Teaching One Another

In class, my group did a presentation on ADHD, which included prep work, an activity, a case study, and information regarding prevalence, characteristics, teaching practices and strategies. Our lesson delivery was very effective. We focused on how we can teach and engage the class, and not just showing a slide show with information. We started out with an activity that had multiple focus points. The class had to watch a video on how to make an origami box with their tables, while also completing a sheet of multiplication problems. It was effective because it not only got everyone’s attention and was fun, but provided a good representation of what it’s like to focus with ADHD.  We could tell the class enjoyed it because they were laughing at actually trying to complete both tasks. Throughout the lesson, we further engaged the class with not only writing notes, but also asking questions and providing a case study for them to practice what they would do in a teaching situation. If I were to teach this lesson by myself, I would ask more engaging questions, or do more activities. Maybe do a quiz? I would do this because I tend to get bored listening to just one person speak, so I would break that up. I think teaching in a group worked really well for this assignment. If I could also change something, I would change my comfort level in getting up and teaching in front of the class. I would also, maybe walk around more. This would not only make me more comfortable, but I would also get to see just how engaged the class was in the lesson. Overall, I feel my group (and I) did a really good job teaching the material. I would give both of us a 10. 

I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T (do you know what that means?)

This week we talked about Strategies for Independent Learning. Well, we started out by discussing our feelings about Exam 2 which actually related quite nicely to our topic. We discussed our studying methods and ways we can reduce stress (which is applicable to when we’re teaching our students). It shows how important self-advocacy is. If we don’t understand something or are overwhelmed it’s important to make it known so we can get help from the teacher or other resources.

On Wednesday we created a lesson plan to be presented on Friday which was a really good activity while also making me feel like an adult and adulating is hard. The thing is; lesson plans are difficult because you not only have to 1) cover all the material, but you also have to 2) teach effectively, 3) make it interesting, 4) make assessments both before and after while also 5) factoring in those with disabilities and those who already know the material (the outliers).  

Differentiating Instruction

This week we talked about ways to basically spice up our teaching lessons and co-teaching. An important aspect about differentiating teaching (spicing it up) is the importance of content, process (including accommodation and modifications) and product. The main idea is to remember what’s being taught and the PURPOSE behind it.

We also did a “co-teaching models” activity. We were given 4 examples and had to figure out what teaching model it demonstrated and make a poster outlining the main points of the model. We had to choose from One teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, supplemental teaching, alternative teaching and team teaching. This was helpful because it gave us the opportunity to not only have a tactile experience, but we could also see different ways each model can be implemented in the classroom. I think for when I have my own classroom I’ll use all of these models to teach the material. The more ways a subject and idea is taught, the better the ability to comprehend.

Another really helpful experience is that while googling images for my Cmap I found the website for our textbook and did some of the activities and quizzes on the reading. 

Abuse, Poverty and other impacts on learning

This week we talked about poverty and abuse and how it can impact learning. While poverty is easy to define, abuse doesn’t have that luxury. What some see as abuse, others see as discipline. A thought that came to me during class is that, even with discipline, if any action drives away the spirit, it’s not conducive to the development of the child. We discussed different types of abuse (neglect, physical, sexual and emotional) and the influence of substance abuse by the parents. The hard thing as educators is that there’s little we can do to prevent either. While we can watch for the signs of abuse and the effects of poverty, we can’t stop a parent from hitting or neglecting their child and we can’t provide food and clothing for students that need it. One thing we can do to help, actually are required by law, is Mandatory Reporting. 

One thing I would change about learning the material this week is getting to class on time. By getting to class on time, I’m more prepared once class starts to learn the material and be prepared with questions during the lesson. It’s still helpful that I’m recording the lectures and reviewing them along with my notes. Asking questions and knowing the material will help my peers when we meet in MDT teams.

Lesson 7: Low Incidence Disabilities/ Assessments

This week, along with reading the chapter I recorded the lectures and listened to them as I reviewed my notes. This was really helpful because I not only saw where I misunderstood what I read or what I was taught, but I’m better able to teach others about what I’ve learned. While the readings were on low incidence disabilities, we talked about assessments (informal and formal, norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and authentic assessment) as well as the purpose, reliability, validity and a little bit about the kinds given throughout the year (diagnostic, ongoing, and final).

What I would change is instead of glancing over the questions presented in the readings or absently listening to them during class, I’d write them down and find other resources to answer them.

It should be fairly easy to apply this material because most of my college courses uses these types of assessments. It gives more meaning behind quizzes, tests/exams, journals and group work than just the teacher requiring a lot of busy work. 

Assessing Need and Planning Instruction

I honestly didn’t put a lot of effort into learning the material this week. The reading was eternal and my body just kind of gave up (I got a cold) leaving me with little to no motivation to do much. I’m realizing it would be more helpful to have real life examples of assessments and planning guides so I can put the readings to use. What I did find interesting in the reading was classroom set up and how we can manipulate it to meet the needs of the students. However, as of now, it’s really meaningless and I don’t feel prepared at all.  

Planning an activity and lesson for the class was really helpful this week because it got me to think of the material in a different way. I had to think about not only the topic and what was important, but how my classmates learn and how I can teach effectively. 

"Because I have a Voice"

The topic of learning for this week was Collaboration, so we discussed Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) as well as learning disabilities and language impairments. We talked about our stuttering and learning disability simulations and the “so what” of each. As always, reading the book is highly ineffective as a learning tool because I just get bored and overwhelmed with information. If I could somehow get the text read to me, I think it would be easier. I think if I also generate real-world applications or students that this information would help, I would be better able to remember what I read. I think by also asking more involved questions in class and explaining concepts to my peers I’ll be able to remember and apply what I’ve learned.

I found it especially helpful that our professor is finally giving us real experiences and strategies she’s used to help her clients. One interesting strategy she shared is how to fix a communication break down. Asking “what” doesn’t show where the breakdown happened (where the confusion or misunderstanding is), rather we should ask “show me.” The latter question pinpoints exactly where the misunderstanding happened and leads to less frustration between whomever is speaking. It was also helpful to know the signs of speech and learning impairments (ex: students who wander) and how to ensure they understand the directions (get their eyes, use multiple cues, and send emails to parents). With these strategies I feel more confident to apply them to my classroom and EI practice.

So what? When we learn about these disabilities we better understand the communication break down and we can understand that regardless, they still have a voice. 

Bonus: With the speech and language impairment presentation I wanted to know more about when certain sounds should be achieved by what age. So I went to Pinterest and found this handy chart from a speech therapy blog. Yay!