Tashena

Tashena, 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).

Monday February 6, 2012 Culturally Responsive Instruction is a practice that all teachers should include in their classroom, whether they have students that are regular Ed or if they are students with disabilities. To use the Culturally Responsive Instruction, you must take into consideration the cognitive, linguistic, and social assets of an individual. Knowing about your students cultural background is important in creating a curriculum because it gives you insight to what they may already know and/or be interested in and can reveal to the teacher ways to grasp the students attention. Also as a teacher, you get the opportunity to teach them something they might not have known about their culture previously and when you add the other cultures that you may have in your classroom it opens the students eyes to racial equality and teaches them from an early age not to discriminate. Students with disabilities in the classroom also benefit from culturally responsive instruction because it might be that very thing that they are associated with from their culture that could open the door for learning for them. Students that receive culturally responsive instruction will have a better tolerance and sensitivity to others around them. In my classroom, I plan to introduce my students to the world, literally. Because giving them that exposure will hopefully lead them to not judge someone for how they look and how they dress, but rather their character and personality. I remember watching a student pull off a little girl’s hijab in the hallway, unaware of why she had it on and thought it was just a scarf. Naturally the girl was upset, and the student who did it couldn’t understand why. If this can happen to a girl that is Muslim, then it is even more likely to happen to a student with a disability. Therefore as a teacher, I have to make sure that all my student’s are comfortable and aware of the differences that others may have and at the same time instill in them that their differences doesn’t makes them any less of a person, just adds uniqueness to the world.

Monday February 13, 2012 Chapter 5 Understanding Students with Learning Disabilities Using Effective Instructional Strategies PGs 142-145

Using Effective Instructional Strategies is very important in the classroom, regardless if you are the educator of regular ed students or students with learning disabilities. The types of Instructional strategies vary across the grade levels (Early childhood through Secondary), but when used it shows that it helps not only students with learning disabilities, but other students as well. In the Early childhood stage, the instructional strategy is known as embedded learning opportunities. This strategy helps teachers to “identify the opportunities that are most salient to the individualized learning objectives for each child and embed short, systematic instructional interactions that support the child’s goals into existing routines and activities.”(Horn, Leiber, &Li, 2000, p.210). This approach mainly helps students in the areas of literacy and math, but can be used in other areas as well. I interpreted embedded learning opportunities as helping a student to learn the skill that is required but helping them to accomplish it in a different way. For example when I was in school I had an I.E.P, and gym was included because there were some things in gym that I was physically unable to do. So instead of requiring me to shoot a basketball at the normal hoop height there was a place marked on the wall with an “X” that I was to “hit” with the basketball and that would be the equivalent of making a basket. Thus accomplishing the skill, but in a different way. This is just an example of one way that embedded learning opportunities were used and I’m pretty sure that there are countless other ways that this can be used to ensure the success of all students in the classroom The book also talked about using differentiated instruction in middle school and learning strategies on the secondary level. I think that differentiated instruction can be used in all grade levels because it addresses the different learning styles that students might have and although you may not have as detailed lessons on the early childhood level, the embedded learning opportunities is essentially a form of using differentiated instruction with a few differences.

Tashena, You are right. Differentiated instruction applies to all levels of learning. Thank you also for addressing "embedded learning opportunities". As your quote aptly describes, this refers to looking for opportunities that arise in the course of the day that you as a teacher use to provide some short, direct instruction that is linked to an IEP goal. Embedded instruction can apply to multiple areas, not just academics, including language, social, fine and gross motor skills (as you mention) and personal/life skills. At the early childhood level, when working with a child who needs to work on increase their vocabulary skills, a teacher can recast and extend the words a child uses to describe what he/she is doing as they play in the block area. You are also correct that embedded instruction can apply across the grade levels, and is not just confined to early childhood settings. Thank you for sharing a great example from your own experience. Good work. Regards, Dr. OReilly

Hi Tashena, I agree with your ideas and find it enlightening that you brought up the subject of how the students emotions come into play. Many teachers don't take into consideration the importance of empathy. Just having others who identify with you in thought can be a huge weight of students. I believe teachers take it for granted that they are accustomed to how society works and don't take enough time to view the days events from the prospective of another NOT of the same environment. This can be taught to our students and lessen the encounters like the young girl you mentioned had to go through. Too many times students are told not to do something without giving a good explanation as to why. That was also something I liked seeing in the video of Clare's School. (I think I messed up that title).Gloria Smith

Hello Tashena I agree that differenciated instruction can be useful to all levels. For some odd reason it reminds me of inclusion. It reminds me of inclusion for the simple fact that with differenciated instruciton educators are including all learning styles. This reminds me of my highschool math teacher. Still to this very day I dread math and I feel that if my highschool math teacher had adopted differenctiated instruction I would have enjoyed math more and gotten better grades. Betty B Johnson

Monday February 20, 2012 Chapter 8 Understanding Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Intellectual Functioning and Emotional Characteristics PGs 213-217

Students that have ADHD usually have average intelligence, but struggle with academic achievement depending on how information is presented to them and what type of ADHD they have. Usually students with ADHD take modified assessments and are given more time to complete them. These students also have emotional challenges in regards to their relationships with peers, teachers, and family members. Often times they are misunderstood and outcast because of their impulses and outbursts, and just like general Ed students, it hurts. I remember when I was trying to get a job at a daycare center and I met a child there who was “left alone” because it was too much trouble to try to get him involved with the class and she had other students to worry about. I’m not sure if the child has ADHD or not because he had yet to be classified but he definitely had speech difficulties and would easily get disturbed. However, I was able to do something that the teacher wasn’t able to do and that was get the student involved in the daily lesson and group activities, he even played with some of the other children in the classroom.

ADHD has two types: the predominately inattentive type and the predominately hyperactive-impulsive type. The inattentive students have problems paying attention or listening. So students with this type won’t complete any assignment in the classroom that requires too much mental effort usually. These students often display a slow tempo in terms of their approach to academic tasks and has a higher rate of girls classified as the inattentive type (Glanzman &Blum, 2007 PG 213). Unfortunately these students are usually overlooked and wind up having their needs unmet. Which means that if these students aren’t classified and have an IEP, then they’re looked at as the “hard headed child that won’t listen”. The sad part is that the students will be treated that way and left alone to “do what they want”, and both child and teacher is left in the dark about the real problem.

The hyperactive-impulsive type involves blurting out answers in class and leaving their seat during class. I am more familiar with this type, however I also believe that everyone has a hyperactive-impulsive trait to them because when you have to sit for a long time and things tend to get boring people will start to tap their foot or play with their pen. Because of this I also feel as though some children get wrongly identified as having ADHD and then are drugged with pills that turn them into vegetables. Also with the grade that I want to teach (pre-k), I know that I’ll have to be attentive to the other signs that this disability has because preschoolers are balls of energy with the attention span of their respective age so it would be easy for me to say that they are hyperactive-impulsive.

Tashena, Thank you for a very insightful commentary. You are correct that often inattentive types, particularly girls,may go unnoticed in a classroom because they are not drawing attention to themselves. The consequences are as you describe - overlooked and underserved. As teachers, we have to be aware of those who don't demand our attention as much as to those that do. You are also correct that for the age you will be teaching, physical activity is the norm, in fact that is a strong channel for learning. There will be some children whose energy level is "well beyond" the rest. Those are the students who you will need to monitor and see how you can gradually increase their attention to tasks over time. Taking data on engagement over time in preferred and non preferred activiities will be valuable information should a child eventually need to be referred. Good work. Dr. OReilly

Tashena - I have also seen students that are outcast because the teacher feels like they can't handle that student. It is so unfortunate because I believe that every child can be helped. I found the chart on page 223 to be very helpful in giving ideas on how to accommodate students with AD/HD. I am glad that you were able to get that student involved in class activities. I am sure that your help made a postive impact on that individual student.

Sunday March 18, 2012 Chapter 7 Understanding Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Behavioral, Cognitive, and Academic Characteristics PGs 188-189

Chapter 7 opened my eyes to the world of emotional and/or behavioral disorders. For starters, I had no idea that schizophrenia was an emotional/behavioral disorder. I always thought that it was cognitive or intellectual disability. Not all students with an emotional/behavioral disorder receive I.E.P services, only if it interferes with their educational career or impacts their personal life severely.

The chapter explains that students with emotional or behavioral disorder can either exhibit externalized behavior or internalized. Externalized behavior involves acting out and is seen most frequently in students with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Students with emotional or behavioral disorders have significantly more behavioral problems than other students with intellectual disabilities including aggression, acting out, and self-destructive behaviors (Sabornie, Cullinan, Osborne, & Brock, 2005; Sabornie, Evans, & Cullinan, 2006).

The other style of behavior is internalizing. This involves withdrawal, anxiety, and depression. These types of students have poorer social skills and just tend to “blend in” with the class. In the classroom, these are the students that you have to look out for because of their tendency to “blend in”, they’re often overlooked for special education services because a teacher that has to deal with 16 other rambunctious general ed students as well as some IEP students too, they’re grateful for the child that is unusually quiet and keeps to themselves.

Not only do students with emotional or behavioral disorders have different means of expressing these behaviors, they also have other underlying factors as well. A student can be a gifted student or have a low IQ score, which also contributes to their disorder. About 1% of students with an emotional disorder have an intellectual disability and 2.5% of the students are classified as gifted (Turnbull, Turnbull, & Wehmeyer, Chapter 7 page 189). The most shocking statistic is that about two thirds of students with an emotional or behavioral disorder also have a language disorder. The language disorder unfortunately stays constant through all of the school years. I think it’s because as a teacher, you’re so focused on the fact that this student won’t listen to you and does the opposite of everything that you say, that you fail to realize that it might be because they are afraid to read aloud in front of the class because of their lack of reading skills that have still yet to be picked up by any of the teacher’s that that student has had.

When I first read this chapter I found it to be very interesting, especially since I encountered a child at McKinley with Oppositional Defiant Disorder while doing my observations for my EDC 318 class. The boy who I’ll call “R”, didn’t really liked to be looked at although he constantly looked at me out of fascination and he would roll his eyes in turn. R was also quick to anger and would aggressively hit his classmates. Also if you told one student not to do something, R would do it just because you said not to. After reading this chapter it made me wonder if R has an underlying intellectual disability or could it be that he is gifted and is bored with the class. Or could it be that he has a language disorder and doesn’t know how to convey himself through language or understand what is written down in a book.

Chapter 7 also made me think about how I would react and adapt if I had a child with an emotional/behavioral disorder in my classroom. Obviously yelling wouldn’t be a probable solution so I’d probably come up with some sort of reward system and encourage journal writing for the student to help understand their own emotions and what angers them. Hopefully the student wouldn’t mind sharing their journal with me to help me understand as well. I also would provide an area in the class that the student can go to where they could calm down and maybe listen to music until they were ready to rejoin the class.

3/26/12 PBIS Video- Creating the Culture

1) I learned that letting the children know what the expectations are and helping them to reach the expectations are important to creating harmony in the classroom. I learned also that you have to teach a child how to do something before you expect them to do it. Something like respect for example, if a child hasn’t learned what respect is at home how will they know how to give it in the classroom? After it is taught, then that child can be responsible for what they have learned. I learned that establishing 3 to 5 broad memorable expectations for everyone to learn such as caring for self and others, caring for property, doing their best and building communities help the children to constantly be reminded of what acceptable behavior is and how their behavior can affect others. I also learned that this method could help with children’s behavior at home. When they are reminded of the pledge and expectations that they have at school at home, it stops them and help them to return to positive behavior. I found it interesting that even the people that worked in the cafeteria had a lesson plan to follow and implement in order to keep the students reminded of the expectations. All of lesson plans in the school include “Respectful, Responsible, and Caring”, which helps to remind both students and teachers of the expectations.

2) What I would use is the Wow statements. Instead of saying don’t do this or that, I think saying wow you’re really respectful or wow you’re really on task will change how students react. It will also show students that you notice their good behavior just as much if not more than the bad behavior. I would also use the reward system for students that always show positive behavior because it lets them know that they are noticed and appreciated. The students with not so nice behavior often overshadow students that are usually on their best behavior in class. Sometimes that may make the student keep doing what they’re doing or adapt the not so nice behavior in order to get noticed. Another thing that I might try is to put up the math problem that says “Respectful+responsible+caring=Monroe”, but instead of putting Monroe I’ll give the students the opportunity to come up with a family name for our classroom and put that name after the equal sign. I would also use the pledge that they did in the video to remind my students of the expectations and so that they would always think of them hopefully before they do something.

Saturday March 31, 2012 Chapter 7 Understanding Students with Autism Behavioral, Cognitive, and Academic Characteristics PGs 302-306

After reading this chapter, I learned that Autism is complex with different levels. Autism has six characteristics, which include atypical language development, atypical social development, repetitive behavior, sensory and movement disorders, and differences in intellectual functioning. I didn’t know that males are more likely to be diagnosed with autism than females by four to one. Although I’ve never encountered any females with the disorder, I have encountered males with the disorder with different levels.

One thing that I found interesting is the theory of mind which states that Individuals with autism do not understand that their own beliefs, desires, and intentions may differ from those of others (Baron-Cohen, 2001; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Lawson, Griffin, & Hill,2002). I don’t think that it is the same for all students with Autism. I think it depends on their level of functioning. When I observed the special ed classroom the children were playing with the blocks and one’s child creation came apart and Bryson (the child with autism) came over to the child and said “It’s OK, don’t be sad” and passed the child blocks so that they could start over. In that moment he understood that the child is upset and could relate to himself because if his creation had fallen he would be upset too. Thus he was able to defy the theory of mind and related his own feelings to another child’s.

Another thing I found interesting is the behaviors that children with autism have which are: repetition, self-injurious, and aggression. I’ve also seen one of the behaviors first handedly in an autistic child who wasn’t high functioning. His mom owns a beauty shop and he comes there when he gets out of school. The repetition is that he gets a grape soda and the remote to the T.V to change the channel until he finds sports or is no longer interested. I didn’t see the self-injurious nor aggression, but I’d be worried about what would send a child into those behaviors if I had a child with autism in my classroom. The book says that once the child learns appropriate behaviors, then they often stop using aggressive behaviors. I would do my best to create alternative release methods (such as a calm down corner, or if they like a certain activity or area in the classroom) for the child in order to keep them from harming themselves or being aggressive towards others.