Vision Boards and how they can engage and build excitement for students

 

Fostering student motivation is a difficult but a necessary aspect of teaching that teachers must consider. Many may have led classes where students are engaged, motivated, and excited to learn, but have also led classes where students are distracted, disinterested, and reluctant to engage and, probably, have led classes that are a mix.

Most educators assume that graded assessments and marked assignments can motivate students enough towards making them more responsible and excited for their future.

Goal setting is an important life skill that is never too early to start developing. Learning to set goals teaches children to take responsibility for themselves. They learn that their actions determine whether they fail or succeed.

Goal setting also builds self-confidence. When children reach their goals, they learn to believe in their abilities and are more likely to set new goals for themselves in the future.

So, before we talk about the advantages of a vision board and how to make one and more, let’s find out what a vision board really is.

A vision board is a visualization tool that gets students thinking about what they want to accomplish either academically or personally. With a vision board, students create visual representations of goals through a collage of pictures and words.

The board serves as a daily reminder of what students want to achieve and helps motivate them to make their vision a reality.

As far as making a vision board is concerned, there are no set rules that you must follow, it is not a formal assignment nor does it have to be, a vision board can be as simple as a sticky note on a calendar or even a marked date with a written note on it, all It has to do is to remind you of a certain goal that you have set. It should be a call to action towards a goal that you have set, or it can be as creative as much as you prefer with a primary reason to remind you that you must achieve a certain goal.

Speaking of a goal, there are a few things to keep in mind while making a goal which can help you developing a better vision board.

Your goal should be realistic, concise, time bounded and achievable. What it means is that your goal needs to be something that can be achieved, it should be real, if you say I want to climb mount Everest, that is not goal that should be discouraged, however adding more steps to know how you will get there -- it should tell at what age, month or year you want to go there, why is it important to you, and are you capable of climbing the most unforgiving incline on earth, and lastly it should have a cutoff time. A point where you must call it done or you can state a deadline in which you should be able to complete your goal. It helps with better planning and gives you a milestone to hit and devise your goal into bite size pieces that are easier to achieve by which each step takes you closer and closer to your final goal.

This does not have to be on your vision board per-say but it does help with achieving your goals easily.

Teaching your students how they can create a vision board for themselves. First, explain to your students the purpose of vision boards and explain what they are not. For example, if a student wants to become the president of the United States, simply pasting pictures of past presidents onto the board is not the answer. It needs to be a bit more involved. The student would have to include steps on their board of what previous presidents did to get there, campaigning, working hard, going to college, and being willing to socialize with thousands of people throughout their careers.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but vision boards for students need to be highly detailed, and those details need to have deep significance to the student who made the board.

Explain to your students that vision boards don’t work simply by being made. Once all the image searching, cutting, and pasting have been done, they’ll need to understand that vision boards are most effective when seen every day. Teach your students to have clear intentions for what they want to achieve, and explain that if specific goals change, they can always edit their boards to include new images and words or phrases to symbolize these new dreams.

Once your students have completed their vision boards, it’s important that they be placed where they can be visually accessed by your students every day, even multiple times a day. If you are in a traditional classroom, consider hanging their boards all around your classroom, and make them a regular part of your planning and teaching day. If you are in a virtual classroom, have your students hang their boards in their bedrooms, or even better, behind wherever they sit during class so everyone can see what their goals are every day during class.

Vision boards for students are a great way to introduce all kinds of new—or existing—material into classroom discussions about everything, from geography to history to science to language arts. That’s because each of your students will have different dreams and thoughts displayed on their boards, and these are sure to cover much ground in all these different areas.

For example, a student who wants to be a doctor might want to lead a classroom conversation about anatomy, or a student interested in becoming the mayor may want to help open a discussion about local history. Use these various interests to your advantage in creating classroom conversations, which will also make students feel more seen, understood, and special.

Vision boards for students are also a great way to encourage shorter-term goal setting for the semester or school year. If these are the kinds of vision boards, you'd like to see your kids make, have them think about where they would like to be in the next 12 months rather than where they'd like to see themselves as adults.

Have them include pictures and phrases for their boards that suggest success where they might be struggling in school or where they would like to see themselves do better academically. You can even encourage your shy students to become more outspoken by including pictures of their favorite singers, actors, and other outspoken figures.

The important thing is that you be there for your students as they work on their boards, encouraging them to research what they want to accomplish over a given period. This process will help you get to know your students, too, so creating vision boards at the beginning of the school year or semester is both fun and informative for you as an educator. Vision boards are also an excellent way for students to get to know each other, because it shows them who is interested in what, and what they might all have in common.

A vision board has several benefits, each incredibly important or valuable in their own way. A vision board creates an emotional connection that motivates you, this works especially well if you make your vision board more than just pictures. Make it also about the emotions connected with your vision and the sensory experience of it all. What sounds, smells, and sights are associated with a particular aspect of your vision? What emotions? Relief, wonder, or joy?

A vision board is only as beneficial as the work you’re willing to put into it, so dig in and make it as thorough, exciting, and detailed as possible. A vision board makes real the dream in your mind, so you begin to believe it’s possible.

When you make something clearer and concrete in your mind, it feels more real and attainable. You start to believe that, hey, I just might be able to make this happen.

That’s one of the most powerful benefits of a vision board. No matter what you believe about yourself, no matter how much self-doubt you have, a vision board done right will slowly begin to transform your inner belief system into one which is more confident, certain, and self-motivated.

A vision board helps you clarify what you want out of your life because it forces you to put something down as you reflect on your vision board each day, certain things pull on you and others become increasingly tiresome.

Go in the direction of those things that pull you and don’t be afraid of modifying your vision over time. One of the most important benefits one can get from their vision boards is that there are no limits. You can be, do and have anything you want. You can live in a big castle by the cliff or drive a Lamborghini, you can visit the most exotic places on earth and travel first class. In other words, my friend, you are not bound by the restrictions of your physical world, instead, you can freely think whatever possibility you want.

This limitless thinking will make you unleash your inner greatness to achieve something that you truly want deep within you. The Wright brothers invented the airplane many years ago because they visualized and imagined that humans can fly in their head before they made it real.

Section 504

504 plans get their name from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a broad civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in any agency, school, or institution receiving federal funds.

Section 504 requires schools to eliminate barriers that would prevent a student from participating fully in the programs and services offered in the general curriculum by providing reasonable accommodations. Those accommodations may be documented in a plan called a 504 plan.

Having learning or physical disabilities is no one’s choice but it is their right to have access to the quality of life that everyone else enjoys, and to ensure there is no discrimination for challenged individuals, 504 plans provide protection and adequate coverage so they can perform as normal individuals.

So, if you haven't had much experience with these plans, you may be wondering what qualifies for a 504 Plan in your classroom. Legally, children with special needs can receive a 504 Plan if they meet one of the following criteria:

1:        Have a physical or mental disability that limits one or more life activities.

2:        Have a record of a disability.

3:        Being regarded as having a disability.

In other words, the student must have or be perceived as having a disability that limits one or more significant areas of life – like communication, self-care, vision, breathing, learning, or working.

While Section 504 doesn't list all the qualifying disabilities that would require a plan, it provides examples. This includes things like cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cancer, diabetes, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, ADHD, allergies, asthma, and more.

The most important consideration is how these impairments limit the student's ability to perform compared to the typical learner in your classroom.

To qualify for special education, students with disabilities must need specialized instruction to make progress in the general education curriculum. Some students with disabilities don’t meet the eligibility criteria for an IEP. But they may need support to have “equal access” and learn alongside their peers in general education. That’s what a 504 plan is for.

To qualify for a 504 plan, a student needs to have “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Life activities can include everyday activities like walking and breathing. But they can also include learning, concentrating, thinking, and communicating.

For parents it is important to know that, if your child’s teachers see a reason for a 504 evaluation, the school doesn’t need your permission. They just need to let you know that they are doing the evaluation and its results.

You can also ask for a Section 504 evaluation for your child. To get one, write to your school district’s 504 contact person. You can call your child’s school to find out who this person is.

In some school districts, you can also ask the school counselor for this evaluation.

If your child is approved for 504 services, your child’s school will work with you to create a 504 plan for your child. This plan is similar to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and is specific to your child’s needs.

If your request for evaluation and testing is not approved, the school must tell you about their reasons in writing and let you know what you can do to appeal their decision. Or, if you disagree with the school’s evaluation and testing results, you can ask for a “due process hearing” or file a complaint with the federal Office for Civil Rights on the OCR Complaint Assessment System web page. Ask the school administration for a copy of the Notice of Parent and Student Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Accommodations and modifications under Section 504 include many different things, and we’ve listed some examples below.

Examples of accommodations are:

• Physical changes to the school that are necessary for your child to be able to use the school building, such as installing a wheelchair ramp, handrails, or motorized doors. The school could also adjust your child’s schedule, so all their classes are on a single floor.
• Changes in rules, policies, or procedures to let your child have the same chances to participate in school activities as their peers without disabilities. An example is letting a child with diabetes have a snack in the classroom or letting a child with ADHD stand up when needed during class.
• Learning aids, like time with a literacy specialist, using a calculator on a math test, or typing an essay instead of writing it out by hand.
• Examples of modifications are: Shortening your child’s day to help them manage their anxiety.
• Changing gym class requirements for a child with asthma or another physical disability.

Examples of testing (both classroom and standardized tests) accommodations are:

• Different test formats, such as test printed in Braille or a large print test booklet and answer sheet.
• Having someone read test questions aloud to a student who has trouble reading.
• Letting students who cannot write say their answers aloud to a person who writes them down.
• Increasing the amount of time, a student is given to complete the test or assignment – or giving them extra breaks.

Your child can also get accommodations for college entrance tests, such as the SAT or ACT. They will have to send in a letter from their doctor or school as proof that they need accommodations. The process often takes a long time, so be sure to plan ahead.

Some students who receive special education services under IDEA or Section 504 can take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Alternate 2 (also known as the STAAR-Alt) instead of the STAAR test. These are the state-mandated standardized tests for public school students. If your child needs to take the STAAR-Alt, it needs to be written in their IEP or Section 504 plan.

The STAAR-Alt is individualized for each student’s needs and is given over a period of time that meets the child’s unique abilities and attention to tasks.

Some parents have their children opt out of STAAR testing. You might be told by your child’s school that you are not allowed to opt out, and that your child won’t move to the next grade if they don’t take the test. Some organizations say that this is not a legal choice.

While some suggest a 504 is better than an IEP, the rules around 504 plans are much looser than they are for IEPs. For that reason, parents can miss or misunderstand some of the key steps in the process.

As a teacher you will want to make sure that your parents know the common pitfalls that they may run into.

Here are five common pitfalls parents run into.

Number 1:    Schools sometimes skim over the details of what a 504 plan can include. They may not explain that it can provide, and special services like those in an IEP. Prepare in advance by learning as much you can about your options. You can then use that knowledge to ask that specific kinds of help become part of your child’s 504 plan.

Number 2:    The law doesn’t guarantee parents the right to attend their child’s 504 plan meetings. However, many schools are happy to include parents. But it’s best not to wait for an invitation. If the school tells you they’re evaluating your child for a 504 plan, let them know that you want to be part of any meetings where your child’s needs will be discussed.

Once your child has a 504 plan, stay proactive. Ask for a copy of the 504 plan. Make sure your child’s annual 504 plan meeting doesn’t take place without you. Contact your child’s 504 committee leader or principal early in the school year to get the meeting on your calendar—and theirs.

Number 3:    Some schools present parents with a standard 504 plan for students with a certain disability. They claim, “It has helped many children like yours.” However, the needs of kids with the same disability can vary. That means a standard 504 plan for any other disability isn’t very useful.

You might get some ideas from a standard 504 plan, but your child’s plan needs to be tailored to meet his individual needs. It may help if you come prepared to discuss your child’s specific areas of weakness, along with ideas of some accommodations you think might be useful.

Number 4:    After jumping through hoops to get your child’s 504 plan in place, it’s natural to take a breather. Don’t let go completely! Make sure your child’s 504 plan is followed. Talk with your child about school and monitor homework and test scores. Is the school providing the promised accommodations, modifications, and services? Take any concerns to your child’s teacher or 504 committee leader.

Number 5:    The 504 committee should review and revise your child’s 504 plan every year. As your child moves through school, he’ll master some skills but struggle with new ones. The academic load will also increase. You’ll want his 504-plan updated to document his changing needs and the accommodations, modifications, and services he’ll need to succeed.