MTSU Instructional Technology Support Center Webcast Certificate: "Certificate of Participation
Middle Tennessee State University
James Stanton
participated in a one-hour educational webcast for K-12 teachers or students from Middle Tennessee State University entitled:
Differentiated Instruction From A to Z: What is it & How do I Get Started?
on
Friday, November 05, 2010
Total Time the Participant Spent Viewing This Video: 1:10
www.mtsu.edu/~itsc"
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Issues in Special Education
It's been fun working as a substitute in several different schools the past few weeks. Most of the classrooms that I work in are teacher centered and angled toward teaching towards a test. There is quite a bit of busy work involved as well!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at a new school, Northside Elementary in Smithville. I taught fourth grade reading and spelling. The teacher blew me away with walls covered with big, colorful, fancy words and all sorts of definitions WITH examples. There were a couple of stations in her classroom and a ton of activities that involved higher level thinking skills during breaks. But the one thing that caught my eye was how she wrote on the board what the students were to learn for the day followed by the state standards. Her desk was neatly arranged with files for every student and programs such as RTI/DIBELS. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was intimidating to see how well she has prepared for her class and I was definitely in awe of her. We are all preparing to educate in some way or another, and I'm sure that most of the teachers in this class would make me feel like a dork with all of their preparations. It's one of those things where I know I can be a great teacher, but I'm not sure I can make my classroom as learner friendly like she has, at least initially.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at a new school, Northside Elementary in Smithville. I taught fourth grade reading and spelling. The teacher blew me away with walls covered with big, colorful, fancy words and all sorts of definitions WITH examples. There were a couple of stations in her classroom and a ton of activities that involved higher level thinking skills during breaks. But the one thing that caught my eye was how she wrote on the board what the students were to learn for the day followed by the state standards. Her desk was neatly arranged with files for every student and programs such as RTI/DIBELS. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was intimidating to see how well she has prepared for her class and I was definitely in awe of her. We are all preparing to educate in some way or another, and I'm sure that most of the teachers in this class would make me feel like a dork with all of their preparations. It's one of those things where I know I can be a great teacher, but I'm not sure I can make my classroom as learner friendly like she has, at least initially.
Issues in Special Education
I just got an email about "Special Education Week". Maybe some of you have received this, maybe not. I googled "Special Education Week" and this was the only thing I could find about its existence. (New York Times)
National Cause of the Moment
By LISA BELKINJuly is International Group B Strep Awareness Month, Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month and UV Safety Month. Come August we’ll have Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, National Immunization Awareness Month, Psoriasis Awareness Month, National Minority Donor Awareness Day, and National Health Center Week.
Also, Special Education Week. A time to focus attention on students with special needs, along with the schools that educate them and the parents who love them. Or so says the message that’s been traveling the internet.
Sounds like a heart-warming cause, right? Michelle Buzgon, a grief coach in Washington, D.C., and mother of a boy who struggles in school, is not so sure. How many of these commemorative events are actually feel-good rumor? And about whether National Fill-in-the-Blank-Day (or Week or Month), make a difference even if they are real?
Grief, Interrupted
By Michelle Buzgon
The well-meaning post showed up on my virtual doorstep late the other night, delivered by a Facebook friend I have haven’t spoken to since high school. It had all the hallmarks of chain post: weird breaks and spacing that were evidence of a cut-and-paste job, heartstring-tugging text and a guilt trip.
It was a sweet, kind message encouraging acceptance of children with special needs. The news peg, according to the post, was that it was Special Education Week.
In recent years, this mission has extended — for better or for worse — to rescuing people from getting sucked in by online rumors. I usually grab a line of text, plug it into a search engine and, voila, it shows up on Snopes or another rumor-debunking site. I send my evidence off to the person who sent me the chain letter and hope I’ve done my small part to slow the spreading of Internet litter.
So, as you see, these kinds of posts bug me in general. But this one struck an apparently raw nerve. Even though it didn’t have anything to do with me specifically, my mama-bear claws came out to stop what I perceived as a possible slight to my child with special needs and others like him.
It was that part about Special Education Week that really got to me. “Was it really Special Ed Week?” I wondered. In SUMMER? Are you kidding me? It would be the height of commentary on special ed kids’ status to have a special ed week when school’s out of session. Are you saying we can celebrate our children and their educators only when no one’s around?! Just perfect. It would be just one more way my child would be marginalized. It didn’t any make sense to me. And I like when things in my world make sense to me. The former news editor in me still has a thing for accuracy. The mom in me wants my child – a super-sweet, 7-year-old boy with an unidentified genetic syndrome — to be celebrated, not hidden.
Sure, my logical brain knows that these things float around the Internet forever. But in that moment, it didn’t matter. I was indignant, and I wanted the “truth” (as much as you are able to find such a thing online). So, even though it was already past my bedtime, I immediately set off on an Internet investigation.
It was actually harder to find info on Special Education Week than I thought it would be. In 10 pages of Google search results, the closest I came was an Examiner.com story claiming knowledge of a nationally recognized Special Education Week in March. I saw an article somewhere about a state special education week in April and found some items on Catholic sites.
When I began searching, I expected to quickly pinpoint the real Special Ed Week dates so I could point out the error and go on my merry way. The absence of evidence made me wonder if there is even a Special Ed Week at all. And that REALLY made me feel like these kids don’t matter. Which makes the post in which people purport to care all the more ironic.
I did track down various versions of the Facebook post going back months, so at that point I felt pretty confident that this week wasn’t Special Education Week and whipped off a response on my Facebook friend’s page that was both grateful for the thought and informative about the so-called Special Education Week.
Did I accomplish my stated mission, to help stop the incorrect part of the message from spreading? Hard to tell. People continue to post the same or similar words to their Facebook statuses every few minutes. (You can see them march by here.) It’s possible, I suppose, that my comment may have prevented one stack of dominoes from falling, but I’d have to go on a full-scale assault against this annoying but basically harmless post to make more than a tiny dent. Is it worth it?
The momentary flash of frustration is gone. I’ve more or less satisfied my curiosity. I’m no longer feeling indignant. I do have to wonder, though, does a well-meaning post urging people to accept children with special needs make any difference?
Is it a just passing bit of pablum or will there be at least one person out there in cyberspace who will take it to heart and change something about the way he or she approaches children with special needs? Will any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of social networkers who posted this – and don’t already act in the way the post suggests – become truly more understanding. Will it have more parents teaching their children to be kind to the quirky kid in class? Will it cause a grocery shopper to be less judgmental of the stressed-out parent with the tantruming 10-year-old who may have autism? Will it encourage the parents of typical kids we meet to have their children try a playdate with my sweet but shy son? Is the feel-good factor enough?
A post script: I called the U.S. Department of Education, where an assistant in the Office of Special Education Programs told me he’d never heard of a Special Education Week, though he wouldn’t be surprised if there is “something like that.” He then put me on hold and went off to ask others in the office.
He came back after several minutes and told me, “We found National Disability Employment Month. That’s the closest we could come.”
Also, Special Education Week. A time to focus attention on students with special needs, along with the schools that educate them and the parents who love them. Or so says the message that’s been traveling the internet.
Sounds like a heart-warming cause, right? Michelle Buzgon, a grief coach in Washington, D.C., and mother of a boy who struggles in school, is not so sure. How many of these commemorative events are actually feel-good rumor? And about whether National Fill-in-the-Blank-Day (or Week or Month), make a difference even if they are real?
Grief, Interrupted
By Michelle Buzgon
The well-meaning post showed up on my virtual doorstep late the other night, delivered by a Facebook friend I have haven’t spoken to since high school. It had all the hallmarks of chain post: weird breaks and spacing that were evidence of a cut-and-paste job, heartstring-tugging text and a guilt trip.
It was a sweet, kind message encouraging acceptance of children with special needs. The news peg, according to the post, was that it was Special Education Week.
Children with special needs don’t have an illness, so there is no cure and it’sBefore we go on with what happened next, it may help to know that I’m one of those people who discreetly lets you know about the spinach in your teeth, warns you that your zipper is flying low or tucks your tag back into your shirt. “It’s part of my mission in life,” I say with a smile to keep it light and minimize your embarrassment.
notcontagious. They want what we all want – to be accepted. Most of
youwon’t copy and paste this, but will you do it and leave it on
your statusfor at least an hour? It’s special education week and …this is in …honor…… of all the kids who need a littl…………e
extra help and understanding…..pleasepost it.
In recent years, this mission has extended — for better or for worse — to rescuing people from getting sucked in by online rumors. I usually grab a line of text, plug it into a search engine and, voila, it shows up on Snopes or another rumor-debunking site. I send my evidence off to the person who sent me the chain letter and hope I’ve done my small part to slow the spreading of Internet litter.
So, as you see, these kinds of posts bug me in general. But this one struck an apparently raw nerve. Even though it didn’t have anything to do with me specifically, my mama-bear claws came out to stop what I perceived as a possible slight to my child with special needs and others like him.
It was that part about Special Education Week that really got to me. “Was it really Special Ed Week?” I wondered. In SUMMER? Are you kidding me? It would be the height of commentary on special ed kids’ status to have a special ed week when school’s out of session. Are you saying we can celebrate our children and their educators only when no one’s around?! Just perfect. It would be just one more way my child would be marginalized. It didn’t any make sense to me. And I like when things in my world make sense to me. The former news editor in me still has a thing for accuracy. The mom in me wants my child – a super-sweet, 7-year-old boy with an unidentified genetic syndrome — to be celebrated, not hidden.
Sure, my logical brain knows that these things float around the Internet forever. But in that moment, it didn’t matter. I was indignant, and I wanted the “truth” (as much as you are able to find such a thing online). So, even though it was already past my bedtime, I immediately set off on an Internet investigation.
It was actually harder to find info on Special Education Week than I thought it would be. In 10 pages of Google search results, the closest I came was an Examiner.com story claiming knowledge of a nationally recognized Special Education Week in March. I saw an article somewhere about a state special education week in April and found some items on Catholic sites.
When I began searching, I expected to quickly pinpoint the real Special Ed Week dates so I could point out the error and go on my merry way. The absence of evidence made me wonder if there is even a Special Ed Week at all. And that REALLY made me feel like these kids don’t matter. Which makes the post in which people purport to care all the more ironic.
I did track down various versions of the Facebook post going back months, so at that point I felt pretty confident that this week wasn’t Special Education Week and whipped off a response on my Facebook friend’s page that was both grateful for the thought and informative about the so-called Special Education Week.
Did I accomplish my stated mission, to help stop the incorrect part of the message from spreading? Hard to tell. People continue to post the same or similar words to their Facebook statuses every few minutes. (You can see them march by here.) It’s possible, I suppose, that my comment may have prevented one stack of dominoes from falling, but I’d have to go on a full-scale assault against this annoying but basically harmless post to make more than a tiny dent. Is it worth it?
The momentary flash of frustration is gone. I’ve more or less satisfied my curiosity. I’m no longer feeling indignant. I do have to wonder, though, does a well-meaning post urging people to accept children with special needs make any difference?
Is it a just passing bit of pablum or will there be at least one person out there in cyberspace who will take it to heart and change something about the way he or she approaches children with special needs? Will any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of social networkers who posted this – and don’t already act in the way the post suggests – become truly more understanding. Will it have more parents teaching their children to be kind to the quirky kid in class? Will it cause a grocery shopper to be less judgmental of the stressed-out parent with the tantruming 10-year-old who may have autism? Will it encourage the parents of typical kids we meet to have their children try a playdate with my sweet but shy son? Is the feel-good factor enough?
A post script: I called the U.S. Department of Education, where an assistant in the Office of Special Education Programs told me he’d never heard of a Special Education Week, though he wouldn’t be surprised if there is “something like that.” He then put me on hold and went off to ask others in the office.
He came back after several minutes and told me, “We found National Disability Employment Month. That’s the closest we could come.”
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Issues in Special Education
What a wacky way to find out information about special education issues. I didn't know what to expect when I began asking parents, general education and SPED teachers, policy makers, SPED supervisors, and administrators about issues in SPED and how to solve them. I was floored at how much I could communicate with the Supervisor of Special Education. Funding issues were her main concern and I found it easy to elaborate or understand everything she discussed. It was a great conversation. The administrator answered very short much like the SPED teacher, but answered the questions regardless. The parents seemed a little confused by the questions and I had to give a little input on different issues.
The question/answer scenario that surprised me was the general education teacher. The teacher discussed the issue of ELL/ESL learners. I didn't want to interject and ruin the interview and I'm glad I didn't. The teacher explained the difficulties of teaching students who have little knowledge of the English language and requested that they be sent to a class that taught them English. After they learn the basics of English, they should be sent to her. This is a problem, but it is not a Special Education problem. While the teacher was talking, I remember writing about my SPED case involving foreign language speakers and how they tested poorly because they couldn't read English. The students that tested poorly were placed in special education and termed menatlly retarded. The case was called "Diana vs. California" and ruled that these students were to have directions and questions read to them while taking the test. Once they were given the test orally, the students scores increased dramatically and were taken out of Special Ed.
The reason that I was amazed at the teacher's response is that the issues that affected this teacher were not special education issues in the first place. This school promotes inclusion and there are several students participating in the class. I thought I would get a good idea of issues revolving around special education, but I got a good idea about the difficulty of teaching English language learners. Not that this is a bad thing, it just surprised me.
The question/answer scenario that surprised me was the general education teacher. The teacher discussed the issue of ELL/ESL learners. I didn't want to interject and ruin the interview and I'm glad I didn't. The teacher explained the difficulties of teaching students who have little knowledge of the English language and requested that they be sent to a class that taught them English. After they learn the basics of English, they should be sent to her. This is a problem, but it is not a Special Education problem. While the teacher was talking, I remember writing about my SPED case involving foreign language speakers and how they tested poorly because they couldn't read English. The students that tested poorly were placed in special education and termed menatlly retarded. The case was called "Diana vs. California" and ruled that these students were to have directions and questions read to them while taking the test. Once they were given the test orally, the students scores increased dramatically and were taken out of Special Ed.
The reason that I was amazed at the teacher's response is that the issues that affected this teacher were not special education issues in the first place. This school promotes inclusion and there are several students participating in the class. I thought I would get a good idea of issues revolving around special education, but I got a good idea about the difficulty of teaching English language learners. Not that this is a bad thing, it just surprised me.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Issues in Special Education
I have been waiting to hear back from the Daily News Journal about when my letter will be printed. I've noticed three or four letters from classmates that have been published in the past couple of weeks. They are really good! One post in particular was by Courtney Jacobs about transitions. Good job Courtney!
The reason for this blog is not to praise Courtney as much as she deserves it. The reason I am writing this is about the comment that was written in response. The person said "Here is another one of those programs we could cut out, sounds socialistic, what are we doing helping others, we could cut this program also and cut the deficit,,,,,,why do we have such programs." It almost sounds like they were prodding for an argument, but I wonder how many people share this belief about transitional programs, or even all special education programs in general.
It's true we face financial constraints and programs like this affect the deficit. Heck, all education affects the deficit and education doesn't get anywhere close to what it is promised as far as funding is concerned. We are obligated to provide a free, appropriate public education. We should take pride in the fact that we are trying to prepare students to prosper and to contribute to society. Our educational system is not a biological idealogy where only the strongest survive, we strive to educate every single student/child/person. .
The reason for this blog is not to praise Courtney as much as she deserves it. The reason I am writing this is about the comment that was written in response. The person said "Here is another one of those programs we could cut out, sounds socialistic, what are we doing helping others, we could cut this program also and cut the deficit,,,,,,why do we have such programs." It almost sounds like they were prodding for an argument, but I wonder how many people share this belief about transitional programs, or even all special education programs in general.
It's true we face financial constraints and programs like this affect the deficit. Heck, all education affects the deficit and education doesn't get anywhere close to what it is promised as far as funding is concerned. We are obligated to provide a free, appropriate public education. We should take pride in the fact that we are trying to prepare students to prosper and to contribute to society. Our educational system is not a biological idealogy where only the strongest survive, we strive to educate every single student/child/person. .
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Issues in Special Education
One of the luxuries I've had the last year while student teaching or substituting in several schools is to try different approaches to handling discipline problems. Most of you are really good at handling disruptions in class and I feel that I've done a fair job given what my responsibilities are. I've found out that writing a name on the board or pulling a card will only work so long. Some kids could care less about a sticker or a piece of candy at the end of the day. The kids that I had the most problems with were typically the ones that were part of inclusion. I tried to think of different approaches that would enable these kids to engage in learning and I think I've found a way, at least temporarily, to get them involved in positive behavior.
When I was in my first session of student teaching, I was working with first graders. Some of these kids were nuts! One student in particular had a habit of disrupting class throughout the day. I started wondering "what's this kid going to turn out like in a few years when all he knows is how to disrupt class and become defeated when he finds out that everything he does is wrong? How will he prosper in learning when the next teacher knows what he acts like and will have a tight leash on him?"
At the end of every school day the kids line up in the hallway to wait on the bus to take them home. The teachers monitor the students to make sure they're quiet since the PA system is hard to hear. Many of the kids become restless and get into trouble. As you can guess, the student in my class was the ring leader. One day I wondered how he would react if I gave him a leadership role in helping keep the kids quiet in the hallway. I asked him to patrol the hallway and advise the ones who were loud to be quiet. This student took to this responsiblilty like a greyhound after a rabbit. The kids responded to him very well and he didn't abuse the responsibility once given. After a couple of days, the other rowdy kids wanted to share in the responsiblity. I let them take turns so that they could give and accept directions. The only bad thing about this is that I left a month later and didn't see how well their behavior improved, or if they were allowed to monitor the hallways.
As a substitute, I use the same tactic. Most of the busy work that the teachers assign the students is finished way before class is over. I've found that using some of the differentiated instruction techniques, such as storyboard writing or song making using key words from the lesson, to end the class can hold the students' attention for an extended amount of time. After finding out who the rowdy ones are, I ask them to be my assistant to write down the words or give suggestions regarding presentation.
Giving these kids responsibilities has enabled them to follow directions and comply with rules. This isn't a bulletproof tactic, nor is it proven over time. Just thought I'd share one of the things that I've been working on that seems to have a positive effect for a brief amount of time.
When I was in my first session of student teaching, I was working with first graders. Some of these kids were nuts! One student in particular had a habit of disrupting class throughout the day. I started wondering "what's this kid going to turn out like in a few years when all he knows is how to disrupt class and become defeated when he finds out that everything he does is wrong? How will he prosper in learning when the next teacher knows what he acts like and will have a tight leash on him?"
At the end of every school day the kids line up in the hallway to wait on the bus to take them home. The teachers monitor the students to make sure they're quiet since the PA system is hard to hear. Many of the kids become restless and get into trouble. As you can guess, the student in my class was the ring leader. One day I wondered how he would react if I gave him a leadership role in helping keep the kids quiet in the hallway. I asked him to patrol the hallway and advise the ones who were loud to be quiet. This student took to this responsiblilty like a greyhound after a rabbit. The kids responded to him very well and he didn't abuse the responsibility once given. After a couple of days, the other rowdy kids wanted to share in the responsiblity. I let them take turns so that they could give and accept directions. The only bad thing about this is that I left a month later and didn't see how well their behavior improved, or if they were allowed to monitor the hallways.
As a substitute, I use the same tactic. Most of the busy work that the teachers assign the students is finished way before class is over. I've found that using some of the differentiated instruction techniques, such as storyboard writing or song making using key words from the lesson, to end the class can hold the students' attention for an extended amount of time. After finding out who the rowdy ones are, I ask them to be my assistant to write down the words or give suggestions regarding presentation.
Giving these kids responsibilities has enabled them to follow directions and comply with rules. This isn't a bulletproof tactic, nor is it proven over time. Just thought I'd share one of the things that I've been working on that seems to have a positive effect for a brief amount of time.
Differentiated Instruction
Our group had a blast presenting the prezi assignment on differentiated instruction. Kelley and Katy had great input on how to work it out in front of the class and made it so easy to prepare. Those girls are awesome! The funny thing about our presentation was that the examples that we used were done in about ten minutes. Teachers are faced with time consuming planning every day, week, month, and year. Differentiated instruction does not necessarily mean that you have to spend excessive amounts of time incorporating it into your lesson plan.
One of my favorite hands on instructions is when I taught first graders how to subtract. Some of the kids were familiar with subtraction, others were not. Some of the kids can process written problems with ease, some can not. I thought of a fun game that would aid the students with difficulty to play that would engage them in subtraction. I brought in ten water bottles and a soccer ball to play subtraction bowling. All of our problems started with ten, and when they bowled the soccer ball to the bottles, some of the bottles fell. They could see that three fell down, so 10-3=7. I jumbled the bottles around after a while and started with seven bottles. You see what's going on? They were able to manipulate objects and then write the numbers down in a number problem on paper.
It's not hard to think of different ways to incorporate differentiated instruction in all disciplines, or all grades. I also taught sixth grade during student teaching and we were preparing for the TCAP in geometry. We were studying the Pythagrian theory and some of the kids weren't understanding how side A plus side B equals C. Before I became a teacher, I worked as a supervisor for telephone construction. Every day I worked around telephone and power poles. Poles that are not in a straight line have to have anchors and guy wires to support the weight of telephone and power cables. These guy wires form a triangle that represents the theory perfectly. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, this is probably what a lot of kids have trouble with as well trying to process written words with real life similarities. Anyway, we walked outside to the closest telephone pole and a few of the kids had lightbulbs flashing above their heads when they understood what the whole theory meant. It was a needed visual for those kids.
One of my favorite hands on instructions is when I taught first graders how to subtract. Some of the kids were familiar with subtraction, others were not. Some of the kids can process written problems with ease, some can not. I thought of a fun game that would aid the students with difficulty to play that would engage them in subtraction. I brought in ten water bottles and a soccer ball to play subtraction bowling. All of our problems started with ten, and when they bowled the soccer ball to the bottles, some of the bottles fell. They could see that three fell down, so 10-3=7. I jumbled the bottles around after a while and started with seven bottles. You see what's going on? They were able to manipulate objects and then write the numbers down in a number problem on paper.
It's not hard to think of different ways to incorporate differentiated instruction in all disciplines, or all grades. I also taught sixth grade during student teaching and we were preparing for the TCAP in geometry. We were studying the Pythagrian theory and some of the kids weren't understanding how side A plus side B equals C. Before I became a teacher, I worked as a supervisor for telephone construction. Every day I worked around telephone and power poles. Poles that are not in a straight line have to have anchors and guy wires to support the weight of telephone and power cables. These guy wires form a triangle that represents the theory perfectly. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, this is probably what a lot of kids have trouble with as well trying to process written words with real life similarities. Anyway, we walked outside to the closest telephone pole and a few of the kids had lightbulbs flashing above their heads when they understood what the whole theory meant. It was a needed visual for those kids.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Issues in Special Education
Here's a dilemma; I have a family member that is having a difficulty decoding words and keeping pace with the 3rd grade curriculum. There have been several discussions with the teacher and principal regarding the difficulties. About four weeks ago the principal applied the term "dyslexia" as a possible diagnosis. The principal thought it might be necessary to be tested for the child to see if this is the problem. I thought it would be a good idea to have the child sent to the dyslexic center at MTSU to see if this was the case. I mean, what's the harm in finding out if a child has or does not have a problem that can be accomodated through facilitation?
I found out that the parents and grandparents did not like the idea of the child being tested for dyslexia. I was baffled. If a kid can be helped, why not seek help? Well, after a few arguments and listening to their side, I came to an understanding of what their fears are. If their child is diagnosed with dyslexia, will it affect what they want to do later on in life? What if the child wants to be a pilot, will this disablitly affect their chances at being a pilot? From what they told me, it's possible (the father is a pilot). We all know of people who have succeeded in life even though they are deemed dyslexic. What we don't know, or what I don't know, is if they were pegged as dyslexic before they were successful later on in life.
With this said, the child did not go through testing and has been involved in an eight week after school tutoring instruction to see if they can catch up. Once I find out what progress is attained or not, I'll let you know.
I found out that the parents and grandparents did not like the idea of the child being tested for dyslexia. I was baffled. If a kid can be helped, why not seek help? Well, after a few arguments and listening to their side, I came to an understanding of what their fears are. If their child is diagnosed with dyslexia, will it affect what they want to do later on in life? What if the child wants to be a pilot, will this disablitly affect their chances at being a pilot? From what they told me, it's possible (the father is a pilot). We all know of people who have succeeded in life even though they are deemed dyslexic. What we don't know, or what I don't know, is if they were pegged as dyslexic before they were successful later on in life.
With this said, the child did not go through testing and has been involved in an eight week after school tutoring instruction to see if they can catch up. Once I find out what progress is attained or not, I'll let you know.
SPED Law
As I told you in an earlier blog, I'm working on a case about the SPED law Diana vs. Board of Education (1970) where non-English speaking students are allowed to take tests using their native language. Taking tests in their native language allows the students to avoid SPED classes if they score well enough on other disciplines to prove that they are not SPED eligible.
While I was doing my research, I noticed how every law from Brown vs. Board of Education to Reathorization of IDEA (2004) is intertwined. This is not rocket science as we all know that laws are built on top of other laws. This blog is dedicated to the research that I did and how much information I found out by looking at the U.S. Department of Education website, ED.gov. Obviously with any law there are thousands of papers attached, but this website by the government actually proves to be a worthwhile guide to look over cases, other cases that are involved with a specific case, types of questions involved with the case, overviews, resources, and much more. I'm happy to say that the government website proves to be very accesible and easy to understand. So, with this said, if you need help with the understanding of a certain law, give ED.gov a look!
While I was doing my research, I noticed how every law from Brown vs. Board of Education to Reathorization of IDEA (2004) is intertwined. This is not rocket science as we all know that laws are built on top of other laws. This blog is dedicated to the research that I did and how much information I found out by looking at the U.S. Department of Education website, ED.gov. Obviously with any law there are thousands of papers attached, but this website by the government actually proves to be a worthwhile guide to look over cases, other cases that are involved with a specific case, types of questions involved with the case, overviews, resources, and much more. I'm happy to say that the government website proves to be very accesible and easy to understand. So, with this said, if you need help with the understanding of a certain law, give ED.gov a look!
Issues in Special Education
I have been substituting in a couple of different schools the past three weeks. The classes have either been 7th or 8th grade Language Arts or Math. I found it funny that there is a block of time anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes during the day deemed "RTI." I was curious to find out what happened during this time my first few days of working since our class has discussed this intervention so much. I wish I could say that I have more information about RTI in this experience, but all this time proves to be is a glorified study time for all students. None of the students are taken out at this time for tier 2 services, they are asked to sit in their chairs and work on homework.
My understanding of RTI is that it is a K-6 application. Why is attention to RTI being promoted to 7th and 8th graders, and what is the purpose of calling it RTI if the only thing it involves is study time for all students? I plan on asking these questions for my Action Research Mini Project next month--I don't want to ruffle any feathers just yet by asking questions about RTI that make no sense to me and the fact that it is still a new intervention.
My understanding of RTI is that it is a K-6 application. Why is attention to RTI being promoted to 7th and 8th graders, and what is the purpose of calling it RTI if the only thing it involves is study time for all students? I plan on asking these questions for my Action Research Mini Project next month--I don't want to ruffle any feathers just yet by asking questions about RTI that make no sense to me and the fact that it is still a new intervention.
Issues in Special Education
I"ve been working on my SPED law case paper and some of the points really hit home with me. The case I'm working on is Diana vs. Board of Education (1970), and it involves placement of Latinos in a SPED class because they didn't score well on an IQ test because they didn't understand their native language. The case ruled that children are allowed to take tests in their native language so that they will not be classified as SPED eligible if they are not. The children took the test over in Spanish and achieved much higher results and were pulled out of SPED classes.
I've been working as a substitute for the past three weeks in all disciplines and all classes are inclusive. There is a significant amount of Latino students in the classroom and what I have found out is that they read stories out loud about as well, if not better, than half the class. I asked each one of them when they learned the English language, and most of them told me that they began learning it in Kindergarten.
To make this story more personal, my wife's family brought over a family from Laos in 1978 during the time when Communism was spreading throughout the region. There was a sponsorship for children in countries like Laos and my wife's family brought them over so that the three brothers could achieve a better life in America. They had no familiarity with the English language until they got on the plane to come to America. Long story short, two of the brothers owned a restaraunt within six years of coming over, and the third went on to graduate from Tennessee Tech's engineering program and is now in charge of engineering for Chattanooga Power Company. Public dollars for educating these men were spent well since they contribute to our society on many levels. Luckily for them, they were not enrolled in SPED classes because of their lack of language capabilities. They were enrolled in elementary school and quickly worked their way up to middle and high school because of their proficiency in math.
I've been working as a substitute for the past three weeks in all disciplines and all classes are inclusive. There is a significant amount of Latino students in the classroom and what I have found out is that they read stories out loud about as well, if not better, than half the class. I asked each one of them when they learned the English language, and most of them told me that they began learning it in Kindergarten.
To make this story more personal, my wife's family brought over a family from Laos in 1978 during the time when Communism was spreading throughout the region. There was a sponsorship for children in countries like Laos and my wife's family brought them over so that the three brothers could achieve a better life in America. They had no familiarity with the English language until they got on the plane to come to America. Long story short, two of the brothers owned a restaraunt within six years of coming over, and the third went on to graduate from Tennessee Tech's engineering program and is now in charge of engineering for Chattanooga Power Company. Public dollars for educating these men were spent well since they contribute to our society on many levels. Luckily for them, they were not enrolled in SPED classes because of their lack of language capabilities. They were enrolled in elementary school and quickly worked their way up to middle and high school because of their proficiency in math.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Issues in Special Education
One of the few times where I have learned about something in college and actually got to see something take place was when our SPED6780 class was discussing Response to Intervention (RTI). While I was student teaching at a local school, there were two students that were participating in Tier 2 of RTI. I had no idea what they were doing while they were taken out of the general classroom, but now I know that they were getting one on one instruction with reading literacy from a reading specialist. It all came to me as an "ah-ha" moment in our last class and it was exciting for me to understand the ins and outs of RTI.
What excites me most is that one of the two students was able to test out of Tier 2 and stay with the general classroom for the whole day. This was a first grade classroom where all subjects were taught by one teacher. I'm happy to see that RTI is a pro-active program that allows a student having difficulty with a subject such as language arts test their way out of it so that they will not be pushed into special education if it is not needed. I like the idea of early intervention as well so that these students will be identified as soon as possible so that they will not end up in fifth grade not knowing how to construct a sentence or read/write a paragraph. RTI is one of those programs that makes sense.
What excites me most is that one of the two students was able to test out of Tier 2 and stay with the general classroom for the whole day. This was a first grade classroom where all subjects were taught by one teacher. I'm happy to see that RTI is a pro-active program that allows a student having difficulty with a subject such as language arts test their way out of it so that they will not be pushed into special education if it is not needed. I like the idea of early intervention as well so that these students will be identified as soon as possible so that they will not end up in fifth grade not knowing how to construct a sentence or read/write a paragraph. RTI is one of those programs that makes sense.
Politics, Education, Employment
I noticed on the Today show that this is Education week and that President Obama shared his views on what will make our education system more competitive. His views revolve around the idea that, as a country, we need to lengthen our school year to an 11 month schedule. My first thought was that this is a ridiculous statement. Didn't we get into education so that we could have summers off and have two week Christmas vacations? Who does this guy think he is? Seriously though, it may be one of the only solutions that we as teachers will have if we continually complain about the lack of teaching time in order to prepare for the yearly tests that occupy the majority of our time.
I've always like the idea of a four day school week with during the regular school year; adding an hour or two a day to make up for the lost day would help with differential instruction. But adding two months would certainly make up for all time taken away teaching to the test. Think about it--more time in school means more time to teach everything from tying shoes to completing Bloom's taxonomy.
The sticky point about the view from the President is how will teachers be compensated for this extra time? Will teachers teach an extra two months out of the year out of the kindness of their heart? I doubt that very seriously. It is a job, and there are quite a few teachers who have to work a second job to make ends meet working 9 or 10 months out of the year. Like most ideas regarding education during an election cycle, this will probably get pushed under the rug, and deservedly so. Ideas like this should be kept as ideas unless there is financial backing to press it on. Would you ask a doctor to work two extra months out of the year without being compensated? Would a pilot agree to these terms? What about the secretary that writes these ideas in a government office? Think about the added cost to cool the schools during the summer and substitute teacher pay, bus drivers, cafeteria staff....these are all costs that will be added to a yearly budget that will have to be paid for regardless of teacher/administration/faculty pay. Our budgets are shoe string enough without the added time during summer and winter holidays.
I've always like the idea of a four day school week with during the regular school year; adding an hour or two a day to make up for the lost day would help with differential instruction. But adding two months would certainly make up for all time taken away teaching to the test. Think about it--more time in school means more time to teach everything from tying shoes to completing Bloom's taxonomy.
The sticky point about the view from the President is how will teachers be compensated for this extra time? Will teachers teach an extra two months out of the year out of the kindness of their heart? I doubt that very seriously. It is a job, and there are quite a few teachers who have to work a second job to make ends meet working 9 or 10 months out of the year. Like most ideas regarding education during an election cycle, this will probably get pushed under the rug, and deservedly so. Ideas like this should be kept as ideas unless there is financial backing to press it on. Would you ask a doctor to work two extra months out of the year without being compensated? Would a pilot agree to these terms? What about the secretary that writes these ideas in a government office? Think about the added cost to cool the schools during the summer and substitute teacher pay, bus drivers, cafeteria staff....these are all costs that will be added to a yearly budget that will have to be paid for regardless of teacher/administration/faculty pay. Our budgets are shoe string enough without the added time during summer and winter holidays.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Politics, Employment, and Education
Hello to everyone! I am currently seeking my Master's degree in Special Education at MTSU. I wish I could tell you that I dreamed about pursuing my Master's immediately after graduating with a B.S./Interdisciplinary Studies in May 2010, but that would be untrue. I wanted to begin work at any number of Elementary schools in the middle Tennessee area since I am certified K-6. I found out the hard way that the majority of schools are not hiring, and the ones that are hiring have an endless supply of teachers that have been laid off because of budget cutbacks or the thousands that have graduated in the past few years.
One of my passions besides wanting to be an educator is politics. I love politics!! I love the mud-slinging, I love the different views, and I love the robotic answers that I hear from politicians when asked about a certain issue. One of the all-time greatest responses of any politician is that we need better schools, better teachers, better opportunities, more money for schools, more money for teachers, more this and more that. So, as a graduate, highly qualified and all, where is the proof that these political issues are being resolved? I see that GM and Dodge received plenty of help. I see where our technological infrastucture is being catered to. I see health care being treated. Mortage companies have been given a pass. Banks have been given aid. But what about our kids and their education? What about the individuals who have been trained to teach these kids and can't find a job? What happens to the politcal stances of a politician once elected?
With all of this said, I felt compelled to seek further education regarding Special Education. I still have hope that I can make a difference in a school setting. I want to educate our kids and I want to be prepared to teach these kids with all of the different teaching styles that I can possibly use by being trained in Special Education at MTSU. I'm sure that many other people share my same desire. I'm also sure many other people share my same confusion with politcal speak versus political action.
One of my passions besides wanting to be an educator is politics. I love politics!! I love the mud-slinging, I love the different views, and I love the robotic answers that I hear from politicians when asked about a certain issue. One of the all-time greatest responses of any politician is that we need better schools, better teachers, better opportunities, more money for schools, more money for teachers, more this and more that. So, as a graduate, highly qualified and all, where is the proof that these political issues are being resolved? I see that GM and Dodge received plenty of help. I see where our technological infrastucture is being catered to. I see health care being treated. Mortage companies have been given a pass. Banks have been given aid. But what about our kids and their education? What about the individuals who have been trained to teach these kids and can't find a job? What happens to the politcal stances of a politician once elected?
With all of this said, I felt compelled to seek further education regarding Special Education. I still have hope that I can make a difference in a school setting. I want to educate our kids and I want to be prepared to teach these kids with all of the different teaching styles that I can possibly use by being trained in Special Education at MTSU. I'm sure that many other people share my same desire. I'm also sure many other people share my same confusion with politcal speak versus political action.
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