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.
Monday, January 31, 2011
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.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Science Museum
So, I went to the Science Museum today for fun. And it was a very learning experience, and for more reasons than you would think. First of all, I learned a lot about light and sound and the body and weather and things like that. All of that makes for a very learningful trip (I just made up that word: learningful).
But, I want to look at some of the Science Museum's lessons that are not so obvious. And these lessons are subconscious mostly.
So, there is a science demonstration line where you create silly putty (unfortunately, my silly putty fell on my shirt and about 40% of it stuck and is still there right now grr face!!!). The idea of a line is something that is taught throughout the entire science museum. You have to wait to see something or use something until the person who is ahead you is done. So, if you are behind the person opening the sneezing girl hole, then you have to wait until that person is "sneezed on" until it is your turn.
The idea of a line is a very important thing in our society. Granted, as adults, we do not have to keep quiet, keep our hands at our sides (and no touching other students!), or any of those rules. But we do have to stay in line and start in the back of the line. And the Science Museum really helps with that lesson in a way that is implicit.
I now want to think about students with disabilities who may not be able to fully comprehend implicit instruction (instruction that is not told verbally, but expected to learn through experience). There are some students, no doubt, who have lots of trouble with implicit instruction. If this is the case (such may be the case for a student with an Emotional Behavioral Disorder), you need to teach and practice this idea before you go. Not many children like to be pushed out of the way because the child behind them wants to go now. So, teach the idea of being in a line BEFORE you go to the Science Museum. Granted, the student may screw up, but it is less likely.
But, I want to look at some of the Science Museum's lessons that are not so obvious. And these lessons are subconscious mostly.
So, there is a science demonstration line where you create silly putty (unfortunately, my silly putty fell on my shirt and about 40% of it stuck and is still there right now grr face!!!). The idea of a line is something that is taught throughout the entire science museum. You have to wait to see something or use something until the person who is ahead you is done. So, if you are behind the person opening the sneezing girl hole, then you have to wait until that person is "sneezed on" until it is your turn.
The idea of a line is a very important thing in our society. Granted, as adults, we do not have to keep quiet, keep our hands at our sides (and no touching other students!), or any of those rules. But we do have to stay in line and start in the back of the line. And the Science Museum really helps with that lesson in a way that is implicit.
I now want to think about students with disabilities who may not be able to fully comprehend implicit instruction (instruction that is not told verbally, but expected to learn through experience). There are some students, no doubt, who have lots of trouble with implicit instruction. If this is the case (such may be the case for a student with an Emotional Behavioral Disorder), you need to teach and practice this idea before you go. Not many children like to be pushed out of the way because the child behind them wants to go now. So, teach the idea of being in a line BEFORE you go to the Science Museum. Granted, the student may screw up, but it is less likely.
Friday, January 28, 2011
SETT Framework
What stood out to me the most in these videos was how you are supposed to finally think about the Tools at the end of the SETT Framework. I imagine that this idea of waiting to actually think about the big thing until you have discussed the 1) student, 2) environment, and 3) tasks is a very important thing to recognize in Special Education. Too often in America, I feel we just want to get something done, we put the emphasis on quantity, rather of quality. And the SETT Framework takes that idea and twirls it on its head by making us recognize that we have to do three steps before we can talk about tools.
We first need to talk about the student, what are the students strengths, but also what are the students needs? I really liked what Joy Zabala said with the "Collaboration is key in the SETT Framework" and how "There is no 'I' in SETT." Her reasoning for this collaboration is something that, again, emphasizes quality of the Assistive Technology (AT), as compared to quantity. It does this by slowing the IEP team down to recognize that they have to make the decision for AT themselves, they can't have a person who knows a lot about AT come in and implement AT for a student, they have to do it.
She uses another really good example where she talks about how the student is not the only thing that is talked about during the Student aspect of SETT. With the student comes the environment, what can the other students do that the student who they are meeting about can't do? What does the student need to do? And it may come up that in one classroom, the student does not raise their hand before answering a question, and in another classroom, the student waits until their name is called before answering. Zabala talks about how it is important to recognize "Why is there that difference in the students behavior? How can we change the environment of the classroom where he is not raising his hand in order to foster raising his hand?"
So, a good question is: How will this information affect my future teaching? I think that knowing the SETT framework will really help me recognize that I need to focus on the quality of the IEP meeting and AT that I implement for students. I should not just throw a technology at a student and then leave and hope that it will work because it is required in an IEP to have AT considered. I will do what is requiring for my AT class, I will get the baseline data to see how the student does before I implement the AT, then get more data once I have implemented the AT. If the numbers go up and I feel that the intervention is working, then I will give them the AT. But I will not just throw a technology at them and hope it works, because that probably hurts a student more than not have AT.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Assistive Technology
So, I was trying to understand more about Assistive Technology (AT) today, and I received a well written definition followed by examples on what AT is. My professor for my AT class uses the analogy of a kid falls into a well, teaching the student to climb out of the well is just teaching the student to climb, to place a ladder in the well is AT.
I was thinking about this analogy today, and I was stuck in a rut trying to figure out: "What happens when the student falls into the well again and there is no ladder this time?" Should we not, as special educators, teach these students to climb out of the well because they may not always have the AT that we implement. But then I thought about it a little more, and I don't know if this would also be AT, but add to the analogy that once the student gets out of the well using the ladder, you board up the well with metal and wood so that nobody falls in again (or at least the student).
I am interested, confused, and torn about what the difference between AT and Teaching Aid. I am beginning to understand it better with the list of examples of AT, but I still just wonder: Isn't it better to teach the students to do something without AT. I feel like I am betraying everything that I stand for by believing this, so I feel very torn. Because I feel that it is important to teach the student to do something without AT if they can. If the student cannot do something without AT, then definitely implement it because it will help the student, but see if the student can do it without AT.
For those of you who may be disgusted by me right now, sorry, but that's the way that I feel. I feel that AT and Teaching Aids are basically one in the same in the long run. Or that it should be.
I think the reason that I am torn is because I am finding that I view AT as a crutch that we need to help students get off of as soon as possible. I think that it is important to get them off as soon as possible in order to assess whether they can actually do the activity which we are giving them AT for. For instance, a tape recording for a literature section. Will their work in the future give them a tape recording of the manual for the job? Probably not, so shouldn't we help teach them to read so that in the future they can read that manual?
I am really biased about this topic, and I really wish that my arguments made sense and that I would not feel that I am so horrible about thinking this way. Teaching Aids I think are integral to education, so is AT just as integral, right now I am not thinking so. But I want to understand this better.
I was thinking about this analogy today, and I was stuck in a rut trying to figure out: "What happens when the student falls into the well again and there is no ladder this time?" Should we not, as special educators, teach these students to climb out of the well because they may not always have the AT that we implement. But then I thought about it a little more, and I don't know if this would also be AT, but add to the analogy that once the student gets out of the well using the ladder, you board up the well with metal and wood so that nobody falls in again (or at least the student).
I am interested, confused, and torn about what the difference between AT and Teaching Aid. I am beginning to understand it better with the list of examples of AT, but I still just wonder: Isn't it better to teach the students to do something without AT. I feel like I am betraying everything that I stand for by believing this, so I feel very torn. Because I feel that it is important to teach the student to do something without AT if they can. If the student cannot do something without AT, then definitely implement it because it will help the student, but see if the student can do it without AT.
For those of you who may be disgusted by me right now, sorry, but that's the way that I feel. I feel that AT and Teaching Aids are basically one in the same in the long run. Or that it should be.
I think the reason that I am torn is because I am finding that I view AT as a crutch that we need to help students get off of as soon as possible. I think that it is important to get them off as soon as possible in order to assess whether they can actually do the activity which we are giving them AT for. For instance, a tape recording for a literature section. Will their work in the future give them a tape recording of the manual for the job? Probably not, so shouldn't we help teach them to read so that in the future they can read that manual?
I am really biased about this topic, and I really wish that my arguments made sense and that I would not feel that I am so horrible about thinking this way. Teaching Aids I think are integral to education, so is AT just as integral, right now I am not thinking so. But I want to understand this better.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Council for Exceptional Children Ethical Principle
http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfessionalStandards/EthicsPracticeStandards/default.htm
So, I am reading a textbook this semester that asked me to read the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Code of Ethics. It was an option to read it or not, but I want to read it. I hope that it will help me become a better teacher so that I can help students.
It starts right out with putting an awesome statement that basically says "Expect great things from the students, because they can do it, but keep in mind to expect great things that are appropriate to the student's culture, language, and dignity." I think that this is a very important thing because too often, teachers believe that students with disabilities or English Language Learners (ELLs) or at risk youth can't do very well. I believe that they can, they can do more than many teachers expect of them. There is a quote that I quoted earlier in this blog that says "My teacher expected me to be smarter, so I was smarter."
When I first read that statement, it angered me, because some students can't be smarter. But experiencing two field experiences last semester, one in a fourth grade classroom and the other in an ELL classroom, I believe that that is true. What we, as teachers, expect of our students will be what we get. We need to be cognizant of the student's abilities and once we understand the abilities, we need to challenge the students.
Another principle that stuck out to me was F, which said that as teachers, we do lots of research in order to remain a good teacher. The research that we do is in the new practices of the day for how best to teach students with disabilities. This stuck out to me because I agree with it and it is true, but I think that many teachers fail to succeed in this principle. Because what happens is we teachers know what worked for our students in the past, so we think that we don't have to research the new stuff. And once we have done that, we have slipped into complacency and stop trying to be a better teacher.
A quote from the first class that I had of Behavioral Theories and Practices in Special Education with Marc Markell. He said that a student does not have true freedom until we have given them all of the choices to choose from. In applying this to what I just talked about, it seems to me that we are not teaching our students best if we are not trying to teach them in any and every way possible. How do we know if the student doesn't work or respond better to a certain way of teaching as compared to the way that you typically teach? You will not know and they will not know (Or realize their full potential) until you have taught them that style.
So, I am reading a textbook this semester that asked me to read the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Code of Ethics. It was an option to read it or not, but I want to read it. I hope that it will help me become a better teacher so that I can help students.
It starts right out with putting an awesome statement that basically says "Expect great things from the students, because they can do it, but keep in mind to expect great things that are appropriate to the student's culture, language, and dignity." I think that this is a very important thing because too often, teachers believe that students with disabilities or English Language Learners (ELLs) or at risk youth can't do very well. I believe that they can, they can do more than many teachers expect of them. There is a quote that I quoted earlier in this blog that says "My teacher expected me to be smarter, so I was smarter."
When I first read that statement, it angered me, because some students can't be smarter. But experiencing two field experiences last semester, one in a fourth grade classroom and the other in an ELL classroom, I believe that that is true. What we, as teachers, expect of our students will be what we get. We need to be cognizant of the student's abilities and once we understand the abilities, we need to challenge the students.
Another principle that stuck out to me was F, which said that as teachers, we do lots of research in order to remain a good teacher. The research that we do is in the new practices of the day for how best to teach students with disabilities. This stuck out to me because I agree with it and it is true, but I think that many teachers fail to succeed in this principle. Because what happens is we teachers know what worked for our students in the past, so we think that we don't have to research the new stuff. And once we have done that, we have slipped into complacency and stop trying to be a better teacher.
A quote from the first class that I had of Behavioral Theories and Practices in Special Education with Marc Markell. He said that a student does not have true freedom until we have given them all of the choices to choose from. In applying this to what I just talked about, it seems to me that we are not teaching our students best if we are not trying to teach them in any and every way possible. How do we know if the student doesn't work or respond better to a certain way of teaching as compared to the way that you typically teach? You will not know and they will not know (Or realize their full potential) until you have taught them that style.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Week 1 review of Junior Block
So, here I are, a week into Special Education Junior Block, and I find myself wondering how I am going to do this semester. I will not lie, I am stressed, and it's not the best kind of stress. The beginning of semesters are always stressful because you have the syllabuses giving you all of the assignments that are due this semester. And you only get one semester to do them (or you can you take the class over, but that is a lot of money), so that is a huge stressor for me right now.
I realize that I should take it one week at a time, but I've never been good at that. So, I won't, I have to look ahead this semester to a while before the assignment is actually due. So, this next week or maybe this weekend, I plan on looking for a 20-30 page lesson plan and narrow it down to five different lesson plans. The assignment is to modify a science, social studies, or mathematics week long lesson plan to better fit a student with special needs. I am worried, but I am quite excited for it as well.
I have to think about my assistive technology class because technically, I am supposed to find a student to test like a guinea pig who is in elementary school and get 3 baseline readings in something they struggle with. Then give them a technology that will help them with this thing that they struggle with. I need to figure out if I want to wait until February 14, which if it doesn't work for that field experience, then I am in trouble. Professor Cichy did allow me to have until the week of February 14 to pick a student, but I need to figure that out for now. I am thinking about, just like that last class, coming up with five different things that I could test for a student. Granted, I should wait until I know what the student has problems with, but I kind of need to start thinking about that now because I want to do this and I want to do this in a way that I can learn as much as possible from it.
Literacy in General Education for Special Educator is going to be very fun and stressful at the same time. Fun because we get to do a lot of writing (I like writing a lot, just in case you haven't figured out with the 82 posts that I have posted on my blog). But, it is going to be stressful because we have to do a lot of reading, which is the point of college, as I know. But I don't really want this much reading: two chapters in a big book and then 48 pages in the Minnesota Academic Standards: English Language Arts Grades K-5 (It goes until 12, but for the purposes of the class, we will only be reading until 5th grade). So, I hope, just like all of the previous things that I can get the most out of these readings. I already read a chapter and a quarter, so that is pretty cool. The book is interesting, but it is heavy loaded.
Not much to report on the Behavior Theories and Practices in Special Education, we have a big project that involves a student that is due. I am not going to worry about that until I start my field experience because that is, I believe, when we are supposed to start that.
The professors this semester are all awesome and very passionate about their fields, which is very admirable and I respect it a lot. I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of some amazing thinkers in Special Education. Granted, I don't know many other Special Education teachers, but these teachers are going to make the classes fly by because they have interesting stories and are just fun to be in the same room with.
So, I am stressed, terrified, and excited for the challenges of this semester, that is the true meaning of teacher insanity.
I realize that I should take it one week at a time, but I've never been good at that. So, I won't, I have to look ahead this semester to a while before the assignment is actually due. So, this next week or maybe this weekend, I plan on looking for a 20-30 page lesson plan and narrow it down to five different lesson plans. The assignment is to modify a science, social studies, or mathematics week long lesson plan to better fit a student with special needs. I am worried, but I am quite excited for it as well.
I have to think about my assistive technology class because technically, I am supposed to find a student to test like a guinea pig who is in elementary school and get 3 baseline readings in something they struggle with. Then give them a technology that will help them with this thing that they struggle with. I need to figure out if I want to wait until February 14, which if it doesn't work for that field experience, then I am in trouble. Professor Cichy did allow me to have until the week of February 14 to pick a student, but I need to figure that out for now. I am thinking about, just like that last class, coming up with five different things that I could test for a student. Granted, I should wait until I know what the student has problems with, but I kind of need to start thinking about that now because I want to do this and I want to do this in a way that I can learn as much as possible from it.
Literacy in General Education for Special Educator is going to be very fun and stressful at the same time. Fun because we get to do a lot of writing (I like writing a lot, just in case you haven't figured out with the 82 posts that I have posted on my blog). But, it is going to be stressful because we have to do a lot of reading, which is the point of college, as I know. But I don't really want this much reading: two chapters in a big book and then 48 pages in the Minnesota Academic Standards: English Language Arts Grades K-5 (It goes until 12, but for the purposes of the class, we will only be reading until 5th grade). So, I hope, just like all of the previous things that I can get the most out of these readings. I already read a chapter and a quarter, so that is pretty cool. The book is interesting, but it is heavy loaded.
Not much to report on the Behavior Theories and Practices in Special Education, we have a big project that involves a student that is due. I am not going to worry about that until I start my field experience because that is, I believe, when we are supposed to start that.
The professors this semester are all awesome and very passionate about their fields, which is very admirable and I respect it a lot. I am honored and humbled to be in the presence of some amazing thinkers in Special Education. Granted, I don't know many other Special Education teachers, but these teachers are going to make the classes fly by because they have interesting stories and are just fun to be in the same room with.
So, I am stressed, terrified, and excited for the challenges of this semester, that is the true meaning of teacher insanity.
Minnesota House takes up alternative teacher licensure
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=900178
I am surprised that Minnesota is able to even think about a law that would put the No Child Left Behind's whole part about Highly Efficient Teachers. I find it refreshing to see their reasoning, at least in Kare11's view. Their reasoning is that an alternative teacher licensure will allow for more diversity in all fields of teaching. I think that that is an admirable goal, because we need enough teachers and it seems that right now, we don't have enough teachers.
Now, a good question to think about is "What about the pedagogy?" Pedagogy means "the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods." So, the question is what about the pedagogy? I have to admit, being in junior block right now in the Special Education Department really has taught me a lot about pedagogy.
I tried to take SPED 200 a few years ago when I was in my second semester at college and I dropped it because I felt that it was too early for me to start teaching. I knew nothing about how to teach reading or anything like that as well as I felt that I was not mature enough to be in the classroom. Thinking back on it, you may say that I am more immature now, but I realize that being immature is a good way to meet the students for where they are coming from. I am immature, but respectful and try not to be demeaning to the students. I just act like myself, which is very childlike to begin with.
Since my first SPED 200 and last semester when I took it and did not drop it, I learned a lot about pedagogy and how to teach students with learning disabilities (or those who have a hard time with reading or math.) and I feel that really helped me, personally, because when I was in the classroom, I had all of these weapons of mass instruction that I could pull out and use with the student. It felt good to be able to see the students when they got something when I was helping them.
So, that is an interesting idea. I accept that we need more teachers, therefore, maybe my special education degree is not all that important, but I feel that it is. Because in this degree, you learn how to accept a student for who they are. You learn how to teach the student, and you learn (in my opinion most importantly) how to see that the student is not their behavior and their behavior is not them.
I am surprised that Minnesota is able to even think about a law that would put the No Child Left Behind's whole part about Highly Efficient Teachers. I find it refreshing to see their reasoning, at least in Kare11's view. Their reasoning is that an alternative teacher licensure will allow for more diversity in all fields of teaching. I think that that is an admirable goal, because we need enough teachers and it seems that right now, we don't have enough teachers.
Now, a good question to think about is "What about the pedagogy?" Pedagogy means "the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods." So, the question is what about the pedagogy? I have to admit, being in junior block right now in the Special Education Department really has taught me a lot about pedagogy.
I tried to take SPED 200 a few years ago when I was in my second semester at college and I dropped it because I felt that it was too early for me to start teaching. I knew nothing about how to teach reading or anything like that as well as I felt that I was not mature enough to be in the classroom. Thinking back on it, you may say that I am more immature now, but I realize that being immature is a good way to meet the students for where they are coming from. I am immature, but respectful and try not to be demeaning to the students. I just act like myself, which is very childlike to begin with.
Since my first SPED 200 and last semester when I took it and did not drop it, I learned a lot about pedagogy and how to teach students with learning disabilities (or those who have a hard time with reading or math.) and I feel that really helped me, personally, because when I was in the classroom, I had all of these weapons of mass instruction that I could pull out and use with the student. It felt good to be able to see the students when they got something when I was helping them.
So, that is an interesting idea. I accept that we need more teachers, therefore, maybe my special education degree is not all that important, but I feel that it is. Because in this degree, you learn how to accept a student for who they are. You learn how to teach the student, and you learn (in my opinion most importantly) how to see that the student is not their behavior and their behavior is not them.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Feedback
So, I notice in the statistics of my blog that there are readers mainly from the United States, but also many from out of country. I invite you to comment on anything, tell me whether you agree or disagree with something that I said. I would love to hear some feedback on this blog, it would be helpful to me to just hear what your thoughts are, it's okay if you aren't a future special ed teacher or maybe not even a future teacher.
Education is a human thing, it is not just for teachers to teach, it is for all humanity to do that job. You, a person who works at Burger King has an impact on education, you can teach through training others how to work the cash register. We all have an impact on eternity, so we don't know where our influence will end (That is my own version of a really good quote).
So, if anybody could give some feedback on my blog, it would absolutely welcome. Thank you for reading it.
Education is a human thing, it is not just for teachers to teach, it is for all humanity to do that job. You, a person who works at Burger King has an impact on education, you can teach through training others how to work the cash register. We all have an impact on eternity, so we don't know where our influence will end (That is my own version of a really good quote).
So, if anybody could give some feedback on my blog, it would absolutely welcome. Thank you for reading it.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Behavioral Psychology
So, I have been pondering this idea of Behavioral psychology for quite some time now. I agree absolutely that it is important, but I feel that cognition is just as important. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I am one of those Special Education majors who cannot decide and will not decide between behavioral psychology and cognitive psychology.
I believe that both behavioral and cognitive psychology are integral to each other. Because for behavioral, it even says it in Chapter 1 of John W. Maag's textbook called Behavioral Management that sometimes behaviors are covert. And sometimes the antecedent (what happened before the behavior) is not obvious. I believe that sometimes the antecedent can be caused by something in the cognitive or neural mind of the student. For instance, say a student (I apologize if this offends or makes someone upset) has PTSD from being molested and they now have an eating disorder. You can look at the molestation as the antecedent, and the eating disorder as the behavior, but why? I, personally, feel that I need to know why there is a connection in their brain between the molestation and the eating disorder. And you may find that the swallowing of food for them acts as a PTSD trigger (something that brings back the memory).
Now, if you just accepted behavioral psychology, then you would not be looking at the connection and would not find out why there is a connection. Plus, if the molestation happened a few years ago, how can you know that that is why a student has an eating disorder?
Behavioral psychology, I repeat again, is important, but I believe that it is integral to combine and recognize that the other parts of psychology are just as important. It seems to me that Behavioral psychology puts itself above all other forms of psychology by saying "only measure by observable actions." But Piaget, for cognitive psychology, emphasized that environment affects cognition and the cognition, therefore, affects behavior. Freud said that failure to pass through the psycho-sexual stages affects behavior. Passage through Erik Erikson's psycho-social stages affect behavior. All of these theories and stages affect behavior and all of them accept it, but behavioral psychology says that the brain is nothing more than a barren land that needs to become fruitful using behavioral management techniques.
I believe that both behavioral and cognitive psychology are integral to each other. Because for behavioral, it even says it in Chapter 1 of John W. Maag's textbook called Behavioral Management that sometimes behaviors are covert. And sometimes the antecedent (what happened before the behavior) is not obvious. I believe that sometimes the antecedent can be caused by something in the cognitive or neural mind of the student. For instance, say a student (I apologize if this offends or makes someone upset) has PTSD from being molested and they now have an eating disorder. You can look at the molestation as the antecedent, and the eating disorder as the behavior, but why? I, personally, feel that I need to know why there is a connection in their brain between the molestation and the eating disorder. And you may find that the swallowing of food for them acts as a PTSD trigger (something that brings back the memory).
Now, if you just accepted behavioral psychology, then you would not be looking at the connection and would not find out why there is a connection. Plus, if the molestation happened a few years ago, how can you know that that is why a student has an eating disorder?
Behavioral psychology, I repeat again, is important, but I believe that it is integral to combine and recognize that the other parts of psychology are just as important. It seems to me that Behavioral psychology puts itself above all other forms of psychology by saying "only measure by observable actions." But Piaget, for cognitive psychology, emphasized that environment affects cognition and the cognition, therefore, affects behavior. Freud said that failure to pass through the psycho-sexual stages affects behavior. Passage through Erik Erikson's psycho-social stages affect behavior. All of these theories and stages affect behavior and all of them accept it, but behavioral psychology says that the brain is nothing more than a barren land that needs to become fruitful using behavioral management techniques.
Goals for this Semester
Goal 1: Pass all of my classes with A's
Goal 2: Become an even better teacher.
So, I begin this semester with reservations. I really would rather not get kicked out of a classroom again, but like last semester, I have no say. I have dress clothes that are so uncomfortable for me that I want to rip them off when I wear them, so that ideally should not get me kicked out of the classroom again. But, if the teacher and/or school district does not want me in that particular classroom, then BAMB, I'm kicked out without any say at all.
I feel that I begin this semester with absolutely no sense of internal locus of control, which means I have no belief that I can stay in this classroom because I choose to. I have the belief that if the school district or teacher wants me out, I'm out, I have no say in the matter, I'm just a fresh free body of meat to help the teacher grade papers.
The classes have me a little bit worried, because I don't really know what to expect from them, information-wise. I expect that it will be a good experience educationally this semester, and I hope that I can get all A's that way I can apply for the TEACH grant, which requires a 3.25 GPA and I don't have that high of GPA anymore.
Goal 2: Become an even better teacher.
So, I begin this semester with reservations. I really would rather not get kicked out of a classroom again, but like last semester, I have no say. I have dress clothes that are so uncomfortable for me that I want to rip them off when I wear them, so that ideally should not get me kicked out of the classroom again. But, if the teacher and/or school district does not want me in that particular classroom, then BAMB, I'm kicked out without any say at all.
I feel that I begin this semester with absolutely no sense of internal locus of control, which means I have no belief that I can stay in this classroom because I choose to. I have the belief that if the school district or teacher wants me out, I'm out, I have no say in the matter, I'm just a fresh free body of meat to help the teacher grade papers.
The classes have me a little bit worried, because I don't really know what to expect from them, information-wise. I expect that it will be a good experience educationally this semester, and I hope that I can get all A's that way I can apply for the TEACH grant, which requires a 3.25 GPA and I don't have that high of GPA anymore.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Akeelah and the Bee
Don't create robots (rote memorization vs. informed learning)
One of the things that was covered in this movie was Lawrence Fishborne's character, Dr. Larabee, emphasized that Dylan was just a robot who memorized words, meanwhile, he was teaching Akeelah via reading books from Civil Rights leaders.
This has an interesting part to it, it seems to be saying to me that rote memorization is not needed, because what stereotypically requires rote memorization the most? In my mind, it is tests and spelling bees. But Dr. Larabee doesn't teach it through rote memorization, which can show us future and current teachers that we don't have to teach out students how to take a test via rote memorization. We can teach them about Frederick Douglass and in the process, show them how to spell words or summarize a reading.
Believing in yourself
All it took for Akeelah to believe in herself was Mr. Larabee guiding her to it. He used that quote on the wall to begin her on her journey to begin to believe in herself. He helped her believe in herself by just telling her that she could do it. It took one person to begin her journey to believing in herself, one person who could be you as a teacher, a doctor, a politician, we all can be that one person. If we all become that one person to help children believe in themselves, our world would be drastically different (I will not say that it would be perfect, but it would be different). When I become a Special Education teacher, I will try to be that one person to as many students as I can. Even now, only as a Future Special Education Teacher, this semester, I will be in the classrooms, and I will try to be that one person.
Teaching modification
This movie had a wonderful example of a teaching modification, he was teaching her books from the civil rights activists. But, when they were outside, he began to notice her hand tapping and realized that her mnemonic device for remembering words was keeping time. So, he stopped teaching her civil rights books and began to teach her while she jump roped. She would jump rope to everything he taught her, and if you ask me, it became her visual and kinesthetic memory (In the scene where she almost forgets how to spell the word, she begins to jump rope with an invisible jump rope and she sees the letters).
She needed the jump rope to help her kick off her learning the words and the prefixes and suffixes of words. And he gave her the jump rope, he used it in the beginning to help her get over her distraction of the dog barking, but later it just became a way of keeping time. This is an excellent example of a teaching modification.
One of the things that was covered in this movie was Lawrence Fishborne's character, Dr. Larabee, emphasized that Dylan was just a robot who memorized words, meanwhile, he was teaching Akeelah via reading books from Civil Rights leaders.
This has an interesting part to it, it seems to be saying to me that rote memorization is not needed, because what stereotypically requires rote memorization the most? In my mind, it is tests and spelling bees. But Dr. Larabee doesn't teach it through rote memorization, which can show us future and current teachers that we don't have to teach out students how to take a test via rote memorization. We can teach them about Frederick Douglass and in the process, show them how to spell words or summarize a reading.
Believing in yourself
All it took for Akeelah to believe in herself was Mr. Larabee guiding her to it. He used that quote on the wall to begin her on her journey to begin to believe in herself. He helped her believe in herself by just telling her that she could do it. It took one person to begin her journey to believing in herself, one person who could be you as a teacher, a doctor, a politician, we all can be that one person. If we all become that one person to help children believe in themselves, our world would be drastically different (I will not say that it would be perfect, but it would be different). When I become a Special Education teacher, I will try to be that one person to as many students as I can. Even now, only as a Future Special Education Teacher, this semester, I will be in the classrooms, and I will try to be that one person.
Teaching modification
This movie had a wonderful example of a teaching modification, he was teaching her books from the civil rights activists. But, when they were outside, he began to notice her hand tapping and realized that her mnemonic device for remembering words was keeping time. So, he stopped teaching her civil rights books and began to teach her while she jump roped. She would jump rope to everything he taught her, and if you ask me, it became her visual and kinesthetic memory (In the scene where she almost forgets how to spell the word, she begins to jump rope with an invisible jump rope and she sees the letters).
She needed the jump rope to help her kick off her learning the words and the prefixes and suffixes of words. And he gave her the jump rope, he used it in the beginning to help her get over her distraction of the dog barking, but later it just became a way of keeping time. This is an excellent example of a teaching modification.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Social and Emotional Learning: Making a Case in a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) World Reflection
http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-nclb-webinar
So, empathy can be taught through direct instruction. It leads me to wonder is there anything that cannot be taught through direct instruction? In order to answer this question, I think I need to do a little bit of research on direct instruction. In the special education degree that I am working on, we continue to hear about direct instruction, but only through osmosis. They teach us about direct instruction thinking we already know a lot about it. Which would be ideal for us to do our own research, or for me to do my own research on direct instruction.
So, that is what the next section is going to be about, with a few random articles from Edutopia and other sites that stick out to me, as well as some movies that have nothing to do with direct instruction. But I need to gain a better understanding of direct instruction.
So, empathy can be taught through direct instruction. It leads me to wonder is there anything that cannot be taught through direct instruction? In order to answer this question, I think I need to do a little bit of research on direct instruction. In the special education degree that I am working on, we continue to hear about direct instruction, but only through osmosis. They teach us about direct instruction thinking we already know a lot about it. Which would be ideal for us to do our own research, or for me to do my own research on direct instruction.
So, that is what the next section is going to be about, with a few random articles from Edutopia and other sites that stick out to me, as well as some movies that have nothing to do with direct instruction. But I need to gain a better understanding of direct instruction.
Late-Night Learning: Alternative Scheduling for the School Day
http://www.edutopia.org/cowan-sunset-alternative-schedule-video
Last semester, I took the earliest class that I have ever taken in college. You may laugh, but the earliest class was a 9:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am not a morning person, which is very ironic to the field that I am going into, because it is usually a morning job. But schools like this, which offer afternoon classes would work perfectly with my sleep schedule.
I think afternoon/late-night classes for students is a much better idea than making them wake up at 7am every morning. Because many students, I will not say all, but many, participate in extra-curricular activities which go until 5pm. So, they are at school for 10 hours from 7am-5pm, then they get home and they have an extra 5 hours (assuming they are in an AP class because they are involved in extracurriculars) of homework, that makes it 10pm. But, breaks have to exist during studying or the student will become frustrated, so they take two hour long breaks, and that boosts it up to midnight, then they have to go to sleep and wake up early the next day.
It is a pointless cycle that makes the student very prone to sickness. But afternoon school makes much more sense to me, because then they can have had enough sleep. Researchers say that students need at least 8 hours of sleep per night and they are not getting that if they go to a school that starts at 7am, because homework gets in the way. So, if they have energy and are well rested, they are much more likely to actually learn as compared to sitting in a class not learning anything.
I think that for many students, afternoon or late-night classes is the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for them. It is an environment when they can be in check of their emotions, because when I am tired, everything irritates me more. So, we need to offer more of these schools, plus this school does it because many of its students work day jobs to support their families, and I think that that is true even today with regular students (students without children to take care of, but families to take care of).
Last semester, I took the earliest class that I have ever taken in college. You may laugh, but the earliest class was a 9:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am not a morning person, which is very ironic to the field that I am going into, because it is usually a morning job. But schools like this, which offer afternoon classes would work perfectly with my sleep schedule.
I think afternoon/late-night classes for students is a much better idea than making them wake up at 7am every morning. Because many students, I will not say all, but many, participate in extra-curricular activities which go until 5pm. So, they are at school for 10 hours from 7am-5pm, then they get home and they have an extra 5 hours (assuming they are in an AP class because they are involved in extracurriculars) of homework, that makes it 10pm. But, breaks have to exist during studying or the student will become frustrated, so they take two hour long breaks, and that boosts it up to midnight, then they have to go to sleep and wake up early the next day.
It is a pointless cycle that makes the student very prone to sickness. But afternoon school makes much more sense to me, because then they can have had enough sleep. Researchers say that students need at least 8 hours of sleep per night and they are not getting that if they go to a school that starts at 7am, because homework gets in the way. So, if they have energy and are well rested, they are much more likely to actually learn as compared to sitting in a class not learning anything.
I think that for many students, afternoon or late-night classes is the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for them. It is an environment when they can be in check of their emotions, because when I am tired, everything irritates me more. So, we need to offer more of these schools, plus this school does it because many of its students work day jobs to support their families, and I think that that is true even today with regular students (students without children to take care of, but families to take care of).
Instruments of Learning
http://www.edutopia.org/bay-shore-music-technology-video
http://www.edutopia.org/beyond-band
Just a personal story from me about music, my mom was a piano player from a very early age, and she would play the piano when I was a young kid and even now. And her playing the piano really gave me a sense of appreciation as well as a very basic (If you could even call it that) understanding of what music is. Music is a bunch or maybe one single tone of a sound that can be fast or can be slow, but it has the ability to really reach your soul.
So, that is why these articles (both on the same thing) really reached out to me. I believe that music is vital to education, at some point, a student should be able to know how to play, like me for instance, a cello or a piano or even just sing. Because, and bare with me here, because it is important, this activity of being in an orchestra, band, or choir is in a three words Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The example in the last post of circle time is basically the time where maybe one type of instrument play together and get to know each other.
In orchestra, usually when the conductor is working with another instrument, you were able to really communicate and have fun discussions with the fellow instrumentists or maybe even the violas to the right of you (even though they are awkward and NOT cellos, therefore they are inferior...in theory.). But it created a sense of comradery between individuals which is what SEL really emphasizes.
Plus, the talking object in this example could be a performer who is playing a solo for a certain song. And they feel very important because solos are supposed to be awesome, and they are doing awesome. Basically, orchestra, band, and choir really create a sense of an SEL environment.
http://www.edutopia.org/beyond-band
Just a personal story from me about music, my mom was a piano player from a very early age, and she would play the piano when I was a young kid and even now. And her playing the piano really gave me a sense of appreciation as well as a very basic (If you could even call it that) understanding of what music is. Music is a bunch or maybe one single tone of a sound that can be fast or can be slow, but it has the ability to really reach your soul.
So, that is why these articles (both on the same thing) really reached out to me. I believe that music is vital to education, at some point, a student should be able to know how to play, like me for instance, a cello or a piano or even just sing. Because, and bare with me here, because it is important, this activity of being in an orchestra, band, or choir is in a three words Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The example in the last post of circle time is basically the time where maybe one type of instrument play together and get to know each other.
In orchestra, usually when the conductor is working with another instrument, you were able to really communicate and have fun discussions with the fellow instrumentists or maybe even the violas to the right of you (even though they are awkward and NOT cellos, therefore they are inferior...in theory.). But it created a sense of comradery between individuals which is what SEL really emphasizes.
Plus, the talking object in this example could be a performer who is playing a solo for a certain song. And they feel very important because solos are supposed to be awesome, and they are doing awesome. Basically, orchestra, band, and choir really create a sense of an SEL environment.
Social and Emotional Learning: Making a Case in a No Child Left Behind (NCLB) World Notes
http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-nclb-webinar
- Tests have created a classroom frenzy of teaching the basic skills
- In my day, the things that weren't necessarily the basic skills were the ones that stuck with you the longest and had the biggest impact on your life
- Can these skills be taught?
- They can be
- Teaching SEL helps students become more successful in social and academic settings.
- SEL is core concept of Edutopia.
- Kati Delahanty
- Mentors new teachers
- Working in school district to work on social justice curriculum
- 11 of her students are parents
- All actively trying to find out who they are
- Her job to feel respected and supported every day
- When they don't feel this, they don't learn as well.
- Teaches in alternative community
- Her goals are
- To help her students succeed
- To create a safe learning environment
- To teach her students to work collaboratively
- Why SEL
- To combat low self-esteem and lack of self-discipline
- To help students get good at working and learning together
- To create a culture of respect
- What works
- Room arranged in groups
- Random seating every week
- Attention signal
- Silently raises her hand and they know to wrap up what they are doing
- Modeling how to interrupt politely
- Not all about the teacher and what they want
- They deserve to finish what they are saying or doing.
- Partner Chats
- Thank-yous
- "Thank you for making me smarter."
- Sharing routines: body language
- Turn and shift their body to who is speaking
- Lower pencil
- Practice listening
- Explain the reasoning
- Shows them why what you are telling them what to do
- Post-it note conversations
- Subtle talking to
- Example
- Student is late (everyone in class sees it)- it is pointless to yell at them in front of the class
- Give them a post-it note appreciating them for sitting down and working automatically, then give them another note to come see you after class.
- Rituals
- Circles
- A way of group that focuses on listening (talking piece)
- They can pass
- They should share as much or as little as possible
- Rooted in native american tradition
- Talking piece (a special object)
- Open and close circle together
- Always pass to the left
- Community agreements
- i.e. respect confidentiality, be open-minded and don't judge people
- Academic conferences
- Student begins and leads the academic conference
- Reflect on successes and challenges
- Setting goals and next steps
- Weekly whole-unit circles
- Last round: shout-outs
- Chants and call and response
- Students choose beats and different things like that
- "It's not where you start; it's where you end up."
- "Smart is not what you are; it's what you get."
- Post-it Note affirmation
- How to react to harm
- Instead of asking
- What rule was broken?
- Who broke it?
- How should he/she be punished?
- We ask
- Who was harmed
- What does he/she need to move forward
- Who is responsible for making things right?
- Suspension circles
- Instead of suspension meetings, they do it in a circle and take account for their actions.
- Quotes
- "Circle unites us."
- "I know that everyone has their eyes on me. It's my time to talk and their time to listen. It's when I shine."
- "We had a conversation in circle once about how to treat each other, and I figured out that no one is perfect. I realized it's a good thing to be a good student, a good listener, and just a good person."
- "In this community, my friends make me feel like somebody. Here, I know my classmates. I need to know someone to trust him or her."
- Dr. Sheldon Berman
- Superintendent who started district-wide SEL
- Care for Kids (SEL program)
- Goal of SEL in his district
- Help young people develop the convictions and skills to shape a safe, sustainable, and just world.
- Theory of action or theory of change
- Motivates or moves us
- JCPS's theory of action
- When we collaborate to
- Create caring and culturally responsive classroom communities
- Provide high-quality, personalized instruction that challenges and engages students in authentic work;
- Ensure equitable access for all students to a consistent, inquiry-based curriculum; and
- Prepare leaders to engages in collaborative strategies to move this shared vision forward.
- Then all students graduate with
- A high level of academic performance
- So all students are prepared to
- Enhance health and wellness
- Create a more just society
- Focus on district-wide change
- Empathy
- Ethics
- Service
- Care for Kids
- Morning meeting and end-of-day check-in meetings
- Builds community, creates a positive climate for learning.
- Check-in meeting
- Brings a supportive closure to the day
- Parents no longer get the answer "I don't know" for the question "What did you learn today?"
- Class meetings
- Solve problems
- Come up with rules
- Developmental discipline
- Logical consequences for behavior
- i.e. pushing the student
- How can we help these students
- How can we prevent the behavior for next time
- Don't suspend them, doesn't make sense
- Cross-age mentoring (grades 1-5)
- Feel a sense of connection with older classrooms
- Older students feel important
- Cultural competence and teacher language
- Teachers learn how to teach students with diverse backgrounds
- Home-to-school activities
- Stimulate conversations between students and family members
- Link home and school
- School-wide community-building activities
- Create community activities (i.e. Feed my starving children)
- Timothy Shriver
- Chairmen of boards of CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning)
- Supports SEL
- Chairman of special Olympics
- CASEL
- Formed in 1994
- Created and called it Social Emotional Learning
- Why SEL
- If SEL is done effectively, 11 point gain on standardized tests in mathematics and reading.
- 5 core SEL competencies
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
- Relationship skills
- Responsible decision making
- SEL is not touchy-feely
- There is a rigor
- Combine language arts with SEL or any other basic skills teaching can be complimented by SEL
- Why now?
- Relationships promote learning (untrue)
- Learning IS a relationship
- Neuroscience shows emotion, attention, and learning are linked (Click here for notes and here for reflection for blog on video on Neuroscience of Social and Emotional Learning
- SEL can be taught by regular teachers, who also benefit
- Benefits have long duration
- SEL practice is mature
- Proven programs and evidence-based programs already exist
- Policy landscape is ripe
- Illinois, New York, Michigan have taken into creating policies and state standards for SEL
Special Education in Israel
http://www.science.co.il/Education/Special-Education-in-Israel.pdf
So, I will start by saying this, this is an overview of Special Education in Israel from 2002, things might have changed, but I'm working off of this article, so the point is, I am not an expert in this area and things might have changed since this article was written.
So, first I will begin with what is different between the United States version and the Israel version of Special Education. In the United States, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the creation of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the child to involve the parents. In Israel, an IEP is still created, so that is wonderful, but the parents have no say in what is on it. Therefore, it would seem to me that the only things that would be on it are academic things, which are a great place to start, but what about behaviors that are present at home? What if the child throws sharp objects at home, but because he is in school and does not have access to sharp objects, he doesn't throw them? Should that not be on the IEP, but it could not because the parents are not there.
The next difference between Israel and United States Special Education relates to the first point, but with regards to the assessment process. In IDEA, it requires parents to okay their student for the assessment and placement process (This allows the parents to say not to help with regards to their child); However, in Israel, there is no parental involvement in the assessment and placement process, the only people at these meetings are:
So what is my definition of a good human being, a good human being has the power to empathize with the person who is talking to them. A good human being is able to help someone else when they are in need. Notice here that I don't think that knowing how to do math is all that important, it's important for the tests and sometimes in real life, but empathy and compassion are more important because they can help the student with the disability find out who they are, which is a hard enough thing to do without having a disability.
So, I will start by saying this, this is an overview of Special Education in Israel from 2002, things might have changed, but I'm working off of this article, so the point is, I am not an expert in this area and things might have changed since this article was written.
So, first I will begin with what is different between the United States version and the Israel version of Special Education. In the United States, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the creation of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the child to involve the parents. In Israel, an IEP is still created, so that is wonderful, but the parents have no say in what is on it. Therefore, it would seem to me that the only things that would be on it are academic things, which are a great place to start, but what about behaviors that are present at home? What if the child throws sharp objects at home, but because he is in school and does not have access to sharp objects, he doesn't throw them? Should that not be on the IEP, but it could not because the parents are not there.
The next difference between Israel and United States Special Education relates to the first point, but with regards to the assessment process. In IDEA, it requires parents to okay their student for the assessment and placement process (This allows the parents to say not to help with regards to their child); However, in Israel, there is no parental involvement in the assessment and placement process, the only people at these meetings are:
- A representative of the local education authority
- Two Ministry of Education supervisors
- An educational psychologist
- A pediatrician
- A social worker
- A representative of the National Special Education Parents' Organization
What strikes me as odd is that parents are not there, but a representative of a parents organization is there. Another thing that strikes me as odd is that there are not teachers or special educators or case managers (The case manager is the person who, in the US, takes care of meeting all of the goals and benchmarks of the IEP). So, it just leads me to wonder who is the one who is supposed to make sure the child is meeting their benchmarks and goals? And I don't know the answer to that, if any of you know, that would be awesome if you could let me know, I would like a better view of this.
I would like to say right now that here, I am on the fence as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Because here in the United States, the parents have the final say to everything. If the parent does not want their child to be labeled with a disability, then the child will not be assessed for a disability. I need to remark now that not all parents opt for that decision, I don't know the numbers, but it is possible that the parent might not want their child to be diagnosed with a disability. So, which one is better? No parent involvement in Israel to the point where the child can be put in a solely Special Education school which might not be the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE); or is it better to have parental involvement and have the possibility of having them refuse to accept that their child has a disability and not allow the assessment process to go on. Unfortunately, I am on the fence, I think that for those parents who refuse, Israel's approach to this part of Special Education is better, but not all parents refuse, so which is better? I don't know.
The final thing, and this isn't quite as big of a difference, but it is sort of a difference is the Goal of Special Education in Israel vs. the United States. In the United States, the goal is to create citizens who participate in our society, but in Israel, their goal is:
Read this again and tell me if anything pops up at you. It did to me the second time I read it, and it set of huge red flags of "NNNOOO!!!" (And yes, it was that all capital letters, 3 of each letter and 3 exclamation points) Here is what set off the red flags "To correct..." Special Education, in my mind, is the ability to look past the disability and accept that sometimes, it is not correctable. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is irreversible, how can we morally set out to fix that person when fixing is impossible. What the goal of special education is is to nurture (I keep putting create when i talk about this, and it disturbs me that I put create, because teachers should never create, they should nurture) a good human being out something that society despises (And we despise anything that is not perfect, look at how long we keep an electronic that is broken before returning it back to the store where we got it.).To advance and develop the skills and abilities of the special-needs child, to correct and enhance his or her physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral functioning, to impart to him or her knowledge, skills and habits, and to help him learn acceptable social behavior with the goal to facilitate his or her integration into society and employment circles. (Section B.2)
So what is my definition of a good human being, a good human being has the power to empathize with the person who is talking to them. A good human being is able to help someone else when they are in need. Notice here that I don't think that knowing how to do math is all that important, it's important for the tests and sometimes in real life, but empathy and compassion are more important because they can help the student with the disability find out who they are, which is a hard enough thing to do without having a disability.
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