Mike

Mike, This is your wiki page for our course. For 2/8/12 I am asking that you write a commentary on Culturally Responsive Instruction - How you might you apply these ideas in your classroom. Include considerations for students with disabilities. (300 words).

CHAPTER 3

As a teacher it is important that we are aware of the various cultures and beliefs that surround us. Living and planning to teach in New Jersey I will be right at the center of a culturally diverse school. Planning to teach at the high school level I feel as if there will be plenty of opportunities for me to make my students aware of the various cultures in the school and to have them interact with one another. As a history teacher I could have my students do an assignment that would broaden their Cultural knowledge as the book suggests. I could have my students follow a news article dealing with a different culture form a different country and write responses to that article comparing the culture they are following to their own culture. A simple activity like this would broaden a student’s cultural knowledge as well a show them similarities between cultures.(kalyanpur & Harry, 1999, p 88). The book lists 4 major strategies for culturally responsive instruction. 1. Using the adapted posture of Cultural Reciprocity, 2. Capitalizing upon instructional consultation teams, 3. Implementing response to intervention and 4. Incorporating five components for delivering culturally responsive instruction. The strategy of using the adapted posture of cultural reciprocity stood out to me the most. I think it is important for students to be aware of cultural differences in order to build quality relationships. Both special needs children and General ed children will have some cultural and learning differences, as teachers it is important for us to make our students aware of these differences, comfortable with these differences and encourage interaction and building of friendships through the understanding and acceptance of these various cultural and learning differences

Well stated commentary Mike. Not only did you highlight the importance of culturally responsive teaching, but you also described specific activities you could incorporate into your own teaching. I really appreciate the ease at which you embraced this topic and I have no doubt you will foster appreciation of different cultures, languages, customs & beliefs among your students as well as an appreciation of diverse abilities An additional consideration for you to think about is how families from different cultures may respond to the challenges that their child may have, especially one with a disability. Learning as much as you can about how different cultures respond to disability is something you and others might want to pursue. Regards, Dr. OReilly

I agree with what you're saying, Mike. It is vital that we connect with our students on every level. It is unfortunate that in our diverse society, there are still many people with prejudices. These prejudices get passed on to children, and some parents even think it's okay. It's the sticks and stones mentality and I see it all the time as a parent in a diverse town. Groups of people are divided, and it saddens, frightens, and sickens me. Everyone needs to become more culturally aware, including me, as I am trying to discover what underlying biases I may have. We can start by educating our own children and students. I correct my son's friends, telling them that intolerance of any kind is not permitted in my house. You're so right, we need to make students aware. Your last sentence sums it up nicely. Kate Connelly Gocel

Good ideas, Mike. I am so used to a culturally diverse environment that these issues never really crossed my mind until I read the chapters. I was able to realize I did have some biases. Becoming more familiar with cultures through a class project is a great idea. Paul Tomasheski

CHAPTER 5

There are many things that you could comment on when talking about students with learning disabilities. As teachers we must be able not only to recognize when a student is having a problem with a specific area of concentration, but we need to be able to accommodate that students disability according to their IEP if they have one, if they do not have an IEP it is our job to make the parents and principals aware of what we might consider a learning disability. There are many different types of learning disabilities that we need to understand as general education teachers. Various disabilities will affect a students learning in different ways. Some students with disabilities will have problems with reading, written language, mathematical problem solving, short term memory, long term memory, and social characteristics. Many times students at a youg age gave troubles reading due to phonological processing difficulties which is the capacity to use the sound system. If a problem like this is not addressed at a young age by the time the student reaches the higher grades it will be even more difficult to correct their reading and word recognition. Part of being able to benefit a child with a disability is developing an appropriate IEP while working with parents, principle, school nurse, child study team and therapist. It is important to determine what will benefit the student the most and make the necessary adjustments. Being an aspiring high school teacher it is important to make students with disabilities whom are seeking college education fully aware of the transition they are about to make and help them acquire the skills they will need to be able to excel at the next level. Overall, as a general education teacher it is important to recognize, accommodate, and modify our classrooms in order to reach all of our students and make our learning environment as successful and comfortable as possible.

Fortunately, we are learning to recognize learning disabilities in this class. My plan is to post-bacc special education, but for some, this is the only opportunity they will have to learn about evaluations, classifications, IEP's, and classroom modifications. It is scary that students who have LD are not treated as well by gen-ed teachers. As Richard Lavoie stated in his article // How Hard Can This Be? , " // Dan soon came to realize that one of his classmates was also a non reader, but the child was seldom criticized by the teachers or ridiculed by the other kids." Unfortunately, Dan was treated so badly that he wasn't diagnosed properly until he was twenty years-old. Early intervention is key. Additionally, as you stated in your commentary, we need to help our high school students with learning disabilities fully aware of the transition to college. Basically, intervention must start early and continue for as long as support is needed. Thanks for your insight. Kate Connelly Gocel

Mike, Thank you for commenting on the different types of learning disability and the varying impacts not only on literacy and math, but also on cognition and social interaction. Because learning disabilities can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, it is important for general education teachers to become familiar with each student's IEPs and identify the types of adaptations to instruction and assessment that will support each student's success in general education classrooms. In my experience, many of the adaptations or supports that are recommended are good for all students. To the extent that you can incorporate these strategies and supports into your lesson design for all students, the less you will need to modify for individual students. Having said that, that doesn't leave teachers off the hook for providing individual supports. There will always be needs that must be accommodated on an individual basis and so teachers need to be prepared to do both. I also wanted to thank you for recognizing that many students with disabilities want to enter college. To that end, teachers can assist students by making them aware of college demands so there is motivation to apply themselves to learning not only content knowledge, and but also self-advocacy skills as well. Good work. Dr. OReilly

CHAPTER 8

It is important to be able to understand students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. AD/HD is included in IDEA as a subcategory under students with other health impairments. The book describes three different types of AD/HD. First is the predominately inattentive type. Second, is the predominately hyperactive impulsive type. Lastly, is the combined type. Each of the three types has different characteristics which must be represented by the student for them to fit under a specific type. The combined type is a student whom displays characteristics of both types of AD/HD. As a general education teacher it is important to be able to make the necessary accommodations that the students with AD/H/D require in their IEP’S. It is also a responsibility of the teacher to be able to notice necessary changes that might be needed in the students IEP, or accommodations that we need to make in our instruction. Students with AD/HD sometimes have difficulty paying attention it is important that our instruction keeps them attentive and involved. There are also different severities of AD/HD and as a general education teacher we will have different varieties and different severities of this disability in our class. It is our job to realize, understand, and modify what we do and how we teach in our classroom to accommodate and relate to students with various severities and the various types of AD/HD/. A student with AD/HD has the same capacity to learn as a student without it. A lot of what they are able to learn depends on how we as teachers are able to relate and modify our instruction to benefit them.

Mike, I agree that we must modify our instruction and accommodate our students with AD/HD. I particularly liked the last sentence of your commentary. You are absolutely right, the way we relate to our students will definitely impact all our students, regardless of their disabilities or lack there of. We must be able to treat all our students with kindness, modeling behavior for all.

Mike.

I agree as an general education teacher certain times you don't think about the fact that you will have to make accommodations for t hese type of students. I'm not sure with you but I'm glad the book broke it down in to the different categories so I know exactly what i will be dealing with. We also must realize that the student can learn the same as a student without the disability whether it may take them a longer time or a different way of learning it.

True, Mike. We always need to be alert and aware of changes in our students behaviors. Paul

Chapter 9 (Designing an appropriate IEP)

I feel as if designing an appropriate IEP is not something that can be done in a short period of time, and is not something that cannot be done once and then set in stone. I feel as if an IEP has to be continuously modified until it completely fits the student whom it was designed for. Students, parents, educators, and specialists need to come together to form a team in planning for the transitional needs of a student with disabilities. The strength and willingness of that “ team” will determine the quality of the IEP for that particular student, as well as their quality of learning. The book also discussed the value of paraprofessionals. I feel as if paraprofessionals prove that they are on board with the “team” they can be a huge asset to student that needs extra help. They can help keep the student on task and focused throughout the day and various exercises as the teacher cannot put all of their efforts and time into just one student. A good paraprofessional will really help in the advancement of the child’s curriculum. The advancement of technology such as the universally designed literacy software will also help students understand the meaning of words and how to use them. Literacy can be a major problem, and with technology advances like this it will make it easier for the students with the disabilities to understand what they are reading and it in return will improve their overall learning. Really what I am trying to get at is developing an appropriate and successful IEP is a process of trial and error. Different things need to be instituted and tried out to see if they are appropriate for that student. Once an appropriate IEP is designed it will benefit that student and that classroom tremendously.

Chapter 7

Understanding Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

As a general education teacher there is no doubt that we will have students with either emotional or behavioral disorders in our classroom. There are numerous emotional disorders that can be seen such as, separation anxiety, phobia, panic disorder, OCD, Post traumatic stress etc. All of these emotional disorders shave different characteristics and will require the teacher to interact with the student in a certain way. Understanding the various disorders is essential for the teacher in order to keep the student calm, under control and on task. There are also many Mood disorders including depression. These students need to be motivated and constantly observed in order to keep them happy and on task. In many cases a student with an emotional disorder at any level just needs someone to talk too. Some students have defiant disorders and will regularly refuse to follow rules in a specific pattern; The best way of dealing with these students is to conduct an appropriate intervention and use problem solving approaches to avoid major confrontations. Overall, there are numerous disorders students can have both emotionally and behavioral. The best thing we can do as a teacher is to make sure the instruction suits their disorder and to try and make the student feel as comfortable as possible and on task at all times. Having a good IEP for the student will help the student stay focused and on task. It is important to use proper problem solving approaches and to be considerate and understanding as the general education teacher.

I completely agree Mike. As an educator, understanding the various disorders is very important. Students need to have a teacher who is going to help them and be supportive. When students have these various disorders they need to be motivated and constantly observed. These students need to be able to have a good relationship with you. You need to make your students aware that no matter what the issue is they can always talk to you. As you stated, "In many cases a student with an emotional disorder at any level just needs someone to talk too". Just by showing your students that you are there for them can make a huge difference. -Samantha Dugan

Mike thse observations and key ideas you have resented in this commentary are very accurate and helpful. It is important to know the characteristics of disabilities so that they are easily identified and dealt with.Your approach to how you would eal with the students with certain disabilities is a very good one. Dirrecting you classroom with the idea that there are studnets with disabilities in the room is very key to helping control the behaviors of their disabilites. yes it is very important to make the students comfortable because then the classroom will grun smooth. The IEP is a very important tool in creating an effective classroom environment. - Da'Cheray thomas

I agree, Mike. MAking students comfortable is very important. I just hope we can figure all of this out when we get into our classrooms! Paul

Mike, I agree with you. When working with students with a behavioral or emotional disorder, as teachers, we must have patients with the students. We must find new ways to teach to the students disability so they learn and get the most out of the class. By screaming and yelling and kicking students out of the classroom for misbehaving will not resolve anything. It will only distract the other students, and the student being yelled out will only be less motivated. As teachers, we must be understanding of the disabilities, as well as work out our instruction to help the students. If the student begins to get worked up, perhaps a time out time can be implemented to calm the student down before continuing the lesson. Shawna Reynolds

PBS VIDEO

I feel as if all schools should institute a PBS system. Having different levels of intervention appeals to all students. I feel as if having a school wide set of behavioral expectations also will instill good values in the kids. By having a consistent set of school wide regulations and procedures all staff and students know what to expect. I feel as if the less surprise there is when it comes to behavior and monitoring behavior the easier everything will flow. I think the ability of PBS to include students with disabilities is one of its most attractive qualities. The three tiered system includes everyone and in my opinion improves overall behavior and expectations. In my own high school class I will definitely use some type of a rewards system. I know there is much debate on this topic, however I feel as if a student has incentive to work hard and behave it will improve their overall education and behavior. In the real world we get paid bonus’s for exceptional work, so I think in school students should be rewarded with exceptional work and behavior as well.

Understanding students With Autism

Chapter 11

I personally have a lot of experience in working with students with Autism. The first thing I learned in working with these students is how bright most of them are. In most cases students with autism are high functioning students. Autism effects mostly social skills and social development. I have most worked with children in the Asperger spectrum. In this section the students more need help behaviorally and socially. As a teacher it is important to assure your students comfort level and create the best environment for them to learn in. I found working with autistic children very rewarding and I learned a lot from it. I’m excited to do it again in the future.