials to keep learning fun and engaging even though we have been working on the same skill for the past 4 months. The Wipebook Flipcharts allowed me to give my students yet another option that they could utilize to master skills.
Some of the skills that we are working on:
- Writing letters and numbers
- Identifying emotions
- Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division Math Facts
- Sight Word Identification
My students first words when I showed them the Wipebook was, “Why can’t I just use the board?” The new favourite has been using them on the floor of the classroom which allows the students to utilize the flexible seating that we have in the classroom. They love being able to lay on the floor while they are completing their work instead of sitting at the table or desk. When my students are working on solving math problems such as multiplication and division, we use the grid side of the Wipebook in order for their problem, work and pictures to be organized in a grid. This really helps my students since organization can be a struggle. Whether they are working on letters, numbers, math facts or being given time to free draw after completing their work, they are ecstatic to use the Wipebook Flipcharts. The question has now switched to, “Can we use the Wipebook today instead?”
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Another student favourite is for them to do a “write the room”. I have the Wipebook sheets hung up in multiple places throughout the classroom and have questions on each one. The students walk to each Wipebook and complete the question or write what I ask on the sheet. Some of my students have to write the letter/number that I say while others are working on completing math facts. The level of the questions written around the room depends on the student and what their individualized goals are. We sometimes will do this as a small group activity and since my classroom is large enough they still remain socially distanced while they are moving around the classroom. When we do it as a small group activity, each student gets a different colour marker to write their answers and has to be checked before moving onto the next sheet. They are able to easily wipe the Wipebook clean before moving on so that each student gets to complete the question without the thought processes of another student still left on the board.
Cassandra Scott, Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District.
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