This week we read about how to handle behaviors in the classroom. We discussed how important it is to make sure that the expectations you want in the classroom are clearly defined and posted on the first day of class. As a teacher, it is my job to know how to take care of multiple different situations when a student is misbehaving and/or behaving.
We talked about PBS and PBIS. PBIS talks about how the class is set up; but more than that it discusses how how you structure your class so that students who have disabilities can function the best and behave properly. Things such as how the desks are set up and what decorations are being used are all factors that go into PBIS.
We talked in class about how we need to replace a behavior we are trying to fix instead of trying to stop or change it. We also discussed how using intrinsic motivators to help out our students instead of extrinsic ones. Each table in the class had to discuss and tell the class about what things could help students and we ended up talking about peer tutors and how peer tutors can help some students learn better than they would on their own. In high school I was a peer tutor and it was neat to see how much of a difference I could make. The student I helped didn't talk but he was very bright and funny. He was very shy but once he got comfortable around me he would come and eat lunch with me and my friends. I did more then just help him with his math, I helped him socialize with his peers. I think peer tutoring is a great way for both students with disabilities and those without disabilities to learn and grow from one another.
We were able to talk about all 13 categories of disabilities and what each one entailed. I have really enjoyed this class and learning more about special education law and disabilities. I feel like I am more prepared and ready to teach when the time comes.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Chapters 6 and 7- Disabilities
Over the last half of the semester as we have done our group presentations on different disabilities and special needs I have learned a lot. When we discussed poverty and abuse and things like that, it made total sense that those things would be considered a special need. It was really neat to be able to learn more about these needs to help prepare me for the future.
When the group presented on Autism we learned that it is becoming more widely known. There used to be many different forms of Autism, and there still are, but they are all under one umbrella now that is categorized as Autism. I couldn't believe the costs that it takes to support a student with Autism. I knew it was expensive but I never realized how expensive it was. We also got to learn more about learning disabilities. A learning disability can be very frustrating for a student because they may be extremely smart but have a harder time learning in a school setting. Reading is one major struggle these may have; things like dyslexia can make reading anything extremely hard and the students tend to lose focus when that is the majority of what they do at school.
The group that did the speech and language impairments had a really neat activity to demonstrate this disability. They had us play chubby bunny and put 3 marshmallows in our mouth. After we put the marshmallows in our mouths we had to tell a partner three different things about ourselves and our partner had to see if they could understand. My mouth is really small- it has been my whole life. After stuffing 3 marshmallows in my mouth I could not talk. I tried so hard and it was frustrating because I couldn't get out what I wanted to say and my partner could not understand.
Cognitive Impairment was another disability we learned about. Cognitive Impairment includes many different things. This group had us do an activity involving limited motor skills. They taped our fingers together and had us write a sentence or two. It was hard to get the sentence written down all the way before they wanted to move on, and I could see how students with a cognitive impairment could get behind in school and lose focus.
The next presentation discussed emotional and behavioral disorders. A lot of common disorders include: anxiety, depression, bipolar, OCD, and schizophrenia. This group made a really big impression on me because they had us in a group of 4 and gave each of us a disorder. Then they gave us a handful of M&M's and told us each to individually count out the total amount of M&M's using the description of the disorder they gave us. It was so hard to focus on counting because everyone was doing something different and stealing the candy from each other to count it. It made me feel anxious, and it irritated me because no one would leave my candy alone.
ADHD was another disability we talked about. A student with ADHD can have many symptoms and sometimes it may take awhile to see if they persist. It was nice to be able to learn more about this so as a future educator I will be able to tell if the symptoms could be ADHD or if they are just having an off day. We talked a lot about accommodations for these students; some of these include- fidget tools, setting clear expectations, posting expectations, highlighting the key points and helping students focus instead of getting frustrated. One group talked a lot about scaffolding strategies and how these can help the students learn in the best way possible. Things such as modeling, working with a partner/small group and using visuals are all good ways to scaffold learning so that all students are able to learn and grow in the classroom.
When the group presented on Autism we learned that it is becoming more widely known. There used to be many different forms of Autism, and there still are, but they are all under one umbrella now that is categorized as Autism. I couldn't believe the costs that it takes to support a student with Autism. I knew it was expensive but I never realized how expensive it was. We also got to learn more about learning disabilities. A learning disability can be very frustrating for a student because they may be extremely smart but have a harder time learning in a school setting. Reading is one major struggle these may have; things like dyslexia can make reading anything extremely hard and the students tend to lose focus when that is the majority of what they do at school.
The group that did the speech and language impairments had a really neat activity to demonstrate this disability. They had us play chubby bunny and put 3 marshmallows in our mouth. After we put the marshmallows in our mouths we had to tell a partner three different things about ourselves and our partner had to see if they could understand. My mouth is really small- it has been my whole life. After stuffing 3 marshmallows in my mouth I could not talk. I tried so hard and it was frustrating because I couldn't get out what I wanted to say and my partner could not understand.
Cognitive Impairment was another disability we learned about. Cognitive Impairment includes many different things. This group had us do an activity involving limited motor skills. They taped our fingers together and had us write a sentence or two. It was hard to get the sentence written down all the way before they wanted to move on, and I could see how students with a cognitive impairment could get behind in school and lose focus.
The next presentation discussed emotional and behavioral disorders. A lot of common disorders include: anxiety, depression, bipolar, OCD, and schizophrenia. This group made a really big impression on me because they had us in a group of 4 and gave each of us a disorder. Then they gave us a handful of M&M's and told us each to individually count out the total amount of M&M's using the description of the disorder they gave us. It was so hard to focus on counting because everyone was doing something different and stealing the candy from each other to count it. It made me feel anxious, and it irritated me because no one would leave my candy alone.
ADHD was another disability we talked about. A student with ADHD can have many symptoms and sometimes it may take awhile to see if they persist. It was nice to be able to learn more about this so as a future educator I will be able to tell if the symptoms could be ADHD or if they are just having an off day. We talked a lot about accommodations for these students; some of these include- fidget tools, setting clear expectations, posting expectations, highlighting the key points and helping students focus instead of getting frustrated. One group talked a lot about scaffolding strategies and how these can help the students learn in the best way possible. Things such as modeling, working with a partner/small group and using visuals are all good ways to scaffold learning so that all students are able to learn and grow in the classroom.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Lesson 11, Chapter 11 & Group Presentation on Poverty
This week we learned a lot about how to help ELL students. The group that taught us in class started their presentation by speaking in different languages. Immediately many of us in the class started to tune out and do our own thing because we didn't understand what was being said. This was a neat experience because it gave us a chance to really see how easily ELL students become distracted when they do not understand the language very well. We discussed how important it is to really help these students to learn and understand what is being taught so that they are not tuning out and getting bored in class.
I felt that this was a great reminder for us as future educators to be patient and not get upset with things these students do, because they are most likely just as frustrated and don't understand what is going on. They tend to check out because they don't know what is going on. A great way to help these students feel comfortable in our classes is to just make sure that we are doing all we can to help them.
Chapter 11 in the book, which is entitled, "Evaluating Student Learning" goes along really nice with ELL students. I think that it is important as a teacher to help ELL students by accommodating to their needs when giving assessments and things. It talked all about how there are many different ways to accommodate all aspects of school so that a student can get the best help for them.
We also talked in class about how equal and fair are two different things. A student may think that the accommodations for one student are not fair because not everyone in class receives the same accommodations. But, in reality the accommodations are fair, they are just different. A student who needs special accommodations has a reason for those accommodations. As a teacher it is important to remember to keep things fair, not equal so that all of the individual needs of our students are being met.
Teaching One Another
This week I also had the opportunity to teach about poverty with my group. While preparing for this lesson I found it interesting to see the different statistics and rates of poverty around the world and especially in the United States.
After going over some of the different statistics, we went down to the gym for our activity. For this activity, we had 30 different note cards. Twenty of them were white, 7 of them were green, and 3 of them were yellow. Each color represented a different level of money for the students that had them. The yellow cards meant that you were very well off-- you didn't have any needs, you got everything you needed with no problems. The white cards meant that you were average; you had the necessities but didn't live a life of extravagance. The green cards meant that you were living in poverty; you didn't have enough food to eat, you didn't have a way to get to school all the time, you didn't have the money to pay for doctor appointments and things when you were sick. As we went through this activity each student started out on the same line. We then began to read different scenarios out and according to the card color it determined which way you moved- forward or backward. At the end the gap between those who were living in poverty and those who weren't was huge. It was cool for us all to see the effects poverty can have on students.
After that we came back to class and showed a video clip about a boy who told his story about living in poverty. It was really sad to hear how one young man's life changed so much because of poverty. Every aspect of his life and himself changed. Overall, I think our presentation went very well and I think that we were able to help the other members of our class see the effects of poverty and how even though it isn't a physical or mental disability it is still a special need that we will need to be aware of. One thing I would've done different though is going over the resources and helps for these students a little more in depth. I would give my group a 10 because we taught the overall principles of poverty in a way that could be easily understood and we kept the class attention throughout the presentation. I would give myself a 10 because I was able to find an activity to really effectively show how poverty impacts the lives of those living in it. I also was able to help find a handout that showed some of the statistics of poverty.
I felt that this was a great reminder for us as future educators to be patient and not get upset with things these students do, because they are most likely just as frustrated and don't understand what is going on. They tend to check out because they don't know what is going on. A great way to help these students feel comfortable in our classes is to just make sure that we are doing all we can to help them.
Chapter 11 in the book, which is entitled, "Evaluating Student Learning" goes along really nice with ELL students. I think that it is important as a teacher to help ELL students by accommodating to their needs when giving assessments and things. It talked all about how there are many different ways to accommodate all aspects of school so that a student can get the best help for them.
We also talked in class about how equal and fair are two different things. A student may think that the accommodations for one student are not fair because not everyone in class receives the same accommodations. But, in reality the accommodations are fair, they are just different. A student who needs special accommodations has a reason for those accommodations. As a teacher it is important to remember to keep things fair, not equal so that all of the individual needs of our students are being met.
Teaching One Another
This week I also had the opportunity to teach about poverty with my group. While preparing for this lesson I found it interesting to see the different statistics and rates of poverty around the world and especially in the United States.
After going over some of the different statistics, we went down to the gym for our activity. For this activity, we had 30 different note cards. Twenty of them were white, 7 of them were green, and 3 of them were yellow. Each color represented a different level of money for the students that had them. The yellow cards meant that you were very well off-- you didn't have any needs, you got everything you needed with no problems. The white cards meant that you were average; you had the necessities but didn't live a life of extravagance. The green cards meant that you were living in poverty; you didn't have enough food to eat, you didn't have a way to get to school all the time, you didn't have the money to pay for doctor appointments and things when you were sick. As we went through this activity each student started out on the same line. We then began to read different scenarios out and according to the card color it determined which way you moved- forward or backward. At the end the gap between those who were living in poverty and those who weren't was huge. It was cool for us all to see the effects poverty can have on students.
After that we came back to class and showed a video clip about a boy who told his story about living in poverty. It was really sad to hear how one young man's life changed so much because of poverty. Every aspect of his life and himself changed. Overall, I think our presentation went very well and I think that we were able to help the other members of our class see the effects of poverty and how even though it isn't a physical or mental disability it is still a special need that we will need to be aware of. One thing I would've done different though is going over the resources and helps for these students a little more in depth. I would give my group a 10 because we taught the overall principles of poverty in a way that could be easily understood and we kept the class attention throughout the presentation. I would give myself a 10 because I was able to find an activity to really effectively show how poverty impacts the lives of those living in it. I also was able to help find a handout that showed some of the statistics of poverty.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Disability Application Day – Fluency Disorder (stuttering)
For this simulation I went to the store. When I got there I asked one of the workers where I could find a particular food item while stuttering to get the question out. It was really hard for the worker to hear exactly what I was saying because we were in a crowded isle and there was a lot going on around us. He told me he didn't get all of what I said, so I had to ask again. This time he paid extra close attention to what I was saying so that he could help me. I could tell he felt bad when I had to repeat my question to him and I was receiving some curious looks from passers-by in the store as I was doing this.
When I got to the checkout I asked the lady at the checkout if I could get cash back and what amounts I could receive the money back in. She was very patient with me for holding up the line as I stuttered my way through the questions. Just like when I was asking where to find something I got some curious looks at the check out which made me more nervous and anxious. I just wanted to get out of the store because the more anxious and nervous I became the harder it became to ask my questions.
I definitely had a hard time with this simulation because I felt so uncomfortable the whole time. I didn't want people to think I was doing it to be funny, but when they starting looking at me I became so nervous that I didn't want to speak anymore. I felt bad that others were giving me looks of pity when I had to repeat the question. Being in the shoes, so to speak, of those who deal with this on a daily level really helped me to realize that it is hard to go out and do things and be social when it is hard to talk. I didn't want pity from others, I just wanted to be treated normal and go about my business without anyone taking notice that I was different. This helped me see that these people who really have these disabilities probably feel the same way. They just want to be seen as normal people and not looked at with eyes of pity or curiosity. What I did was nothing compared to what these people do everyday, but now I have a better idea of what they may feel like and I can make an effort to not treat them that way and help others to realize this too.
When I got to the checkout I asked the lady at the checkout if I could get cash back and what amounts I could receive the money back in. She was very patient with me for holding up the line as I stuttered my way through the questions. Just like when I was asking where to find something I got some curious looks at the check out which made me more nervous and anxious. I just wanted to get out of the store because the more anxious and nervous I became the harder it became to ask my questions.
I definitely had a hard time with this simulation because I felt so uncomfortable the whole time. I didn't want people to think I was doing it to be funny, but when they starting looking at me I became so nervous that I didn't want to speak anymore. I felt bad that others were giving me looks of pity when I had to repeat the question. Being in the shoes, so to speak, of those who deal with this on a daily level really helped me to realize that it is hard to go out and do things and be social when it is hard to talk. I didn't want pity from others, I just wanted to be treated normal and go about my business without anyone taking notice that I was different. This helped me see that these people who really have these disabilities probably feel the same way. They just want to be seen as normal people and not looked at with eyes of pity or curiosity. What I did was nothing compared to what these people do everyday, but now I have a better idea of what they may feel like and I can make an effort to not treat them that way and help others to realize this too.
Learning Disability (Oral expression challenge due to processing deficit)
For this disability I was not supposed to use the letters L or N. I then went to the library to ask where I could find a certain type of book. It was harder than I thought it would be. It took me a very long time to try and say what I wanted to say without using those letters. The lady at the counter also had a hard time trying to figure out what I was asking and how to help make it easier. It took me a very long time to finally figure out alternative words and I could tell that this girl helping me was trying to be of assistance, but she didn't quite know how to respond. She was patient and very kind though.
I also asked someone else to point me in the right direction to find the book I was searching for and that experience was much harder. When I asked the person to stop and help they didn't know what to do. They kind of just looked uncomfortable and didn't know what to do. Eventually I was able to get the help I asked for.
This experience was really good for me to do because I could see how frustrating and hard it is to try and get a simple question or statement out when you can't form and say the words floating around in your head. It will really help me understand what others go through. I know how important it is to be patient in my profession, but doing this really helped stress to me just how important it is. These students get very frustrated when they can't do things and say things that everyone else does with ease, and if I want to help I need to remember that it isn't easy and I need to do all I can to make it easier for the student.
I also asked someone else to point me in the right direction to find the book I was searching for and that experience was much harder. When I asked the person to stop and help they didn't know what to do. They kind of just looked uncomfortable and didn't know what to do. Eventually I was able to get the help I asked for.
This experience was really good for me to do because I could see how frustrating and hard it is to try and get a simple question or statement out when you can't form and say the words floating around in your head. It will really help me understand what others go through. I know how important it is to be patient in my profession, but doing this really helped stress to me just how important it is. These students get very frustrated when they can't do things and say things that everyone else does with ease, and if I want to help I need to remember that it isn't easy and I need to do all I can to make it easier for the student.
Special Needs Fun Run
For my five hours of service I decided to sign up as a volunteer for the special needs fun run with two of the girls in my heterogeneous group. Volunteering for this was a super great experience and it was nice to see how much happiness was brought to others. Volunteering is a great way to start interact with those around you in the community, and since I am going into special education it is nice to have more experience helping those who may have a disability or special need.
We met with the other volunteers on the morning of the race to receive directions about what we needed to do to help. After we were told where to go and who to help we walked to the other end of campus to start setting things up for the finish line. We were able to help set up posters, tables and chairs, decorations, and snacks for when the participants finished at the finish line.
It was so awesome to see the looks on people's faces when they received their medal for finishing the race. There was music playing and the atmosphere was full of energy and fun. I was helping out at the refreshment table and was able to see everyone as they came to collect a snack. There was one boy with special needs that came up to us and he was so excited he had finished the race; he told us that he ran super fast and did a good job. It was so great to see and hear him tell us all about how he felt.
I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life that day. It is amazing to me to see how much happiness can be brought to someone, even when I don't think I am doing that much.
We met with the other volunteers on the morning of the race to receive directions about what we needed to do to help. After we were told where to go and who to help we walked to the other end of campus to start setting things up for the finish line. We were able to help set up posters, tables and chairs, decorations, and snacks for when the participants finished at the finish line.
It was so awesome to see the looks on people's faces when they received their medal for finishing the race. There was music playing and the atmosphere was full of energy and fun. I was helping out at the refreshment table and was able to see everyone as they came to collect a snack. There was one boy with special needs that came up to us and he was so excited he had finished the race; he told us that he ran super fast and did a good job. It was so great to see and hear him tell us all about how he felt.
I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life that day. It is amazing to me to see how much happiness can be brought to someone, even when I don't think I am doing that much.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Lesson 10, Chapter 10
This week we talked a lot about how to help the student learn by using different strategies and acronyms. These acronyms will help students remember different strategies through school so that they will be able to succeed. By memorizing these strategies they will better be able to learn without relying on others and the teacher.
As a future educator in special education I will be able to help my students learn these basic strategies so that in the future as they go throughout their school years they will have the ability to learn and stay more caught up with their peers. A child with a disability has a 10 to 1 fail rate compared to those that do not have a disability. This means that they have a harder time learning and remembering what they are taught. It will be my job to teach my students to the best of their ability so that they will be able to have more success.
We got together in groups during class to share some of these strategies and show the different ways that we can use them in our future careers. My group chose to do the WWW What=2 and How=2 strategy and made it work for second graders. Our group said that to modify and teach this in the best way we would teach the who, what, when and where and then work together and discuss the other components of this strategy. We thought if there was a handout with pictures to help remind students what they needed to remember then they would be able to know better what they needed to know to answer these questions. To put this strategy into practice we would then read a book to the class and let them fill out the different parts by writing or drawing the who, what, when and where.
I really enjoyed this activity in class because it helped me see that there are so many different ways that these strategies can be modified to what we need. It showed us how no matter what we are teaching or doing with these strategies, we can make them work in our favor so we can help the students.
As a future educator in special education I will be able to help my students learn these basic strategies so that in the future as they go throughout their school years they will have the ability to learn and stay more caught up with their peers. A child with a disability has a 10 to 1 fail rate compared to those that do not have a disability. This means that they have a harder time learning and remembering what they are taught. It will be my job to teach my students to the best of their ability so that they will be able to have more success.
We got together in groups during class to share some of these strategies and show the different ways that we can use them in our future careers. My group chose to do the WWW What=2 and How=2 strategy and made it work for second graders. Our group said that to modify and teach this in the best way we would teach the who, what, when and where and then work together and discuss the other components of this strategy. We thought if there was a handout with pictures to help remind students what they needed to remember then they would be able to know better what they needed to know to answer these questions. To put this strategy into practice we would then read a book to the class and let them fill out the different parts by writing or drawing the who, what, when and where.
I really enjoyed this activity in class because it helped me see that there are so many different ways that these strategies can be modified to what we need. It showed us how no matter what we are teaching or doing with these strategies, we can make them work in our favor so we can help the students.
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