first blog post

Hello!!! My name is Melissa Tveten and I am a kindergarten special education teacher at North Pointe elementary in Hebron, Ky.  I really enjoy working in early childhood education and feel very strongly that students must be actively engaged  in the classroom.  Teaching students with disabilities is a challenge, a challenge that i Love but it is sometimes hard to keep them motivated and interested in learning.  In my classroom 90% of the day is spent doing.  I use manipulatives whenever possible.  I implement brain gym and minds in motion activities into my classroom daily.  It is so important that students move around to get their brain awake and ready to learn. I also incorporate multisensory techniques into each lesson.  I allow students to experiement and touch things when possible.  They need to create as many experiences as possible.  My school has recently adopted Marzano strategies to implement in our school so there are several strategies that I feel do keep students engaged.  Throughout our building we have posted I can statements.  It was very interesting to see students looking for I can statements.  They really do seem to be so much more focused knowing exactly the purpose of the lesson.  This is a strategy taken from Marzano, which is also the book I have chosen to read.  Making the learning meaningful to the student is vital!  Studnets must feel accountable and a part of their leaning.