Week 15 Special Educator Interview Blog

Dear Class:

Please copy/paste [YOU MAY HAVE TO POST SEVERAL TIMES TO GET THIS DONE, BUT IT'S OK TO DO THAT] your Special Educator Interview for this posting. Feel free to offer comments to your peers if you so wish. I look forward to reading about your experiences with interviewing an educator who is out in the trenches 'doing this stuff ' everyday, regardless of what we have to say about it.

We can talk/read/post/write about how to teach all day long, but there is nothing to suffice for being the one in the trenches: always remember and respect that: respect that of any teacher and that respect will come back to you when you're the one in the classroom.

I have enjoyed reading your postings on fleshing through the ins and outs of special education. Hopefully, you will walk away with the knowledge that we are all human beings with feelings, emotions and mental faculties; that students are human beings that will be entrusted to your classrooms, and when the Almighty Door is shut to your classroom, what will you really do? Will you afford all students that chance at humanity regardless of what you think, what you believe and what you've been told? I hope and pray so. Good luck to you.

Sincerely,
Dr. Herring

Week 13 Response to Intervention

Dear Class:
NOTE: This is your final chapter blog and final chapter posting. Next week is THANKSGIVING WEEK --- there will be no blog postings – the week of November 29, the Teacher Interview Blog will be posted for you to post/share your teacher interview with the class.
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In this chapter, you will be exposed to the concept and practice of RTI, Response to Intervention. You are exposed to solutions or an intervention model as a way to meet some of the challenges of having different learning levels in one classroom. While the model is not an end-all, be-all, it does provide components of teaching and learning that equip teachers with how to support and give attention to students who need ongoing reading and math instruction assistance.

After reading the chapter, follow the videos below:
1. Three Tiers of RTI
2. Response to Intervention: Helping all students succeed
3. RTI [Lehigh University]
4. Another RTI video
5. Teacher Breaks Down [this is not RTI, folks!]
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Week 13 Blog Posting:
Some teachers are confused about different aspects of RTI and uncertain how to deal with some of the challenges they are facing. For example, according to progress monitoring data, more than half of the students in some classes are not reaching benchmarks. What should they do? [students and teachers] (Vaughn, et al, 2011)
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Week 12 DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS [CONTINUED]

Week 12 Differentiating Instruction and Assessment for Middle and High School Students
Welcome to continuation on Differentiating instruction and assessment for middle and high school students. Last week’s post continues to Week 12. If you have read the chapter and viewed the previous videos on what differentiated instruction in the classroom looks like, then spend the rest of this week blogging your reactions [blog posting due date extended to Saturday, November 13, 2010.

Blog Posting:
Respond to the following questions in your blog postings, answering according to the videos and chapter readings:
= How often should differentiation occur in the middle/high school classroom?
= What is the difference between this and extra credit and remedial assignments?
= If some students do lower level tasks, are they going to be able to meet standards?
= Are there ways to have all students do high level tasks and differentiate?
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Week 11 Differentiating instruction and assessment for middle and high school students

Week 11 Differentiating Instruction and Assessment for Middle and High School Students
Welcome to Week 11’s posting on Differentiating instruction and assessment for middle and high school students. This week’s post continues to Week 12. Read chapter 15.

View the following videos on what differentiated instruction in the classroom looks like as we continue this discussion next week.

1. View the Elementary Language Arts video [I know it is grade school---its ok]; Middle School Math and High School Science videos at this link: http://stamfordpublicschools.org/content/64/88/4800/default.aspx

2. View the video on Differentiating Instruction in a High School Inclusion Setting at the following link [be prepared to dedicate several minutes to watching each of these --- they are very informative workshop videos --- a great find for FREE!] : http://www.paec.org/teacher2teacher/differentiating_inst_high_school.html

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See you next week's class --- posting for this week and next week will continue with next week's class.
Dr. Herring

Week 9 now 10 Promoting Social Acceptance and Managing Student Behavior/ Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Welcome to Week 9 now 10's posting on Promoting Social Acceptance and Managing Student Behavior [audio] and Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students [powerpoint]

Chapter 5 addresses the following questions on managing student behavior and promoting social acceptance. What exactly is classroom management? How many rules should be established and how does a teacher go about doing that? How does a teacher miminize classroom disruptions? How does a teacher manage the behavior of students from various backgrounds?

Classroom Management - Classroom management is providing an acceptably social environment for learning in the classroom that is beneficial to all students. It involves the teacher setting the structure in which learning can occur with minimal interruptions and behaviors that conteract that.

There is one book I recommend that all future teachers purchase before they launch their teaching career. You should get this book especially by the time you begin your clinical semester [student teaching semester]. The book Setting Limits in the Classroom by Robert J. MacKenzie provides practical information that can be put to use immediately. It gets beyond the traditional education jargon, providing scenarios [that have been experienced] that are played out in the classroom daily. One of the principles of classroom management that MacKenzie supports is that of continual teaching of the rules of management. He suggests that teachers not only begin the school year with an outlining of the classroom rules, but continue to re-visit those as we do with course content, treating the rules as if they were a part of the curriculum.
How many classroom rules should a teacher have? As the textbook (p 240) lists, three to five general rules along with consequences are the most effective. A teacher can minimize negative disruptions by making sure she (or he) follows through every single time with the consequences beginning with the first time an offense occurs. MacKenzie makes an interesting distinction between rules in theory and rules in practice, how that what a teacher says should also be what a teacher practices. It would be naive to think that students will do everything just as is required. Be prepared to enact any rule that is established, because it will be the job of some students to test those limits. Especially what you do in the first few days/weeks of school will set the tone for how well managed (or not) your classroom will be for the rest of the school year. Students expect and need structure from the teacher, regardless of what they may say.
Reference: Note the teacher interview with Ms. Nina Zaragoza on pages 235-236.
How do you deal behavior-wise with students with disabilities or from a variety of backgrounds, cultures? Very curtly, the answer here is much the same for how you deal with any student's behavior. Of course, if you have limited exposure to working with these types of students then first as the text recommends, the teacher should begin by asking him or herself reflective questions such as:
1. What behaviors bother me as a teacher?
2. Am I sure that all students who behave in these ways are treated in the same way?
3. To what extent have I reached out and demonstrated genuine caring and concern to all students in my class?
4. What steps am I taking to better engage all students in instruction and learning? p. 244
Reference: Positive feedback equals a positive classroom environment, see p. 237 - 240.
See: The Dark Side... ; Classroom Interactions and Achievement ; Increase Expectations ; Classroom Management ; Developing Social Competence for all Students
References:
Setting Limits in the Classroom by Robert J. MacKenzie
The First Days of School by Harry K and Rosemary T. Wong

Pragmatically Speaking - How to use this information in the classroom:

Establish a positive classroom environment - get to know all of your students by name; initiate an introductory assignment at the beginning of school that allows each student to introduce, share something about themselves [the teacher as well]; allow students to participate in the establishing of the rules.
Create a learning community - Focus on abilities, celebrate diversity; demonstrate respect for all students; provide opportunities for mixed-ability learning groups (see p. 246).
Have class meetings - make sure all students are respected; teach students to have concern for each other; concentrate on students' abilities; spend time teaching the behavioral skills you want students to exhibit in your classroom [see pp. 255-257].
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NO BLOG POSTING THIS WEEK; you may offer comments voluntarily.

Week 8 now 9 Teaching Students with Lower Incidence Disabilities - visual impairments, hearing loss, physical disabilities, health impairments...

Welcome to Week 8 now 9's posting on students with lower incidence disabilities. Sorry for the interruption in postings ---we will pick up with week 8 adjusting the syllabus as one week later, with Chapters 5 and 4 combined for next week's posting.

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Thank you for your condolences in the passing of my oldest brother, Earl --- a favorite of mine === known to us and his close friends as THE DUKE of Earl. He was 6'1" tall, handsome and we used to tease him that he looked like the 'black' version of the Marlboro man if you are old enough to remember that billboard ad. He was 72 years old, but never looked nor acted so --- he was a skater, a golfer, a lover of movement and action until six ago when he was diagnosed with the emphysema. He had emphysema for some time but was handling it very well -- had stopped smoking several years ago. Week before last, he got a seasonal flu shot and suffered from the symptoms of that --- he thought he could overcome those without going to the see a doctor, but was not able to. I am so angry about that, as he did not really need to get that shot --- but his doctor told him so and he follows doctor's orders to a fault. He will be sorely missed, as I loved him dearly --- calling him every time I had to make a conference trip or field experience trip and wanted someone to talk to until I arrived-- he was a true big brother--- he was extremely intelligent and well versed/could dialogue on current world and government trivia, stuff I never take the time to listen/tune in or watch much --- Life is so short --- do take the time to love the ones you love --- Earl will be cremated as he left instructions to do --- my family and friends of Earl have decided to have a private memoriam the day after Thanksgiving in Ocala, Florida -- sincerely, Jennifer

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An audio of the chapter has been provided. For the chapter audio, ignore references in the audio to week numbers, dates, chapter numbers, page numbers, assignments, the discussion board,names...thank you. The core of the audio speaks to the current chapter topic in your edition of the text book. https://edocs.uis.edu/jherr3/www/TEP224F2010/TEP224Ch8.mp3 .

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How are visual and hearing impairments defined, both legally and functionally? How are physical disabilities and health impairments defined? How can you modify instruction and the classroom environment to accommodate the needs of students with visual, hearing, physical, or health impairments or students with traumatic brain injury? What are the roles of the orientation and mobility specialist, the interpreter, the physical or occupational therapist, and the adaptive physical education teacher?

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Definition of "visual and hearing impairments" As listed on in the textbook, the definition of visual and hearing impairments is as follows:

Visual: "legal blindness - visual acuity (sharpness of sight) of 20/200 with best correction in the best eye or a visual field loss resulting in a visual of 20 degrees or less...total blindness - unable to see anything...partial sight - visual acuity in the range of 20/70 to 20/200 - no longer used...low vision - visual impairment corrected with glasses along with compensatory and environmental modifications...functional vision - the way an individual functions with the amount of vision he or she has."
Hearing: "Hearing loss can occur in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). It can be conductive (affecting outer and middle ears) or sensorineural (damage to the cochlea [or inner ear] or to the auditory nerve)." Hearing loss is measured as falling outside the range of 0-15 dB (decibels): 16 - 25 dB = minimum loss...25 - 40 dB = mild hearing loss...40 - 65 dB = moderate hearing loss...65 - 90 dB = severe hearing loss...greater than 90 dB = profound hearing loss.
Definition of "physical disabilities and health impairments"

As in the textbook, the definition of physical disabilities and other health impairments is as follows:

"Students with significant physical disabilities, health impairments, and traumatic brain injury generally qualify for special education services under three IDEA categories: orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, and traumatic brain injury."

orthopedic impairment: a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly (e.g. clubfoot, absence of some member, etc.), impairments caused by disease (e.g. poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from other causes (e.g. cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures)...[as copied from Vaugh, Bos, et al, 2007, p 198.] These impairments also include beyond mobile and coordination inabilities, physical disabilities that affect communication, learning and social activities. A person who functions with medication in home, school and work activities is not considered physically disabled under this definition [p. 198].

neurological impairment: "an abnormal performance caused by a dysfunction of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, thereby creating transmission of improper instructions, uncontrolled bursts of instructions from the brain, or incorrect interpretation of feedback to the brain...such as seizures (epilepsy), cerebral palsy, and spina bifida neuromuscular impairment: "invoves both the muscles and nerves such as muscular distrophy, polio, and multiple sclerosis."
other health impairment: "having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes, that adversely affects a chield's educational performance...new addiitions to this definition are the medically fragile (students with progressive cancer or AIDS)"

traumatic brain injury: "an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment, or both, that adversely affects a child's education performance. The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory; perceptual; and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries induced by birth trauma."

How can you modify instruction and the classroom environment to accommodate the needs of students with visual, hearing, physical, or health impairments or students with traumatic brain injury?:
Hearing Loss:
see http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs3txt.htm .
see http://www.lessontutor.com/ASLgenhome.html.
Vision Impairment:
see http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs13txt.htm .
see http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/vision.html .
Physical Impairments:
see http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/wtcomp.html .
Other Health Impairments:
see http://www.rushservices.com/Inclusion/homepage.htm .
see http://www.school-for-champions.com/education/student_cancer.htm .
Traumatic Brain Injury:
see http://www.worksupport.com/topics/downloads/tbi_classroom.pdf

What are the roles of the orientation and mobility specialist, the interpreter, the physical or occupational therapist, and the adaptive physical education teacher?:
Orientation and mobility specialist:
see http://www.wayfinding.net/services.htm#eight
Interpreter:
see http://www.accd.edu/pac/pass/Interprethome/edterprole.htm


Pragmatically Speaking - How to use this information in the classroom:
- When working with student with physical disabilities, health impairments and traumatic brain injury, you will want to collaborate with specialists such as physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, assistive technology specialists, and school nurses and other medical professionals [Vaughn et al]
- The orientation and mobility specialist, a teacher who specializes in visual impairment, provides valuable support to you in working with students with visual impairments. [Vaughn et al]
- Arranging the classroom to reduce background noise and to have the speaker's face visible is important for students with hearing loss. [Vaughn et al]
- The use of braille, optical aids, modified print, books on tape, and assistive technology can play a key role in integrating students with visual impairments[Vaughn et al]
- ASL or American Sign Language is a visual and gestural language used by many individuals in North America who are deaf. [Vaughn et al]
- Although most children with significant hearing loss are identified before beginning school, it is important to watch for signs of mild hearing loss. [Vaughn et al]
- If you are not part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, ask for a copy of his or her IEP. The student's educational goals will be listed there, as well as the services and classroom accommodations he or she is to receive.
- Talk to specialists in your school (e.g., special educators), as necessary. They can help you identify effective methods of teaching this student, ways to adapt the curriculum, and how to address the student's IEP goals in your classroom.
- (Take Ishihara's test for colorblindness)
- (view Heather Whitestone's website)

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Read the following article "The No Child Left Behind Act, Adequately Yearly Progress and Students with Disabilities." Post your comments to the following: Does it seem like IDEA 2004 and NCLB send conflicting messages? Why or why not? If extended time is one of the accommodations, at what point is the test no longer actually testing whether a blind/deaf child is on par with a non-disabled child?

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Week 7 Teaching Students with Developmental Disorders

Teaching Students with Developmental Disabilities

Welcome to Week 7's posting on students with autism spectrum disorders/pervasive developmental disorders. An audio of the chapter has been provided. For the chapter audio, ignore references in the audio to week numbers, dates, chapter numbers, page numbers, assignments, the discussion board,names...thank you. The core of the audio speaks to the current chapter topic in your edition of the text book. https://edocs.uis.edu/jherr3/www/TEP224F2010/TEP224Ch7.mp3 .

Chapter 10 addresses the following questions concerning teaching students with developmental disabilities . What is the definition of a developmental disability? What are the characteristics of students who exhibit developmental disabilities? What are some strategies for teaching students with developmental disabilities?

Definition of "developmental disability" - the definition of developmental disabilities is as follows:

"...physical or mental disabilities that impair the person's functioning in language, learning, mobility, self-care, or other important areas of living, ranging from mild to severe."

Mental Retardation Mental retardation falls under the category of a developmental disability, with Down syndrome being the most recognized of this group mostly characterized by their slow rate of learning.

The following excerpt is from Professor Jerome Lejeune, Nobel Prize Winner, Discoverer of the gene for Down syndrome

"Many years ago, my father was a Jewish physician in Braunau, Austria. On a particular day, two babies had been delivered by one of his colleagues. One was a fine, healthy boy with a strong cry. His parents were extremely proud and happy. The other was a little girl, but her parents were extremely sad, for she was a mongoloid [Down syndrome] baby. I followed them both for almost fifty years. The girl grew up, living at home, and was finally destined to be the one who nursed her mother through a very long and lingering illness after a stroke. I do not remember her name. I do, however, remember the boy's name. He died in a bunker in Berlin. His name was Adolf Hitler."

Click here for a personal Saga of a child with Downs syndrome: A couples' story: http://www.downsyn.com/personal.html .

It used to be that the definition of mental retardation was restricted to below average IQ scores, however, according to the text, students who are diagnosed as mentally retarded have limited function in four areas:

intellectual - below average IQ in the range of 70-75 or below.

adaptive behavior - inability or delay in being able to function independently in society.

devleopmental period - limitations in intellectual and adaptive behavior relative to age appropriated behaviors before the age of 18 years.

systems of support - unless mentally retarded students are provided mega-support from teachers, parents, specialists, they are not as capable of operating as a sustainable functioning person in society. (Vaughn, et al, p. 163, 2007)

Mental retardation now is classified as mild (IQ 50-55 to 70-75); moderate (IQ 35-40 to 50-55); severe (IQ 20-25 to 35-40); and profound (IQ below 20-25) (Vaughn, et al, p. 163, 2007)

Read Matthew's story: http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm )

originate as a result of poverty stricken environments, neglect and abuse! 1 in 30 newborns will experience head injuries as a result of neglect! Students born in poverty stricken environments have an increased chance of being lead poisoned, underfed, polluted by harmful environs, abused, underinsured therefore not receiving appropriate medical attention. The majority of these cases are students who are mildly retarded, but require intervention strategies in order to be successful in the regular education classroom.

Characteristics of students with developmental disabilities: Students with developmental disabilities generally learn slower and learn less than other students. A report cited that "the characteristics of developmental disabilities are 'physical or mental impairments that begin before age 22, and alter or substantially inhibit a person's capacity to do at least three of the following: take care of themselves (dress, bathe, eat, and other daily tasks), speak and be understood clearly, learn, walk/move around, make decisions, live on their own, and/or earn and manage an income.'" See http://www.bostoncares.org/news/issuebriefs/disabilities.pdf to read more.)

What Are the Signs of Mental Retardation?

See: http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs8txt.htm ).

What are some strategies for dealing with developmentally disabled students?: Below are tips for both parents and educators as offered by the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY stands for the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities ????) website at http://www.nichcy.org/index.html .

Pragmatically Speaking - How to use this information in the classroom:

Learn about mental retardation. The more you know, the more you can help yourself and students.

Share skills students are learning at school with parents, so that they can extend those learning opportunities at home. For example, if such students are learning how to count money, have parents allow them to help count out the money at the grocery store.

Keep in touch with the parent(s).

Find out what student's strengths are and capitalize on those. Create success opportunities.

If you are not part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, ask for a copy of his or her IEP. The student's educational goals will be listed there, as well as the services and classroom accommodations he or she is to receive.

Talk to specialists in your school (e.g., special educators), as necessary. They can help you identify effective methods of teaching this student, ways to adapt the curriculum, and how to address the student's IEP goals in your classroom.

Be as concrete as possible. Demonstrate what you mean rather than just giving verbal directions. Rather than just relating new information verbally, show a picture. And rather than just showing a picture, provide the student with hands-on materials and experiences and the opportunity to try things out.

Break longer, new tasks into small steps. Demonstrate the steps. Have the student do the steps, one at a time. Provide assistance, as necessary.

Give the student immediate feedback.

Involve the student in group activities or clubs.

Post A Comment on the following quote [at least 200 words] - I look forward to the day when a mongolian idiot, treated biochemically, becomes a successful geneticist....quote from Professor Jerome Lejeune...