Kate

Kate, 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).

Culturally Responsive Instruction cannot just be an idea in a book; it must become a reality in our classrooms. Part of my job as an educator will include getting to know my students and their families. Therefore, it is my responsibility to educate myself about the different cultural backgrounds of my classes. One of my education books mentions that American History is taught from a Euro-American, male perspective. I learned history from this point of view, as did many of my younger classmates. We need to delve deeper into the subject matter we’re teaching. English is my co-concentration, but I will more than likely start as a gen-ed classroom teacher before I progress to special education, which means I will be teaching history to my students. I want them to know the true history of theUnited States; good, bad, and ugly. It makes no difference if we're teaching special education, gen-ed, or have an inclusive classroom. We need to consider the needs of every student. Talking about Martin Luther King,Jr.or having a Hanukkah celebration does not make the teacher culturally responsive. I feel that the five components listed in chapter three create a more realistic atmosphere. For example, the first step, content integration, “involves teachers using examples and content from a variety of cultures…” Using content integration along with equity pedagogy, we can modify our instruction so it suits all our children. When we model this, our students will follow suit.

We must explore our own prejudices and biases before we teach! If we have underlying biases, we cannot effectively teach a student that we are biased against. Many people, including me, say, “I am not prejudice.” We must make sure. How can we follow step two, helping students understand cultural assumptions and biases, or step four, prejudice reduction, if we contribute to it? To me, it is unfortunate that we need culturally responsive instruction in the 21st Century. In our quest for equality, we have come so far, but still have so much to learn and to teach.

Kate, As we become increasingly diverse in our communities and schools, we all have to recognize that as educators, we have a real responsibility to model appreciation of diverse cultures and to engage our students in activities that will foster mutual understanding. I commend you for your honesty in recognizing that we all have to examine ourselves and seek to learn about other cultures so that we do a better job of educating our students. I commend you on a written commentary. Regards, Dr. OReilly

__**Hello Kate just to comment on a comment you made. You said "Many people, including me, say, “I am not prejudice.” We must make sure. How can we follow step two, helping students understand cultural assumptions and biases, or step four, prejudice reduction, if we contribute to it?". I belie e this statement is true and I agre strongly with it because individual are always " quick" to that they are not prejudice, but indeed they are. It may be their actions, facial expressions** **and maybe even their thoughts. People become bias when they think so again they may think that they are not bias, but in all actuality they are. Its not good to be bias all the time because then you wont learn. People who keep an open mind learn the most.**__ __**Betty B Johnson**__

=Kate Connelly Gocel=

Commentary #2
=Describing the Characteristics=

Chapter 5, pp. 127-128
=February 11, 2012= = =

Children with language disorders have extreme difficulty in many, if not all, of their subjects. For example, a child who has trouble comprehending what he reads will have an impossible task when asked to do a word problem in math class. Reading disorders include: word recognition errors, phonological impairments and comprehension difficulties. However, they suffer from many more difficulties that those of us without disabilities cannot fully understand. Although many who have reading disorders have difficulty with written language, some with written language disorders read very well. Turnbull, Turnbull, and Wehmeyer (2010) write, "Their difficulties usually occur in the areas of handwriting, spelling, productivity, text structure, sentence structure, word usage, and composition" (p. 128). The authors include a list of how these students may react to language arts. Not all general education teachers are going to understand these children. They may be unfairly labeled as stupid or lazy due to lack of training by the gen-ed teacher. This is one reason why we need to learn to recognize the signs of learning disabilities. Learning disabilities is not just a chapter to summarize, our knowledge and understanding will make a huge difference in the lives of out students. These kids need a non-discriminatory evaluation, summarized on p. 132. Children with language difficulties may need extra time to answer questions. They need to be encouraged instead of afraid to answer, and may need to work with a language pathologist. They may need an aide. I realize that I'm off on a tangent, but I was fortunate enough to watch the documentary "F.A.T. City" in my EDC 319 class. F.A.T is an acronym for Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension. Richard Lavoie started F.A.T. workshops which include special education teachers and students, general ed teachers, principal, social works, parents and anyone (else) who would be part of an IEP team or wanted to participate. The group without learning disabilities is asked to perform tasks that are nearly impossible for them; putting them into the shoes of a child with LD. Many were overcome with emotion as he yelled at them for not trying hard enough, or being dumb or slow. If you'd like more information on Lavoie and his workshops visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/specialneeds/howhard.htm#one

Kate this is very true about general education teachers not understanding the children, and it's a shame. I had no idea that President Lavoie started F.A.T. workshops. I actually had no idea what F.A.T. was and I really appreciate the information about it. This is something that I'm definitely going to look it. It sounds very information and I think no matter what a teacher is going to be teaching the should take that workshop.

Rohanna

Kate, You are right that as a general education teacher is important to understand the signs of a learning disability and how it impacts a student's learning. When students with learning disabilities don't engage or don't demonstrate their knowledge, it is not because they don't want to learn, but it is often the way information is presented or a task is structured that may be difficult for them to process or complete. Having said that, motivational problems do come into play after repeated failure, which can also interfere with learning. I am glad that you had an opportunity to view F.A.T. City. It's a very popular video that helps sensitize teachers to some practices that interfere with learning. Thank you. Regards, Dr. OReilly

Hello Kate, I agree with you when you say that all general education teachers will not have the beneifit of understanding all students with disabilities. I also agree with you when you stated "This is one reason why we need to learn to recognize the signs of learning disabilities". I belive it is indeed very important for general education teachers to know this because we will have these students in out classes. If we are to have them successful we need to learn a little and also engage in a little research. As an after school head teacher at the Newark educators Community Charter school I see the mishaps of not having this knowledge. Many of my first graders are constantly removed from my class during after school by their morning teachers. This should not be happening because the beneifit of being a morning teacher is that these teachers know that the children with disabiltes are the ones constantly being disruptive. They have not learned how to help them, but I believe that I have. If I see that they are being disruptive while they are trying to complete they task at hand I change the task diverting their attention. I do not like to remove them from my class for the simple fact that they should not be singled out and should be accepted along with their peers. Betty B Johnson

Kate Connelly Gocel Chapter 8 IEP's or 504's pp 220-223

I was surprised to discover that students with AD/HD don't always qualify for an IEP. I didn't realize that AD/HD, which includes three subtypes, was primarily caused by genetic factors and learning disabilities do not always accompany this disorder.Additionally, if the student's learning is not negatively effected by AD/HD, he or she will not qualify for special education services I found box 8.2, Creating a 504 Accommodation Plan, to be very informative. I think having a plan is essential for students with AD/HD. It helps the gen-ed teacher, the student, and his or her parents. So even without an IEP, children can and do get the help they need. As future educators, we will have many different personalities in our classrooms. We must me patient and kind, and we must learn everything that we can do to help our students. I feel that accommodations for students with AD/HD are vital. By implementing differentiated instruction and using a variety of accommodations, we can help every child learn.We need to remember that with or without an IEP, some of children have special needs and we must be willing to work even harder with those children andwith their families. Kate, I am sure that others were as surprised as you were that not all students with ADD or ADHD qualify for special education services. It really depends on the intensity of the symptoms and how it impacts a particular student's learning. Teachers can help many students by creating organizational routines within the class, helping students develop their own organizational skills and by incorporating some movement activities and choice into their routines. Dr. OReilly

That is surprising, Kate. I believe that if teachers are keeping students engaged, even AD/HD students will be able to focus. The worst thing any theacher can do is make students sit through a 45 minute lecture. "Normal" students can't stand sitting through it, so imagine how it is for an AD/HD student. Keeping things fresh and sharing a plan of what you will be doing that day with the students will likely go along way in keeping the students on track. I believe that if teachers make the lesson interesting and incorporate many different activities, the students will be happier and more likely to pay attention. The best classes I have ever had are the ones that fly by without me ever looking at the clock. I want to teach those lessons to my students. Paul


 * Chapter 9**
 * Community Based Instruction**
 * pp. 255-262**

**Kate,** In New Jersey a number of districts offer community based programs where students can learn a variety of vocational, personal and recreational skills as part of their program. Because students with more significant disabilities can stay in school until they are age 21,depending on their IEP, students may pursue community based programs beginning as early as middle school or wait until after typical graduation age (17 or 18) and then participate in these programs full-time. Depending upon the districts, students may have various configurations of academic, vocational and/or community experiences. At the secondary level, a number of districts have a person known as a "transition specialist" who job is to help families, students and the other members of the IEP team plan for high school and beyond for all students with disabilities. They are also key players in connecting students to adult agencies who can provide supported employment training in the community while students are still in school, as part of their program. There is no one single model for what an ideal program should look like. It comes down to priorities and resources within a particular community. I probably told you more than you were wondering about. Hope this is helpful. Regards, Dr. OReilly.
 * Community based instruction is vital for students with disabilities. As we learned in the chapter, educators of students with intellectual disability must focus on skills the students need to function successfully in the community. By utilizing the community as a place of instruction, teachers are helping the students, "improve in their intellectual and adaptive behaviors" (p. 255).**
 * I liked reading about Shelby, NC where the students with intellectual disabilities graduate with a regular diploma. I thought the"O'Halloran Outcome" was one of the best success stories I've read in the book so far. I was really happy to read about the community involvement in Shelby, but it made me wonder if there are programs like this in our area. Shelby's students with disabilities graduate and then have decent jobs with benefits.**
 * Community based instruction starts with planning and assessment. In Shelby, educators "Create a school-level, community-referenced, interagency transition team" which focuses on the needs of the student and his or her strengths. The teams include parents, specialists, teachers, residential service providers, and others. Of course, the student is part of his/her team. With support, the student identifies his or her life goals. As Turnbull, et al state, "The curriculum for the community based instruction is tied to everyday life experiences" (259).**
 * I found that Shelby, NC seemed so supportive of these students and was impressed by the quality of life these children will have due to their teams, the community and themselves.**
 * Throughout my life, I have heard these kids called, "Retards" and am ashamed to admit that I did the same when I was a kid. This chapter changed my focus from what people with intellectual disabilities cannot do to what they are capable of accomplishing. I have a much better understanding of how to help children in my classes excel to their full potentials.**

Chapter 7 Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

pp, 196-203

 * I was really surprised to read that, in 2002, more than half of students with emotional disturbance dropped out of school. To me, that is shocking and unacceptable. Earlier in the chapter, we read, "Results indicated that teachers of students with emotional or behavioral disorders were the **** least qualified special educators" (p.190). Since we learned that poverty is often an indicator of special needs and that these kids were dropping out of school, it is fair to say that they may very well repeat the cycle. The chapter was very informative. I liked the idea of wraparound; involving school, community, mental health, etc. It is the same idea that we read about in chapter 9 regarding students with intellectual disabilities, but not as advanced, since many times behavioral or disorders do not interfere with student learning. **

**The strategies in the chapter are great...if the children are identified, if the children receive proper counseling and other interventions and if the teachers are better trained. It is OUR job to make sure these children don't get swept under the rug and forgotten about. It is easy to punish these children instead of helping them. We need to remember that when have our own classrooms.**
 * I found other things to be equally disturbing. Black males are disproportionately identified. Kids with emotional or behavioral disturbance have more difficulty making friends, may experience grade retention, and only 40% received a behavioral plan. Additionally, they are THREE TIMES more likely to be educated in hospitals, residential settings, or homes. Moreover, 30% to 70% of children in juvenile detention have disabilities. All of this adds up to the perfect storm of dropping out and/or drug addiction. Last semester, I wrote a paper on grade retention. I discovered that 90% of the inmates in New Jersey were high school dropouts and most had drug or alcohol problems. **

Kate I was also surprised by that, and wondering what exactly were they feeling at that point. These numbers are scary and a lot of the time I wonder to myself why aren't people helping them. Then i realize people may not understand it, they may not reach out for the help, they may be scared and a lot of other factors. I feel just reading a chapter isn't going to help students understand this disorder. They really have to take time to understand it so that they could understand their student and do what's best for them.

Rohanna

Reading this chapter made me believe that I have an emotinoal disorder. There are going to be days that students will have symptoms to mostly all of these disorders. Are we going to classify them and send them for IEP's? There are going to be days when a student has a temper tantrum, there may be a time when they have a fight, or they may become compliant. We as teachers have to see if they act like this everyday. We can't be quick to judge just because a child is a little moody or they don't feel like doing their work, they may just be having a bad day.............. Keesha thomas