Stacey Falconer: Guiding special education students to new heights

Year: 2020 — Province: Ontario
Certificate of Achievement Recipient

Lakeshore Public School
Special education, all subjects, grades 4 to 6
Burlington, Ontario

I used to feel like my brain was a filing cabinet and all the file folders fell out and got so mixed up that I couldn't find anything. Mrs. Falconer helped me to find ways that I could put all the papers back into the folders and into their drawers so I could find them when I needed them.

student

Stacey Falconer's commitment to her students doesn't end when they graduate. As well as organizing annual cookouts for her alumni and their families, she calls all her former students each September to check in with them and wish them luck in the school year ahead. Long after they leave her classroom, students contact her for advice, which she generously provides.

Teaching approach

Stacey doesn't believe it's enough to simply teach basic literacy, numeracy and emotional management skills to students with learning disabilities. Instead, in her TechDudes program, she helps growing learners develop advanced executive function capabilities and to use technologies that will allow them to excel.

In the classroom

  • Promotes assistive tools: guides students to help them choose from more than 40 technologies to make notes, access tips, share information and collaborate; tools include iMovie, QR codes, Screencastify, Google Hangouts, Flipsnack and Symbaloo.
  • Employs a structured process to develop executive function: moves from lessons to creative activities and reflection; for example, one Halloween, students chose from a range of activities and make schedules; they then collaborated to finish tasks so they could decorate a haunted house; Stacey helped them analyze the chain of events.
  • Connects her students to the world: runs Google Hangouts with students from other countries; links her classes to question-and-answer sessions with university researchers; takes students on virtual field trips.
  • Designed a classroom with multiple seating options: choices include stationary bikes, tents, cushions, "wobbly" chairs, a reading corner and cardboard "office" spaces; children feel comfortable in the space.

Outstanding achievements

  • Gives students chances to share their successes: students give one-hour presentations at teachers' conferences; narrate videos about their breakthroughs, such as creating digital spelling diagrams together; this enhances their confidence and presentation skills.
  • Helps students reframe difficulties, seeing them as opportunities to use technologies and skills strategically, rather than as indicators of failure; enthusiasm for school rises; math and reading scores improve.
  • Prepares students for further education: one student is now taking business and computer science at university; another says he doubts he would have finished high school without Stacey's help; many have reintegrated into regular classrooms.
  • Inspires other teachers: shares detailed videos of her techniques on Twitter; mentors special education colleagues.

Get in touch!

Lakeshore Public School
2243 Lakeshore Road
Burlington ON  L7R 1B1

905-634-3244
hughesallenk@hdsb.ca
https://lak.hdsb.ca/
Twitter: @The8Techdudes