This is the last reflection I will write for this class. It is now over. It was good, but I am glad it's all done. Monday we talked about responding to student behavior and got our final. Wednesday we worked on our final. Friday we graded our finals. It was a good week.
Monday we talked about FBA which is functional behavioral analysis. MD is manifestation determination. BIP is behavior improvement plan. We discussed the behavior of children with disabilities and that sometimes it is because of their disability that they have behavior that isn't good. This is what the FBA is for. FBA analyses the behavior and decides if it is because of the disability or not. This is when a BIP is made. This is a plan put in place to discuss how to improve the behavior, even if it is improved slowly.
Wednesday we worked in our group to finish the final. We discussed what to do on Monday and split things up, but then on Wednesday we finalized it, so it would be ready for our peers to grade on Friday. It was a very productive day.
Friday is here! This was our last class. It was definitely beneficial to learn about the different kinds of disabilities and to know what to do with them in the classroom. We graded two different exams from two groups. One did fantastic! The other was good. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow.
Bye!
Friday, July 15, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
2 day week!
This week was a little funny from the 3 day weekend. That's okay though because we still learned lots! Wednesday we talked about visual impairments some more. Then on Friday we learned about emotional disturbances.
When we talked a little more about visual impairments the groups decided to do an activity. They put blindfolds on us and we had to be led around the top floor. It took a lot of trust. I went first and put the blindfold on. Walking through the hall was scary because I couldn't feel the wall, but I also couldn't tell where I was going. Getting a drink from the water fountain was especially difficult. I couldn't find where the water was. Then I led someone else around and for me it was less scary because I could see, but for them it was hard because they had to depend on me completely for their sight.
It would be difficult to become blind. The world is such a seeing world, but without it people can still function and that amazes me.
Friday we talked about emotional disturbances. There are different kinds under that label such as depression, OCD, Phobias, and more. We focused on those three kinds. Depression is a scary thing because it isn't just sad. It is more than that because it is hopelessness and low self esteem and it can be life threatening. There are medications and treatments for depression that should help. People should try to be aware that most people don't have great lives and everyone struggles with something.
OCD was interesting to learn about. I know that OCD can be a little things, but extreme OCD is more than just wanting things to be right. We watched a video of a man expressing what he felt. It was frustrating for him because he was arguing with himself because some of him knew what he wanted to do was irrational. In the classroom it can be helpful to let them help with organization and give them small jobs around the classroom to help them feel comfortable. They may need more time for tests and other activities.
Lastly we talked about Phobias. There are different levels of phobias, but fear is not the same thing as phobia. A phobia makes someone compelled to avoid the thing at all costs. It can be a fear of a situation, place, thing, or activity. The best thing for this is the avoid the phobia in the classroom, but if it adversely affects their education then therapy may be the best thing for them.
This week was very informative and I really liked the part about emotional disturbances the best! I think the mind is an interesting thing. It is important to remember that everyone is a child of God and he loves them no matter what.
When we talked a little more about visual impairments the groups decided to do an activity. They put blindfolds on us and we had to be led around the top floor. It took a lot of trust. I went first and put the blindfold on. Walking through the hall was scary because I couldn't feel the wall, but I also couldn't tell where I was going. Getting a drink from the water fountain was especially difficult. I couldn't find where the water was. Then I led someone else around and for me it was less scary because I could see, but for them it was hard because they had to depend on me completely for their sight.
It would be difficult to become blind. The world is such a seeing world, but without it people can still function and that amazes me.
Friday we talked about emotional disturbances. There are different kinds under that label such as depression, OCD, Phobias, and more. We focused on those three kinds. Depression is a scary thing because it isn't just sad. It is more than that because it is hopelessness and low self esteem and it can be life threatening. There are medications and treatments for depression that should help. People should try to be aware that most people don't have great lives and everyone struggles with something.
OCD was interesting to learn about. I know that OCD can be a little things, but extreme OCD is more than just wanting things to be right. We watched a video of a man expressing what he felt. It was frustrating for him because he was arguing with himself because some of him knew what he wanted to do was irrational. In the classroom it can be helpful to let them help with organization and give them small jobs around the classroom to help them feel comfortable. They may need more time for tests and other activities.
Lastly we talked about Phobias. There are different levels of phobias, but fear is not the same thing as phobia. A phobia makes someone compelled to avoid the thing at all costs. It can be a fear of a situation, place, thing, or activity. The best thing for this is the avoid the phobia in the classroom, but if it adversely affects their education then therapy may be the best thing for them.
This week was very informative and I really liked the part about emotional disturbances the best! I think the mind is an interesting thing. It is important to remember that everyone is a child of God and he loves them no matter what.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Visual impairment
Friday was my favorite day this week! And not just because it's the weekend and it's a long weekend, but it's because we talked to Emily, who has a visual impairment. It was a neat experience to hear her point of view. Monday we finished our UDL and differentiation. Wednesday we had a guest speaker come from the disabilities office on campus to discuss what our school does for those with disabilities.
Monday we finished the UDL and differentiation lessons. We only had one left and it was braiding hair. Not just a regular braid, but it was a french braid. Let me tell you, I am not good at french braiding. Someone french braided my hair with one hand! It's impressive the things you can do with the right amount of help. I guess that is the point of differentiation.
Wednesday was a pretty good day. We had someone from the disabilities services office come and talk to us. He talked a lot about success versus access and self advocacy. The university does access, but not necessarily success. Everyone has access to what they need to be successful, but that does not mean that they will be successful. He talked about self advocacy. When freshmen come in from high school then either they don't know until later or the parents come in and advocate for the child. At first this is fine, but eventually the person must advocate for themselves. I think this is an important skill for everyone to develop.
Finally Friday! We got to class and Skyped with Emily, a blind 15 year old. The best part about all of it is that she is comfortable with herself and doesn't let her impairment stop her. She showed us her braille equipment and the things she can do. The only thing she won't do is drive, but even then she will still be able to get around. The things she can do are unlimited. Her mom talked a lot about the hope and faith that got them through the whole situation. It is incredible what happens when you believe. The main thing from her was that anything is possible and the best way to help our students succeed is to believe in them.
I am thankful for the opportunity to hear Emily's story and learn more about the things I can do to be a better teacher.
Monday we finished the UDL and differentiation lessons. We only had one left and it was braiding hair. Not just a regular braid, but it was a french braid. Let me tell you, I am not good at french braiding. Someone french braided my hair with one hand! It's impressive the things you can do with the right amount of help. I guess that is the point of differentiation.
Wednesday was a pretty good day. We had someone from the disabilities services office come and talk to us. He talked a lot about success versus access and self advocacy. The university does access, but not necessarily success. Everyone has access to what they need to be successful, but that does not mean that they will be successful. He talked about self advocacy. When freshmen come in from high school then either they don't know until later or the parents come in and advocate for the child. At first this is fine, but eventually the person must advocate for themselves. I think this is an important skill for everyone to develop.
Finally Friday! We got to class and Skyped with Emily, a blind 15 year old. The best part about all of it is that she is comfortable with herself and doesn't let her impairment stop her. She showed us her braille equipment and the things she can do. The only thing she won't do is drive, but even then she will still be able to get around. The things she can do are unlimited. Her mom talked a lot about the hope and faith that got them through the whole situation. It is incredible what happens when you believe. The main thing from her was that anything is possible and the best way to help our students succeed is to believe in them.
I am thankful for the opportunity to hear Emily's story and learn more about the things I can do to be a better teacher.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Week of Learning and Teaching
This week was full of learning and teaching. Monday we talked about UDL (universal design for learning) and Differentiation. Wednesday we learned about intellectual disabilities and Friday we used UDL and differentiation to teach a new skill.
Differentiation and UDL are important for every classroom. When you have a diverse classroom, which is always, then each child has specific needs and making a lesson plan that fits the entire class is important to start out. Differentiation helps a teacher to focus on one child and make sure they are understanding. Assessing is an important part of all of this, so that the teacher understands what they need to do to help the child. When the student analysis is done then it's important to see if they are high then you may want to try to challenge them so they will not get bored. If a student doesn't understand then they may need extra help or they could stop trying all together.
Intellectual disabilities used to be called mental retardation. This is not what it is anymore and we try to avoid using those derogatory terms. There are varying degrees of intellectual disabilities. To show this we played telephone to show this. The first person did fine, but by the time it got to the end then there was a more extreme disability.
I never knew a psychologist had to be the one to diagnose the disability. The child has to have a low IQ and GPA. There are many causes like genetics, prenatal problems, child illness, and environmental causes.
We did another simulation to show how someone with intellectual disabilities feels when they are given directions. We were given a long list on detailed instructions to do in order. I could only get to the third instruction before I just gave up because I couldn't remember everything. This is how they feel. They may just want to give up because it didn't make sense and maybe it was at too high of a level for them. When working with someone with an intellectual disability it is important to help them understand and slow down for them.
Finally, Friday! We were split up into groups to teach the other people in the class a new skill. The trick was three of the students were given specific disabilities and everyone was naturally at a different level. Our group taught how to set up a solitaire game. We had people who play solitaire all the time for fun and people who had never played it. Someone was blind, another had one hand, and one person was mute. This presented a challenge, but we had enough teachers that each disability had an aid with them. This was the biggest help.
Another group taught us how to make a paper crane. This was a difficult task for me. Those with disabilities were surpassing my abilities and it was frustrating, but I had to remember they had one person to help them specifically. Teaching to an entire class of completely different levels is very difficult, but not impossible.
This week I learned how important UDL and differentiation are in every classroom. Whether there is a disability or not every child has a different level of needs and learns differently. Every child is important and the teacher can use UDL and differentiation to meet every child's needs.
Differentiation and UDL are important for every classroom. When you have a diverse classroom, which is always, then each child has specific needs and making a lesson plan that fits the entire class is important to start out. Differentiation helps a teacher to focus on one child and make sure they are understanding. Assessing is an important part of all of this, so that the teacher understands what they need to do to help the child. When the student analysis is done then it's important to see if they are high then you may want to try to challenge them so they will not get bored. If a student doesn't understand then they may need extra help or they could stop trying all together.
Intellectual disabilities used to be called mental retardation. This is not what it is anymore and we try to avoid using those derogatory terms. There are varying degrees of intellectual disabilities. To show this we played telephone to show this. The first person did fine, but by the time it got to the end then there was a more extreme disability.
I never knew a psychologist had to be the one to diagnose the disability. The child has to have a low IQ and GPA. There are many causes like genetics, prenatal problems, child illness, and environmental causes.
We did another simulation to show how someone with intellectual disabilities feels when they are given directions. We were given a long list on detailed instructions to do in order. I could only get to the third instruction before I just gave up because I couldn't remember everything. This is how they feel. They may just want to give up because it didn't make sense and maybe it was at too high of a level for them. When working with someone with an intellectual disability it is important to help them understand and slow down for them.
Finally, Friday! We were split up into groups to teach the other people in the class a new skill. The trick was three of the students were given specific disabilities and everyone was naturally at a different level. Our group taught how to set up a solitaire game. We had people who play solitaire all the time for fun and people who had never played it. Someone was blind, another had one hand, and one person was mute. This presented a challenge, but we had enough teachers that each disability had an aid with them. This was the biggest help.
Another group taught us how to make a paper crane. This was a difficult task for me. Those with disabilities were surpassing my abilities and it was frustrating, but I had to remember they had one person to help them specifically. Teaching to an entire class of completely different levels is very difficult, but not impossible.
This week I learned how important UDL and differentiation are in every classroom. Whether there is a disability or not every child has a different level of needs and learns differently. Every child is important and the teacher can use UDL and differentiation to meet every child's needs.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Weird week
This week we had our disability lesson on Wednesday instead of on Friday, so it was a mixed up week! Monday we discussed abuse and poverty. Wednesday we learned about traumatic brain injury. Finally on Friday we looked at a teachers way of teaching and looked at things we liked about it and such.
Talking about abuse and poverty was saddening. It is sad that those things have to happen especially to children without control. We watched Dr. Mike Evans Saving Brains. I would recommend watching it. We talked about the most important days in a child's life and how 1/3 of children never reach their full potential. I won't ruin the whole thing for you, but it talked about stress and good and bad stress. Relationships are important to children and play is children's work.
Wednesday we talked about TBI (traumatic brain injury). These injuries affect education at some point and make some things very difficult. They come from falls, vehicle crashes, and assaults. There are mild TBI and serious TBI. A mild TBI would be something similar to a concussion or something. Serious TBI causes physical impairments or mental impairments.
Teachers are responsible for making sure there are accommodations and adaptations for these children. There are also a lot of resources for TBI. One thing we did to simulate TBI was trace a star only looking in a mirror. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is. This is the frustration people with TBI feel.
Finally Friday we read about a teacher who did a lot with social things. The classroom had three special needs children and she had a special education teacher who comes in some of the time to help. I talked about how she can work with the special education teacher and use that resource to the fullest advantage.
Overall this week was weird because we mixed up the days, but it was good to learn about TBI. It was beneficial to understand more about abuse and poverty and talking about how to use a teacher helper to the fullest was great.
Talking about abuse and poverty was saddening. It is sad that those things have to happen especially to children without control. We watched Dr. Mike Evans Saving Brains. I would recommend watching it. We talked about the most important days in a child's life and how 1/3 of children never reach their full potential. I won't ruin the whole thing for you, but it talked about stress and good and bad stress. Relationships are important to children and play is children's work.
Wednesday we talked about TBI (traumatic brain injury). These injuries affect education at some point and make some things very difficult. They come from falls, vehicle crashes, and assaults. There are mild TBI and serious TBI. A mild TBI would be something similar to a concussion or something. Serious TBI causes physical impairments or mental impairments.
Teachers are responsible for making sure there are accommodations and adaptations for these children. There are also a lot of resources for TBI. One thing we did to simulate TBI was trace a star only looking in a mirror. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is. This is the frustration people with TBI feel.
Finally Friday we read about a teacher who did a lot with social things. The classroom had three special needs children and she had a special education teacher who comes in some of the time to help. I talked about how she can work with the special education teacher and use that resource to the fullest advantage.
Overall this week was weird because we mixed up the days, but it was good to learn about TBI. It was beneficial to understand more about abuse and poverty and talking about how to use a teacher helper to the fullest was great.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Week "who knows what week"
It's been another week in SPED 310. We did a lot of practicing of IEPs and going through the process to be able to classify them and to decide whether they are eligible for special education. Then Friday we learned about Orthopedic impairments.
My favorite part of this weeks classes was learning about orthopedic impairments and the kinds of things that happen. There are three different types of orthopedic impairments nueromotor, degenerative disease, and mulsculoskeletal. Some causes are before birth and some are after. Accidents can cause someone to have a orthopedic impairment.
Today we mainly talked about Cerebral palsy and Spina Bifida. I can't imagine what it would be like to have one of these difficulties. One important thing for a teacher of someone with an orthopedic impairment is to make sure the classroom is wheelchair friendly. We drew plans for a future classroom that had 48" on every side to make sure it was a classroom that someone in a wheelchair would feel comfortable in.
Then we discussed the people who have done the orthopedic impairment challenge. This is when you are in a wheelchair for 4 hours and have tasks to accomplish. Some of the experiences I heard made me want to avoid this for the rest of my life and just accept a failing grade especially since I didn't want to do it in the first place. I can't imagine being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I have so much respect for those who do.
One of the presenters shared a story from her mission when she taught someone in a wheelchair who couldn't talk well because of an accident. It was a touching story because she didn't know if she was teaching well, but hoped he understood. Before she left he was baptized and at the baptism interview she wasn't sure how he would answer the questions, but the interviewer told him to squeeze his had for yes or leave it alone for no. When he asked if he wanted to be baptized the man squeezed his hand so hard the interviewer thought it might break. We need to remember to love those around us even when they are different and accept them.
My favorite part of this weeks classes was learning about orthopedic impairments and the kinds of things that happen. There are three different types of orthopedic impairments nueromotor, degenerative disease, and mulsculoskeletal. Some causes are before birth and some are after. Accidents can cause someone to have a orthopedic impairment.
Today we mainly talked about Cerebral palsy and Spina Bifida. I can't imagine what it would be like to have one of these difficulties. One important thing for a teacher of someone with an orthopedic impairment is to make sure the classroom is wheelchair friendly. We drew plans for a future classroom that had 48" on every side to make sure it was a classroom that someone in a wheelchair would feel comfortable in.
Then we discussed the people who have done the orthopedic impairment challenge. This is when you are in a wheelchair for 4 hours and have tasks to accomplish. Some of the experiences I heard made me want to avoid this for the rest of my life and just accept a failing grade especially since I didn't want to do it in the first place. I can't imagine being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I have so much respect for those who do.
One of the presenters shared a story from her mission when she taught someone in a wheelchair who couldn't talk well because of an accident. It was a touching story because she didn't know if she was teaching well, but hoped he understood. Before she left he was baptized and at the baptism interview she wasn't sure how he would answer the questions, but the interviewer told him to squeeze his had for yes or leave it alone for no. When he asked if he wanted to be baptized the man squeezed his hand so hard the interviewer thought it might break. We need to remember to love those around us even when they are different and accept them.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Short week!
After the three day weekend for Memorial Day, it was difficult to come back to school, but it happened anyway! We only had class Wednesday and Friday.
Wednesday we discussed assessments and ways to evaluate students. The biggest thing I learned was about formal and informal assessments. There are different kinds of assessments that fall all over the spectrum from formal to informal.
Formal assessments are structured, contrived, and standardized. A few examples of this is ACT or SAT tests. There are more formal tests that aren't quite as strict like spelling tests or ISAT or SBAC. These are standard tests from the state.
Informal assessments are more observation, authentic, and are not standardize. These are things like just observing the behavior of a child, asking for a thumbs up or thumbs down if they understand, having them write answers on white boards and things similar to that.
Of course, there are many other ways to assess like homework, book reports, papers, and other smaller school work things, but these usually fall somewhere in the middle. All kinds of assessments are necessary to really understand where a student is in their learning. Students need all kinds to be able to show what they really know.
Friday we learned about ADHD. I really appreciated this section because I have a cousin with ADHD and I learned a lot of things I didn't know. Most of the time when we think ADHD we think moving and distracted and hyper, but this isn't always the case.
The first thing we did in class was do a color and word simulation. The names of the colors were in different colors than the words said and we took turns reading the word and just having to say what color the word was in. If you have ever done this then you know it is difficult. This is a little bit of what people with ADHD struggle with because their executive functions are not working correctly.
One of the presenters in our class actually has ADHD and shared her experience. They didn't diagnose her with ADHD until recently, but it has been helpful to her to take medicine to be able to focus on one task. She discussed what school was like for her and how difficult it was for her to stay caught up with her peers. In younger grades she got in trouble a lot because she had a difficult time following directions. Her experience was eye opening.
We learned a few different things, but we watched a video of someone interviewing two children, one with ADHD and one without. Some of the things I noticed were that the child with ADHD took a little longer to answer the questions and many of her answers were I don't know. She had low self-esteem and seemed to have difficulty answering all the questions.
ADHD is diagnosed over time by a physician. It is not an easy thing to diagnose, but it can have a tremendous affect on the education process.
I enjoyed learning about ADHD and hope I will be able to help my cousin better and others with ADHD more now that I have learned more about it!
Wednesday we discussed assessments and ways to evaluate students. The biggest thing I learned was about formal and informal assessments. There are different kinds of assessments that fall all over the spectrum from formal to informal.
Formal assessments are structured, contrived, and standardized. A few examples of this is ACT or SAT tests. There are more formal tests that aren't quite as strict like spelling tests or ISAT or SBAC. These are standard tests from the state.
Informal assessments are more observation, authentic, and are not standardize. These are things like just observing the behavior of a child, asking for a thumbs up or thumbs down if they understand, having them write answers on white boards and things similar to that.
Of course, there are many other ways to assess like homework, book reports, papers, and other smaller school work things, but these usually fall somewhere in the middle. All kinds of assessments are necessary to really understand where a student is in their learning. Students need all kinds to be able to show what they really know.
Friday we learned about ADHD. I really appreciated this section because I have a cousin with ADHD and I learned a lot of things I didn't know. Most of the time when we think ADHD we think moving and distracted and hyper, but this isn't always the case.
The first thing we did in class was do a color and word simulation. The names of the colors were in different colors than the words said and we took turns reading the word and just having to say what color the word was in. If you have ever done this then you know it is difficult. This is a little bit of what people with ADHD struggle with because their executive functions are not working correctly.
One of the presenters in our class actually has ADHD and shared her experience. They didn't diagnose her with ADHD until recently, but it has been helpful to her to take medicine to be able to focus on one task. She discussed what school was like for her and how difficult it was for her to stay caught up with her peers. In younger grades she got in trouble a lot because she had a difficult time following directions. Her experience was eye opening.
We learned a few different things, but we watched a video of someone interviewing two children, one with ADHD and one without. Some of the things I noticed were that the child with ADHD took a little longer to answer the questions and many of her answers were I don't know. She had low self-esteem and seemed to have difficulty answering all the questions.
ADHD is diagnosed over time by a physician. It is not an easy thing to diagnose, but it can have a tremendous affect on the education process.
I enjoyed learning about ADHD and hope I will be able to help my cousin better and others with ADHD more now that I have learned more about it!
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