Jennifer Mulhall has been teaching for 10 years, the last four at West Gate Elementary School in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She’s been using Gizmos since she first learned about them about seven years ago in a Professional Learning Community (PLC).
Mulhall uses Gizmos mainly for math, particularly with students who are on modified IEPs. She says, “When I show them how to use the program, they are immediately interested in learning. I find they can be independent and engaged the entire time. Using Gizmos has been a game-changer for math instruction. My modified students work in small groups, while the rest of the class is working on activities quietly. My modified students enjoy learning at their own pace and particularly like the manipulatives.
“Often students who are modified several grade levels below the others feel segregated because they are doing ‘different’ or ‘easier’ math than everyone else,” Mulhall continues. “Gizmos give them an opportunity to feel independent and find success. Searching for specific expectations is very easy and I can pinpoint exactly what I need my students to accomplish without taking up a lot of my own time.
“This past year I had a student so engaged that I often had to remind him that it was recess and he needed to shut the program down and go outside,” she enthuses. “I use Gizmos daily and honestly don’t know what I would do without it!”
Gizmos: The game changer
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