It might seem weird to say, but it doesn't matter if you are teaching a skill to an animal or a child, many of the principles of learning are the same. When your dog successfully lays down on command, you reward it with a treat. That's positive reinforcement and the same principal can be used to teach a variety of skills to all sorts of people (and animals)!

Mary Barry has certificates in Behavioral Science and Animal behavior and has over 15 years experience teaching positive reinforcement for horses and other animals. She has 30 years experience teaching science and has been a speaker and participant in numerous conferences on science and positive reinforcement. During the pandemic, she started Malba Books and is now a children’s book author who makes learning to read an enjoyable process for 4 & 5 year olds by using rhyme and repetition.

In this episode, Mary explains to us the core components of using positive reinforcement to teach skills. She discusses key aspects of the method, such as finding the specific type of rewards to positively reinforce a behavior, as well as acknowledging that each student learns differently and the stage at which you reinforce may look different for each student. She also discusses her time as a children's author and how these same principals of teaching inform her writing.

Special education students are first and foremost...students! And they don't just exist in the special education classroom. These students are in our dance classes and on our little league teams, and just like any other student, they want to be included and feel success. How they get to that point might just look a little different. 

Shelley Kenow is a Special Educator with 30 years experience in the field, who now works with families and school districts as an IEP Consultant. She’s been quoted in US News and World Report and is also the author of Those Who “Can’t”...Teach, a book containing the true stories of special needs families to promote acceptance, inclusion, and empathy.

In this episode, Shelley explains to us some common ways that instructors, coaches, and educators can better include special education students in their classrooms, and provide accommodations that allow the student to feel success. Shelley emphasizes the importance of communication with both the student and the parent, as well as creating a culture to teaches the general population to embrace those with disabilities in a way that is both accepting and encouraging. You can find more about Shelley's work by following her on Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!