Next semester, I am going to be student teaching. That, to tell you the truth, is awesome and exciting, but also terrifying and mortifying. In one year from today, I will be teaching and having to master a process that I have just learned about this semester. I just learned about how to write an individual education program (IEP) this semester, and while it is sort of easy, because it the very paramount and pinnacle of the individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA), it is scary. If I miswrite one thing, it is possible that I could sued. The thought of that scares me, because there are a lot of amazing parents out there.
However, from what I understand about emotional behavioral disorders (EBD), which is limited, so recognize that before you accept this without thinking, their parents are burned out. Parents can only deal with so much behaviors until they get to a point of a burnout. I feel that our society is so desirous of quick fixes that we get burned out easily, whether that be from teaching or parenting. The thing about EBD is that you can definitely spend all of your time focusing on punishing the student or child in order to make them stop the behavior that they are doing. However, in the long-run, you are more likely to burnout.
A question that I hope is being asked as you read this is "Well, what are we supposed to do if not punish the child for hitting another child?" And that is a great question. Positive reinforcement trumps punishment. Now, I would advise you to be careful with regards to positive reinforcement because I know someone who thinks that positive reinforcement is the same for every single person. Therefore, if Johnny has a social phobia, he will find attention in front of the whole class a positive reinforcer and he is going to want to do that behavior again. No, that is not true, Johnny will look at that attention as a punishment and will then act accordingly to do the opposite of what he did to get "rewarded." Therefore, if he did homework and got attention, he probably won't do his homework again because he doesn't want to get attention.
Now, here is the key, we need to find out why the student is doing what they are doing. If they are punching a kid, why? Why are they punching a kid? The flaw here is that it is very possible that someone will just say that all students do behaviors to get attention. Let's look back at Johnny with the social phobia. Is he likely to not do his homework because he wants attention? That is the opposite of what the function of his behavior is, he wants to avoid attention. Now, behavior is not just about attention. Let's say that Chuck hates math class, he starts making animal noises in math class and he gets kicked out. Well, that becomes a reinforcer, the getting kicked out. If he hates and he gets to avoid it if he makes animal noises, guess what!? He is going to do the behavior more.
Therefore, what positive reinforcement is is that we need to find what is reinforcing for a student and we need to figure out what the function of the behavior is. Why are they doing what they are doing? We can prevent burnout by showing that behavior always serves a function and it is our job to figure it out. And that is the part that I am so excited about.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Apprentice Learning- How does it relate to schools?
Hey, so I realized last night that I never talked about how Apprentice Learning has to do with education before the college level. I think that we need to switch our teaching styles now to reflect a kind of learning that students can live with later. What I mean by this is that we need to give students real-life problems to solve, as compared to handing out a worksheet to them and ask them to find the subject and verb. Instead of doing that, I think that we should have them write something themselves and ask them to review what the subject and verb are of what they just wrote.
Instead of doing math worksheets of 25+j=30, we need to give them the strategies needed to solve word problems. The world will never give any of us (though I wish it could) a math problem like this. It will be more likely that it will give us a problem like: I know that the movie was $25, but I wanted popcorn as well, and it ended up being $30 for everything, so how much was the popcorn?
Apprentice learning, I hope, is what we are getting closer to with each generation of teachers that are going into the field. I know that I have been continually taught to get rid of the worksheets, that it would be best if you burned them in a bonfire.
By teaching in apprentice learning style, we are helping students understand the real-life applications of how learning this affects their life. By teaching, we don't have to try and answer the honest and logical question, "Why do I need to learn this?" That is what I think is the case, anyway, it may be that, in fact they still ask that question. However, it would not be a logical question anymore because you are showing them while you are teaching them why they need to know this.
Instead of doing math worksheets of 25+j=30, we need to give them the strategies needed to solve word problems. The world will never give any of us (though I wish it could) a math problem like this. It will be more likely that it will give us a problem like: I know that the movie was $25, but I wanted popcorn as well, and it ended up being $30 for everything, so how much was the popcorn?
Apprentice learning, I hope, is what we are getting closer to with each generation of teachers that are going into the field. I know that I have been continually taught to get rid of the worksheets, that it would be best if you burned them in a bonfire.
By teaching in apprentice learning style, we are helping students understand the real-life applications of how learning this affects their life. By teaching, we don't have to try and answer the honest and logical question, "Why do I need to learn this?" That is what I think is the case, anyway, it may be that, in fact they still ask that question. However, it would not be a logical question anymore because you are showing them while you are teaching them why they need to know this.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Apprentice Teaching- College
Over the summer, I met a woman who worked with me from New Zealand and she commented on how college hungry we are in the United States. I was a little bit confused by what she meant by college hungry. She replied that in New Zealand, she never went to college, but now she owns two group homes. I am quite certain that this would not even be an option for a person who did not go to college here.
So, I want to talk about something that a few posts ago I said I would talk about very soon. Apprentice learning. During our conversation, we discussed possible ways of doing post-secondary education that doesn't involve college. She said, and I completely agree with her, that "not all students who go to college, which is supposed to be everyone in the United States, are ready or have what it takes to go to college. They also just might not want to go to college."
We discussed that in New Zealand, they still have apprenticeships. Long ago (I don't know how long ago) and maybe still a little bit today, this was college. The only thing is that this was actually going to get you ready for what you wanted to do. For instance, if you wanted to be a shoemaker, you would apprentice yourself to a shoemaker.
But now, if you want to be a shoemaker, you have to go to college. In the process of going to college, you have to take out a bunch of student loans (which put you in debt) and you have to take a class on philosophy. I don't know about you, but I am not entirely sure that there is a philosophy of shoemakers class at college. What I am trying to say here while being facetious is that apprenticeships actually prepare the student or person for what they are going to do for possibly the rest of their life.
I know someone who graduated with a Geography Information Systems (GIS) major (they create the maps that go into GPS systems for your car), and he never had an experience in creating a map for an actual setting besides classes. He never had, as we sometimes call them, an internship. He also had to take a philosophy, English, psychology and a math class to name but a few. What do these have to do with GIS? Nothing.
What I am proposing is that our college classes get us better prepared by actually creating experience-based learning. For instance, going back to the GIS major, have an internship. What I propose is that we move away from book-based learning because a lot of our upcoming college students seriously struggle with reading. However, here is the ticker, there are some in that new generation of college students who comprehend and learn best with reading the textbooks (I am guilty of being one of these ridiculously odd people).
So, how can we find a balance between apprenticeship learning and book learning? At least half-and-half, where half of the class time focuses on book learning and the other half of the time focus on apprenticeship learning. Or, we can create a better democratic classroom and allow the students to choose whether they want to do the book learning or the apprentice learning.
In the end, our society is changing, and our colleges are beginning to be dumping grounds for all students , even those who are not ready for the current college (I know that sounds harsh, but that seems to me to be what is happening). Some students, I would postulate, graduate high school reading at maybe a 6th grade level and they are presented with college texts. Are they ready to read them? Most likely not. Our society is changing, our learning is changing, our students are changing, college must change for them.
One last thought, what I am proposing here is not a dumbing or watering down of the curriculum. It is a change in the way of teaching the curriculum, by getting rid of textbooks and not requiring them and just offering on-the-job or on-the-apprenticeship learning.
So, I want to talk about something that a few posts ago I said I would talk about very soon. Apprentice learning. During our conversation, we discussed possible ways of doing post-secondary education that doesn't involve college. She said, and I completely agree with her, that "not all students who go to college, which is supposed to be everyone in the United States, are ready or have what it takes to go to college. They also just might not want to go to college."
We discussed that in New Zealand, they still have apprenticeships. Long ago (I don't know how long ago) and maybe still a little bit today, this was college. The only thing is that this was actually going to get you ready for what you wanted to do. For instance, if you wanted to be a shoemaker, you would apprentice yourself to a shoemaker.
But now, if you want to be a shoemaker, you have to go to college. In the process of going to college, you have to take out a bunch of student loans (which put you in debt) and you have to take a class on philosophy. I don't know about you, but I am not entirely sure that there is a philosophy of shoemakers class at college. What I am trying to say here while being facetious is that apprenticeships actually prepare the student or person for what they are going to do for possibly the rest of their life.
I know someone who graduated with a Geography Information Systems (GIS) major (they create the maps that go into GPS systems for your car), and he never had an experience in creating a map for an actual setting besides classes. He never had, as we sometimes call them, an internship. He also had to take a philosophy, English, psychology and a math class to name but a few. What do these have to do with GIS? Nothing.
What I am proposing is that our college classes get us better prepared by actually creating experience-based learning. For instance, going back to the GIS major, have an internship. What I propose is that we move away from book-based learning because a lot of our upcoming college students seriously struggle with reading. However, here is the ticker, there are some in that new generation of college students who comprehend and learn best with reading the textbooks (I am guilty of being one of these ridiculously odd people).
So, how can we find a balance between apprenticeship learning and book learning? At least half-and-half, where half of the class time focuses on book learning and the other half of the time focus on apprenticeship learning. Or, we can create a better democratic classroom and allow the students to choose whether they want to do the book learning or the apprentice learning.
In the end, our society is changing, and our colleges are beginning to be dumping grounds for all students , even those who are not ready for the current college (I know that sounds harsh, but that seems to me to be what is happening). Some students, I would postulate, graduate high school reading at maybe a 6th grade level and they are presented with college texts. Are they ready to read them? Most likely not. Our society is changing, our learning is changing, our students are changing, college must change for them.
One last thought, what I am proposing here is not a dumbing or watering down of the curriculum. It is a change in the way of teaching the curriculum, by getting rid of textbooks and not requiring them and just offering on-the-job or on-the-apprenticeship learning.
Whisper Phones/Think-Alouds
Whisper Phones are a great way to help students recognize that thinking is just talking out loud. A whisper phone is a tube of PBC pipe that forms a phone-type shape that connects the mouth to the ear. If you talk at over a whisper, it really hurts your ears, so you have to only whisper.
This is a great way for students to do think-alouds to themselves while reading. Think-alouds are an amazing and powerful tool that aid comprehension. What the student does is they think aloud (I know, wow, right?) while reading a text or doing a math problem (with whisper phones, it is best to use them with reading because some kids need both hands to figure out the answers to math problems.). They think aloud in different strategies, such as "What do I think is going to happen next?" and "What did I just read?"
The idea behind think-alouds is that the student is doing comprehension strategies DURING reading as compared to the typical comprehension strategy that a lot of teachers use which is AFTER reading. By doing a comprehension strategy after the reading, it is not maintaining and better insuring that the students were paying attention to the text while they were reading.
Many students I would venture, read in this style: They move their eyes around a page at a "reasonable rate" and then after an appropriate amount of time has passed, they turn the page. A strategy like a Think-Aloud and whisper phones combined together can be a powerful tool to help them get better comprehension.
A logical question is: Do I have enough time to teach this think-aloud? My answer is this: Have you ever read a story to your students? If you have, then you have enough time to teach think-alouds. While reading a text to your class, you could stop at certain points in your reading and think-aloud. You can show how to think aloud for predictions. For instance, if you are reading a mystery book, you can make a prediction based on some information about who committed the crime.
Another possible statement is: "Well, I can't have students talking out loud when they are supposed to be silently reading." Here is the thing, by saying something out loud, our brain remembers it much better. Sure, they will be talking out loud when they first start this strategy. But you and I don't have to talk out loud in order to utilize this strategy. We can think it, but students who are first learning how to use it will be talking out loud. This is where the whisper phones can come in really handy, lots of whispering in your classroom is better than all out talking, right?
In the end, it all comes down to us. We can decide that we don't have time to teach a really good comprehension strategy, or we can take the time and teach it. And I would predict (I just used the word, so I guess I am thinking-aloud right now) that our students will do better on high-stakes tests if we give them the strategy of think-alouds.
This is a great way for students to do think-alouds to themselves while reading. Think-alouds are an amazing and powerful tool that aid comprehension. What the student does is they think aloud (I know, wow, right?) while reading a text or doing a math problem (with whisper phones, it is best to use them with reading because some kids need both hands to figure out the answers to math problems.). They think aloud in different strategies, such as "What do I think is going to happen next?" and "What did I just read?"
The idea behind think-alouds is that the student is doing comprehension strategies DURING reading as compared to the typical comprehension strategy that a lot of teachers use which is AFTER reading. By doing a comprehension strategy after the reading, it is not maintaining and better insuring that the students were paying attention to the text while they were reading.
Many students I would venture, read in this style: They move their eyes around a page at a "reasonable rate" and then after an appropriate amount of time has passed, they turn the page. A strategy like a Think-Aloud and whisper phones combined together can be a powerful tool to help them get better comprehension.
A logical question is: Do I have enough time to teach this think-aloud? My answer is this: Have you ever read a story to your students? If you have, then you have enough time to teach think-alouds. While reading a text to your class, you could stop at certain points in your reading and think-aloud. You can show how to think aloud for predictions. For instance, if you are reading a mystery book, you can make a prediction based on some information about who committed the crime.
Another possible statement is: "Well, I can't have students talking out loud when they are supposed to be silently reading." Here is the thing, by saying something out loud, our brain remembers it much better. Sure, they will be talking out loud when they first start this strategy. But you and I don't have to talk out loud in order to utilize this strategy. We can think it, but students who are first learning how to use it will be talking out loud. This is where the whisper phones can come in really handy, lots of whispering in your classroom is better than all out talking, right?
In the end, it all comes down to us. We can decide that we don't have time to teach a really good comprehension strategy, or we can take the time and teach it. And I would predict (I just used the word, so I guess I am thinking-aloud right now) that our students will do better on high-stakes tests if we give them the strategy of think-alouds.
Monday, September 26, 2011
At fundraiser, Lady Gaga may or may not have chatted with President Obama - Yahoo! News
At fundraiser, Lady Gaga may or may not have chatted with President Obama - Yahoo! News:
So, this may seem like it is a bit odd to see on my blog (I love lady gaga by the way, I'm wierd that way [along with spelling the word wierd incorrectly just to show that I am wierd] anyways), but I have a quick comment on this idea of anti-bullying.
Read on if you read this line, or not, it's up to you. But I think that the push for anti-bullying is stupid, flawed and doesn't work. It might work a little bit, and definitely probably helps more than not doing anything and burying (That's wierdly spelled) our heads in the sand.
And like I always try my best to do on this blog, I want to propose an alternative to anti-bullying campaigns. There is such a thing as behavior covariation. Behavior covariation just means that if you take some behavior away and don't replace it, another one, possibly better, but most likely just the same or even worse will come up later. Because of this phenomenon, we need to teach what we want students to do. Instead of yelling at them, "Don't bully" (or even kindly telling them that), we need to teach them how to interact with each other without bullying.
Teach tolerance, acceptance, and embracing others. Don't teach "Don't bully" because a lot of kids who bully don't know what not bullying is like and what it looks like. By teaching students to embrace others, and if they truly do, it is possible that the students' behavior of bullying will go down without even teaching "No bullying." The reason behind this is that why would we bully if we embrace others personalities and cultures?
So, I would suggest to teach students to embrace others differences first, and if bullying is still an issue, then issue the statement, "No bullying" and then go on with that particular student and give teach them to embrace others in a different way.
Albert Einstein said, "The true mark of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expect to see different results." Change the teaching style, if it seems that the teaching style is working for 98% of the class, keep it, but teach that last 2% in a different way. Find their strengths and utilize them while you teach.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Study: SpongeBob Impairs Kids Concentration
http://www.wric.com/story/15441247/study-spongebob-impairs-kids-concentration
Causation is NOT relationship. This study says that watching Spongebob causes attention problems. Well, I can say that Ice cream causes death, is that true? No, there is a correlation (relationship) between the two and the causation of both of them is summer. During the summer, you eat ice cream, and you are more likely to have a heat stroke which can cause death during the summer.
I think that we are in a different society with different brains than before. I will be able to discuss this more when I get a book that I am supposed to read this semester called "Endangered Minds." But we can fight and deny and throw temper tantrums about this change in brain function caused by TV (i.e. impulsiveness, lower intelligence tests, etc.), or we can take this research and think "Wow, it sure was different when I grew up," and then teach them in a way that helps them. This could mean that we now have to teach differently.
Teaching differently has happened before, look at education 300 years ago. 300 years ago, they focused intensely on handwriting, now they are beginning to teach typing more than handwriting. A teacher from 300 years ago would be in utter horror to see how the education system has changed since he or she taught.
What can we do, we can limit their tv watching, but let's be honest, we can't destroy all TVs out there (I mean, we could, but that might not be the most legal thing to do).
Our teaching will have to look differently, so what could it look like? We have to use technology in teaching. Teaching out of a textbook is an old practice that puts students to sleep. Worksheets should be piled up in one place and then burned (sorry, I just hate worksheets, they don't actually encourage true learning which is learning that is practiced.) and we all dance in the ashes. I encourage you to look at my next post because it is going to be about apprentice learning.
Causation is NOT relationship. This study says that watching Spongebob causes attention problems. Well, I can say that Ice cream causes death, is that true? No, there is a correlation (relationship) between the two and the causation of both of them is summer. During the summer, you eat ice cream, and you are more likely to have a heat stroke which can cause death during the summer.
I think that we are in a different society with different brains than before. I will be able to discuss this more when I get a book that I am supposed to read this semester called "Endangered Minds." But we can fight and deny and throw temper tantrums about this change in brain function caused by TV (i.e. impulsiveness, lower intelligence tests, etc.), or we can take this research and think "Wow, it sure was different when I grew up," and then teach them in a way that helps them. This could mean that we now have to teach differently.
Teaching differently has happened before, look at education 300 years ago. 300 years ago, they focused intensely on handwriting, now they are beginning to teach typing more than handwriting. A teacher from 300 years ago would be in utter horror to see how the education system has changed since he or she taught.
What can we do, we can limit their tv watching, but let's be honest, we can't destroy all TVs out there (I mean, we could, but that might not be the most legal thing to do).
Our teaching will have to look differently, so what could it look like? We have to use technology in teaching. Teaching out of a textbook is an old practice that puts students to sleep. Worksheets should be piled up in one place and then burned (sorry, I just hate worksheets, they don't actually encourage true learning which is learning that is practiced.) and we all dance in the ashes. I encourage you to look at my next post because it is going to be about apprentice learning.
School Buildings Falling Apart
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/america-school-buildings-bad-shape-133335895.html
This article asks the question: Does attending a run-down school affect students' achievement levels? I would like to comment on this question.
It says in the article that there is a positive correlation between how good the school's shape is and student achievement, so what could be some reasons for this? One reason which I think would be that if students are in schools that are falling apart, they might begin to think that "If the school isn't even cared for, how can the school care for me?"
This argument makes sense to me because if you are in a hospital that is falling apart, you would question their ability to take the best care of you. I don't think there is a difference between a hospital and a school because both are imperative to our society.
However, I don't think that there is necessarily a causation between these two things because something else could probably cause both of them to move together. With this, fixing up our school buildings would probably add more things that can help students such as computer labs and more books in the library.
What really matters is to help students succeed in any way possible. If that means fixing our school buildings, then so be it. However, that can only get us so far, we need to hire good teachers. The definition of a good teacher is one who cares about their students and doesn't want to see their students fail at all.
This article asks the question: Does attending a run-down school affect students' achievement levels? I would like to comment on this question.
It says in the article that there is a positive correlation between how good the school's shape is and student achievement, so what could be some reasons for this? One reason which I think would be that if students are in schools that are falling apart, they might begin to think that "If the school isn't even cared for, how can the school care for me?"
This argument makes sense to me because if you are in a hospital that is falling apart, you would question their ability to take the best care of you. I don't think there is a difference between a hospital and a school because both are imperative to our society.
However, I don't think that there is necessarily a causation between these two things because something else could probably cause both of them to move together. With this, fixing up our school buildings would probably add more things that can help students such as computer labs and more books in the library.
What really matters is to help students succeed in any way possible. If that means fixing our school buildings, then so be it. However, that can only get us so far, we need to hire good teachers. The definition of a good teacher is one who cares about their students and doesn't want to see their students fail at all.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What kind of Education should we give our students?
I ask the question in this post: What kind of education should we give our students? The answer, according to the United States supreme court is a basic minimum. In their words, "we should be giving the students a chevy education, NOT a cadillac education." And here we have it, this, I think, is the very root of our problem as a society. The very root of our education problem.
I have heard time and time again that we are at an educational disadvantage compared to other countries. Many different views on how we are that way. We don't have a 6 day school week, we don't have longer school days, we don't have year-round education, etc. But never once has this been brought up as a reason that we are educationally disadvantaged in regards to the rest of the world.
Let's say that we have a 6 day school week, 12 hour school days and year-round school. What good is any of that going to do if we only decide to give a "Chevy education?"
In Board of Education v. Rowley, Rowley was a girl who was deaf and could lip-read 60% of things that people said. She was getting the services of a tutor that was written in her individual education plan (IEP). Her parents wanted the school district to go one step further and give their daughter an interpreter for school. The school denied their request, and the parents subsequently filed a litigation (sued) the school district saying that Rowley was not being provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The lower courts sided with the parents and said that the school must provide the best education for the student. The supreme court got the case and they sided with the school district saying that school districts only have to provide a minimum level. And that adding an interpreter to her IEP would be costly to the school district, so they were only told to provide a minimum education level.
This, I feel, is completely wrong. Rowley understood 60% of what was being said. Imagine that she is in a biochemistry class and she doesn't understand 40% of what was being said. I feel that it is morally wrong to just go to a certain level of interventions and then say, "Well, we've done everything that we could," when we know of a bunch of other things that can help the student.
We need to do what is best for the students, and deciding that we only need to provide a Chevy education is just wrong because we are not trying our best to make students' lives the best they can be. I know now that I am going to get into a lot of trouble in the future, because I am going to do what is best for the students who are under my caseload. I refuse to accept 7 guys who don't know a thing about education deciding that education for students should only be a minimum. I will do what is best for my students, no matter the consequences (which might involve getting fired because I put a service on their IEP that the school doesn't think should be on there because it costs extra).
I have heard time and time again that we are at an educational disadvantage compared to other countries. Many different views on how we are that way. We don't have a 6 day school week, we don't have longer school days, we don't have year-round education, etc. But never once has this been brought up as a reason that we are educationally disadvantaged in regards to the rest of the world.
Let's say that we have a 6 day school week, 12 hour school days and year-round school. What good is any of that going to do if we only decide to give a "Chevy education?"
In Board of Education v. Rowley, Rowley was a girl who was deaf and could lip-read 60% of things that people said. She was getting the services of a tutor that was written in her individual education plan (IEP). Her parents wanted the school district to go one step further and give their daughter an interpreter for school. The school denied their request, and the parents subsequently filed a litigation (sued) the school district saying that Rowley was not being provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The lower courts sided with the parents and said that the school must provide the best education for the student. The supreme court got the case and they sided with the school district saying that school districts only have to provide a minimum level. And that adding an interpreter to her IEP would be costly to the school district, so they were only told to provide a minimum education level.
This, I feel, is completely wrong. Rowley understood 60% of what was being said. Imagine that she is in a biochemistry class and she doesn't understand 40% of what was being said. I feel that it is morally wrong to just go to a certain level of interventions and then say, "Well, we've done everything that we could," when we know of a bunch of other things that can help the student.
We need to do what is best for the students, and deciding that we only need to provide a Chevy education is just wrong because we are not trying our best to make students' lives the best they can be. I know now that I am going to get into a lot of trouble in the future, because I am going to do what is best for the students who are under my caseload. I refuse to accept 7 guys who don't know a thing about education deciding that education for students should only be a minimum. I will do what is best for my students, no matter the consequences (which might involve getting fired because I put a service on their IEP that the school doesn't think should be on there because it costs extra).
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Mauled on MySpace
http://www.nea.org/home/46469.htm?utm_medium=email&utm_source=nea_today_express&utm_campaign=20110817EducatorsAttackedOnline&utm_content=RightsWatch
This article makes me a little bit worried about becoming a teacher. However, this summer, whenever campers called me names or swore at me or anything like that, I just accepted it and said "yep."
One such example was a 58 year old man who told me that I was like a monkey (this was after I had gotten him out of the cafeteria, so he was not happy with me). I looked at him with a smile and said, "Yep, I'm a monkey, and don't you forget it." The look on his face made my day, he was so confused and didn't know what to do now that someone did not yell at him for calling them a name. So, for the rest of the week, he called me monkey as a sign of humor, friendship, and rapport between us (I think that the truest form of rapport is a blurry line between being both friends and a teacher, many people probably are confused and hesitant of allowing this true rapport because they think that being friends means that you can't be a teacher anymore, but I think you can).
This act of accepting and allowing the name calling would definitely be considered offensive to some. But I feel that if I would have started fighting with him, or arguing with him about calling me a monkey, it would have become a battle of power. He would want to win, so he would keep doing it, and I would want to win because I am offended, and it would keep going and it would be a big power struggle. But, I accepted it and then it created a rapport between us that I could get him to do things that nobody else could.
So I think that if a student creates a fake profile of me, I will just look at them and make a comment such as "I like the picture, though you got the part about me having a big nose wrong, because I have a gigantic nose." It is unconventional to say in the least, but I don't care about winning or being thought of highly by anyone. What I care about is creating a rapport with my students and teaching them...with them very possibly calling me names and swearing at me.
This article makes me a little bit worried about becoming a teacher. However, this summer, whenever campers called me names or swore at me or anything like that, I just accepted it and said "yep."
One such example was a 58 year old man who told me that I was like a monkey (this was after I had gotten him out of the cafeteria, so he was not happy with me). I looked at him with a smile and said, "Yep, I'm a monkey, and don't you forget it." The look on his face made my day, he was so confused and didn't know what to do now that someone did not yell at him for calling them a name. So, for the rest of the week, he called me monkey as a sign of humor, friendship, and rapport between us (I think that the truest form of rapport is a blurry line between being both friends and a teacher, many people probably are confused and hesitant of allowing this true rapport because they think that being friends means that you can't be a teacher anymore, but I think you can).
This act of accepting and allowing the name calling would definitely be considered offensive to some. But I feel that if I would have started fighting with him, or arguing with him about calling me a monkey, it would have become a battle of power. He would want to win, so he would keep doing it, and I would want to win because I am offended, and it would keep going and it would be a big power struggle. But, I accepted it and then it created a rapport between us that I could get him to do things that nobody else could.
So I think that if a student creates a fake profile of me, I will just look at them and make a comment such as "I like the picture, though you got the part about me having a big nose wrong, because I have a gigantic nose." It is unconventional to say in the least, but I don't care about winning or being thought of highly by anyone. What I care about is creating a rapport with my students and teaching them...with them very possibly calling me names and swearing at me.
Choices
I want to blog about something that many teachers may be afraid of. That topic is giving choices to our students. I recently had someone tell me that I should not give any choices to students with regards to taking a test of any kind.
Let's seemingly take a sidenote. Imagine that you are walking down a darkened hallway and someone comes out and backs you into a corner and says "You are going to take a test for me...AND YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT IT" (Insert, if you will, an evil and maniacal laugh here). How would you respond? You are being backed into a corner with no choices and no idea what you are doing, except that you are taking a "test." What kind of test, what happens if you fail it?
That may have seemed like a sidenote, but in all reality, it is what we are doing to these kids if we don't give them any choice. A logical and excellent question is "Then what do we do?" Because obviously we have the students take them or else we will get into trouble and they will probably get into trouble. What I suggest is letting the students know what the test is all about about a week in advance. Then, we can ask them when they would like to take it.
Then the question becomes: what if they want to take it on different days? I say, let's let them, it gives them an advantage over the test. They can get themselves mentally ready and know what is going to be on the test and then they may want to take it. The other option, should the school district refuse to let you do this is asking the student: Do you want to this test now are in a half-hour. Because in all reality, a half-hour is not going to destroy their test because the test is still going to be there in a half-hour.
What do you think? Should we just shove a test at a student and expect them to not freak out or get stressed or lash out?
Let's seemingly take a sidenote. Imagine that you are walking down a darkened hallway and someone comes out and backs you into a corner and says "You are going to take a test for me...AND YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT IT" (Insert, if you will, an evil and maniacal laugh here). How would you respond? You are being backed into a corner with no choices and no idea what you are doing, except that you are taking a "test." What kind of test, what happens if you fail it?
That may have seemed like a sidenote, but in all reality, it is what we are doing to these kids if we don't give them any choice. A logical and excellent question is "Then what do we do?" Because obviously we have the students take them or else we will get into trouble and they will probably get into trouble. What I suggest is letting the students know what the test is all about about a week in advance. Then, we can ask them when they would like to take it.
Then the question becomes: what if they want to take it on different days? I say, let's let them, it gives them an advantage over the test. They can get themselves mentally ready and know what is going to be on the test and then they may want to take it. The other option, should the school district refuse to let you do this is asking the student: Do you want to this test now are in a half-hour. Because in all reality, a half-hour is not going to destroy their test because the test is still going to be there in a half-hour.
What do you think? Should we just shove a test at a student and expect them to not freak out or get stressed or lash out?
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Autism Brains Alike; Very Different From Normal Brains
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20110525/autism-brains-alike-very-different-from-normal-brains
I am just going to mention this at the outpost and not mention it again...this article uses very flawed person first language.
Anyways, besides that, it sounds like a very interesting study. I am very interested in the neurological aspects of autism and if you are, then keep reading. This gives a very short description of the study but from the sounds of it, it sounds like the studied two different brains. One of the types of brains was that of a person with autism and the other type was a person who did not have autism.
They looked at the RNA (which they describe as the blueprint of the DNA read aloud...basically the RNA is what the DNA is asking for) of a bunch of different brains from both types. They found that the brain of a person with autism has a severely lowered neuron speed. What is meant by this is that our brains are neurons, which are electrically charged things that shoot information to each other. In this way, the information of a memory will be in a certain part of your brain and it will shoot over to another part of your brain which deals with emotions and you will remember the feelings that you had when that memory had occurred. The neurons are really fast, that is how we think.
Apparently, according to this short story on the study, the brain of a person with autism has a lower neuronic speed (I just made up that phrase, there is probably an actual name for it, but I don't know what). This means that it takes longer for their brains to remember what they were feeling when that memory happened...and it could be that the neurons don't get there and that could be why many people with autism seem unemotional.
I am looking forward to keeping on looking for different neurological studies and trying to just let you know what could be their impact on education. Enjoy!
I am just going to mention this at the outpost and not mention it again...this article uses very flawed person first language.
Anyways, besides that, it sounds like a very interesting study. I am very interested in the neurological aspects of autism and if you are, then keep reading. This gives a very short description of the study but from the sounds of it, it sounds like the studied two different brains. One of the types of brains was that of a person with autism and the other type was a person who did not have autism.
They looked at the RNA (which they describe as the blueprint of the DNA read aloud...basically the RNA is what the DNA is asking for) of a bunch of different brains from both types. They found that the brain of a person with autism has a severely lowered neuron speed. What is meant by this is that our brains are neurons, which are electrically charged things that shoot information to each other. In this way, the information of a memory will be in a certain part of your brain and it will shoot over to another part of your brain which deals with emotions and you will remember the feelings that you had when that memory had occurred. The neurons are really fast, that is how we think.
Apparently, according to this short story on the study, the brain of a person with autism has a lower neuronic speed (I just made up that phrase, there is probably an actual name for it, but I don't know what). This means that it takes longer for their brains to remember what they were feeling when that memory happened...and it could be that the neurons don't get there and that could be why many people with autism seem unemotional.
I am looking forward to keeping on looking for different neurological studies and trying to just let you know what could be their impact on education. Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Kaspar the Friendly Robot Helps Kids with Autism
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=13081832
The idea behind this robot is great. The story is about a doll robot that is supposed to help children with autism (notice I said children with autism, unlike the article...grrr face!) to understand facial expressions and different rules in social interactions.
However, there is a part in the article on page two where it says that they hope that the children can take what they learned in the situation with working with the robot to home. This, from what I have learned, is much harder than it sounds. To us neurotypicals, we have the flexibility to understand that if I cross the street one time in my hometown, I can cross the street anywhere. However, people with autism have a very difficult time with flexibility. In a video talk given by Temple Grandin, she talks about how if you are trying to teach a child with autism something, you need to give it in a whole bunch of different settings.
She uses the street example, but she says that you need to teach them where there are inconsistencies. For instance, not all streets have crosswalks, and sometimes there is a crosswalk, but the paint is very faded. In these examples, you need to teach them again the same way you taught them with the first street crossing. In time, they will begin to recognize, realize, and remember what they are supposed to do in these situations.
Therefore, hoping that what children learn in the environment where they are interacting with the robot will transfer and show in the home life is flawed. So, like I like to do, what can we do to help bring the things that they learn home.
First, I want to talk about the problems and then I will attempt to solve them. The first problem is that when they are interacting with the robot, they can begin to recognize that the robot is consistent. What I mean by this is that if they slap the robot, the robot will start crying. The next time they slap the robot, the robot will start crying again. They begin to recognize that there is a pattern and that the robot is consistent. However, if I would slap you, you would probably do more than just cry. And you might cry the first time and then yell at me the second time. This inconsistency is what causes many people with autism anxiety. Therefore, they can come home and slap someone and the person will yell at them and they might get very anxious or confused because they had learned that people cry when you slap them, not get angry.
I don't know if there is a solution to that problem. Because on the one hand, it is good to help people with autism prepare for inconsistencies, but how do you do that without getting them anxious or confused. I don't know about you, but when I am anxious or confused or both, I don't learn very well.
What can we do to help people with autism? Just treat them like we would treat anyone else: with love and compassion. And it would be helpful to let them know in advance if there is going to be an inconsistency in the schedule.
The idea behind this robot is great. The story is about a doll robot that is supposed to help children with autism (notice I said children with autism, unlike the article...grrr face!) to understand facial expressions and different rules in social interactions.
However, there is a part in the article on page two where it says that they hope that the children can take what they learned in the situation with working with the robot to home. This, from what I have learned, is much harder than it sounds. To us neurotypicals, we have the flexibility to understand that if I cross the street one time in my hometown, I can cross the street anywhere. However, people with autism have a very difficult time with flexibility. In a video talk given by Temple Grandin, she talks about how if you are trying to teach a child with autism something, you need to give it in a whole bunch of different settings.
She uses the street example, but she says that you need to teach them where there are inconsistencies. For instance, not all streets have crosswalks, and sometimes there is a crosswalk, but the paint is very faded. In these examples, you need to teach them again the same way you taught them with the first street crossing. In time, they will begin to recognize, realize, and remember what they are supposed to do in these situations.
Therefore, hoping that what children learn in the environment where they are interacting with the robot will transfer and show in the home life is flawed. So, like I like to do, what can we do to help bring the things that they learn home.
First, I want to talk about the problems and then I will attempt to solve them. The first problem is that when they are interacting with the robot, they can begin to recognize that the robot is consistent. What I mean by this is that if they slap the robot, the robot will start crying. The next time they slap the robot, the robot will start crying again. They begin to recognize that there is a pattern and that the robot is consistent. However, if I would slap you, you would probably do more than just cry. And you might cry the first time and then yell at me the second time. This inconsistency is what causes many people with autism anxiety. Therefore, they can come home and slap someone and the person will yell at them and they might get very anxious or confused because they had learned that people cry when you slap them, not get angry.
I don't know if there is a solution to that problem. Because on the one hand, it is good to help people with autism prepare for inconsistencies, but how do you do that without getting them anxious or confused. I don't know about you, but when I am anxious or confused or both, I don't learn very well.
What can we do to help people with autism? Just treat them like we would treat anyone else: with love and compassion. And it would be helpful to let them know in advance if there is going to be an inconsistency in the schedule.
Manga/Anime Comic Books for reading
http://steckvaughn.hmhco.com/en/impact.htm
I recently read an article in an education magazine that I get that talked about boys and reading. This article talked about how boys can enjoy reading if we allow them to read what they desire. For instance, last semester in my first field experience, I worked with a gal who had a learning disability who was really into anime.
If her teacher gave her Old Yeller to read, she might not have gotten into it. However, if the teacher gives her a series of books like this, I think that she would be enthralled and fall over reading because it is anime/manga.
So, what I want to talk about is how we need to accept our students interests, whether we find those interests interesting or not. For instance, last semester, during another field experience that I had, I had a 10 year old boy who really adored tanks. I wanted to get him a book about tanks when the teacher told me that that was inappropriate. Subsequently, he never read during the reading time and would get yelled at by the teacher.
If we don't teach to their interests, then we, as teachers, are screwing up. If they are into something like tanks, we can use tanks to teach mathematics, reading, grammar. Here are a few examples of how you can use tanks for mathematics.
Ask the student to draw a picture of a tank with however many wheels they want to draw. They draw a tank with 10 wheels. You cut the tank in two (draw a line through it) and tell them that you just halved the tank. So how many wheels are there now? Then write the equation 10 (the wheels started out with) divided by 2 (you divided the tank into two).
You can give a kid a book and help them get into reading.
Grammar is an interesting one because you can have a bunch of matchbox car tanks. Show them one and ask them what this is. They will respond with the answer, a tank. Then you bring another tank and ask them what they are and they may respond tanks. You can use them to show that plurals have the morpheme "s" to show that they are plural. You can then begin to branch out and ask them to say "this tank" and then what the plural to that statement is "these tanks."
So, we teachers need to show the students that we truly care about them and we can do this by incorporating what they are interested in into our curriculum. It takes work and energy to try and assess what their interests are and then figuring out how to incorporate it into the lesson plan. But we are teachers and this can help our students succeed where a traditional workbook approach doesn't.
I recently read an article in an education magazine that I get that talked about boys and reading. This article talked about how boys can enjoy reading if we allow them to read what they desire. For instance, last semester in my first field experience, I worked with a gal who had a learning disability who was really into anime.
If her teacher gave her Old Yeller to read, she might not have gotten into it. However, if the teacher gives her a series of books like this, I think that she would be enthralled and fall over reading because it is anime/manga.
So, what I want to talk about is how we need to accept our students interests, whether we find those interests interesting or not. For instance, last semester, during another field experience that I had, I had a 10 year old boy who really adored tanks. I wanted to get him a book about tanks when the teacher told me that that was inappropriate. Subsequently, he never read during the reading time and would get yelled at by the teacher.
If we don't teach to their interests, then we, as teachers, are screwing up. If they are into something like tanks, we can use tanks to teach mathematics, reading, grammar. Here are a few examples of how you can use tanks for mathematics.
Ask the student to draw a picture of a tank with however many wheels they want to draw. They draw a tank with 10 wheels. You cut the tank in two (draw a line through it) and tell them that you just halved the tank. So how many wheels are there now? Then write the equation 10 (the wheels started out with) divided by 2 (you divided the tank into two).
You can give a kid a book and help them get into reading.
Grammar is an interesting one because you can have a bunch of matchbox car tanks. Show them one and ask them what this is. They will respond with the answer, a tank. Then you bring another tank and ask them what they are and they may respond tanks. You can use them to show that plurals have the morpheme "s" to show that they are plural. You can then begin to branch out and ask them to say "this tank" and then what the plural to that statement is "these tanks."
So, we teachers need to show the students that we truly care about them and we can do this by incorporating what they are interested in into our curriculum. It takes work and energy to try and assess what their interests are and then figuring out how to incorporate it into the lesson plan. But we are teachers and this can help our students succeed where a traditional workbook approach doesn't.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The First Commandment
I find that commandments of "thou shalt not" don't work so well. The reason that they do not work so well is because it does not truly tell you what you are supposed to do instead.
So, I'm going to tell you how to follow the first commandment. You can keep reading if you want to, if you don't, that's fine. First things first and this will be the last thou shalt not that you will read in this post. "Thou shalt not touch unless absolutely necessary." What I want to talk about first are those times that you feel that it is absolutely necessary. What constitutes, in my mind, absolutely necessary is if they are about to walk onto a street and there is no crosswalk and they might get run over. There are other people who that is literally the only way that you can get them to go anywhere.
So how can you get them to some place without touching them. This is where it gets a little bit tough. You have to figure out where they are going and step in front of them and turn yourself in a way that brings them to the place where you need them to be. For instance, my last week of camp, I had a camper who walked around all day long and he would always overshoot his destination. I realized this and any time that I felt that we should turn I would stand in front of him with the body turned in the way that I needed him to go.
Is this the simplest way to do it? Yes and no. No, it is not because you may not go directly there and you have to figure out what they are going to do next. Yes, it is the simplest way because if you touch them and they get anxious, then bad things are probably going to happen and you are not going to get them wherever you need them to be.
This way is tougher for us, however, I feel that this is the way that works best with helping lower anxiety in the person with autism. And in my mind, that is the most important thing that we can do. If we lower the anxiety of the person with autism, they cease to be a possible exploding helium balloon. If we lower the anxiety of the person with autism, we help them calm down and be themselves. If they know that you are not going to touch them, then they realize that they can trust you and a bond forms between you and them.
So, I'm going to tell you how to follow the first commandment. You can keep reading if you want to, if you don't, that's fine. First things first and this will be the last thou shalt not that you will read in this post. "Thou shalt not touch unless absolutely necessary." What I want to talk about first are those times that you feel that it is absolutely necessary. What constitutes, in my mind, absolutely necessary is if they are about to walk onto a street and there is no crosswalk and they might get run over. There are other people who that is literally the only way that you can get them to go anywhere.
So how can you get them to some place without touching them. This is where it gets a little bit tough. You have to figure out where they are going and step in front of them and turn yourself in a way that brings them to the place where you need them to be. For instance, my last week of camp, I had a camper who walked around all day long and he would always overshoot his destination. I realized this and any time that I felt that we should turn I would stand in front of him with the body turned in the way that I needed him to go.
Is this the simplest way to do it? Yes and no. No, it is not because you may not go directly there and you have to figure out what they are going to do next. Yes, it is the simplest way because if you touch them and they get anxious, then bad things are probably going to happen and you are not going to get them wherever you need them to be.
This way is tougher for us, however, I feel that this is the way that works best with helping lower anxiety in the person with autism. And in my mind, that is the most important thing that we can do. If we lower the anxiety of the person with autism, they cease to be a possible exploding helium balloon. If we lower the anxiety of the person with autism, we help them calm down and be themselves. If they know that you are not going to touch them, then they realize that they can trust you and a bond forms between you and them.
Autism
Hi, so as I said in my last post, I worked with Friendship Ventures at Camp Friendship this summer. And I can't emphasize enough how amazing that experience was. One thing that I got to do all summer was work with people with autism.
I saw a movie yesterday with a very good quote,
I adopted what I call the first commandment of working with people with autism (and I would say working with anyone). Thou shall not touch unless absolutely necessary. Some people with autism get very agitated when touched. Think of it this way, imagine that someone is wearing a glove that is solely made out of sand burs. Imagine that they grab your arm and start pulling. Are you just going to go with them or are you going to freak and fight? I don't know about you, but I would freak and fight. This is why some people with autism freak out when you touch them. To them, the touch feels like fire.
I enjoy working with people with autism, they are the funnest people to be around in my mind. I feel that I can truly relate to them and understand them.
If you find yourself working with someone who has autism, the first thing to remember is not the first commandment, but have fun with them and don't be afraid. They will amaze you in ways that you can't even imagine beforehand, and those times when they amaze, it's worth every single second that you spend time with them.
I saw a movie yesterday with a very good quote,
"When you have met a person with autism, you have met one person."I think that that quote is so true after experiencing this summer. Every person who has autism has their own idiosyncrasies just like all of us. Every one of us in this world is unique. I found that I adored every second that I worked with the campers with autism. I worked with people with autism ranging from 15 all the way up to age 80.
I adopted what I call the first commandment of working with people with autism (and I would say working with anyone). Thou shall not touch unless absolutely necessary. Some people with autism get very agitated when touched. Think of it this way, imagine that someone is wearing a glove that is solely made out of sand burs. Imagine that they grab your arm and start pulling. Are you just going to go with them or are you going to freak and fight? I don't know about you, but I would freak and fight. This is why some people with autism freak out when you touch them. To them, the touch feels like fire.
I enjoy working with people with autism, they are the funnest people to be around in my mind. I feel that I can truly relate to them and understand them.
If you find yourself working with someone who has autism, the first thing to remember is not the first commandment, but have fun with them and don't be afraid. They will amaze you in ways that you can't even imagine beforehand, and those times when they amaze, it's worth every single second that you spend time with them.
Summer Job
This summer, I was employed by Friendship Ventures, which is an organization that works with people with disabilities. I assisted over a hundred campers in personal cares and it was the most amazing job that I have ever had. It is funny that I say that because this summer's job was the very first job that I have ever had.
So, I would like to comment on teenage students working jobs. I understand that it is a good idea, however, I took the time that I would have been working to work on schoolwork. I think that students are in school to be in school, so they should focus on schoolwork and learning. However, I think that a really good teacher can work with the student to ensure that they are learning things from that job. For instance, ask the student to come up with all of the different possibilities of things that you can buy when you at McDonalds and figure out if there is a quick way.
By doing this, we can maintain our both/and philosophy of education which is what this generation of students needs. I will be on here more again this semester. This summer I was busy changing lots of briefs and helping campers have lots of fun.
So, I would like to comment on teenage students working jobs. I understand that it is a good idea, however, I took the time that I would have been working to work on schoolwork. I think that students are in school to be in school, so they should focus on schoolwork and learning. However, I think that a really good teacher can work with the student to ensure that they are learning things from that job. For instance, ask the student to come up with all of the different possibilities of things that you can buy when you at McDonalds and figure out if there is a quick way.
By doing this, we can maintain our both/and philosophy of education which is what this generation of students needs. I will be on here more again this semester. This summer I was busy changing lots of briefs and helping campers have lots of fun.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
My Dream
So, I just want to put this down on paper...even though this isn't paper but I think you know what I mean. But I have a dream and a wish that just came up this semester. It has gradually gotten stronger and stronger and now I don't think I can deny it.
My dream is to graduate with my bachelors in special education with an emphasis in emotional behavioral disorder (EBD). After that, I would like to get a job somewhere. This is all probably sounding very normal, but here is where it stops being normal. Once I have been in the schools for a certain amount of time, I want to go back for a masters. A masters in neurology. My thesis would be how neurology relates to education.
I would like to create a new area of neurology, it might exist already, at which point, I will join it. But the new area would be Educational Neurology. It would emphasize learning and different education issues. One such study could possibly be: What is the best way to teach a student with a learning disability.
I realize that I might sound very prideful as I say this next part, "I want my name to be known." However, as I think about, I don't think that it is prideful to want my name to be known for something that will revolutionize education as we know. Because revolutionizing education is helping students, therefore I want my name to be known for helping students.
After I get my masters in neurology, I would like to go on for a PhD in education.
I don't know if I will end up doing any of this, but I am pretty sure that I will, because I love the brain. Mirror neurons was my first actual study of neurology (The first time that I actually looked into it) and it changed everything. Mirror neurons have a huge impact on education, but educators, understandably, don't have the time to look into neurological studies.
But Educational Neurology would be the emphasis and it would be glorious. A neurological classroom, where almost everything that is done is done with a neurological aspect in mind.
Some posts that have talked about neurology that I have posted on this blog I will list here:
http://futurespecialedteacher.blogspot.com/2011/03/neurology-and-education-mirror-neurons.html
http://futurespecialedteacher.blogspot.com/2010/12/heart-brain-connection-reflection.html
My dream is to graduate with my bachelors in special education with an emphasis in emotional behavioral disorder (EBD). After that, I would like to get a job somewhere. This is all probably sounding very normal, but here is where it stops being normal. Once I have been in the schools for a certain amount of time, I want to go back for a masters. A masters in neurology. My thesis would be how neurology relates to education.
I would like to create a new area of neurology, it might exist already, at which point, I will join it. But the new area would be Educational Neurology. It would emphasize learning and different education issues. One such study could possibly be: What is the best way to teach a student with a learning disability.
I realize that I might sound very prideful as I say this next part, "I want my name to be known." However, as I think about, I don't think that it is prideful to want my name to be known for something that will revolutionize education as we know. Because revolutionizing education is helping students, therefore I want my name to be known for helping students.
After I get my masters in neurology, I would like to go on for a PhD in education.
I don't know if I will end up doing any of this, but I am pretty sure that I will, because I love the brain. Mirror neurons was my first actual study of neurology (The first time that I actually looked into it) and it changed everything. Mirror neurons have a huge impact on education, but educators, understandably, don't have the time to look into neurological studies.
But Educational Neurology would be the emphasis and it would be glorious. A neurological classroom, where almost everything that is done is done with a neurological aspect in mind.
Some posts that have talked about neurology that I have posted on this blog I will list here:
http://futurespecialedteacher.blogspot.com/2011/03/neurology-and-education-mirror-neurons.html
http://futurespecialedteacher.blogspot.com/2010/12/heart-brain-connection-reflection.html
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Emotions and Feelings
So, yesterday, I spent a day with two friends, Rachel and Victoria. Victoria has a developmental delay. One thing that I realized when I was talking to them was that they have a problem with accepting their feelings. Victoria rides the bus to get to her job, and the bus driver had a stroke the other day and she is scared to go back on the bus. I told her outright, "It is okay to be scared."
She asked one of the most disturbing questions I have ever been asked, "It is?"
Humans in general should be allowed to feel the way they feel. I asked her, "Why do you think it isn't okay to be scared?"
She replied, "My mom told me to just get over it because she can't drive me to work."
Throughout the conversation, I noticed that she was scared even though she wasn't on a bus. I think too often, with people with disabilities, they are told to not feel the way they feel. A few months ago, Victoria said, "My life sucks" while we were riding in a car.
Two of my friends replied, "Your life doesn't suck, don't ever say a thing like that again." You might think that that was an insensitive thing to say, and I agree. But we all do it, to one extent or another. When we tell people "Don't think things like that," we are beheading their feelings. We are helping one more person reject their feelings and thereby creating a huge personality problem. A problem where they reject their emotions or what they are feeling.
To reject a person's emotions or feelings, no matter what they are, is the most insensitive and inhumane things that we, as humans can do. Our brains feel things and think things that we don't like, but if we reject them and act like we never thought them, we reject a huge elephant in the room. And soon, that elephant is going to grow so big that we begin to be crushed.
I think that all too often, we do this to students, and they end up being diagnosed with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD). Not all students that we do this to will end up being diagnosed, but I think that rejection of emotions or feelings is a huge part of the diagnosis of EBD.
We are an emotionally crippled society, we don't like hearing people's negative thoughts. We think that they should just stop thinking those kinds of thoughts and they will be just fine. No, that is not the case, we need to accept what they are feeling and then we go from there.
I have a question: Do you, as a parent, as a teacher, as a social worker, as a human, do you want to feed into our society's belief that nobody should express their negative thoughts, that way, we don't have to worry about it. And by not expressing their thoughts, their thoughts become stronger. Do you want to feed into this?
She asked one of the most disturbing questions I have ever been asked, "It is?"
Humans in general should be allowed to feel the way they feel. I asked her, "Why do you think it isn't okay to be scared?"
She replied, "My mom told me to just get over it because she can't drive me to work."
Throughout the conversation, I noticed that she was scared even though she wasn't on a bus. I think too often, with people with disabilities, they are told to not feel the way they feel. A few months ago, Victoria said, "My life sucks" while we were riding in a car.
Two of my friends replied, "Your life doesn't suck, don't ever say a thing like that again." You might think that that was an insensitive thing to say, and I agree. But we all do it, to one extent or another. When we tell people "Don't think things like that," we are beheading their feelings. We are helping one more person reject their feelings and thereby creating a huge personality problem. A problem where they reject their emotions or what they are feeling.
To reject a person's emotions or feelings, no matter what they are, is the most insensitive and inhumane things that we, as humans can do. Our brains feel things and think things that we don't like, but if we reject them and act like we never thought them, we reject a huge elephant in the room. And soon, that elephant is going to grow so big that we begin to be crushed.
I think that all too often, we do this to students, and they end up being diagnosed with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD). Not all students that we do this to will end up being diagnosed, but I think that rejection of emotions or feelings is a huge part of the diagnosis of EBD.
We are an emotionally crippled society, we don't like hearing people's negative thoughts. We think that they should just stop thinking those kinds of thoughts and they will be just fine. No, that is not the case, we need to accept what they are feeling and then we go from there.
I have a question: Do you, as a parent, as a teacher, as a social worker, as a human, do you want to feed into our society's belief that nobody should express their negative thoughts, that way, we don't have to worry about it. And by not expressing their thoughts, their thoughts become stronger. Do you want to feed into this?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Technology- Cash Cow
So, the other day I played the game cash cow on the iPod touch. This game revolves around combining coins to equal other coins. So, three nickels and a dime equals a quarter.
As I was playing this game, I realized the educational benefits of it. It is helping students combine like terms. And like terms are going to be important in the later parts of mathematics such as algebra, geometry, etc.
It reminds me of a talk that Clifford Stoll gave where he talks about the Internet and computers and their role in education. He posited that learning is not suppose to be fought, therefore, computers and games should not be used in education. He gave the example that when he was in school, film strips were used, and he never paid attention to any of them. He believes that the film strips were basically a babysitting tool, and like this he believes that computers and technology are used for the same thing.
Like it or not, today's students are different than the students that were in the education system 20 years ago. We cannot go back 20 years ago because times have changed. Today's students rely on technology to entertain them. So why don't we utilize that desire to use technology as entertainment and use it as a teaching tool.
One of the things that I would like to do as a future EBD special education teacher is to create a computer game that has no rules as well as computer game that has rules. These two games would be the same game just one of them would have rules and the other would not. The idea behind why there would be two versions of the game is that the game with no rules would be used on Monday. It would be an introduction to the lesson for that entire week. The idea is that just like there are rules in games, there are rules in social situations. The rest of the week, we would talk about the particular rule or rules that relate to that game. On that Friday, we would play the version of the game that has rules.
The benefit of this is that it is keeping students interested while teaching them what their supposed to learn. In EBD, we're supposed to teach them social skills. By making social skills fun and social rules fun, it is making students want to come because it's fun. I recognize that I am of a very few minority that believes that education should be fun and not the way of making education fun is by creating a very strong rapport with students.
As I was playing this game, I realized the educational benefits of it. It is helping students combine like terms. And like terms are going to be important in the later parts of mathematics such as algebra, geometry, etc.
It reminds me of a talk that Clifford Stoll gave where he talks about the Internet and computers and their role in education. He posited that learning is not suppose to be fought, therefore, computers and games should not be used in education. He gave the example that when he was in school, film strips were used, and he never paid attention to any of them. He believes that the film strips were basically a babysitting tool, and like this he believes that computers and technology are used for the same thing.
Like it or not, today's students are different than the students that were in the education system 20 years ago. We cannot go back 20 years ago because times have changed. Today's students rely on technology to entertain them. So why don't we utilize that desire to use technology as entertainment and use it as a teaching tool.
One of the things that I would like to do as a future EBD special education teacher is to create a computer game that has no rules as well as computer game that has rules. These two games would be the same game just one of them would have rules and the other would not. The idea behind why there would be two versions of the game is that the game with no rules would be used on Monday. It would be an introduction to the lesson for that entire week. The idea is that just like there are rules in games, there are rules in social situations. The rest of the week, we would talk about the particular rule or rules that relate to that game. On that Friday, we would play the version of the game that has rules.
The benefit of this is that it is keeping students interested while teaching them what their supposed to learn. In EBD, we're supposed to teach them social skills. By making social skills fun and social rules fun, it is making students want to come because it's fun. I recognize that I am of a very few minority that believes that education should be fun and not the way of making education fun is by creating a very strong rapport with students.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Failure
So, I want to talk about something in this post that many of us teachers, at least me, does not want to think about. My biggest fear when I go out and do field experiences is that I will fail the students, that I will destroy the students' lives somehow. But I had a conversation with someone today who was worried that I might not able to keep up with students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at a camp that I would like a job at this summer. After the conversation ended, I began to think about how if I fail at something like archery at the camp, that is going to encourage the campers to keep trying.
The thought behind it is possibly "oh, wow, he just failed miserably. And he is an awesome guy who is really cool, so if he failed, then I guess I can try and fail too." It gives students and campers courage to see their role models fail.
A few weeks ago, I went to a conference that was put on by ARC Midstate. The second key-note speaker talked about how we need to tell the students right off the bat when we meet them that we will fail them. It took me about a month-and-a-half to finally realize what he means. He means this, by failing at something, we give students the courage to try and possibly fail.
The thought behind it is possibly "oh, wow, he just failed miserably. And he is an awesome guy who is really cool, so if he failed, then I guess I can try and fail too." It gives students and campers courage to see their role models fail.
A few weeks ago, I went to a conference that was put on by ARC Midstate. The second key-note speaker talked about how we need to tell the students right off the bat when we meet them that we will fail them. It took me about a month-and-a-half to finally realize what he means. He means this, by failing at something, we give students the courage to try and possibly fail.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Is it OK to bribe your kids?
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/momentsofmotherhood/is-it-ok-to-bribe-your-kids-2451592/
In my behavior theories and practices class, we are learning that what is reinforcing (the definition is something that results in an increase of the behavior) to one student is NOT reinforcing to another student. You may find praise to be a reinforcer, you find that you do better work because someone praised you. I, on the other, may find that praise is a punisher (the definition is something that results in a decrease in the behavior) so I do worse on my homework because praise is not reinforcing to me.
Just to give a possible real-life example to the idea stated above. Bethany has a social phobia and tries her hardest to get away from any situation that causes attention to be drawn to her. Therefore, if she does something that you find good, and you praise her, she is more likely to NEVER do that behavior again. The reason for this is that she wants to escape attention. The students that a lot of us, special education or general education, will encounter will be the opposite of this. They want attention.
So I find that it is imperative at this present moment to say that every behavior (no matter how big or how small) has a function. My definition of a function is any reason that a person engages in a behavior. What is the function of the behavior of Bethany above? The function of the behavior is to escape attention. Owen, in your class, is making animal noises to get attention from the peers. Nick, the kid you keep seeing bullying others in the hallway, is bullying because it gives him control of one situation.
The question is, why am I talking about functions of behavior and reinforcement differentiation? I am talking about it because what one gal finds reinforcing in money, another may find money punishing, and another may not even look at money with any idea of reinforcement or punishment.
The idea of rewarding your kids with money is a tough decision. I have heard time and time again that you can love the thing your doing, but as soon as you are paid, you lose that love. This is not the case with everyone, I recognize that and acknowledge it, but many have lost their passion as a result of being paid.
There is also the issue of behavior continuity (I came up with that term) which means asking the question: Is the behavior going to continue after you remove the reinforcer...in the case, the money? If you reward the person every behavior that they have (every A they get they get $10), then when they get an "A" and you don't give them $10, they won't work for an "A" the next time. This is the toughest thing that I am facing with this class that I am taking, if you reinforce too much, satiation occurs (the reinforcer is no longer reinforcing), if you reinforce to little, the behavior does not change (because the student is not reinforced enough). However, in the beginning of teaching a behavior, reinforcement for every time they do it is important in order to help them understand what is expected of them. It is such a fine balance between too much and too little with the the appropriateness continually changing. In all reality, reinforcement is like a moving target where if you are just a little bit off, you shoot your best friend in the butt.
In my behavior theories and practices class, we are learning that what is reinforcing (the definition is something that results in an increase of the behavior) to one student is NOT reinforcing to another student. You may find praise to be a reinforcer, you find that you do better work because someone praised you. I, on the other, may find that praise is a punisher (the definition is something that results in a decrease in the behavior) so I do worse on my homework because praise is not reinforcing to me.
Just to give a possible real-life example to the idea stated above. Bethany has a social phobia and tries her hardest to get away from any situation that causes attention to be drawn to her. Therefore, if she does something that you find good, and you praise her, she is more likely to NEVER do that behavior again. The reason for this is that she wants to escape attention. The students that a lot of us, special education or general education, will encounter will be the opposite of this. They want attention.
So I find that it is imperative at this present moment to say that every behavior (no matter how big or how small) has a function. My definition of a function is any reason that a person engages in a behavior. What is the function of the behavior of Bethany above? The function of the behavior is to escape attention. Owen, in your class, is making animal noises to get attention from the peers. Nick, the kid you keep seeing bullying others in the hallway, is bullying because it gives him control of one situation.
The question is, why am I talking about functions of behavior and reinforcement differentiation? I am talking about it because what one gal finds reinforcing in money, another may find money punishing, and another may not even look at money with any idea of reinforcement or punishment.
The idea of rewarding your kids with money is a tough decision. I have heard time and time again that you can love the thing your doing, but as soon as you are paid, you lose that love. This is not the case with everyone, I recognize that and acknowledge it, but many have lost their passion as a result of being paid.
There is also the issue of behavior continuity (I came up with that term) which means asking the question: Is the behavior going to continue after you remove the reinforcer...in the case, the money? If you reward the person every behavior that they have (every A they get they get $10), then when they get an "A" and you don't give them $10, they won't work for an "A" the next time. This is the toughest thing that I am facing with this class that I am taking, if you reinforce too much, satiation occurs (the reinforcer is no longer reinforcing), if you reinforce to little, the behavior does not change (because the student is not reinforced enough). However, in the beginning of teaching a behavior, reinforcement for every time they do it is important in order to help them understand what is expected of them. It is such a fine balance between too much and too little with the the appropriateness continually changing. In all reality, reinforcement is like a moving target where if you are just a little bit off, you shoot your best friend in the butt.
Race to the Top
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html
I have heard about this idea of Race to the Top, I didn't know anything about it, but I had heard about it. So today, I decided that I wanted to do a little research about it. Since I had heard about this initiative, I have been wondering if it was going to replace the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Here, I want to do some pros and cons (just out of curiosity, do any of you know what pro and con stand for...I have been wondering about that lately.) of Race to the top and see how it compares to NCLB. There probably are going to be some great parts of Race to the Top, but some flaws as well. The main thing that I can see now as of writing this post (before I read anything) is the accountability of schools and teachers will be missing.
I will be talking about it in a few posts because I feel that I need to understand each part in detail.
I have heard about this idea of Race to the Top, I didn't know anything about it, but I had heard about it. So today, I decided that I wanted to do a little research about it. Since I had heard about this initiative, I have been wondering if it was going to replace the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Here, I want to do some pros and cons (just out of curiosity, do any of you know what pro and con stand for...I have been wondering about that lately.) of Race to the top and see how it compares to NCLB. There probably are going to be some great parts of Race to the Top, but some flaws as well. The main thing that I can see now as of writing this post (before I read anything) is the accountability of schools and teachers will be missing.
I will be talking about it in a few posts because I feel that I need to understand each part in detail.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Direct Instruction
Direct Instruction (Notice that it is capitalized, as compared to direct instruction which is another name for explicit instruction.) is a very good way of teaching students with disabilities as well as students who are at-risk. An example of a student at-risk is a student who lives below the poverty line in the United States or has failed classes.
Direct Instruction teaches right on the outset that all students are teachable. No matter how at-risk they are, they are teachable. This idea is a great place to start with. It is imperative for good teachers to recognize that no matter what, every student in their classroom is teachable.
The second part of Direct Instruction is that it is fast-paced. I have some reservations about this part. Students who have learn slowly I would think would struggle with this part. I, as a student in elementary school, was a very slow learner. If someone came in and tried to teach me how to add all the way through how to do algebra in one year, I don't know if I could have done it. However, a benefit is that if it is fast-paced, then two things will happen, 1) students will learn things at a faster rate and 2) students will not get bored because their teacher talks about the same thing each class.
Finally, Direct Instruction teaches the basic skills. If a student has trouble with adding, then Direct Instruction can help immensely.
Direct Instruction teaches right on the outset that all students are teachable. No matter how at-risk they are, they are teachable. This idea is a great place to start with. It is imperative for good teachers to recognize that no matter what, every student in their classroom is teachable.
The second part of Direct Instruction is that it is fast-paced. I have some reservations about this part. Students who have learn slowly I would think would struggle with this part. I, as a student in elementary school, was a very slow learner. If someone came in and tried to teach me how to add all the way through how to do algebra in one year, I don't know if I could have done it. However, a benefit is that if it is fast-paced, then two things will happen, 1) students will learn things at a faster rate and 2) students will not get bored because their teacher talks about the same thing each class.
Finally, Direct Instruction teaches the basic skills. If a student has trouble with adding, then Direct Instruction can help immensely.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
'Homeless' doll costs $95 (hairstyling extra)
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/item_4Ic0hC7Lacpfo8HQbczsQM
I don't quite know how I feel about this. There is a part of this story that is a cool idea and one part that is very flawed. Like it said in the article, I think that a homeless American Girl Doll should have been used as a way to donate money to the homeless in America.
There are too many students in our country who are homeless for my taste. There are huge effects on education for students who are homeless and I will talk about that in a later post that is dedicated solely to that.
But this idea of having an American Girl Doll having a homeless story has some very beneficial education elements. I believe that it is important to show our students different parts of our world that are screwed up or disordered. It is okay if you disagree with this, but I don't think that showing students the flaws of this world will turn them into cynics. I believe that a fresh pair of eyes can help our world the best. Many students have a naivete (used in a positive sense) that we lose as we grow up. This naivete can change the world for the best.
If you look at the issue in regards to Bloom's Taxonomy, learning about the injustice in our world will be the first three steps. If we only go that far, then I completely agree with you that students may very well become cynics of the world we live in. But if you move up to analysis, synthesis (Creation), and evaluation, then students are using higher level thinking skills. And don't we want students to go high in their thinking?
I believe that teaching our students to see the world from the top three higher level thinking skills is so important. It will change our world.
I want to point out one thing before I end this post. I hear a lot these days from fellow college students who complain about their professors. If this is you, and that is okay to dislike aspects of your professors or teachers, I encourage you to go to the higher levels of thinking. I invite you to think about what YOU would do differently if it were your classroom. Thinking like this will help students who are future teachers figure out what works for them, what they would do differently than the teachers that they have.
If you haven't noticed, I like Bloom's Taxonomy because I believe that students who move to the higher levels of thinking are the ones who can make this world the best we can make it.
I don't quite know how I feel about this. There is a part of this story that is a cool idea and one part that is very flawed. Like it said in the article, I think that a homeless American Girl Doll should have been used as a way to donate money to the homeless in America.
There are too many students in our country who are homeless for my taste. There are huge effects on education for students who are homeless and I will talk about that in a later post that is dedicated solely to that.
But this idea of having an American Girl Doll having a homeless story has some very beneficial education elements. I believe that it is important to show our students different parts of our world that are screwed up or disordered. It is okay if you disagree with this, but I don't think that showing students the flaws of this world will turn them into cynics. I believe that a fresh pair of eyes can help our world the best. Many students have a naivete (used in a positive sense) that we lose as we grow up. This naivete can change the world for the best.
If you look at the issue in regards to Bloom's Taxonomy, learning about the injustice in our world will be the first three steps. If we only go that far, then I completely agree with you that students may very well become cynics of the world we live in. But if you move up to analysis, synthesis (Creation), and evaluation, then students are using higher level thinking skills. And don't we want students to go high in their thinking?
I believe that teaching our students to see the world from the top three higher level thinking skills is so important. It will change our world.
I want to point out one thing before I end this post. I hear a lot these days from fellow college students who complain about their professors. If this is you, and that is okay to dislike aspects of your professors or teachers, I encourage you to go to the higher levels of thinking. I invite you to think about what YOU would do differently if it were your classroom. Thinking like this will help students who are future teachers figure out what works for them, what they would do differently than the teachers that they have.
If you haven't noticed, I like Bloom's Taxonomy because I believe that students who move to the higher levels of thinking are the ones who can make this world the best we can make it.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Technology: SMART Table & iPad
I think that there is a huge educational potential for the use of the iPad and the SMART Table.
With students with disabilities, especially those whom I will be working with in the future, those with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), the SMART Table can be an amazing tool. From what I have learned about what I will be teaching students with EBD, I will be teaching social skills and a SMART Table is a wonderful tool for collaboration. The biggest potential about it is that a majority of the students have to agree on an answer and then move their answer to the middle. This works on collaboration skills as well as fine-motor skills because they have to hold their finger down and move it to the middle. There is an application on the SMART Table where students create a movie. This is a awesome tool for the "Synthesis" or "Creation" stage of Bloom's Taxonomy of Higher Level Thinking as well as develops creativity.
The iPad is also amazing tool that works on fine-motor skills. Like the SMART Table, the iPad has an application on it where you can create a storybook, this is an actual storybook, as compared to a movie. In this application, you can draw with your finger in 6-8 different line sizes with a lot of choices for the color. You can draw anything you want on it, and there is another part in that application where you are able to create a read-version of the book. This is not text-to-speech capabilities, but it is a very helpful tool because you can put the read version of that page on that page. You can also upload the story that you create to the internet.
With students with disabilities, especially those whom I will be working with in the future, those with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD), the SMART Table can be an amazing tool. From what I have learned about what I will be teaching students with EBD, I will be teaching social skills and a SMART Table is a wonderful tool for collaboration. The biggest potential about it is that a majority of the students have to agree on an answer and then move their answer to the middle. This works on collaboration skills as well as fine-motor skills because they have to hold their finger down and move it to the middle. There is an application on the SMART Table where students create a movie. This is a awesome tool for the "Synthesis" or "Creation" stage of Bloom's Taxonomy of Higher Level Thinking as well as develops creativity.
The iPad is also amazing tool that works on fine-motor skills. Like the SMART Table, the iPad has an application on it where you can create a storybook, this is an actual storybook, as compared to a movie. In this application, you can draw with your finger in 6-8 different line sizes with a lot of choices for the color. You can draw anything you want on it, and there is another part in that application where you are able to create a read-version of the book. This is not text-to-speech capabilities, but it is a very helpful tool because you can put the read version of that page on that page. You can also upload the story that you create to the internet.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Universal design for learning (UDL) is based on originally an architectural idea/term. With the passage of the Rehabilitation Act (Click here for the link to where I describe it in detail), buildings were required to be somewhat accessible for people with disabilities. So, the idea of universal design (UD) was created for the field of architecture. It basically said that rather than create objects and THEN go and work on modifications of those objects so that people with disabilities can use them, create them FIRST with the idea of being used by everyone. In short, UD is characterized by thinking about an object or building and how you can design it so that everyone, both able bodied and those with disabilities, can use it.
The example that my professor used, and I really liked this, was in some YMCAs they are creating a no-drop pool. A no-drop pool is a pool that is like a beach in that it gradually moves into the water, it is basically a ramp. With this UD, every person, including those in wheelchairs can use the pool. A non-example of UD is a regular pool that has one of those machines that lowers the person into the water. This is not UD because able-bodied people can just jump in, therefore there is a stigma to using this device.
So I have been talking about UD, now what is UDL you ask? That is an excellent question. Think about the truest concept of UD that I just talked about. Creating things with persons with disabilities in mind. Now move that idea over to learning and creating curriculum's. For instance, let's say that you want to have a group discussion time and that you want to have it on the rug. You find out four months in advance that you have a student who is in a wheelchair. If you had universally designed your curriculum, then this would not be an issue. But now it is an issue, do you wish to have the student feel excluded because they are in a wheelchair and can't sit down on the rug like everyone else?
A wonderful question, and I hope that you are asking yourself this, is "What can I then do for the rug thing? How can I include that student?" To universally design your classroom, instead of having the students sit on the rug, have them sit in chairs in a circle and talk. Then the student in the wheelchair can still participate and everyone is sitting up on chairs.
The example that my professor used, and I really liked this, was in some YMCAs they are creating a no-drop pool. A no-drop pool is a pool that is like a beach in that it gradually moves into the water, it is basically a ramp. With this UD, every person, including those in wheelchairs can use the pool. A non-example of UD is a regular pool that has one of those machines that lowers the person into the water. This is not UD because able-bodied people can just jump in, therefore there is a stigma to using this device.
So I have been talking about UD, now what is UDL you ask? That is an excellent question. Think about the truest concept of UD that I just talked about. Creating things with persons with disabilities in mind. Now move that idea over to learning and creating curriculum's. For instance, let's say that you want to have a group discussion time and that you want to have it on the rug. You find out four months in advance that you have a student who is in a wheelchair. If you had universally designed your curriculum, then this would not be an issue. But now it is an issue, do you wish to have the student feel excluded because they are in a wheelchair and can't sit down on the rug like everyone else?
A wonderful question, and I hope that you are asking yourself this, is "What can I then do for the rug thing? How can I include that student?" To universally design your classroom, instead of having the students sit on the rug, have them sit in chairs in a circle and talk. Then the student in the wheelchair can still participate and everyone is sitting up on chairs.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Neurology and Education- Mirror Neurons
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10468
So, I am just going to say this on the outset, I love neurology. There is not one part of neurology that I don't love. I find it to be one of the most fascinating things I research on my own time. But after I watched the video above, I found myself wondering: How does this relate to education? How can I shape my teaching philosophy or my teaching style because I know about neurology?
I found out that answer about halfway through the video above when V.S. Ramachandran begins to talk about mirror neurons. Mirror neurons according to Ramachandran are neurons that fire exactly the same way that the neurons in another person. When you smile, neurons in your brain are rapidly firing to move a message down to the muscles in your face to turn upward, and you smile. Mirror neurons in me see that the neurons are firing to make you smile and my mirror neurons start firing exactly the same way.
A wonderful question, then, is what does this have to do with education? Mirror neurons don't just fire when another person smiles, they fire when another person uses creativity, or shows respect to another person. Students with emotional behavioral disorders have a hard time with expressing feelings in a positive way. My neurons are firing at each other to express my feelings in a positive way through language or art, because MY neurons are firing, their mirror neurons fire exactly like mine.
Therefore, modeling can teach a student anything, it may take a long time for it to begin to show the fruit, but because of mirror neurons, they can learn anything.
So, I am just going to say this on the outset, I love neurology. There is not one part of neurology that I don't love. I find it to be one of the most fascinating things I research on my own time. But after I watched the video above, I found myself wondering: How does this relate to education? How can I shape my teaching philosophy or my teaching style because I know about neurology?
I found out that answer about halfway through the video above when V.S. Ramachandran begins to talk about mirror neurons. Mirror neurons according to Ramachandran are neurons that fire exactly the same way that the neurons in another person. When you smile, neurons in your brain are rapidly firing to move a message down to the muscles in your face to turn upward, and you smile. Mirror neurons in me see that the neurons are firing to make you smile and my mirror neurons start firing exactly the same way.
A wonderful question, then, is what does this have to do with education? Mirror neurons don't just fire when another person smiles, they fire when another person uses creativity, or shows respect to another person. Students with emotional behavioral disorders have a hard time with expressing feelings in a positive way. My neurons are firing at each other to express my feelings in a positive way through language or art, because MY neurons are firing, their mirror neurons fire exactly like mine.
Therefore, modeling can teach a student anything, it may take a long time for it to begin to show the fruit, but because of mirror neurons, they can learn anything.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Response to Intervention (RTI)
Response to Intervention is a new way of diagnosing Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). Before RTI, there was only one model of diagnosing an SLD, that was called the discrepancy model, also called the wait-to-fail model. I'm going to describe that and then go on to describe RTI. I am going to say this on the outset so you may be thinking about it while reading everything else in this post. RTI basically takes the discrepancy model and turns it on its head and succeeds where at every point, the discrepancy model fails.
The discrepancy model is the usual way of diagnosing students with SLD in the state of Minnesota. I will now describe what it is. The discrepancy model requires that students IQs be assessed. If they are above 80 IQ, then they can be diagnosed with an SLD. If they are below, they cannot. Now that we have the IQ, we need to give assessment tests (tests that assess how much the student achieves). There is then an equation that assesses whether they have a disability or not.
You might think that there isn't really anything wrong with this, and that is okay. I am now going to give you the two main problems that I see. Students can be diagnosed if they have an IQ of 75 and below; students can be diagnosed with an SLD if they have an IQ of 80 and above. Do you see the problem here? There are 4 IQ points where if students fall in those 4 points, they can't be diagnosed with DCD and they can't be diagnosed with SLD.
Here is the other problem with the discrepancy model. The equation requires that students have a low achievement. So let's use the example of a student in 1st grade who reads at a medium kindergarten level. He gets to 2nd grade and reads at a high kindergarten level now, but can't be diagnosed with an SLD. He gets to 3rd grade and now he is reading at a low 1st grade level, no diagnosis because he isn't achieving low enough. In 4th grade, he is now reading at a medium 1st grade level, and still can't be diagnosed with an SLD. 5th grade, he is is still reading at a 1st grade level and finally, he is diagnosed with an SLD. So, it is called the wait-to-fail model because he has to wait until 5th grade to finally be diagnosed with a SLD because he is not achieving low enough.
So how does RTI relate to this? How does it take the discrepancy model and turn it on its head and succeeds where everything in the discrepancy model fails? RTI first of all is A GENERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE, this means it is not special education, but general education.
RTI intensifies the curriculum so that students can learn more. Look above at the triangle, the intensification of the curriculum is the first tier. There are three tiers in most RTI programs, some have four or five up to seven. Johnny is a 2nd grade student who is in a school that just started RTI. He is having a hard time in reading and once the intensive instruction is implemented in his class, he still has a hard time with this. The staff decide to move him to tier 2, which means that he is receiving an extra 20 minutes of instruction per day in combination with the general education curriculum. So, it is NOT special education because he is still in the general education class and is now getting an extra 20 minutes by the teacher. Johnny is still struggling at this point, so staff moves him up to tier 2. This adds an extra 20 minutes. So now, Johnny is receiving the full general education curriculum, 20 minutes of extra instruction, and 20 MORE minutes of extra instruction. Johnny still has a really hard time, so they refer him to special education. And BAM! Johnny is diagnosed with an SLD in 2nd grade.
Do you see that? The discrepancy model waits for Johnny to get to 5th grade when he is reading at a 1st grade level to diagnose him with an SLD. RTI gives him intensive instruction, then more instruction, and then even more instruction, then finally refers him to special education. He is not waiting to fail, he is being educated more intensively and then diagnosed with an SLD.
I just want to remind you again RTI IS GENERAL EDUCATION NOT SPECIAL EDUCATION. Look into it more if you are curious because I would imagine that it would help students immensely whether they have disabilities or not.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Video Demonstrations of Different Assistive Technologies
I watched all of the videos and found all of them very interesting. I like how we can get a 30 day free trial of Inspiration, I plan on trying that out and seeing in depth what the strengths and weaknesses of it are. I also like that Prezi.com is completely free, only you don't get a few features (that are really not that great either).
I find myself asking which one do I like the most and which one do I think will be the most beneficial to use? I continually find myself answering that Draft Builder is the best idea on the table. Don't get me wrong, all of the other ideas are awesome and I found myself continually saying "Wow, that would really help students who has trouble with this.
The reason that Draft Builder wins in my mind is that it has parts of Inspiration in the mind maps and it has parts of the Read Out Loud program in the form of being able to change any parts of the paper. So, in SPED 445 and 418 we are learning that Graphic Organizers really help students recognize what information is important and relevant and what isn't. Draft:Builder does just that, it provides a Graphic Organizer option.
My choice and what I would use is definitely Draft:Builder because it has the most amount of uses. However, I don't know what Inspriation is like or what Prezi is like and I may post again when I use them to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the programs.
Michelle Rhee Stops in GA As Part of Nation Tour
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/51114/
I have to admit that I am nervous about all of the things that have been set up in our schools. This whole tenure thing is a great idea unless the teachers are burnt out. A teacher who is burnt out is, if you ask me, one of the most dangerous kind of teachers out there. In my experience, they don't want to implement any kind of new things into their curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, or differentiated instruction. They believe that students should just suck it up and learn the way that they are teaching, which usually is lecture.
But along comes a new teacher who loves to learn and implement new stuff into his curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, tutoring, and differentiated instruction. He helps his students gain two grade levels that year, and all of his students love him and he loves his job. Well, because he is not tenured, and it was the last teacher hired, if the school has a budget cut, he is the first out of the school.
I don't think that this is morally right. Compare these teachers using their teaching style, their relationships with the students, and the way they show the students "I see you." I had too many teachers in my K12 school years that were burned out and I never was able to learn from them because they didn't care about what they were teaching. I also had some teachers who loved what they did, and it was amazing to see how much I succeeded and was proud of myself in those classes.
But should we reinvent the wheel? Should we get rid of this tenure business that some people love and some people hate? I don't know, it would be practically impossible.
So, the question that I pose, and I don't know the answer, is: How can we relight the passion in burnt out teachers? How can we get them to love their job and love their students? How can we make bad teachers become some of the best teachers imaginable? I don't know, but maybe some day I will find out and I will definitely post it on here.
I have to admit that I am nervous about all of the things that have been set up in our schools. This whole tenure thing is a great idea unless the teachers are burnt out. A teacher who is burnt out is, if you ask me, one of the most dangerous kind of teachers out there. In my experience, they don't want to implement any kind of new things into their curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, or differentiated instruction. They believe that students should just suck it up and learn the way that they are teaching, which usually is lecture.
But along comes a new teacher who loves to learn and implement new stuff into his curriculum such as technology, hands-on experience, tutoring, and differentiated instruction. He helps his students gain two grade levels that year, and all of his students love him and he loves his job. Well, because he is not tenured, and it was the last teacher hired, if the school has a budget cut, he is the first out of the school.
I don't think that this is morally right. Compare these teachers using their teaching style, their relationships with the students, and the way they show the students "I see you." I had too many teachers in my K12 school years that were burned out and I never was able to learn from them because they didn't care about what they were teaching. I also had some teachers who loved what they did, and it was amazing to see how much I succeeded and was proud of myself in those classes.
But should we reinvent the wheel? Should we get rid of this tenure business that some people love and some people hate? I don't know, it would be practically impossible.
So, the question that I pose, and I don't know the answer, is: How can we relight the passion in burnt out teachers? How can we get them to love their job and love their students? How can we make bad teachers become some of the best teachers imaginable? I don't know, but maybe some day I will find out and I will definitely post it on here.
Evolution of Assistive Technology Laws Part 2
Lets skip forward two years ahead of the Tech Act to 1990 when PL 94-142 was reauthorized and changed. PL 94-142 looked different than it had previously and it was given a new name "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)." This act introduced a very important piece that is integral to those of us special educators who will be working in the high school setting. This piece is called an Individual Transition Plan (ITP). The ITP is a plan for transitioning students from high school to adult life (whether that be college or work). So, this gave added a new age group to the services, and now assistive technology (AT) was able to be used for them.
In 1997, IDEA was reauthorized and said that all students had to take the district and state tests. It also required that more students be educated in the general education classroom for at least some part of the day. So now students with disabilities were going to be educated in the general education classroom, so AT was required to help them succeed.
In 1998, the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 ended the Tech Act. It required that states get grants in order to help them give AT services and AT devices to students with disabilities.
In 2004, the Assistive Technology Act was reauthorized. In this act, it sort of did away with AT services, it required that all states just give AT to students and not just create services that would give AT. It basically made the process much cleaner, because before the school district had to create services for devices for students. The service had to assess the student with a disability and decide whether or not they needed AT and then had to assess what AT should be used if it was decided that it was needed. Now, they did away with this services idea and are just giving AT to students.
Finally, in 2004, the reauthorization of IDEA happened again. This time, they decided to limit the AT. It was not considered AT if the device was surgically implanted. So, school districts do not have to pay for cochlear implants or the replacement of cochlear implants.
So, we are done with our journey which started with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and ended with IDEA of 2004. We still have a long way to go, and I am excited to see how far we will go. Here is what I see when I look at this. The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 was after two subsequent reauthorizations of IDEA which seems to be the catalyst for all AT laws.
In 1997, IDEA was reauthorized and said that all students had to take the district and state tests. It also required that more students be educated in the general education classroom for at least some part of the day. So now students with disabilities were going to be educated in the general education classroom, so AT was required to help them succeed.
In 1998, the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 ended the Tech Act. It required that states get grants in order to help them give AT services and AT devices to students with disabilities.
In 2004, the Assistive Technology Act was reauthorized. In this act, it sort of did away with AT services, it required that all states just give AT to students and not just create services that would give AT. It basically made the process much cleaner, because before the school district had to create services for devices for students. The service had to assess the student with a disability and decide whether or not they needed AT and then had to assess what AT should be used if it was decided that it was needed. Now, they did away with this services idea and are just giving AT to students.
Finally, in 2004, the reauthorization of IDEA happened again. This time, they decided to limit the AT. It was not considered AT if the device was surgically implanted. So, school districts do not have to pay for cochlear implants or the replacement of cochlear implants.
So, we are done with our journey which started with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and ended with IDEA of 2004. We still have a long way to go, and I am excited to see how far we will go. Here is what I see when I look at this. The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 was after two subsequent reauthorizations of IDEA which seems to be the catalyst for all AT laws.
Assistive Technology- Bloom's Taxonomy
So a few weeks ago in my Assistive Technology class, we talked for a short time about Bloom's Taxonomy, which I had heard of before, but had not known anything about. Basically, it is a triangle that is divided into 6 different parts or tiers of thinking. Each level as it goes higher is a level that works toward higher level thinking.
So, I want to mainly talk about assistive technology's (AT) role in this Taxonomy ("the definition is:
the science or technique of classification" taken from Dictionary.com just in case you were curious). I asked the professor about this and he seemed to agree with this idea. And I think I finally understand why I have such a problem with the general idea of Assistive Technology.
I guess that I am very into knowledge, and that I believe that every student should know basic information. I thought, at least when I took the teaching inventory last semester, that I was very non-information, but according to why I am having a hard time with AT, I am very knowledge-based. So, basically, I think that students should know how to multiply or add and not just have AT thrown at them and then never be taught again.
So here is my thinking, AT skips the first step of Bloom's Taxonomy. It skips the Knowledge component of higher level thinking, but it replaces it with automaticity in calculators, screen readers, text-to-speech, etc. One might think that this is a bad thing, but I invite you to think about this, think about a student who can't read, can they ever evaluate or synthesize (the new version has create under this term) a text? No, they cannot evaluate the text if they have a difficult time reading.
Comprehension, according to my teacher in SPED 418, has to do in some part with fluency. If a student can't read fluently, she or he is much less likely to focus on what they are reading because they are focusing on trying to read what they are reading. But if they are reading fluently, they are much likelier to be able to focus on comprehending what they are reading.
Anyway, let's get back to AT and Bloom's Taxonomy. So, take out that need for fluency (which requires understanding of phonology underneath it) and give an AT such as text-to-speech. The student can now comprehend what they are reading. Comprehension is the second level in Bloom's Taxonomy, and after they have comprehended what they "read" or heard, they can apply it to the worksheet that they have to fill out. They are able to analyze what they just "read" or heard. They are able to create after hearing it and they are able to evaluate it.
This is an important thing, AT bypasses the first step and becomes the first step. The student no longer has to remember how to calculate because there is a calculator right there. This lets the student go on to the higher levels of thinking. Higher levels of thinking in our society is absolutely integral, if the student sees the website Tree Octopus and is focusing entirely on the first level of higher level thinking (reading it), then they won't go up to the highest level to evaluate it. Does the tree octopus actually exist? No, it does not. But students who have a hard time with reading don't get that high with higher level thinking because their disability keeps them at the bottom of the triangle.
So here is my thinking, AT skips the first step of Bloom's Taxonomy. It skips the Knowledge component of higher level thinking, but it replaces it with automaticity in calculators, screen readers, text-to-speech, etc. One might think that this is a bad thing, but I invite you to think about this, think about a student who can't read, can they ever evaluate or synthesize (the new version has create under this term) a text? No, they cannot evaluate the text if they have a difficult time reading.
Comprehension, according to my teacher in SPED 418, has to do in some part with fluency. If a student can't read fluently, she or he is much less likely to focus on what they are reading because they are focusing on trying to read what they are reading. But if they are reading fluently, they are much likelier to be able to focus on comprehending what they are reading.
Anyway, let's get back to AT and Bloom's Taxonomy. So, take out that need for fluency (which requires understanding of phonology underneath it) and give an AT such as text-to-speech. The student can now comprehend what they are reading. Comprehension is the second level in Bloom's Taxonomy, and after they have comprehended what they "read" or heard, they can apply it to the worksheet that they have to fill out. They are able to analyze what they just "read" or heard. They are able to create after hearing it and they are able to evaluate it.
This is an important thing, AT bypasses the first step and becomes the first step. The student no longer has to remember how to calculate because there is a calculator right there. This lets the student go on to the higher levels of thinking. Higher levels of thinking in our society is absolutely integral, if the student sees the website Tree Octopus and is focusing entirely on the first level of higher level thinking (reading it), then they won't go up to the highest level to evaluate it. Does the tree octopus actually exist? No, it does not. But students who have a hard time with reading don't get that high with higher level thinking because their disability keeps them at the bottom of the triangle.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Field Experience Day 1- Substitute Teachers
I started field experience today at Tech High School. This week, my cooperating teacher is gone, so we get the experience of working with a cooperating teacher who is a substitute. In the future, I recognize I will be working with substitute teachers.
As I write this, I want to answer how I will be working with substitute teachers. Let's say a student with conduct disorder is educated in a 9th grade English class. Because IDEA requires all students are educated and the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA requires that students be educated in the general education setting at some point, so this is an example that could happen. The teacher has a baby and goes on maternity leave for 2 months which leaves a long-term substitute who may not know anything about conduct disorder. I have to go in to the substitute's classroom and offer her help with understanding conduct disorder as well as shaping her classroom environment so that it is the least restrictive environment for the student.
Substitute teachers are a very important piece of our education system. We, as teachers, are not immune to sickness, so we may need to miss school. And substitute teachers are there to help us when this happens. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we, both regular and special education teachers, help the substitute teachers feel welcome in our school. We must accept that they may do things differently than we do them, but we must still help them and provide resources to help them successfully teach all our students.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Evolution of Assistive Technology Laws Part 1
Assistive technology (AT) is something that I have posted about before, and will probably post about again after this one. But for this one, I really want to focus my attention on the evolution of AT laws for the past 30 years in America. This is/was an assignment for my AT class, so I wanted to go into even more detail here.
So, it all began in 1973 with the passage of the Rehabilitation Act. The act talked about rehabilitating people who had just gotten back from the wars. The two wars at that time were Vietnam and Korea (Korea was a few years before Vietnam, but there were still soldiers who had disabilities from it) and the Rehabilitation Act required that they be rehabilitated so they could be responsible citizens. There was a section in this law called Section 504 which truly set the stage for PL 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped Children Act). Section 504 "required that reasonable access be provided for all individuals with disabilities" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). This law was applied to both public schools and the society outside of the school building.
Now here is where the plot thickens, in 1975, PL 94-142 was passed. This law went farther than Section 504 by saying that "all students with disabilities had access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). So, Section 504 said "reasonable access" and PL 94-142 required "All students to have FAPE." The law also required an individual educational plan (IEP) be created. The IEP would have in it how much education the student was to recieve in the General Education classroom. In order to successfully educate these students, teachers were creating their own devices to help students succeed in their classrooms. These devices would later become known as AT.
This law was reauthorized in 1986 and added a new a new age group, infants, toddlers, and their families. They would have an Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) which was basically an IEP for the child. This new age group was now allowed and given the devices mentioned earlier which later became AT. Very young students with disabilities could now participate in the general education classroom because of AT.
So, two years after the reauthorization of PL 94-142, in 1988, a new law was created. This law was was the Tech Act (the full name is Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act). And it provided funding for states to create programs to develop and train people in using AT. It defined AT as two separate parts, AT services and AT devices. Services were "any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of an AT device" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). And devices were "any piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007).
So, when I look at this, I see that in all reality, AT laws are quite dependent on PL 94-142 (Which we will soon find out becomes Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] in 1990). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act created the stage for PL 94-142 to come about. PL 94-142 in turn required that all students, disabled or not, have the right to FAPE (free and appropriate education). The IEP required here lets schools know how much education the student will recieve in the general education classroom. In order to help the students who ended up in the general education classrooms, devices were created which would become AT in a law 13 years after the original PL 94-142 was signed into law. So, the Tech Law came about after lawmakers finally realized that AT existed in the classrooms because of PL 94-142 and that AT helped students succeed in general education classrooms.
So, it all began in 1973 with the passage of the Rehabilitation Act. The act talked about rehabilitating people who had just gotten back from the wars. The two wars at that time were Vietnam and Korea (Korea was a few years before Vietnam, but there were still soldiers who had disabilities from it) and the Rehabilitation Act required that they be rehabilitated so they could be responsible citizens. There was a section in this law called Section 504 which truly set the stage for PL 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped Children Act). Section 504 "required that reasonable access be provided for all individuals with disabilities" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). This law was applied to both public schools and the society outside of the school building.
Now here is where the plot thickens, in 1975, PL 94-142 was passed. This law went farther than Section 504 by saying that "all students with disabilities had access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). So, Section 504 said "reasonable access" and PL 94-142 required "All students to have FAPE." The law also required an individual educational plan (IEP) be created. The IEP would have in it how much education the student was to recieve in the General Education classroom. In order to successfully educate these students, teachers were creating their own devices to help students succeed in their classrooms. These devices would later become known as AT.
This law was reauthorized in 1986 and added a new a new age group, infants, toddlers, and their families. They would have an Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) which was basically an IEP for the child. This new age group was now allowed and given the devices mentioned earlier which later became AT. Very young students with disabilities could now participate in the general education classroom because of AT.
So, two years after the reauthorization of PL 94-142, in 1988, a new law was created. This law was was the Tech Act (the full name is Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act). And it provided funding for states to create programs to develop and train people in using AT. It defined AT as two separate parts, AT services and AT devices. Services were "any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of an AT device" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007). And devices were "any piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2007).
So, when I look at this, I see that in all reality, AT laws are quite dependent on PL 94-142 (Which we will soon find out becomes Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] in 1990). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act created the stage for PL 94-142 to come about. PL 94-142 in turn required that all students, disabled or not, have the right to FAPE (free and appropriate education). The IEP required here lets schools know how much education the student will recieve in the general education classroom. In order to help the students who ended up in the general education classrooms, devices were created which would become AT in a law 13 years after the original PL 94-142 was signed into law. So, the Tech Law came about after lawmakers finally realized that AT existed in the classrooms because of PL 94-142 and that AT helped students succeed in general education classrooms.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Questions from Students
I don't know if you agree with me or not, but I think that our American society really doesn't like questions. I find that during class when there are too many questions being asked, I start getting antsy and want the questions to just stop NOW!
However, we, as teachers, need to be open to questions and love them. Because when a student asks a question, they are putting themselves out there to look foolish that they do not know the answer. We cannot let them to feel foolish once they have asked the question, or else they will not want to ask questions.
So what can we do to help foster questions inside of students? Well, I think in the early grades, we should teach how to ask a question. They will begin to understand the way to ask a question, which is an important piece. It is an important piece because they will just ask questions that are not that deep, they ask surface questions. But as they understand more about themes in literature (which they are supposed to start covering in about 3rd grade according to the Minnesota Board of Education literature standards), they will begin to ask deeper questions. Now, for a side story that will bring me to my next point
A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with a friend who has a developmental disability, and I noticed how she would ask questions. Unfortunately, though, I was the only person who answered her questions. I was shocked at how the other friends we were hanging out with just looked at each other for a second after she asked the question and moved on. I would always praise my friend for asking the question, because asking questions is the most important thing that we can do in our world. It helps us better understand our world, so if we don't ask questions, we may be very limited of our knowledge of why we do certain things.
We can also help foster questions inside of students, and this is the best way, by praising them for asking question. Praising them and answering them. Granted, a behaviorist would say that by just answering their questions, we are praising them, but I think we need to go the extra centimeter by praising them AND answering their question. That way, we are praising them twice and they are much more likely to ask a question again.
However, we, as teachers, need to be open to questions and love them. Because when a student asks a question, they are putting themselves out there to look foolish that they do not know the answer. We cannot let them to feel foolish once they have asked the question, or else they will not want to ask questions.
So what can we do to help foster questions inside of students? Well, I think in the early grades, we should teach how to ask a question. They will begin to understand the way to ask a question, which is an important piece. It is an important piece because they will just ask questions that are not that deep, they ask surface questions. But as they understand more about themes in literature (which they are supposed to start covering in about 3rd grade according to the Minnesota Board of Education literature standards), they will begin to ask deeper questions. Now, for a side story that will bring me to my next point
A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with a friend who has a developmental disability, and I noticed how she would ask questions. Unfortunately, though, I was the only person who answered her questions. I was shocked at how the other friends we were hanging out with just looked at each other for a second after she asked the question and moved on. I would always praise my friend for asking the question, because asking questions is the most important thing that we can do in our world. It helps us better understand our world, so if we don't ask questions, we may be very limited of our knowledge of why we do certain things.
We can also help foster questions inside of students, and this is the best way, by praising them for asking question. Praising them and answering them. Granted, a behaviorist would say that by just answering their questions, we are praising them, but I think we need to go the extra centimeter by praising them AND answering their question. That way, we are praising them twice and they are much more likely to ask a question again.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Boy who was Raised as a Dog
So, for Behavior Theories and Practices, I have to read a book. I chose to read the book The Boy who was Raised as a Dog and I am not going to lie, it is a really hard book. The book talks about large stress in the early years of life and how it truly effects everything once the child is older.
One thing that is the hardest for me is that I realize that working in the field of emotional behavioral disorders (EBD), I am going to be dealing with students like this. I don't know if I have what it takes to teach a student who was molested between the ages of 4 and 8 (the first story in the book.). I don't know how to teach them, I don't know how to teach a child who grew up in a cult (The fourth story in the book). I don't know how to teach a student who had their throat cut twice and survived and tried to drink some milk and the milk came out of the cuts. How can one teach in the midst of so much pain?
A few weeks ago, one of my teachers said that we are supposed teachers, not counselors or friends or anything like that, we are teachers, so we should teach. I understand what she means, but I don't think I agree with it. Last semester, a teacher from an alternative school came in and talked to us about how some of her students can't focus during the school day because at 3AM, the police came in to their house and put a gun to their head. How can a student learn when 5 hours later they are supposed to learn. I think that a good teacher IS a counselor and a friend and anything that the student needs.
I don't understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs very well, but I realize that he basically says that in order for a student to learn, they must have certain needs met. I agree with this, and I need to help my students get what they need, which will be tough because many people think that I should be just a teacher. But I need to be more than a teacher in order to be the best EBD teacher. I need to realize and recognize when my students are getting stressed and find out why. And some may say that my teaching is very counselorish or friendish, but I am being the best teacher I feel I need to be.
One thing that is the hardest for me is that I realize that working in the field of emotional behavioral disorders (EBD), I am going to be dealing with students like this. I don't know if I have what it takes to teach a student who was molested between the ages of 4 and 8 (the first story in the book.). I don't know how to teach them, I don't know how to teach a child who grew up in a cult (The fourth story in the book). I don't know how to teach a student who had their throat cut twice and survived and tried to drink some milk and the milk came out of the cuts. How can one teach in the midst of so much pain?
A few weeks ago, one of my teachers said that we are supposed teachers, not counselors or friends or anything like that, we are teachers, so we should teach. I understand what she means, but I don't think I agree with it. Last semester, a teacher from an alternative school came in and talked to us about how some of her students can't focus during the school day because at 3AM, the police came in to their house and put a gun to their head. How can a student learn when 5 hours later they are supposed to learn. I think that a good teacher IS a counselor and a friend and anything that the student needs.
I don't understand Maslow's hierarchy of needs very well, but I realize that he basically says that in order for a student to learn, they must have certain needs met. I agree with this, and I need to help my students get what they need, which will be tough because many people think that I should be just a teacher. But I need to be more than a teacher in order to be the best EBD teacher. I need to realize and recognize when my students are getting stressed and find out why. And some may say that my teaching is very counselorish or friendish, but I am being the best teacher I feel I need to be.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Social and Natural Sciences Unit Modification Project
So, I just stopped into the curriculum library that they have in the Education Building and I found what I have been looking for for quite a while there. I have been looking for a psychology textbook or curriculum and had only found one on "the science behind mental illness" (and ADHD was on there, which I don't know how I feel about. I plan on reading that curriculum in order to find out why ADHD is in there.). But today, I asked if they had any psychology curriculums and they told me "we have psychology books." So, today I found four separate books, tomorrow at 3:15, I am going to go down to the Curriculum library and decide which of those four I am going to choose. And then, I need to decide which chapter in the book that I do choose.
I just looked at the syllabus again, and it asked me to find a textbook, and that is what I found. So, I am really excited for this project.
So, I am going to tell a little about this assignment. We have to modify a textbook unit so that a student who reads at a 2nd or 3rd grade level will be able to participate in the class. It has to be a unit from a 6th grade or higher science or social studies book. The psychology books that I just looked at were 12th grade, so I will have my work cut out for me. The reason that I chose a high school book and a high school subject (psychology) is because I plan on teaching in a high school and I am very interested in psychology. I feel that if I do a unit that I am interested in, I will be much more likely to make it really fun and cool, and actually work on it for most of the semester.
I just looked at the syllabus again, and it asked me to find a textbook, and that is what I found. So, I am really excited for this project.
So, I am going to tell a little about this assignment. We have to modify a textbook unit so that a student who reads at a 2nd or 3rd grade level will be able to participate in the class. It has to be a unit from a 6th grade or higher science or social studies book. The psychology books that I just looked at were 12th grade, so I will have my work cut out for me. The reason that I chose a high school book and a high school subject (psychology) is because I plan on teaching in a high school and I am very interested in psychology. I feel that if I do a unit that I am interested in, I will be much more likely to make it really fun and cool, and actually work on it for most of the semester.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Trust Yourself!
So, in the last week, I have hung out with two people with disabilities. One of them has Dyslexia and the other person has a Developmental Delay. And I saw a very disturbing similarity between them. I saw that they gave up on themselves as soon as any stress was put on them. So, if the game required the gal with DD to remember the numbers, she would ask me to tell her what they were. I told her to "trust herself" and she got it right in three more turns.
The gal with Dyslexia had to read the assignment on her classes website, and she asked me to tell her what the assignment was. I told her to "trust herself" and read.
Too often today, students with disabilities, and students with no disabilities as well, give up on themselves before they even try. They may feel that they are not good enough to even try, or that if they try, they will fail. And this is a really sad example of respondent conditioning (Pavlov's dog). Because every student can do it, I believe that with my whole heart, and they have been taught (conditioned) to believe that if they try, they will fail.
So what can I, as a future Special Ed teacher, do to help with this? I can give the students who give up prematurely encouragement to "trust themselves." I think the best way to teach that they can do it is when they ask a question, I guide their thinking to the correct place.
This story is an example of not allowing a student to manipulate you into making it easy to give up by giving them the answer. This was one of those experiences that made last semester totally worth it, when you knew that the student understood it.
I admit that to do this for every student who do not trust themselves takes a lot of time, but isn't it worth it to give a student understanding in a subject that they don't trust themselves on? It is so worth our time.
The gal with Dyslexia had to read the assignment on her classes website, and she asked me to tell her what the assignment was. I told her to "trust herself" and read.
Too often today, students with disabilities, and students with no disabilities as well, give up on themselves before they even try. They may feel that they are not good enough to even try, or that if they try, they will fail. And this is a really sad example of respondent conditioning (Pavlov's dog). Because every student can do it, I believe that with my whole heart, and they have been taught (conditioned) to believe that if they try, they will fail.
So what can I, as a future Special Ed teacher, do to help with this? I can give the students who give up prematurely encouragement to "trust themselves." I think the best way to teach that they can do it is when they ask a question, I guide their thinking to the correct place.
For instance, when I did my field experience last semester, a student asked me to help them with math. I was not expecting her to keep asking me to tell her the answer, which is what she did. I had to consciously think about how I could guide her thinking toward answering this math problem. I only answered her questions with question. The question was "Fill in the blank with the pattern _, _, 15, 20, 25." Understandably, she didn't quite understand this, she did the other question correctly, which was the typical of "2, 4, 6 _, _." But she was having a difficult time with this problem. I asked "Do you see a pattern in these numbers?"
She answered "No, I don't." This made me think harder as to how to help her and NOT give her the answer.
So, I asked another question, "How did you solve this other pattern?"
"Well, 2+2 is 4, and 4+2 is 6, so 6+2 is 8, and 8+2 is 10." I then used this thought process to help her answer the question that she was stuck on.
"Cover up the blanks." And she proceeded to cover them up, and I continued, "Do you see a pattern in these numbers?" Her eyes went wide when she realized that she knew the answer.
She hastily wrote down 5 and 10 in the blank spaces. The next part of the question was "What was the pattern?" and she wrote down -5. I saw this and I asked the question, "Why did you put -5?"
I was guessing that I knew the answer, but I wanted her to think about her thought process for putting down -5. She replied "Because 20-5 is 15, 15-5 is 10, and 10-5 is 5."
Again, I knew I couldn't just give her the answer, so I asked the question. "Which number is first?"
She said immediately, "25 is the first number."
I replied pointing to the first pattern problem that she did correctly "Which is the first number on this?"
She replied assertively, "2."
I said, "Right, now using what you did, the very first number, what is the very number in this pattern?
She looked at the sheet again, as if trying to see an invisible code, and finally saw what she was looking for, "Oh, it's 5."
I smiled and said, "Correct, so is the pattern -5?"
She looked at me and smiled, "No, it's +5, not -5."
This story is an example of not allowing a student to manipulate you into making it easy to give up by giving them the answer. This was one of those experiences that made last semester totally worth it, when you knew that the student understood it.
I admit that to do this for every student who do not trust themselves takes a lot of time, but isn't it worth it to give a student understanding in a subject that they don't trust themselves on? It is so worth our time.
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