F.A.T. City.
The video F.A.T. City, featuring Richard Lavoie, raised many thought provoking ideas and theories in terms of understanding the needs and struggles of students with learning disabilities. The ideas in the movie really made me stop and think. I think that this is because the concepts that are presented challenged what exists in my schema and understanding of the world.
The most striking concept that was brought forth in the video for me was Lavoie's alternative take on fairness. He states that a child, when asked to describe fairness, will say that it means everyone gets the same. He challenges us to change our concept of fairness to mean that everyone gets what they need rather then the same. From a logical stand point I believe that everyone getting what they need is a proper method of instruction, but it is not the definition of fairness. In my opinion this adds to the shock factor of some of the messages that Lavoie was trying to convey. He takes a concept or idea that is clear to us in everyday life and redefines it causing us to step back and reconsider the true definition of the word.
Lavoie also talks about the difficulty that some students have with visualizing a finsihed product, thus it is difficult for them to complete a task. The process of learning to read is especially difficult for students with learning disabilities. Lavoie attributes these difficulties to the inability to visualize what a word looks like when it is spelled out. A great example of this that Lavoie uses is the ability of a regular child to clean their room. In order to complete the task the child can mentally visualize what the room will look like when it is clean, from this the child can take the logical steps to change the room in order to make it look the same as it did the last time that it was clean. A child with a learning disability lacks the ability to visualize their room in the same way as the so called regular child. I think that knowing this information can help us as educators to see that if we can understand the disability it is simple to make accomodations for the child so that they are able to learn just as well as the regular children in the classroom. I believe that understanding the root of the disability rather then just the symptoms can be instrumental in implementing inclusion in the classroom. Instead of dealing with the symptoms and the behavioural disruptions that a disability brings about Lavoie encourages us as teachers to make accomodations so that the disability is not detrimental to the childs learning experience.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
IPPs
In class today we discussed the process of creating an effective individualized program plan. The process is long but when looking at the elements it is clear to see that they all play a role in ensuring that the student experiences a high degree of success through out the school year. As a means to help me to better understand the elements and the process of creating the IPP I will use this blog to briefly list and describe the components.
1. Specialized assessment data: This information is usually collected by a trained psychologist and relates to diagnoses and identification. It helps to determine if the child meets the criteria to be coded.
2. Current level of performance and achievement: gives a general sense of where the child is at. The information source is the assessment that we as teachers give using standardized tests.
3. Identification of strengths and areas of need: The strengths that are identified can be used to help the student reach the goals that are set. There are three kinds of strengths and needs, cognitive, social, physical. These strengths and weaknesses can be found out from the parents because they know their child best.
4. Measurable goals and objectives: The central component of the IPP. Goals are year long and objectives breack down the goal into smaller pieces. It is important to ensure that the goals are SMART and to use ACT How objectives.
5. Procedures for evaluating progress related to goals: The methods that assess whether or not the goals and objectives are being met.
6. Identification of coordinated support services: This section identifies the people involved with the IPP team. These people could include the classroom teacher, the parents, teacher's assistant, psychologist, nurse or anyone else involved in creating and carrying out the goals in the IPP process.
7. Medical Information: It is important to remember that medical information should only be included if it is pertinent to the child's learning needs.
8. Classroom Accomodations: This section discusses how we as teachers will alter the activities that we do in the classroom to make them better fit the needs of the student. There are two types of accomodations and they are environmental and instructional. Environmental accomodations are related to physical things in the classroom, whereas instructional accomodations are related to the way that we teach and present the material in the classroom.
9. Planning for Transition: This section includes information regarding the child's move from one grade to another, or from middle school into high school. In this section a plan is created for helping the student to meet the new teachers and find important places such as lockers, washrooms and classrooms in the new school environment. This process will help to ease the child's anxiety over the change.
10. Review of Progress of IPP Goals: It is important to have regular reporting periods in which the progress that the student is making is recorded. These should occur about three to four times throughout the year.
11. Year end Summary: This is filled out at the end of the year by the IPP team and discusses the progress that the student made in all areas of the IPP goals and objectives. In this space recomendations for the following year are also made.
12. Informed Parental Consent: It is important to have an active relationship with the parents, and it is mandated by the school that parents must know all relevant info that is discussed in the IPP. Parents must grant consent for the IPP.
In class today we discussed the process of creating an effective individualized program plan. The process is long but when looking at the elements it is clear to see that they all play a role in ensuring that the student experiences a high degree of success through out the school year. As a means to help me to better understand the elements and the process of creating the IPP I will use this blog to briefly list and describe the components.
1. Specialized assessment data: This information is usually collected by a trained psychologist and relates to diagnoses and identification. It helps to determine if the child meets the criteria to be coded.
2. Current level of performance and achievement: gives a general sense of where the child is at. The information source is the assessment that we as teachers give using standardized tests.
3. Identification of strengths and areas of need: The strengths that are identified can be used to help the student reach the goals that are set. There are three kinds of strengths and needs, cognitive, social, physical. These strengths and weaknesses can be found out from the parents because they know their child best.
4. Measurable goals and objectives: The central component of the IPP. Goals are year long and objectives breack down the goal into smaller pieces. It is important to ensure that the goals are SMART and to use ACT How objectives.
5. Procedures for evaluating progress related to goals: The methods that assess whether or not the goals and objectives are being met.
6. Identification of coordinated support services: This section identifies the people involved with the IPP team. These people could include the classroom teacher, the parents, teacher's assistant, psychologist, nurse or anyone else involved in creating and carrying out the goals in the IPP process.
7. Medical Information: It is important to remember that medical information should only be included if it is pertinent to the child's learning needs.
8. Classroom Accomodations: This section discusses how we as teachers will alter the activities that we do in the classroom to make them better fit the needs of the student. There are two types of accomodations and they are environmental and instructional. Environmental accomodations are related to physical things in the classroom, whereas instructional accomodations are related to the way that we teach and present the material in the classroom.
9. Planning for Transition: This section includes information regarding the child's move from one grade to another, or from middle school into high school. In this section a plan is created for helping the student to meet the new teachers and find important places such as lockers, washrooms and classrooms in the new school environment. This process will help to ease the child's anxiety over the change.
10. Review of Progress of IPP Goals: It is important to have regular reporting periods in which the progress that the student is making is recorded. These should occur about three to four times throughout the year.
11. Year end Summary: This is filled out at the end of the year by the IPP team and discusses the progress that the student made in all areas of the IPP goals and objectives. In this space recomendations for the following year are also made.
12. Informed Parental Consent: It is important to have an active relationship with the parents, and it is mandated by the school that parents must know all relevant info that is discussed in the IPP. Parents must grant consent for the IPP.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Service Delivery Models
In class we disscussed three different types of service delivery models. They include special education classes, resource room or withdrawal models, as well as inclusive classrooms. I think that each of these unique models can be effective but none of the above models are without drawbacks. the main goal of service delivery models is to ensure that all of the needs of the student are being met. This includes cognitive as well as behavioural needs that the child is struggling with meeting in the usual classroom setting.
The special education classes service delivery model is divided into three types of classes. Opportunities classes are offered to students with mild cognitive delays. These classes offer students a chance to get the extra help that they need in order to achieve at the appropriate level. Students spend all of their time in the special education class and are not included in the regular classroom. I think that this model is effective in helping the students to recieve the individual one on one attention that they require to be successful in their studies. Although I also believe that it is unfortunate that the students are permanently removed from the regular classroom and therefore lose the interaction and social skills that are built in that atmosphere.
Strategies classes are similar to opportunities classes except that students involved in these programs often suffer from a specific learning disability. The classes are structured towards helping students find their strengths in learning. If they are able to do so they can find ways to work around the learning disability and therefore function at the appropriate level for their age.
The third type of special education classes are behaviour and learning support, they are designed for students with severe behavioural problems and they are typically extremely structured. The program encourages students to recognize triggers and avoid situations that would generally cause them to have an outburst. The curriculum is still taught to the students but with an extra layer, being the behavioural management, added to it. I think that the idea of removing students with severe behavioural problems from the regular classroom definitely has benefits. Implementing the behaviour management layer of the curriculum would be helpful in assisting students to learn skills that will help them not only in school but throughout their entire lives. I think the down side to this method is the stigma that is attached to students that are labelled as having a behaviour problem. When these students are pulled out of the classroom it can often be embarresing and difficult to deal with peers in the regular classroom.
The second type of service delivery model is the resource room or withdrawal method. In this case the student is pulled from the regular classroom throughout the day in order to recieve assistance in areas of need. The down falls of this method include the interuption of routine not only for the student but also for the teacher. The stigma that can get attached to students that have to be pulled out of class to go to the resource room can be detrimental to their self esteem and social connections with the regular class. Despite this there is often progress with the learning of students when this approach is used, which is a huge benefit to the strategy.
The third and final service delivery model is full inclusion. In this instance the primary vision of the classroom is a sense of belonging and community. The main goal in the inclusive classroom is the delivery of instruction and ensuring that all students feel that no one child is intentionally segregated. In my opinion inclusion is an intimidating phenomenon as a first year teacher. I think that having a background in special education would definitely help to ease some of the stress and anxiety that goes along with the prospect of inclusion. Having said this I think that inclusion has some undeniable benefits in terms of helping all students, special needs or not, to prepare for the real world and life beyond the classroom setting.
Analyzing these different models has helped me to see that there truely is no clear cut best way of taking on the challenges of accomodating the strengths and weaknessess of all students. It is clear that all of the methods have merit and knowing which situations require what model is the true art of helping all children to achieve the best that they are capable of.
In class we disscussed three different types of service delivery models. They include special education classes, resource room or withdrawal models, as well as inclusive classrooms. I think that each of these unique models can be effective but none of the above models are without drawbacks. the main goal of service delivery models is to ensure that all of the needs of the student are being met. This includes cognitive as well as behavioural needs that the child is struggling with meeting in the usual classroom setting.
The special education classes service delivery model is divided into three types of classes. Opportunities classes are offered to students with mild cognitive delays. These classes offer students a chance to get the extra help that they need in order to achieve at the appropriate level. Students spend all of their time in the special education class and are not included in the regular classroom. I think that this model is effective in helping the students to recieve the individual one on one attention that they require to be successful in their studies. Although I also believe that it is unfortunate that the students are permanently removed from the regular classroom and therefore lose the interaction and social skills that are built in that atmosphere.
Strategies classes are similar to opportunities classes except that students involved in these programs often suffer from a specific learning disability. The classes are structured towards helping students find their strengths in learning. If they are able to do so they can find ways to work around the learning disability and therefore function at the appropriate level for their age.
The third type of special education classes are behaviour and learning support, they are designed for students with severe behavioural problems and they are typically extremely structured. The program encourages students to recognize triggers and avoid situations that would generally cause them to have an outburst. The curriculum is still taught to the students but with an extra layer, being the behavioural management, added to it. I think that the idea of removing students with severe behavioural problems from the regular classroom definitely has benefits. Implementing the behaviour management layer of the curriculum would be helpful in assisting students to learn skills that will help them not only in school but throughout their entire lives. I think the down side to this method is the stigma that is attached to students that are labelled as having a behaviour problem. When these students are pulled out of the classroom it can often be embarresing and difficult to deal with peers in the regular classroom.
The second type of service delivery model is the resource room or withdrawal method. In this case the student is pulled from the regular classroom throughout the day in order to recieve assistance in areas of need. The down falls of this method include the interuption of routine not only for the student but also for the teacher. The stigma that can get attached to students that have to be pulled out of class to go to the resource room can be detrimental to their self esteem and social connections with the regular class. Despite this there is often progress with the learning of students when this approach is used, which is a huge benefit to the strategy.
The third and final service delivery model is full inclusion. In this instance the primary vision of the classroom is a sense of belonging and community. The main goal in the inclusive classroom is the delivery of instruction and ensuring that all students feel that no one child is intentionally segregated. In my opinion inclusion is an intimidating phenomenon as a first year teacher. I think that having a background in special education would definitely help to ease some of the stress and anxiety that goes along with the prospect of inclusion. Having said this I think that inclusion has some undeniable benefits in terms of helping all students, special needs or not, to prepare for the real world and life beyond the classroom setting.
Analyzing these different models has helped me to see that there truely is no clear cut best way of taking on the challenges of accomodating the strengths and weaknessess of all students. It is clear that all of the methods have merit and knowing which situations require what model is the true art of helping all children to achieve the best that they are capable of.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Disabilities
After reflecting on our in class discussion regarding disabilities, I came to the conclusion that the word disability is not nearly as clear cut as I once thought it to be. The word disability spans a large field of behaviours and physical limitations. I learned through our discussion that one functional definition of the word does not seem to exist. I felt enlightened by the many different ways that my classmates described the word.
After reading the textbook and examining the many scopes and subfields of the term disability. I came to the realization that the shear broadness of the term is one of the largest barriers to finding an appropriate definition. The textbook breaks down the term disability into five main catagories, they are as follows, communicational, intellectual, behavioural, physical and multiple. It also points out that there are thirteen subcategories under these five main umbrella groups. I think by defining these more specific groups and by categorizing disabilities one can gain a far more precise understanding of the needs and impairments of the children that are labelled as having a disability.
As an aspiring teacher, the concept of including children with disabilities in the classroom is intimidating and anxiety provoking, but having a clear understanding of the implications of the disability that an individual child has helps to reduce this anxiety. This is not to say that I oppose inclusive education. Rather I am concerned about meeting the diverse needs of all students. I think that it would be unnatural for a teacher not to have feelings of anxiety in this regard. I value the philosophy that all children deserve to learn in an environment that is fully supportive of their individual needs. I feel that if I were to focus my attention on the children with disabilities in the classroom, it would leave the children that are seen as average to fall through the cracks and not recieve the proper attention they need to be successful. I believe that everyone has limitations in terms of what they can take on, and I think that the teachers limits must be taken into account when considering inclusion in the classroom.
I think that inclusion of students with disabilities also has benefits for the class as a whole. Inclusion forces teachers to reach out to the individual learning modalities and multiple intelligences. Using well thought out instruction benefits all students even those that are not labelled as having a disability. In this sense inclusion can help teachers strive to accomodate the individual learning needs of all students in the classroom.
After reflecting on our in class discussion regarding disabilities, I came to the conclusion that the word disability is not nearly as clear cut as I once thought it to be. The word disability spans a large field of behaviours and physical limitations. I learned through our discussion that one functional definition of the word does not seem to exist. I felt enlightened by the many different ways that my classmates described the word.
After reading the textbook and examining the many scopes and subfields of the term disability. I came to the realization that the shear broadness of the term is one of the largest barriers to finding an appropriate definition. The textbook breaks down the term disability into five main catagories, they are as follows, communicational, intellectual, behavioural, physical and multiple. It also points out that there are thirteen subcategories under these five main umbrella groups. I think by defining these more specific groups and by categorizing disabilities one can gain a far more precise understanding of the needs and impairments of the children that are labelled as having a disability.
As an aspiring teacher, the concept of including children with disabilities in the classroom is intimidating and anxiety provoking, but having a clear understanding of the implications of the disability that an individual child has helps to reduce this anxiety. This is not to say that I oppose inclusive education. Rather I am concerned about meeting the diverse needs of all students. I think that it would be unnatural for a teacher not to have feelings of anxiety in this regard. I value the philosophy that all children deserve to learn in an environment that is fully supportive of their individual needs. I feel that if I were to focus my attention on the children with disabilities in the classroom, it would leave the children that are seen as average to fall through the cracks and not recieve the proper attention they need to be successful. I believe that everyone has limitations in terms of what they can take on, and I think that the teachers limits must be taken into account when considering inclusion in the classroom.
I think that inclusion of students with disabilities also has benefits for the class as a whole. Inclusion forces teachers to reach out to the individual learning modalities and multiple intelligences. Using well thought out instruction benefits all students even those that are not labelled as having a disability. In this sense inclusion can help teachers strive to accomodate the individual learning needs of all students in the classroom.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What is Inclusive Education?
With all the hype about inclusive education in the educational research world as of late, I think it is important to first have a firm understanding of what is being implyed by the term inclusive education. We often become critics and are prone to pick out the faults and short comings of any system that is implemented, but in order to provide a reasonable analysis of the phenomenon I think that it is important to also give consideration to the positive aspects. Inclusive education can be described as educating all children together well. UNESCO describes inclusive education as providing all children the opportunity to learn together without descrimination. I think that it is difficult to draw the fine line that should exist between the system of coding and the inclusive model. I think the change begs the question of how funds can be properly allocated to ensure that students with disabilities are benefiting fully from the schooling program that they recieve. As a future teacher I also question what supports will be available for teachers working in an inclusive setting. Without the distinction of codes how can we be sure that the individuals who require assistance beyond the reaches of the classroom teacher are being helped appropriately? I think it must also be taken into consideration that the leaarning of the entire class can't be compromised in order to implement and meet the needs of the few students with special needs or disabilities. Having said this, after today's lecture I am curious about the technical aspects that need to be considered when implementing inclusive education. As a future teacher I am concerned about the new classroom dynamic that will become a reality through the introduction of inclusion into classrooms.
With all the hype about inclusive education in the educational research world as of late, I think it is important to first have a firm understanding of what is being implyed by the term inclusive education. We often become critics and are prone to pick out the faults and short comings of any system that is implemented, but in order to provide a reasonable analysis of the phenomenon I think that it is important to also give consideration to the positive aspects. Inclusive education can be described as educating all children together well. UNESCO describes inclusive education as providing all children the opportunity to learn together without descrimination. I think that it is difficult to draw the fine line that should exist between the system of coding and the inclusive model. I think the change begs the question of how funds can be properly allocated to ensure that students with disabilities are benefiting fully from the schooling program that they recieve. As a future teacher I also question what supports will be available for teachers working in an inclusive setting. Without the distinction of codes how can we be sure that the individuals who require assistance beyond the reaches of the classroom teacher are being helped appropriately? I think it must also be taken into consideration that the leaarning of the entire class can't be compromised in order to implement and meet the needs of the few students with special needs or disabilities. Having said this, after today's lecture I am curious about the technical aspects that need to be considered when implementing inclusive education. As a future teacher I am concerned about the new classroom dynamic that will become a reality through the introduction of inclusion into classrooms.
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