After winter break, I covered three days in a mod to severe special ed class. (Read: high school aged kiddos who read at an elementary school level.) For the last period of the day, they worked on "life skills".
The students all had workbooks. Some were working on things like street signs and writing out their home address. I ended up sitting between two girls who were working on activities related to dining out.
I was later told that Audrey was very anxious and needed lots of assurances. She started with a page that showed various steps in ordering food via phone app, and she had to put the steps in order. Which she did, fairly easily (once I confirmed that she was, in fact, doing it correctly).
Then we moved on to tipping.
Explaining how to figure out the tip on a restaurant bill is a challenge even with general ed students. (Everyone hates percentages.) With these special ed students? But I dug in and was ready to work it step-by-step with her.
(And yes, there are shortcuts that are easier in the actual restaurant. And yes, most places now print how much a tip could be on the receipt. Or, it'll automatically add it if you're paying via kiosk. But when it's an actual lesson in an actual workbook, working the actual steps is expected.)
But then Ms. S, one of the instructional assistants, pulled out her phone. There was an app for that.
(If you click on the link, the screenshots show just how easy the thing is.)
Oh my. So, so, so much easier.
Audrey understood what we were doing. Fiddling with the math was the challenge. But the app? She easily could input the total of the bill, slide the percentage to what it needed to be, and have the tip right there.
This is what we talk about when we talk about accommodations. The student can understand what needs to be done. They just have issues working through the steps to get it done. Take away the fiddly bits, and they can exist in general spaces just fine.
Audrey needed just a little guidance, and then she was calculating the tips all on her own.
Phew. That could have been a way harder activity.
(And if you need such an app, now you know it exists.)
There's an app for everything!
ReplyDeleteYes there is.
DeleteIt's nice to know there's an app for that. I hate math and am always happy to get out of doing it.
ReplyDeleteI mean, the math is not that hard, but who wants to do that kind of work when you're out to eat?
DeleteI 'm an Apple user so I looked apps up on the Aoole Store. Tthere is one that not only calculates tips but helps you split bills. Who knew? Not me.
ReplyDeleteThat's the app. It's the same on both platforms.
DeleteI think everyone could use these practical classes in high school.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely, but the general ed kiddos spend more time in academic classes rather than practical ones.
DeleteBreaking it down in steps is the secret! :-)
ReplyDeleteYup. But for these kiddos, too many steps can overwhelm them.
DeleteAlthough with the App, it is easier but in my personal opinion, we need to put our brains on work. haha. Though I hate maths but daily life calculations are a must for brain health.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. But these kiddos are already doing as much as they can. Why make them struggle with everyday tasks that the rest of us handle easily?
DeleteWe all need help with tipping! Not just figuring the amount, but really when tipping is appropriate. So many places now ask if you want to add a tip, yet they didn't really serve you, or make you anything, just rang you up.
ReplyDeleteTrue. And that feeling of guilt when it asks for a tip, but they didn't really do serving, so you (or me) say no but wonder if you should have added a buck or two.
DeleteThere truly is an app for everything (or nearly so)!
ReplyDeleteThe app makes it easy
ReplyDelete