Week 15

This is what I have done for the group portfolio.

Physical Impairment
1. The definition of physical impairment is significant limitations, impairment, or delay in physical capacity to move, coordinate actions, or perform physical activities, exhibited by difficulties in one or more of the following areas: physical and motor tasks, independent movement performing basic life functions. The term shall include severe orthopedic impairments or impairments caused by congenital anomaly, cerebral palsy, amputations and fractures if such impairment adversely affects a student’s educational performance.
2. Characteristics of a child with physical impairments are things such as, the inability to control movement of the body. For a student with physical impairments the academic abilities are not always affected. So you may see a student that has severe physical impairments but is gifted in classroom. Other characteristics are the student will have a range on movement ability and may have trouble with communication skills. Students with physical impairments will also have difficulty with motor skills and being able to hold an upright position. Children with physical impairments may be in a wheelchair or have other things such as braces or walkers to help them.
3. Students with physical disabilities are different from the typical student because they must learn to move parts of their body and control them. That just comes naturally for people who do not have this disability. Some other differences may be the appearance that these students have compared to a typical student. A student with physical disabilities may be in a wheelchair or have braces to help them stand or walk. A student’s body structure may also look different, if they have cerebral palsy, it will vary, but their hands or legs may be curled up, positioned differently than a typical student in the classroom. In the classroom another difference for a student with any physical impairments, is that he/she may need extra assistance, it is not always the case because it is possible for a student with physical disabilities to be gifted academically, but does not always happen, therefore they may need extra help with their work. This may be in any way, from an extreme of needing help writing or as little as checking over an assignment.
4. Some different instructional strategies that are helpful for students with physical disabilities are having a physical and occupational therapist available for the student. Other options that should be available in the classroom are wheelchairs, braces, crutches, and walkers to help students with their mobility. Assistive technology that will help with daily living would be non-skid material, cuff and strap, eating utensil adaptive for the students. Non-skid seating, holsters, and blocks for the feet are all assistance that would help students with physical impairments to sit or stand properly and easily. A few types of assistant technology that is available for recreational time in the classroom are arm supports and an electronic aid. These things will help students with physical impairments to feel more equal with the rest of the typical students in a classroom. This is very important for the students, so that they can succeed in the classroom.
5. The law that was passed in 1975 by congress was the Public Law 94-142. This law named Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed to assure that all handicapped children have available to them a free appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs. Provisions of this law that would affect students with physical disabilities are the zero reject, meaning every child with a disability must be guaranteed a free and appropriate education in a public school. Nondiscriminatory evaluation is that each student will have a full evaluation prior to receiving a placement in a special education classroom and the evaluation will consist of appropriate tests based on the child’s background. The final provision is least restrictive environment; this means that children who have disabilities must be educated with other students who are not handicapped, as best that is possible for the student.
6. There are community programs available to help out people with physical disabilities. Merton council is a community program that is available for people with physical disabilities. There are many options including meals at home or care at home. Other options for help finding employment and getting equipment that will help in the home. This community will also help with any short term care after hospitalization and occupational therapy or even assistance making payments. This community council is dedicated to helping someone with physical impairments life their life as normally as possible and still able to feel as they are part of the community. Another program that I found is to help teachers with students (and the students) with physical impairments. This program is to help ensure that every student is receiving the proper education. The plan works with all parts of the education system, teachers, students, parents, and administrators. The use of Assistive technology will be used and set up for students with physical impairments. This program is effective for the students to truly benefit in the classroom.

Health Impairments
1. The definition of health impairment is chronic or acute health problem such that the physiological capacity to function is significantly limited or impaired and that results in limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, resulting in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment.
2. Some characteristics of health impairment may be trouble breathing, or difficulty accomplishing physical tasks easily as compared to a typical student. Students may have a list of restrictions due to such things that may not be noticeable such as heart defects. Students with health impairments may have special diets that restrict certain foods that can or cannot eat. Students will have medical needs that may need to be attended to. Students may be so weak that it could hinder their coordination or even communication; therefore they will need some extra assistance in the classroom. A student may have trouble writing for a long period of time and will then need someone to help them and write for them.
3. Students with health impairments will have special needs that teachers and maybe students may need to be aware of. Certain foods will not be able to be given to a student if a specific diet says so. Students that have health impairment may have to miss a lot of school for various reasons; they will need help in the classroom and possibly outside of school to keep up with the rest of the class. This student may be different from a typical student because trips to the health office are part of the daily routine, or in the case of diabetes the student will have a pump attached to his/her hip. A student that has a chronic disease or defect may not be able to play the same as a typical student. Being outside could be sometimes dangerous or running and exerting a lot of energy may not be possible for a student with health impairment. The student could possibly look different than a typical student in the classroom, for instance if a young child has cancer and has to go through Chemotherapy the child may no longer have any hair and be bald, not many other students will look like that.
4. Teachers need to be willing to work with students and help them out in the classroom, especially the students that have to miss a lot of school due to their illness and want to catch up with the class. Many students can fall behind very fast in school from missing, and not being able to catch up again. It is also important in the classroom that the teachers are aware of any allergies that students may have and try to keep the classroom clear of any of them. Asthma is very common health impairment and some students may never have a problem but teachers should always be well prepared. Every teacher should be prepared in the classroom with the knowledge of CPR and be able to recognize signs or symptoms of any distress from respiratory system or medication. For any disease or defect a teacher should know how much physical activity is okay for a child, so as not to wear the child out. Teachers should also be well informed of each disease or disorder and be able to recognize any symptoms of a reaction and be able to ensure the proper medicine is distributed. For a child with a heart disease it is important that physical activity in the classroom is moderate and that medicine is distributed as needed as well as ensuring that the proper diet is being followed. For a student that has diabetes every teacher should be aware of their diet and possibly have extra food in the classroom for that student just in case. The teacher should also be able to recognize hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in case the student cannot tell themselves. In the case that a student has Leukemia it is very important in the classroom that a teacher is able to tell if the child is bleeding or starting an infection. In the case of a seizure disorder medicine may need to be distributed to keep the child from having any sort of seizure. The teacher also needs to know what to do in case of a seizure and know the affects before and after one may occur. For a child that has spina bifida the classroom may need some environmental accommodations and mobility devices so that the child is able to get around. It is important that teachers will be able to recognize symptoms of shunt blockage or urinary infections or even skin breakdowns. In the case of a student with sickle cell anemia the teacher should be aware of an impending crisis and know what to do in that situation. In the case of juvenile arthritis there are many steps to take to ensure the student is protecting their body. A teacher must make sure that the proper medication is given, as well as being careful of how much exercise is done that may affect joints and movement, but the student should also be able to get up and move around so the joints do not become too stiff either. A teacher should be able to recognize inflammation and broken bones. A student that has Hemophilia should be watched for any signs of blood and also kept well protected. A student with Cystic Fibrosis must have all the proper medications the teacher must be able to recognize distress.
5. The No Child Left Behind Public Law 107-110 states that schools and educators are responsible for bringing students to a minimum level of contency. Students who miss out on a lot of school may then fall into this category however this act will keep them from falling behind so far as not to succeed at all.
6. A community service group for students with health impairment is a Health Support Center. The center holds self-help support groups for people with health impairments and for those who care for people with health impairments. These Health Support Centers are located in different locations and can be started anywhere.

Communication Impairment
1. The definition of a communication impairment is significantly limited, impaired, or delayed capacity to use expressive and/or receptive language, exhibited by difficulties in one or more of the following areas: speech, such as articulation and/or voice; conveying, understanding, or using spoken, written, or symbolic language.
2. Characteristics of a student with communication impairment start with problems fitting in. Communication is key to fitting into society. A child may lack having any friends and have self-esteem problems. Students who cannot communicate may not succeed in the classroom very well because they may have difficulty speaking to a teacher or understanding material. A student with a speech disorder will have problems articulating or stuttering and they may be difficult to understand; therefore, other students may become uninterested in being friendly to these students that they cannot understand. Students with a speech disorder or any type of communication disorder most likely will have language problems as well and will need some extra help in school, especially with English language arts. Students may mix up letters or get words completely wrong. Students with communication impairment can usually fit into a general education classroom with just some extra assistance. Communication impairments may make students act more shy in the classroom because they will be reluctant to speak up or make conversation with other students.
3. Students with communication impairments will differ from a typical student by having difficulty speaking clearly and communicating effectively. Students with a communication disorder may stutter or stammer, mix up letters or sounds while they are speaking. Their speech could even be delayed. A student that has had language problems may have had a slower understanding of reading and comprehension causing them to fall behind of the typical level. Students that have communication impairment may also have difficulty with their vision and must use either Braille or audio augmentation. Communication disorders could even affect the way a student relates to social values. The way they fit into society, some of the typical understanding that comes with age may lack, or just develop slower. A typical child may have many friends and be very social or talkative; however a student with communication impairment may not have any of those things.
4. Students with communication impairment will use related services in schools to help them with understanding in school. This service should benefit a student in special education classes that may fall behind the rest of the class. Some related services that might be used are speech-language pathologist for designing the plan for the student. They may work with the student individually, or in the classroom, with the teacher, or even the parents. The pathologist establishes goals for the student and offers support. The RTI model should be used in classrooms with any students that have communication impairment. Augmentative and alternative communication systems should be used as any method other than talking. They can be either unaided or aided, providing either voice output or not. An unaided communication system includes things such as, body language, sign language, and communication boards. Aided communication systems provide voice output, which opens up many more opportunities for communication. Technology such as phones have been made text to speech to make it easier for communication.
5. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 is a law that was put into place by Congress. This law protects students with disabilities. Everyone must have equal access to programs and services in schools. Students with communication disorders shouldn’t be discriminated against and told they can’t do anything because they lack in one skill area.
6. There are community groups available for anyone that may have a communication impairment. One group that I found is for anyone that may suffer from Aphasia. It is a non-profit organization that offers support and promotes a fair public education. An Aphasia group can be started anywhere and are located all across the country. Groups such as this one are helpful for people and families that suffer from any communication impairment. It’s always nice to know that there are people willing to help and look out for you.

For Autism:
Instructional Strategies
Students with autism require accomidations to allow them to learn to their best ability. The ways of doing this differ from age to age. One way to modify the classroom for students with ASD is using the RTI model. Tier one states that the teacher must be sensitized to the needs of children with autism. This includes necessary backup and help with specific students. The second tier says that, small group and individual lessons can help with social skills and still be directed at invidual needs. Tier three uses intensive work, and is the most severe case for students with autism. In this tier students will see specialist and recieve help inside and outside of school. Like most other disabilities students will need specialized instruction and one on one help. Students will work with a multidiciplinary team to develope an appropriate plan for their education. Students with autism can learn through assistive technology that may be common for all students such as computers, touch screens a computer mouse and a communication board.

Federal Laws
The federal law that applies to students with autism is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992. This act says that the rights of disabled americans are equal no matter race, age, national origin, religion, and gender. This says that all children with disabilities have equal access to educational resources without discrimination.

Anastasiow, N., Coleman, MR., Gallagher, J., & Kirk, S. (2009). Educating Exceptional Children: Twelfth Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

I had a lot of trouble with the spacing of the APA citation. You cannot tab on blogger and the spacing would get all messed up that is why the second or possibly third lines are not indented properly. But we do realize that it is supposed to be.

Our group worked very well together. The work was split very equally and everything was done in a timely matter. I think we did a very nice job on this project. We split parts up and did some together.

Week 13 Learn and Serve

Today in learn and serve there was a new boy in the class. He was switched for behavioral problems in the classroom but he was the sweetest, most polite little boy I have ever met. He is a tiny little boy who sat quietly at his desk and did his work. He is a little bit younger than the rest of the class so he is grouped with the other two students who are a little bit further behind in their schoolwork. During lunch the students all sat together and talked while they ate. The movie that they had been watching was Harry Potter and that movie ended so the students take turn picking out movies to watch during lunch time. A student picked out E.T. to watch. As this movie started I sat next to another student and she was asking me questions about the movie, why they were running? Why he was making that noise? Why are they scared? What does that mean? She was the only student really paying attention, I thought the movie was a little mature for the class but did not say anything. Then the boy in the movie yelled "Penisbreath" and the teachers decided it was time to turn off the movie and pick another one. Luckily none of the students were paying much attention.

Then the students had a math lesson. In this lesson each student was given a baggie with 12 pennies in it. She paired up the students and had each student pull out a handful of pennies out of the bag and draw them on a piece of paper. Then she told the students to connect the pennies from one students group to the other students group. The pennies that are not matched up are the left over and that is the difference. The students then had to write out the subtraction problem that goes with it. For many of the students this lesson was very difficult. It was hard for them to see the difference because matching up the pennies didn't make sense to them. One or two students were able to figure out the subtraction problem that went along with the drawing.

Week 12 Learn and Serve

Today in learn and serve the students were preparing for a Thanksgiving feast. There was not a lot of work to be done in the class today because of the excitement of the dinner. Each of the students had a hat to wear to the dinner. Some of the students were Indians, some were pilgrims, we had both men and women pilgrims. During library the librarian read the story of the first thanksgiving. The students were very well behaved and very polite during library today. While the students were in library I talked with the teacher about the students in the class and their behavior. I asked her how these student's behavior was compared to previous classes that she has had. She said that prior classes have had more outbreaks and been more likely to have trouble in the classroom. I asked her what the procedure was for if something like that were too happen and how the students usually react. She said that they all have to get up and leave the classroom and go across the hall to another classroom. She said that sometimes students may act out a little bit to regain some of the attention because many of these students are very attention seeking. She also told me about a new student that would be joining the class next week. He is a little boy that has had trouble in his other classroom. She said that his family is very hesitant on putting him in this class and does not want him to switch to the BOCES program. This little boy has had some trouble in the class, he threw a chair at the teacher. The students did not recieve a snack today due to the early afternoon lunch/dinner. The reading lessons were cut short.

Week 14 Chapter 12 videos and portfolio progress

Viewing questions

1. Teacher Lisa Kelleher describes her role as a teacher in an inclusive
classroom as being quite multifaceted. Are there any aspects of her role
that surprised you or made you envision your future role as a teacher
differently? Explain. No this did not surprise me because I have been placed in an inclusion classroom and worked with the students. I have seen the types the types of things that they are responsible for.

2. What skills does elementary classroom aid Danielle Doucette bring to
her work with MaryAnne, the child who has spina bifida? How does Danielle
take MaryAnne's academic and social/emotional development into account
when planning activities? Danielle must be aware of Spina bifida and be able to accommodate in the classroom for her. Danielle did a very good job doing that and helping MaryAnne with both sitting and standing, switching up her position to better her health. She also took into consideration that MaryAnne should feel equal with the students by putting her at the same level as the rest of the students. By MaryAnne having an electric wheelchair and the students being willing to come over and work with her it helps her to really feel as though she fits in.

3. What questions has this video raised in your mind about your own
familiarity with adaptive technologies for children? How can you take
action on Lisa's suggestion that teachers familiarize themselves with how
the equipment works (e.g., an electric wheelchair) even before you have
your own classroom? I can learn about equipment first by experiencing from my learn and serve placements. Any technology that is used in the classrooms I can learn how to use and adapt into my learning. This video made me question if all the equipment will be as useful to each student that uses it.

4. In the bonus video, "Encouraging Social Interactions in an Inclusive
Classroom," Lisa explains how she makes sure that all students have
opportunities to play together, typically through music or art. Can you
think of any activities you've used successfully to engage a full range of
learners? If not, what types of activities do you plan to add to your
repertoire? Activities that will also help students to play together and learn are some group games that involve math problems or speech, pronunciation. Puzzles are a good way for students to practice their motor skills and work together.

5. The classroom artifact entitled "MaryAnne’s Schedule" blocks out
MaryAnne's schedule for the day in words and illustrations. How could a
chart like this be used more generally to help students with other types
of learning challenges (such as ADHD)? Explain. You could use charts for all types of things in the classroom such as behavior charts, homework charts or a chart for the chores in the classroom. Charts especially with pictures really help out students especially students that may have ADHD.

Video 2
1. Kindergarten teacher Tony Byers describes his responsibility to teachJamie, a girl in his classroom who has cerebral palsy, so that she canfeel like an equal participant. Have you had any experience in workingwith children who are physically challenged? If not, how can you gainexperience before you have your own classroom? I have been around children that may be physically challenged, I grew up with a boy that had cerebral palsy. I can gain more experience by working at summer camps and working with people in the special Olympics class.

2. Inclusion facilitator Sara Woodruff is an advocate for assistivetechnologies. She explains that there are many ways to help childrenaccess their voices and their minds as best they can. What assistivetechnologies--either high-tech or low-tech--have you seen or read about?How and when would you be likely to incorporate them into your teaching?I have read about all different types of assistive technology that are available to students of all needs. I would incorporate as many or any type of assistive technology that would be most useful to any student in my class.

3. As you watch Jamie complete an activity using a speech output device,what do you notice about the way Sara interacts with her? What can youlearn from Sara's approach in general, and the way she describes her goalsfor Jamie? Sara lets Jamie do the work she helps her out but Jamie is actually capable of picking out the color and point to the correct color. This shows that teachers or aids can be there to assist but should not do all the work because even with physical disabilities the students are capable of showing you how smart they are.

4. According to Tony, having Jamie use assistive technology "helps showthe other children that there's a wide range of communication capabilitiesin our population as a whole. Children are shown an alternative way ofcommunicating that is different rather than better or worse." Whatquestions about your own understanding of the potential of assistivetechnologies has this video raised? I wonder if the assistive technology can sometimes be too helpful and instead hinder the student because they may have the capability of doing it by his/herself.

5. In the bonus video entitled "Adapting the Curriculum: Mr. Byers' View,"Tony describes the tension he feels between teaching spontaneously and theneed to slow down and adapt every lesson for all students. Can you thinkof any experiences you've had that have created a similar tension? Explainyour ideas. In our EDU 239 class I have felt like this because most of the students cannot keep up with the work that the professor gives and when working in groups in this class it is difficult because I have understood the assignment and wanted to move forward but many of the students are not at the same level of understanding, this became frustrating.

Chapter 12 summary:In chapter 12 I learned about the different physical disabilities, health impairments, and multiple disabilities. In this chapter they talk about the characteristics of these disabilities. The chapter goes into a short synopsis of some different disabilities such as, cerebral palsy, neural tube defects, seizure disorders, traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophies, Juvenile arthritis, spinal curvatures, juvenile diabetes, asthma, cardiac conditions, cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, and acquired diseases. The chapter talks about how to help these students who may have any of these disabilities and what steps may be done to assist them in any way or cope with their disabilities both at home and in the classroom. One of the students in the video that we had to watch had spina bifida and another student had cerebral palsy. In the video we were able to see some of the affects of these diseases that we read about and also see the assistive technology that could be useful in the classroom.

Portfolio Progress

Our group is working very well together we all have 3 learning disabilities done separately and have planned to meet next week to finish the last one and look for pictures, add the citation, and a few hyperlinks to all of our blogs. I have learned a lot for doing this project.

Week 11 Learn n Serve

Today in learn and serve I had to come at a later time on the same day. Which I was excited about because I was able to see the students in a little bit of a different setting. When I got there they were just about to start a Social Studies lesson as a class. They had a booklet on the pilgrims arriving to America. I walked around and made sure that everyone was on the right page and doing what they were supposed to. For the most part everyone was paying attention and following along with the teacher. Then they had lunch and during lunch they were able to watch a christmas movie of Rudolph and the Misfit toys. Some students were watching and paying attention and others just wanted to talk to me and the aid. They were all well behaved and lunchtime had no problems. After lunch they had a math lesson and all of the students were being taught the same thing. I sat between the two students that struggle the most with math and was there to help them out. The lesson was on subtraction. The teacher taught subtraction as a "take away" and had the students use a numberline to help them. All of the students caught on very fast, which was a little bit suprising to me. The two that I sat between were doing it like it was nothing, I was very excited. He was doing the problems without my help at all. At first I had to guide him to point to the number then go backwards but once he got it, he really understood and I had him do a whole row by himself without my help and he did it and got every answer correct. He cannot do that with addition. At the bottom of the worksheet there were mixed problems of addition and subtraction which he did not catch at first, but once I circled the sign on every problem, he started to understand. I had him tell me on every question what sign it was and which way the problem would go. He ended up finishing the worksheet by himself and getting every question correct. Also,a big step for him was he never became frustrated while working on the worksheet either.

Today they had music while I was there and the students play a recorder and a kazoo and use props such as large candy canes and bells to sing and make their music. They were put into a formation as a class and told to remember where they stand. The students were well behaved they listened to the music teacher and were able to sing and play the music very well. One student I noticed during the Kazoo song that he had trouble blowing into the kazoo. He basically just was holding it in his mouth. This student has a disability that makes it hard for him to keep things in his mouth such as food and I think that this affected his ability to hold the kazoo correctly and play it correctly. In their concert they play their recorders and bells and dance using the props and all of the students did really well. I will have to find out when the concert is and come watch them.

Week 10 learn and serve

Today the teacher was not in class so the class was run by the aid and a substitute aid. I was interested to see how the students would act in this setting. During free time I sat next to a student who was working on the computer. She was doing a puzzle on the computer, it seemed very hard because the pieces were very small. I was helping her to get the idea of finding all of the outside pieces first. The puzzle was very hard because not only were the puzzle pieces small but to put it together on the computer screen is very difficult, for anyone to do. She did not quite get the idea of finding the pieces with a straight edge to make the sides.

It was a student's birthday today and he had cupcakes to hand out for lunch. He is usually a student that behaves but will act out by speaking. He verbally gets in fights with other students by saying things under his breath or just out loud right too them. Today I was hoping that he would behave so that he didn't get his cupcakes taken away. He was doing good for most of the day but another student seemed to be having a very bad day. She was just not doing well. She was not listening very well, she kept having minor tantrums and everything she did seemed to be wrong. I think she was trying but it was just a bad day.

During Library the Librarian brought in two books and a movie and the idea that they talked about was past and present. They had to identify which books were talking about the past or the present. The students did very well actually with determining which was which.

Blog Nov. 5th

Today in class we first came up with ideas of things that are good and bad work habits. As groups we picked out certain things that we wanted to display as good and bad work habits. We did this by taking pictures or videos demonstrating them with our new friend, she is from the group Opportunities Unlimited. Then we went back to the classroom and there were different stations that we were rotating between. The station we started out at was a mulitple intelligence sheet. We each filled one out then compared them. Another station that we didn't get much time at was playing with play-doh. This is good because it is using your fine motor skills as well as your imagination to create a design of something that represents yourself. The two stations that we did not have time for were writing a story, this is another creative thinking station and building a fort. Building a fort is obviously using more bodily movement and coordination, as well as puzzle making because you had to figure out how to get it together and which way you wanted it. The chapter talks about having multiple intelligences and by filling out the worksheet we were able to see what Melissa's were. By building a fort and allowing the group to put it together and by making up a story it shows off the creativity and creativity is a big process
Describe your experience: The friend that joined our group was Melissa. She seemed very sweet but she was very very quiet. It was hard to get her excited about the activities that we were doing because she was so quiet. We walked around campus taking pictures. We took Melissa to some new spots that she told us she had never been too. Since she was so quiet it was hard to tell if she really enjoyed it but she seemed to be interested in the new places.
What did you notice: I noticed that Melissa was very quiet compared to the other guests that came along with her. We really tried to talk to her and get her to open up and feel comfortable but I think that even though she was quiet she understood the activity and learned something from it and had fun.
How did you feel: I felt comfortable but a little disappointed that she was so quiet. It was hard to get to know her and talk to her and learn something from her or the experience because she was so quiet. But for the most part I really enjoyed it and was glad that we were able to join together with them.
In Chapter 9 "Children who have gifts and talents" it talks about that gifted people do not have to show their excellence in the same way or even at all. I think that some of these people that joined us in class showed us that. They were all special in their own way. There is such a thing as "gifted underachievers" and for these adults just because they are not above and beyond in academics for their level does not mean that they can't have gifts as well.

Week 9

Today at learn and serve the students ate breakfast in the cafeteria and were coming back in the room just minutes after I arrived. The aid went to the cafeteria with them and when she came in, she told Mrs. Drennan about a problem between the two girls, but unfortunately she did not see what happened. So Mrs. Drennan had to call the two girls to the front table to find out what happened. It was very interesting to watch the girls and see who was willing to tell the truth. But neither girl really came totally out and told the truth, so they both were given two checks. While the students were in library I talked with Mrs. Drennan about their way of discipline for the students. She explained that to me but she also said that this year's class is very mild and she has not had any problems with the students, there are two that they have to watch. Then I observed the reading lesson with the group that is more advanced and I noticed that she was teaching to the top, like we discuss in class. The book that the students were reading was fairly difficult for their level, but she told me that she really felt they would be able to handle it if they were pushed. Which from the work that I saw they had done well with writing about the events of the beginning of the story. Then I worked with Ronald on his math problems again. He did much better on the few problems he started before I was helping him. The only problems that he really struggled with were the ones that were adding numbers higher than 5 because he had trouble figuring out how to show 6 or 7 fingers on one hand and seeing the two different sets of numbers.

Quiz 8

Today in class we got in groups and came up with ideas for videos to make to help students understand the play She Stoops to Conquer. We had to come up with ideas and make videos taping each other. As a group we walked around campus to video tape. Our group decided to make our video a commercial and we used the idea of an e-Harmony commercial and we talk about the different characters. By having the characters describe their profile it showed their personality and qualities that contributed to the play.

I noticed that groups decided to use different ways to portray the play. I noticed that some students that may not always really speak up in class really seemed to like this activity. Its a different way to learn and show that you know something.

I wonder how these videos will turn out and if we really showed them to high school students if they would really help them out. Hopefully they will help students learn and understand the poem.

I am really excited to learn about the Opportunities Unlimited program. It is very interesting and it sounds like a great organization to help people in the Niagara area. There should be more organizations like this.

As far as I know the only time that I have ever worked or spent time with an adult with a cognitive or developmental disability has been at work, at Clarie's. There are some regulars that come in a group and I help them find some fun accessories that they are looking for. In the group they come with two to three adults. They look for a hair accessory or maybe earrings. I love asking them what they want exactly and I try to find the closest thing we have to what they are looking for. When they come in they are so sweet and friendly, I always go up and help them find what they are looking for.

Week 8 learn and serve

Today in learn and serve one of the girls was acting different than normal. She is usually very cooperative and helpful around the classroom. She is normally well behaved and listens to the teachers, however today when I got there during free time, she had to just sit at her desk because she did not do her homework on time. For the ten minutes that she had to sit quietly and she had a very hard time with it. But even before the free time started she was getting yelled at for having extra food in her desk and she kept trying to get up and do things around the room. She would ask the aid instead of the teacher because I think she knew that the aid would let her do it but Mrs. Drennan would not. This is where I saw her in rare form. I noticed it again later on as well. I was able to do a lesson with 3 of the students today. I read them a story and made a worksheet for us to do together afterwards. Since I didn't have enough copies of the book for all 3 of the students they just had to listen and pay attention to the story. Which they actually did really well. After I finished the story they had to come up with 2 sentences to describe the events of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. They all did very well with coming up with the events. Some students needed more help than others with things such as the spelling of the words. My lesson was slightly intereupted by library time but afterwards they came back to the table to finish the last part of the worksheet. The girl at this point really acted out for her normal behavior. She just got up and left the table and went back to her seat. I reacted very calm and I asked her to please come back to the table because she was not finished. When she sat back down she said that she didn't have to do what I told her. But I just sat there with her until she did it all correctly.
After my lesson the other 2 students in the class had their reading lesson and they had a spelling test. I watched them take it and the words were "bat", "hat", and "go". These were just half of the words and I thought it was very interesting because one of the students could not spell "bat" but she could spell "hat". These are simple rhyming words which i found interesting why she couldn't spell them correctly. I felt really good because I helped one boy with his math worksheet because the teacher had handed it back twice and he was not understanding what he was doing wrong and starting to become frustrated so I talked it through with him. I was able to get him to see what he was supposed to do and he could do it on his own.

week 8 post

Before watching the video three things that I thought of that are good to know for a parent- teacher meeting are to be prepared prior to the meeting. Come ready to talk to the parents about the student and make sure that you really know the student well. As a teacher you should have thought about and prepared the positives of the students, what they have done well, as well as some things that need work in the classroom. The final thing that a teacher should know before meeting with the parents is to make sure that you are ready to talk to the parent. You do not want to offend anyone or make the parent become defensive of their child. You want the parents to take in the feedback and be able to respond to that, just like every teacher wants a student to do.

After watching the video I learned that it is very important to know exactly where the child stands according to the benchmark. For the conference be prepared with work that the student has done and be ready to show the good parts of the work ( how the student accels in the class) and where the student may need some more work. You must act professional with the parent, make sure that the meeting is from informal for the parent, so that the parent knows exactly what is going on in the classroom. Another tip for parent teacher conferences is to have a list of suggestions ready on how to help their student improve in the classroom for the parents before the meeting begins.

Kirk, S., Gallagher, J, Coleman, M., & Anastasiow, N. (2009). Educating Exceptional Children (12th ed.). Kentucky: Cengage Learning. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from http://college.cengage.com/education /kirk/educating/12e/resources/video_cases.html

This video reflected the chapters that we had to read for class that day, which were chapters 7 and 8, children with communication, language, and speech disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder because it talked about communication with parents. The chapters talked about the effects these disorders have on children in classrooms. The video was more just focused on communication with parents, which of course is very important, but does not reflect the chapter that well. Communication with parents that have children with any sort of disorder is very important. It is neccessary in order to give the students the best learning possible.

The most challenging aspect about communicating with parents is getting the parents cooperation. Some parents may not be as involved in their child's learning and education at a young age as other parents are so you have to hope that parents will be willing to listen to the places for improvement and hope they will actually try and work with their child at home. Other parents may see their child as being a bright student and nothing less, this causes for some problems as well.

Students with communication, language, and speech disorders will have trouble communicating and that is key for school and learning, therefore students will need help and patience from the teacher and students. Children with any of these disorders may be difficult to understand or may not understand other people or readings that they do.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder lack the theory of mind. It is more difficult for them to understand certain concepts. Autism hinders the ability to understand other people around them. Children with autism will also have difficulty using their motor skills, their ability may range.

Week 7

Today at learn and serve I talked with the teacher about plans for next week because I am going to be doing a lesson with the kids. I had brought my own book that I picked out. It is a Clifford book of the puppy days called "Halloween Howl". The teacher wants me to do a lesson so that the students can discuss the events of the beginning, middle, and end of the story. I'm going to make up my own worksheet to hand out to the students with lines and questions that will prompt the students to write about the events.

Before library I worked with one student while he did a simple math worksheet. This student is the farthest behind in the class. The math problems were simple addition facts. When he came over to me he had 3 questions done, and each answer was wrong. One question was 2+2 and he answered 8. What I did was I showed him how to use his fingers or a visual. I was not sure how the students were taught to do addition but I figured this was the best way to start out for now. I got him to realize how to count up. Once he was able to answer a couple of the questions on his own, I had him count up and try it without his fingers. He struggled a little more with this, I think because he was trying to guess rather than actually try but every time he was much closer to the answer.

While the students had library and read about a principle that wore different ties for every feeling and event, I talked with the teacher to get some more details about each of the students IEPs. I learned of some new methods that the teachers use with these students as a better aid to learning. One is TouchMath. This method in math is that each number has dots that can be used to count. As the student has to add the number they can add the "dots" on the number instead. Another method that was mentioned is called Handwriting without Tears but the teacher was not able to tell me too much about that program. What we did talk about was the FastForWord that the students go to. I have heard of this program before but she told me a little more about it. The program is especially essential for these students because it focuses on phonetics and it allows the students to hear how words and letters are correctly pronounced. This helps the students who especially have problems in speech.

Chapter 7 talks about language and speech. Which fits in with a few of the students in my classroom. Some of them are pulled for speech therapy because pronunciation is difficult for them. I have seen a lesson done with the teacher and two students with words broken down to few letters so they can sound out the word. But FastForward is the best program to help students that may struggle with language or speech because they are able to hear how words sound phonetically. They can learn to pronounce words correctly, spell the words and read them. The program is really effective overall in the language department. None of the students have such a hard time communicating or speaking that they cannot communicate but for some students they do and the books spells out the language development for kids so one can see where a child may have fallen off track and needed extra help.

Week 7 quiz

What kind of activity is this? This activity is interactive and stimulates creative story ideas.

How does it challenge you? This activity is challenging because it takes a student out of their comfort zone. It makes you think outside the box and put all of your ideas verbally into words rather than on paper.

What background knowledge are you using to complete this activity? You need background knowledge on ideas of stories and how to speak well into a voice recorder/camera.

What kind of activity is this? This activity is a brainstorming activity.

How does it challenge you? This activity forces you to first come up with and draw an object that you find important and then come up with the 4 ideas we have discussed in class and from there list descriptors of each.

What background knowledge are you using to complete this activity? The background knowledge needed for this activity is first the 4 disabilities that we have discussed in class and then descriptions of each.

How much do you love this Blackboard compared to the other Blackboard? This blackboard is more reliable and does not involve technology going wrong, that is why this blackboard is better.

She Stoops to Conquer

What kind of activity is this? This activity makes you think about what words make cause problems for other students and which ones should be payed close attention to. It also makes you think outside the box by having you come up with songs for the characters. It opens learning up to students that may learn better with audio.

How does it challenge you? It makes you think outside the box and not just about you as a student but everyone else as a student and what may be difficult for someone else to know or understand.

Who is our “audience” and what do they like? What kind of music, images, sounds? Our audience are high school students. They will be interested in seeing pictures and hearing sounds that will go along with what they are learning. High school students all learn in a different way and especially for high school students lectures and reading packets instantly bore the students, they need something different.

Vocabulary by Act
Act I
Discretion- pg 2 line 30
Consumptive- pg 2 line 53
Paltry- pg 3 line71
Pewter- pg 3 line74
Superfluous- pg 4 line 91
Squire- pg 9 line 6
Act II
Militia- pg 15 line 20
Quarrelling- pg 16 line 52
Extravagant- pg 17 line 70
Attentive- pg 16 line 39
Impudent- pg 18 line 94
Act III
Propriety- pg 37 line 16
Importunate- pg 39 line 64
Procured- pg 40 line 96
Bureau- pg 43 line 168
Vex- pg 44 line 211
Obstropalous- pg 48 line 300

Act IV
Laurels- pg 52 line 34
Insolent-pg 52 line 38
Rogue- pg 52 line 43
Prudently -pg 53 line 64
Entreaty -pg 54 line 89
Act V
Peremptory- pg 66 line 15
Rebuke- pg 72 line 46
Thicket- pg 74 line 80
Levity- pg 81 line 111
Contrivances- pg 82 line 141

Songs for Characters
Hardcastle- Daddy’s little girl- Frankie J
Mrs Hardcastle- Rich Girl- Hall and Oats
Kate Hardcastle- Deceiving- Drake
Tony Lumpkin- Party Like a Rockstar- Shop Boyz
Constance Neville- Love story- Taylor Swift
Marlow- Everybody’s Fool- Evanescence
Hastings- Travel the World- Superbus
Sir Charles Marlow/Sting the landlord- Bartender song (sitting at a bar)- Rehab
Pimple the maid- Servant Song- Richard Gillard
Diggory- Tell a Country Boy- Rodney Atkins
Roger- The Plough boy
Thomas- Take a Stand- Boyzone

Week 6

This week in Learn and Serve three of the students were not there so the class was very small. Today there was very little to do with just the three students. The students had their reading group and for a little while they started their group I went on one of the classroom computers to test out some of the games that the kids like to play during their free time. Some of the games were building and matching games involving shapes and identifying objects. Another game was a math game that was a little difficult for their level because it was either making a math problem worksheet or solving math problems. The game was good though because it demonstrated adding with larger numbers and carrying over the numbers. The game had addition and subtraction. Then I was able to help Ronald with his work. He gets very frustrated if he does not get the right answers right away. I try my best to keep him calm and focused on the worksheet and help him to see that he is actually doing it correctly,even tho he does not realize it. I also talked with the teacher about putting together a short lesson plan. It is going to include a short book and then follow with a discussion about the beginning, middle, and end parts of the story. I am going to give it a Halloween theme because it will be close to Halloween when I do the lesson.
This week we read Chapter 6 which was "Children with Emotional and Behavior Disorders" this chapter really connected to my learn and serve class because all of these students have emotional and behavioral disorders. The chapter talks about how to identify students that may have this disorder, which made me wonder how the students in my class came to be diagnosed. What was the deciding factor as they were so little that made them stand out. Luckily none of the students in my class have been violent with each other or any teachers or staff. My teacher has also informed me that none of them are quite severe enough so there is no worry. A student or two has the chance that if the case becomes severe enough little violence may occur but she says that she has already seen improvement in their control. The chapter talks about the ways to help the student control their behaviors, which I found very interesting because I thought that controlling their behavior themselves would be a problem for the students with emotional and behavior disorder. But the books gives different ideas on how the student can notice their behavior and start to control it. I wonder how this would work in my classroom

Week 5

Today in class we hiked down and across the gorge by the falls. While we were walking we discussed some topics that were in the Chapter about students that were classified as IDD. Some things that we started talking about that had to do with children with IDD were the "qualificaitons" such has having difficulty with conceptual skills as well as social skills and practical skills. As we walked we also talked about the support that is neccessary for students with IDD. We also discussed different ways to help these students in the classroom and our walk was supposed to be an example of a way to help out a student that may struggle. It is a different way of learning and it allows them to be able to stand out for once. Our walk started out exciting as we walked across the street some guy driving down the street flicked us off. Once we got to the bottom of the gorge we paused in certain areas to discuss the chapter. While we walked we had to take pictures that would create a story that we made up. We were also told to pick up a rock and throw it in the water to relieve all stress with it. Everyone also had a chance to walk away from everyone else and take 5 minutes to sit in peace and quiet. We walked against the steam because having any type of disability forces a child to overcome so many obstacles that are put on them by being born with that disability and being "different" from the other students.

I enjoyed the walk. I thought it was a good idea. It was a different way of learning and it allowed everyone to get fresh air and talk and learn about IDD is a setting other than a classroom.

This week in learn and serve there was not much to do in the classroom for a little while until the students had independent work. I went to their desks and helped them finish thier work. Then I took 3 of the students aside to do a reading worksheet. The students had to read a short paragraph and answer questions that followed. I had each student read a sentence and then they each read a question. As the students found the answer to the question I had each student point out where they found the answer in the reading. All of the students did very well with this. Then the students were at their seats again. They had two more assignments to do and they all struggled with them. One was a simple writing assignment but the second was a counting money worksheet and this one caused the most problems. I had trouble trying to help all of the students at the same time. None of them knew the values of each coin or how to count them. I felt terrible because as I was helping the students I had to leave because my time was up and I had stayed an extra 15 minutes to help. The students were very excited though because the Zoomobile was coming to the school later on that day and based on the students beahavior they would be allowed to see the animals and everyone in my class was allowed to.

Extra Credit

She Stoops to Conquer:
1. a) Setting: Year 1773 (18th century) Hardcastle’s home in a city near London.

b) Characters: Mr. & Mrs. Hardcastle
Tony- Mrs. Hardcastle’s son from a previous relation
Kate- Mr. & Mrs. Hardcastle’s daughter
Constance Neville- Mrs. Hardcastle’s niece
Sir Charles Marlow- A friend of Mr. Hardcastle
Mr. Charles Marlow- Sir Marlow’s son
Mr. George Hastings- Mr. Marlow’s friend/ seeking relations with Miss. Neville

c) Plot: The play starts out with Kate and Mr. Marlow being set up on a blind date. Tony misleads Mr. Marlow to believe they are inn keepers and he is staying at an inn. With Mr. Marlow is Mr. George Hastings. George finds out that they are not at an inn they are really at the Hardcastle’s home, but decides not to tell Mr. Marlow. Kate enjoys Mr. Marlow’s company and does not tell him where they are. Miss. Neville and Mr. Hastings are planning to run away together. Sir Marlow shows up and Mr. Hardcastle figures out what is going on and Kate finally tells Mr. Marlow the truth. Mr. Hastings and Miss. Neville are finally together in the end.

2. To create a student guide for a high school student with a learning disability you would give them the background of the story, along with each of the characters and their role in the play. Another resource that may be helpful to students would be a short description of historical background about the 18th century in London. You would do this so that a student could easily follow the plot and gain the knowledge they need to see the general idea of the play. If the student will only have limited time to read the play before their classmates move onto the next play, you could add the general idea or questions to help the student reach the idea in the end in a more idealistic time frame.

Chapter 4 Moral Dilemma

Chapter 4 Moral Dilemma 97

Chapter 4 Question 4

Edu 239 Ch 4 Blog Question 4

Chapter 4 Question 3

Edu 239 Ch 4 Blog Question 3 97

Chapter 4 Question 2

Ch 4 Blog Queston 2 97

Chapter 4 Question 1

Edu 239 Chapter 4 Blog Question 1

Week 4

Today in class we went outside to take pictures of environmental stressors that are all around us. Each student walked around campus and took a picture of one environmental stressor that they noticed. I took a picture of a rusted pipe that is right on campus. If there are pipes that are rusty then some water lines may also contain rust which will affect our water spouts. It is not safe or healthy to be drinking from water that may contain traces of rust.
We also watched a video on Peter. A boy who was not like everyone else, we watched him throughout a year of school as he learned and developed. At first Peter struggled a lot and it was hard for the students in his class to help him out. But as time went on the students were able to help Peter out and Peter did much better in school. He began to act more and more like the rest of the students in his class. His teacher talked to him like any other student and Peter did very well throughout the year after growing from the help of his teachers and the students.
I just started my learn and serve placement and my class is in the West Street school in the Niagara Wheatfield district but the school is a BOCES school. The classroom that I am in is a class of six students ages 7-9 about second and third grade. These are students with emotional and behavioral problems. From talking to the teacher I learned that none of the students have a severe case. The students all adapted to me quite well. I was able to work with most of the students at their desks. The students were working quietly at their desks and I assisted them to finish their work. It is a very small class so all of the students have the attention that they need. I think that I will learn a lot in this class because it is very small and I will have the chance to work one on one with all of the students and see what each one is like. The class is half boys and half girls, 3 boys and 3 girls.

Week 3

Chapter 9
On Thursday in class we were given time to go outside and take pictures of certain objects and shapes. By doing this it was allowing the students to learn in a different way. It involved the environment around us. By getting each student to be surrounded by something new it adds new learning styles as well as becoming culturally diverse. Differentiated instruction allows all students including student with disabilities to succeed in the classroom by opening new doors and styles of learning.
Being gifted has been termed as people with intellectual gifts. Each culture has a different definition of the word gifted depending on the views and strong abilities of the culture. This may be from different backgrounds and environments that each person has grown up and developed threw. Cultures that practice different ideas will consider people gifted based on their own ideas. The Greek culture focuses on philosophy and the orator so the people in their culture who understand philosophy the best will be the gifted people in their community. The Roman culture is based around engineering and being a soldier. These values help to explain what type of people will be considered gifted in each culture. “We also learn that the exceptional person often is defined by both individual ability and societal needs.” (Page 286) This is why each culture will have children that are all gifted but gifted in different ways. Someone that does well in engineering or is a leader in the military may be considered gifted by the community. In a community that does not have one specific culture they used to use a curve to distinguish which students exceed the expectations and are considered gifted based on the average or normal students. As time as gone on it has become clear that the standards for the average student may vary and not be a fixed number.
Students that are gifted handle their giftedness differently based on gender, and this has been a popular topic of discussion for many scholars. In society the roles of the male and female are very specific and different. These roles may affect the way that a student may act when learning. These gender differences have been connected in ways not only of social conformity but also to different encouragement and opportunities. After a study was done, the results showed that the gender difference was in favor of the boys. “In general, males seemed more diverse, having both more high scores and more low scores than the girls.” (Page 295) A girl with gifts may find difficulty with managing their gifts as well as following in the socioeconomic standard for girls. Girls are meant to be passive, dependent, nurturing, unselfish, modest, and overall feminine. For a girl that is gifted, that girl is usually very independent, has high potential and fulfills it, may be competitive or even aggressive. These ideas can become conflicting and make it difficult for a female student that has talents to truly be herself without a negative response for her peers. Some may even hide their talents to “fit in” better at school and with the other students around them. Males may also problems as well. In school boys are expected to be very aggressive and competitive. Young males especially like to focus on sports and physical activities and although some males that are gifted may enjoy sports just as much but if a boy is more gifted in the classroom than in physical education, that student may face some criticism from his peers.

Week 2

Chapter 2
The No Child Left Behind Act impacts all school children. For students with disabilities this act has an even bigger impact. George W. Bush and administration started this act to get students to learn to a minimum level of understanding. This Act makes schools show the effectiveness of their testing. This act makes it difficult for students with disabilities to meet the same standards as every other student in the school. Because the standards were so hard to meet for students with disabilities the teachers had to find a way to work harder to encourage the students to learn. Educating Exceptional Children uses the comparison of running a 100 yard dash to what teachers and students had to do in school to keep up with the standards. “Imagine a rule that says that every child should be able to run the 100-yard dash in 14 seconds or less. …But we know that there are children who, for a variety of reasons, can never run the 100-yard dash in 14 seconds no matter what the physical education department does. Yet, if the school is unable to meet this standard, the school will be disciplined and have its funds removed.” (Page 42) The students with disabilities raised questions to the Act to wonder if there should be different standards. Some students may need to have some vocational education. To this day adjustments are being made to the No Child Left Behind Act because the idea of each and every student having 100 percent efficiency in every school is unrealistic.
High Stakes testing is a method that is continuously increasing. These tests create a problem for students with disabilities because they may become critical to their future. High stakes tests may decide whether a student receives a diploma or moves on to the next grade. This clearly will cause problems for students with disabilities because if the tests are too difficult and a student cannot pass the test it will affect whether the student graduates or moves to the accurate grade.
Technology is becoming more inventive and is easier to cooperate into the classroom learning. New technology has become available that help students with special needs, such technology as computers adapted to special needs, hearing aids, print magnifiers, and machines that trace eye movement as a student reads. It is quite impressive how the world had changed and new inventions have been made to help out children with disabilities. There are two types of technology used with students of disabilities, assistive and instructional. “Assistive technology consists of tools that enhance the functioning of people with special disabilities”. (Page 63) Some examples of these types of technology are hearing aids, communication boards, and a translator. All of this equipment has increased the students learning dramatically. “Instructive technology involves the computer and related tools that support and expand the computer’s usefulness.” (Page 63) This technology is supposed to aid the children to go above and beyond critical thinking and problem solving. Some examples of instructional technology are software programs on computers, internet, and video discs. Teachers are now highly encouraged to add technology strongly into the everyday learning of the classroom.

Week 1

Chapter 1
A child is considered exceptional in two ways. A child can be either gifted or have developmental disabilities that make them exceptional. An exceptional child differs from the average child in a way that affects their learning. Some ways that a child may differ could be by mental characteristics, sensory abilities, communication abilities, behavioral and emotional development and/or physical characteristics. If a child’s needs are so strong that they have modifications in the classroom they are considered exceptional. “If their exceptionalities leave them unable to read or to master learning in the traditional way, or place them so far ahead that they are bored by what is being taught or are unable to socially fit them into the classroom, then special education methods become necessary.” (Page 6) The exceptionalities of children are divided into five categories. They are distributed into intellectual differences, relating to being intellectually advanced or being slow to learn, communication differences, relating to disabilities through speech and language, sensory differences, relating to any auditory or visual impairments, behavioral differences, relating to emotionally disturbed children and socially maladjusted, multiple and severe handicapping conditions, related to combinations of impairments, and physical differences, relating to difficulty with movement.
Families that have children with disabilities have special burdens that they must learn to cope with. Even at birth or at the diagnosis of the disability a family may struggle. All will react in either a positive or negative way. Many parents must learn to cope with the idea and it sometimes takes a few steps to get there. Parents go through similar steps as grievance, starting with shock or denial, guilt, anger and some will hit depression. Parents must also face the issue of childcare and may have difficulty finding the right care for their child within their budget. Families must understand a child’s needs and come to terms that in some cases the child may never grow up through the normal development into adulthood.
A family that has a child with special needs requires more attention on the child and a close relationship between the family and community to encourage development. It would take a lot of patience and strength to care for and adjust to a child with disabilities.
Another burden a family with a child with special needs must adjust to is if there are siblings. The parents must be careful not to neglect the nondisabled child when caring for the child with disabilities, especially because parents would not want the nondisabled child to resent the other child or their parents. These families must work harder at their relationships between parents and children to ensure that all of the siblings feel equal to each other disability or not. Many parents fear the effects that their family has on each of the siblings but according to Educating Exceptional Children, “Although each situation is different from one family to another, there does not seem to be any tendency for the siblings of children with disabilities to be more disturbed or stressful than the siblings of children without disabilities.” (Page 23) Families that have a child with disabilities may have burdens but it may just be that they need a little more attention and the parents must be more conscious of their child’s needs.