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.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
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.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
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.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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.
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