Somebody Else's Kids

I haven’t had much experience with special education students, at least not teaching them. When I was in high school I volunteered at a school in the city where my neighbor was a special education teacher. I was there working to get community service hours for graduation. It was apparent that these kids suffered from ADHD and many other disabilities. The students were rambunctious but they did listen and respect my neighbor as a teacher. My duty was to go around and help them with their workbooks which were for either reading or math. At this point in my life I had not thought about becoming a teacher but I still enjoyed being with the students.

I was able to long term substitute at Edgewood High School this past school year for the last couple months. The teacher mentioned that some of the students had IEPs and 504s but I had no idea what they were and thought nothing further about it. One of my honors chemistry classes had triplets in it. When I finally got around to reading the IEPs and 504s I realized that the triplets had some needs I was unaware of. One of them had severe ADD and required notes to be given to him each class. The other need extra time with quizzes or tests. The third had ADD as well but he did not exhibit the symptoms like his brothers. They were gifted and smart students they just required some accommodations. Luckily I was able to provide the additional help to them that they needed before the school year was over.

For a student like Lori Sjokheim, who has suffered from severe brain damage, accommodations and modifications are necessary to help her learn. She is extremely behind on reading and writing because of the abuse she received as a child. Despite these fallbacks Lori is an exceptional child and is very perceptive to those around her. Her injuries prevent her from deciphering symbols such as words or numbers. She requires extra help and attention for her learning needs. I love that Lori is so in tune with others’ feelings and attitudes but I am not sure I would be the right teacher for her, at least not as a first year teacher. Some accommodations that would need to be made for her are that she would need much simpler books for reading. Some of which might be way below her expected reading level. I think that it would be vital to work on Lori’s confidence first and foremost. This may come from her helping other students or being a classroom helper. Even if she starts with short books that she comes to memorize but still believes she is reading would help. I think the important thing would be to give her that boost. From there we could try to advance the book with longer sentences.

Fallbacks that could come from having a student like Lori in your class is that you may not have the time to devote to her because you have a full classroom. Because of Lori’s needs you would not be able to leave her to work on her lessons by herself. If she was in one of my chemistry classes I would need a co-teacher to help her. Somebody that would be able to read with her and talk out the concepts or theories. Lori is perceptive when things are taught to her she just cannot read it on her own or work the problems out on paper. If she has someone to talk it out with then she is more likely to comprehend. I would love to have her in my class because of her kind spirit and bright personality. She would bring such an amazing and positive attitude that is sometimes lacking in classrooms. I would enjoy having her there to help boost morale for other students that may be discouraged.

I know it would be challenging to have Lori in my class but I feel that we would learn from each other. I appreciate a good challenge and do not ever plan on becoming bored as a teacher. Every day will bring a new lesson for me as well as the students. I want to be able to modify any lesson plan for a student that may need it. I think I have developed those skills over the past year and a half in this program and I cannot wait for this fall when I have my own class to try them out on.

Hayden, T. (1981). Somebody else's kids. New York, New York: Putnam.

IEP vs 504 Plan

So far my only teaching experience has been long term subbing at Edgewood High School. I subbed for the last month and a half of the school year, you know the end of the year when students have checked out... I digress. Before the teacher left she showed me around her room to help get me acquainted. She briefly mentioned that a few students had IEPs and 504's. BRIEFLY. I thought nothing of them. One day while going through her desk, throwing everything away, I came across the IEPs and 504 plans so I started reading them. Well, I wish I had looked at them before I was already 2 weeks in to teaching. I had several students that had IEPs that required for them to have notes printed out for them before class (oops), one student needed access to a computer to take notes (504 plan), and a few others needed extended time for test/quiz taking (IEP). Needless to say it would have been beneficial to read these before I started. I was able to accommodate the lessons for the rest of the year but I felt so bad that I had not known these thing previously. From this experience I feel more prepared to start at Liberty High with my new position this fall.

Works Cited:

The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans (Understood.org)

https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans

The History of Special Education

My timeline:
Special Education History


The only teaching experience I have as of now is as a long-term substitute. I subbed at Edgewood High in Harford County from May to June. Before the teacher left she informed me about some of the students having IEPs. I thought nothing of it at the time (my mistake). One day I was going through papers, basically throwing everything away, and I found them. To my surprise there was a ton of information about students I had already noticed needed some additional help. A few of the kids required use of computers to take notes or preferred note handouts. One girl needed additional time on taking tests. I had no idea about any of these issues! I felt terrible. Luckily, I was able to bounce back and start making lessons more accessible for these students. 

I think my situation was unique in that I came at the end of the year just meeting these students and not having a lot of time with them. If I had started the year with them I would have been more familiar with their learning techniques and abilities. I think special education has come a long way. I remember when I was in high school that we had a program called Marillac. It provided students that had learning disabilities with additional help and study hall. Students enrolled in this program attended regular classes but at some point during their schedule they had time set aside to meet with their Marillac teacher. I am not entirely sure what they did in the program but I had a few friends that were in it and I could see that it helped them a lot. 

In my opinion there should be more funding towards special education for students enrolled in public schools. I think it would benefit students if they were able to have more one-on-one time with teachers or aids specialized in teaching/helping students with disabilities. Of course this means paying more qualified people and appointing time which costs money. Until then I find it very important that all people involved with the student be on board completely to help the student succeed to the best of his or her ability.  


Citations:

Special Education and Disability (Education Special Education and Disability Comments)

http://education.uslegal.com/special-education-and-disability/

A Historical View of Special Education (National Website)

http://www.learningrx.com/a-historical-view-of-special-education-faq.htm

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 

http://www.apa.org/about/gr/issues/disability/idea.aspx

IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) 

http://www.help4adhd.org/en/education/rights/idea

Trinity Discussion

Here's the link to our group discussion presentation!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_mIa2PmDlrTZbgCg9KNpTqIt1M9puhRXxpIC45qUiaQ/edit?usp=sharing

Blendspace

The tool I chose is called Blendspace (www.blendspace.com). In our first class, Adolescent Psychology we were instructed to use this tool for one of our assignments. My assignment was about ADHD in the classroom. I like this tool because it appeals to all learners. You can add videos for those that prefer to see things. You can make a slide with just text or you can add images. On one of my slides I added a brief quiz to make sure the students were following along with what they had already gone over in the previous slides. I also added websites that were informational about ADHD. 

A con with this tool is that students may be driven away from it thinking that its just another powerpoint presentation. I would make sure that they know that's the last thing I am trying to do. Blendspace's are more interactive than powerpoints and require students to take part in them. Also for the slides where you would add a link to a website I think the slide is too small. I would prefer it to be a little larger so that students could get a better preview of the website. 

Here's the link to my blendspace:  https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/kI5rpy5GZJJNfA/adhd-in-the-classroom

Maryland Teacher Technology Standards

Maryland Teacher Technology Standards

Seven Standards and Outcomes                                                        

I.                   Information Access, Evaluation, Processing and Application

a.       Access, evaluate, process and apply information efficiently and effectively

                                                        i.            Identify, locate, retrieve and differentiate among a variety of electronic sources of information using technology.

a.       Use numerous electronic databases and resources to gain information

                                                      ii.            Evaluate information critically and competently for a specific purpose.

a.       Make sure all information found is credible and relevant to the lesson

                                                    iii.            Organize, categorize and store information for efficient retrieval.

a.       Use a digital storage site such as Dropbox to store all information on there so that it’s accessible everywhere. Specific folders can be made for each topic or lesson for the appropriate class.

                                                    iv.            Apply information accurately in order to solve a problem or answer a question.

a.       Using information effectively and accurately with cited sources allows students to see how they can in turn do the same.

II.                Communication

a.       Use technology effectively and appropriately to interact electronically.

                                                              i.      Use telecommunications to collaborate with peers, parents, colleagues, administrators and/or experts in the field

1.      Having all e-mails in an address book, phone numbers, and even using social media to communicate when deemed appropriate

b.      Use technology to communication information in a variety of formats

                                                              i.      Select appropriate technologies for a particular communication goal

1.      Use blackboard to communicate or another form of media such as Edmodo to collaborate with students and parents on projects and assignments

                                                            ii.      Use productivity tools to publish information

1.      Different sites can be used such as prezi, voicethread, etc

                                                          iii.      Use multiple digital sources to communicate information online

1.      Google Hangout sessions can be coordinated with groups or other means of online video sessions such as Skype or virtual meetings.

III.             Legal, Social and Ethical Issues

a.       Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, social and ethical issues related to the technology use

                                                              i.      Identify ethical and legal issues using technology

1.      Ensure that students are aware of the proper ways to cite websites or online articles

                                                            ii.      Analyze issues related to the uses of technology in education settings

1.      Make it clear that students are to be using technology for informational and not recreational use

                                                          iii.      Establish classroom policies and procedures that ensure compliance with copyright law, Fair Use guidelines, security, privacy and student online protection

1.      Implement proper tactics to ensure that firewalls are set up on computers and that students understand the importance of not sharing any of their personal information online.

                                                          iv.      Use classroom procedures to manage an equitable, safe and healthy environment for students

1.      Implement time limits for internet research or set aside class periods dedicated to it

IV.             Assessment for Administration and Instruction

a.       Use technology to analyze problems and develop data-driven solutions for instructional and school improvement

                                                              i.      Research and analyze data related to student and school performance

1.      Use report card data to determine what areas students are not performing in and consult with other teachers to determine if any plans are in place to help students

                                                            ii.      Apply findings and solutions to establish instructional and school improvement goals

1.      Team up with teachers and staff to address the issues students are having and develop plans to help improve grades and the learning experience

                                                          iii.      Use appropriate technology to share results and solutions with others, such as parents and the larger community

1.      Develop an online forum for parents and teachers alike to be able to communicate with each other

V.                Integrating Technology into the Curriculum and Instruction

a.       Design, implement and assess learning experiences that incorporate use of technology in a curriculum-related instructional activity to support understanding, inquiry, problem solving, communication and/or collaboration

                                                              i.      Assess students’ learning/instructional needs to identify the appropriate technology for instruction

1.      Provide the students with an interest survey to find out their preference for use of technology in the classroom

                                                            ii.      Evaluate technology materials and media to determine their most appropriate instructional use

1.      Determine what technology works for each lesson and topic. The internet has many interactive sites for different topics that can be implemented.

                                                          iii.      Select and apply research-based practices for integrating technology into instruction

1.      Research to see what kinds of practices are shown to work effectively in the classroom and apply them to my class

                                                          iv.      Use appropriate instructional strategies for integrating technology into instruction

1.      Make sure to not overwhelm the student with too much information on the sites or not give them too much leeway

                                                            v.      Select and use appropriate technology to support content-specific student learning outcomes

1.      Outline the outcomes before deciding on what technology I want to use for each lesson

                                                          vi.      Develop an appropriate assessment for measuring student outcomes through the use of technology

1.      Provide students with a short assessment to see how they peruse the internet and how efficient they are with finding information

                                                        vii.      Manage a technology-enhanced environment to maximize student learning

1.      Use technology when appropriate, do not solely rely on it

VI.             Assistive Technology

a.       Understand human, equity and developmental issues surrounding the use of assistive technology to enhance student learning performance and apply that understanding to practice

                                                              i.      Identify and analyze assistive technology resources that accommodate individual student learning needs

1.      Find helpful tools for those that are not as familiar with technology, for ELL’s, and for those that may not have internet access at home so they are not as much of an expert as their peers might be

                                                            ii.      Apply assistive technology to the instructional process and evaluate its impact on learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics and abilities

1.      Monitor how each group of students are able to navigate through projects or assignments that require different forms of technology

VII.          Professional Growth

a.       Develop professional practices that support continual learning and professional growth in technology

                                                              i.      Create a professional development plan that includes resources to support the use of technology in lifelong learning

1.      Observe students to see how they do with technology and from there see if you can take them further within their abilities

2.      Attend conferences that specialize in technology in classrooms

                                                            ii.      Use resources of professional organizations and groups that support the integration of technology into instruction

1.      Research how other schools or institution are able to use technology in their environment to apply their tools to your classroom

                                                          iii.      Continually evaluate and reflect on professional practices and emerging technologies to support student learning

1.      Save every lesson for future editing and use

2.      Be able to manipulate lessons for students

                                                          iv.      Identify local, state and national standards and use them to improve teaching and learning

1.      Using the Common Core State Standards ensure that I am hitting on all the points my students need in order to develop a better use of technology in the classroom

The Atomic Bomb Webquest

In conjunction with the book we chose for our book club discussion I decided to do my webquest on The Atomic Bomb.

Here's the link to my google doc. It includes the teachers' guide and answers at the end.

The Atomic Bomb


Some of the challenges I encountered while making this webquest was making sure I was not focusing too much on the historical or even ethical qualms that surround this event. I wanted to focus on the science aspect and revelations that occurred during this time period. With that in mind I know that my audience is high school students so I wanted to make sure I did not choose sites or ask questions that would go above their level. I feel that the sites I chose are easy to navigate and offered different media for students as well. There are videos, images, diagrams, and various graphics to explain the science. 

Some challenges that my students could encounter while completing this webquest would involve trying to understand nuclear fission and its complexity. From this webquest I would want my students to just become familiar with nuclear fission. I would want them to focus more on the idea of isotopes and how they play a part in nuclear energy. Hopefully they would find this topic as engaging as I do!

Grouping Students

For the beginning of this unit it would be beneficial to keep them as a whole group as I would be presenting new material about atomic states and physical/chemical properties. As the teacher I would lead the class in a brief lecture to introduce the concept.

After going over the bulk of the information of the new lesson I would have the students break apart into small independent groups to work on the handout on which they are instructed to identify physical or chemical properties. When grouping the students for this task I would want to ensure that the students are grouped with others they would mesh with or work well with. Obviously I would have to be sure to not group all the extroverts together because they could very easily go off topic. In the same reasoning I could not group all introverts together because they might have a hard time getting started. I would want to make sure that they are equally spread out amongst the groups. I would also need to take their learning levels into consideration. Pairing up advanced students with those that struggle would be beneficial.

We would then as a whole group go over our answers and see where some might disagree. I think having an open discussion furthers the learning of the students so they can see as the different views of their peers. For the last part of the lesson I have the students come up with their own chemical or physical properties they see in the world. It would be beneficial for students to work in pairs and defend their answers to each other. Again I would want to pair those struggling students up with somewhat advanced ones to ensure that they can feed off each other.

When grouping students it is important to remember that the goal is for all of the students to succeed. Yes grouping struggling students with advanced students can help both but we need to make sure that the struggling students are willing to try and won’t just bring down the whole group. At the same time you want to make sure that all students are given a fighting chance to learn.

References:

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Organizing for Teaching and Learning. In Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness(2nd ed., pp. 130-135). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy

	Text Link	Rationale for Choosing	Text Frame(s)	Strategy Used and Resource
Engagement Example	Artificial Sweeteners: Friends or Foes?	This article is relevant and informative to students and their diets. It gives just enough scientific evidence in simple text so that students can still comprehend the focus.	Concept/Definition	Power Notes (Buehl)
Guiding Example	Rewritable paper: Prints with light, not ink	This article tackles the ever growing problem of wasting paper. It offers an alternative paper that uses chemicals as the ink that disappears after the chemical reaction is complete.	Concept/definition Problem/solution	Bookmark Technique (McLaughlin)
Extended Thinking	Why Metals Have a Blast in Water	This article was chosen because it involves explosion and that always gets a student’s attention. It explains the chemistry behind metal reactions.	Problem/Solution Proposition/Support	Sketch to Stretch (McLaughlin)

The words chosen for my graphic organizer are 

            “Artificial Sweeteners: Friends or Foes?”: chemoreceptors

            “Rewritable paper: Prints with light, not ink”: oxidation

            “Why Metals Have a Blast in Water”: repel

The graphic organizer I chose to use is Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy or VSS. This strategy involves students choosing a word from a text they deem important and what to learn more about it. After the students are done reading the text they are instructed to choose a word from it, indicate where they found it, what they think it means, and why it should be on the class vocabulary list. Below is my VSS I completed.

1.  Word: Chemoreceptors

Where it was found in the text: “Our tongues are covered in taste buds full of chemoreceptors- cells that send messages to the brain when they interact with certain chemicals.

What it means: It is a cell that has receptors on it that sends messages to a brain about how something tastes.

Why it should be on the vocabulary list: It should be on the list because learning about this certain receptor will lead to an easier understand about other receptors.

 2.  Word: Oxidation

Where it was found in the text: “Oxidation steals one or more electrons from a molecule.”

What it means: It means that one atom is losing an electron to another atom making the latter oxidized.

Why it should be on the vocabulary list: It should be on the vocabulary list because it is an important chemical reaction to learn about and understand.

3. Word: Repel

Where it was found in the text: “After the electrons flee, positively charged atoms remain behind. Like charges repel. So those positive atoms push away from each other, creating spikes.

What it means: To back away from

Why it should be on the vocabulary list: It should be on the list because it describes how atoms act when losing or gaining electrons in reactions. If an atom loses an electron it becomes positively charged and pushes away or repels from other positive atoms. 

I like this strategy because I feel like it involves context clues as well. It makes the student think for themselves about what they feel the word means rather than being told or looking it up in a dictionary. It gives them the freedom to choose what words they believe to be relevant to the course and their education. Once students have chosen the words the teacher can then incorporate them into lessons and assignments to emphasis their importance and meaning for the students. 

References:

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Chapter Five: Using Comprehension Strategies to Guide Thinking.       In Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness (pp.     75-77).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Kowalski, K. (2015, January 15). Rewritable paper: Prints with light, not ink. Retrieved 
    from https://student.societyforscience.org/article/rewritable-paper-prints-light-not-              ink?mode=topic&context=104

Marr, I. (2012, February 1). Artificial Sweeteners: Friends or Foes? Retrieved from                            https://learn.thinkcerca.com/student_assignments/1715015/lesson_steps/1      

Ornes, S. (2015, February 18). Why metals have a blast in water. Retrieved from Society for      Science & the Public - Student Science:https://student.societyforscience.org/article/why-      metals-have-blast-water?mode=topic&context=6

Sketch to Stretch

	Text Link	Rationale For Choosing	Text Frame(s)	Strategy Used and Resource
Extended Thinking	Why Metals Have a Blast in Water	This article was chosen because it involves explosion and that always gets a student’s attention. It explains the chemistry behind metal reactions.	Problem/Solution Proposition/Support	Sketch to Stretch (McLaughlin)

The article is about the reaction that occurs when alkali metals come into contact with water. Chemists were able to record the reaction and play it back in slow motion to see the metal form spikes before it explodes in the water. This reaction demonstrates how electrons are released when the metal and water connect. Spikes upon spikes form until there enough heat to cause the explosion. This technology allows for further understanding of the reaction.

Sketch to Stretch for “Why Metals Have a Blast in Water”

This strategy involves reading a narrative or informative text and then having the students make a sketch of their representation of the text. Once they are completed they can share with the other students and explain their interpretations. Looking forward, students can be asked how sketching helped them to further understand the text.

Here’s my sketch for the text:

Clearly I am not an artist!  Hopefully you can see that I am demonstrating metal droplets coming into contact with a beaker of water. The spikes form on top of each other and then the explosion or “boom” occurs. This strategy is helpful in that every student is going to have a different sketch and/or interpretation. I think the most valuable part of this strategy is the discussion the students have together afterwards about their drawings. They get to see different points of views and learn from each other to help tie the lesson together. 

References:

McLaughlin, M. (2015). Using Comprehension Strategies to Extend Thinking. In Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness (2nd ed., pp. 93-94). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.