20 Hours of Learn & Serve= Complete 12/2

Yesterday was my last day at Learn and Serve for this semester. I made up little goodie bags for the students with some candy, pencils and pens, and a hanging snowflake decoration. Even the students who are never smiling said, "Thank you!" with a smile on thier face. I was happy I could do something nice for them. Although they don't know it, they have all taught me a lot this semester. (And you're never too old for a goodie bag..right?!) Mrs. Burkett was thrilled that I had thought of her students. I gave her some decorative words for her classroom, nothing extravagant, I just wanted to let her and the students know that I cared about and appreciated them. I had a great experience at this learn and serve placement. It was the first time that I felt I developed a strong relationship with the teacher and the students. I would like to go back and help out in her classroom and we are going to keep in touch. We spent our last day together in the computer lab. The students were working on their Children's non fiction books. They were editing their rough copies and beginning to type their final copies. After they print their final copies they are going to illustrate their books by hand. This could be a challenge for students who are not "good at drawing."

A common mistake I noticed, when helping to edit their rough copies, was with the student's ability to differentiate between: There, They're, and Their...Are, Our...To, Too, and Two, etc. When they are typing on the computer, they do not use spell check or the grammer check to their full advantage. If they do not like what the computer "tells them" instead of trying to fix it, they click IGNORE. I tried to help a few of the students develop fragmented sentences and chose the correct spelling for words. Since these students have not learned and practiced grammar correctly thus far, it is going to be hard for them to correct their habbits. "This ability to independently generate the rules of grammar (particularly syntax or word order) tends to dsiappear after around 6 years of age. If the child masters these rules of grammar by age 6, he or she can build on them through instruction. If the child has not aquired these rules, it is extremely difficult or almost impossible to teach them to the child" (Kirk et. al., pg 339). It is unrealistic to expect that a child will speak English correctly, when many parents do not. I think it is important to catch these types struggles with the English language at a young age. After all, in most cases, it will be expected to write or speak at a job interview.

Chapter 12 Videos

Viewing questions Including Students with Physical Disabilities:Best Practices

1. Teacher Lisa Kelleher describes her role as a teacher in an inclusive classroom as being quite multifaceted. Are there any aspects of her role that surprised you or made you envision your future role as a teacher differently? Explain.
It made me consider that it will be my responsibility to help all students succeed and make progress, no matter what level a student may be. Like Lisa, I will not only oversee student's academics but many aspects of their lives, such as their social life. Teaching goes so far beyond lesson plans and a day-to-day routine. I will never know absolutely for sure what will happen on any given day. On top of this, there are IEP goals and other plans which need to be met. I thought Danielle, the aid, was a great help to Lisa.

2. What skills does elementary classroom aid Danielle Doucette bring to her work with MaryAnne, the child who has spina bifida? How does Danielle take MaryAnne's academic and social/emotional development into account when planning activities?
Lisa and Danielle emphasized the importance of including all students. They used special tools and resources. MaryAnne uses a different desk and chair. They help her strengthen her body and do her work more comfortably. She uses a dry-erase board to help her write like other students. Danielle and Lisa seem very gentle, kind, and patient. They consider MaryAnne's feelings. To make MaryAnne feel similar to the other students and to help her legs she is put in a "stander" this brings her to about the same height as the other students. MaryAnne's confidence has grown since she got an electric wheelchair.


3. What questions has this video raised in your mind about your own familiarity with adaptive technologies for children? How can you take action on Lisa's suggestion that teachers familiarize themselves with how the equipment works (e.g., an electric wheelchair) even before you have your own classroom?
I think I would be nervous getting use to technologies that I am not familiar with. Hopefully, I will be able to experience things, like wheel chairs during a Learn and Serve placement. If not I'm sure I would be able to volunteer somewhere with students with disabilities or with elderly people.


2nd Video Assistive Technology in the Inclusive Classroom: Best Practices
Viewing questions


1. Kindergarten teacher Tony Byers describes his responsibility to teach Jamie, a girl in his classroom who has cerebral palsy, so that she can feel like an equal participant. Have you had any experience in working with children who are physically challenged? If not, how can you gain experience before you have your own classroom?
No, I have not had any experiences working with physically challenged students. I would be able to set something up at my previous elementary, middle, or high school to gain experiences.

2. Inclusion facilitator Sara Woodruff is an advocate for assistive technologies. She explains that there are many ways to help children access their voices and their minds as best they can. What assistive technologies--either high-tech or low-tech--have you seen or read about? How and when would you be likely to incorporate them into your teaching?
-smartboards
-computers
-cameras
-games
-techspeak
-homemade games..using velcro
Smartboards can be incorporated into any lesson plan. There are so many options. Telespeak was incorporated into the lesson however it was needed. It served as Jamie's voice.

3. As you watch Jamie complete an activity using a speech output device, what do you notice about the way Sara interacts with her? What can you learn from Sara's approach in general, and the way she describes her goals for Jamie?
Sara's goals for Jamie are mainly participation and interaction. Sara repeats directions, she is very clear, uses different techniques, and uses her body to help Jamie understand. Sara works with Jamie so frequently, she is able to understand the sounds she makes.


4. According to Tony, having Jamie use assistive technology "helps show the other children that there's a wide range of communication capabilities in our population as a whole. Children are shown an alternative way of communicating that is different rather than better or worse." What questions about your own understanding of the potential of assisstive technologies has this video raised?
I am not entirely sure how to use every kind of assisstive technology, such as the telespeak. It may be hard to incorporate it into lessons but I am sure I will be able to do it.

Learn and Serve Nov 18

When I got to Mrs. Burkett's classroom yesterday, there was a sign on the door that said they were in the computer lab. As I was walking to the computer lab I ran into some of the student's from the class. Mrs. Burkett was sending them to the library to do more research. They asked me to come to the library with them. I felt honored that they wanted me to come work with them. One of the students told me he had been asking Mrs. Burkett all week when I was going to come to class again. They are working on non-fiction children's books. The two students I worked with are researching sharks for their non-fiction books. The reason two students were researching the same topic is because one of the students loves working together. He has "processing difficulties." As I was working with these students in the library I realized how much they liked the attention I was giving them. They were getting a lot of their work done and they would tell me little things about their lives and what they like to do. It was a great feeling to get to know these students. I was happy they respected me enough to let me into their lives. One student was looking forward to an upcoming cheer leading competition. The other student was looking forward to "open gym" at Gaskill that night. He was also looking forward to his sister coming home for Thanksgiving. My last Learn and Serve will be the Wednesday after break. I asked the students I was working with if they would like it if I brought in goodie bags for the whole class on my last day. Their faces lit up! The boy said, "That would be really nice!!" I feel as though my mission in life is to bring joy to other people, especially children, even if it's only a moment of joy. I love brightening other people's day. I've had times in my life where I've questioned if teaching is the right profession for me. I always say, Yes it is, because I really care about students, want to educate them, and create joy.

Mrs. Burkett didn't know I was helping the students in the library because the students stopped me before I got to the computer lab. When their class period ended, she was thrilled that I had helped them! She said that one of the students was a 504 Plan. This is a plan for students who do not qualify for an IEP. "Problems such as failing grades, a pattern of suspensions, chronic behavior problems, or failure to complete or return homework may qualify a child for additional support under Section 504, but this law can act as a bridge between general and special education and is the first step to the response to intervention..."(Kirk et. al., pg 41).

Another Learn and Serve student came in. She was complaining that she did not want to be there. She had changed her major. She moped around the whole time she was there. I was wishing she would leave because she was bringing a negative vibe with her. She said that after working with "these students" she realized she did not want to be a teacher because "these kids scared her." I felt that I have learned the exact opposite lesson and I am thrilled. I have learned at this placement that although these students act tough, they are still "just kids." The more I work with them one-on-one I see their inner-child come out and their eagerness to learn.

Learn and Serve 11/12

I was supposed to have Learn and Serve yesterday but due to the holiday I made up my hours this afternoon. The students are working on a non-fiction children's book project. The steps of this project are researching a non-fiction topic in the library, generating questions to answer in their book, writing and illustrating a 10-12 pages children's book (with only about 2-3 sentences on each page), creating a bibliography, and publishing their book into a REAL "hard copy". It was a good thing I came into class this afternoon because Mrs. Burkett had her hands full. The students were extra noisy today. Mrs. Burkett tried to calm them down. She is very understanding because she has a son in 7th grade. She said it's especially hard for this class to stay focused because it has been about 4 hours since they had lunch, their only break of the day. Not only are they rowdy for this reason, they are also looking forward to the end of the day. Although the students were really talkative today, they are friendly and respectful toward me. Mrs. Burkett explained what the students would be doing in the library for the rest of class. After she explained it thoroughly, she called on random students to repeat to everyone what she had just instructed them to do. The students were able to repeat the directions but once we moved to the library it was a different story. Basically, chaos broke out. The students were even louder than they had been in the classroom. Luckily, there was no other students in the library so we were not disturbing anyone else. Mrs. Burkett split up the "talkers" and put all of the quiet and good independent workers at one table in the back. These students had less supervision. The students who caused a bigger disruption were at a few tables with us. There were also two librarians there to help out. The students were everywhere! At one point I had to go out into the hall and call one boy into the library because he had taken the pass and was just goofing off. I was shocked, he listened to me. He continued to not do much of anything for the rest of the class no matter who tried to discipline or help him. Mrs. Burkett told me that a different boy in class went to the Alternative School last year because he said he wanted to "blow up the school." He was joking, but it was nothing to joke about and he was punished. He seems like a dedicated student, I was surprised when I found out he had been a "trouble maker." Hopefully the students have a while to work on this project because so far it is taking them a long time to finish simple tasks. I hope to see major progress by the time I see them again next week!

Learn and Serve 11/4

Today was the last day the students were able to work on and perfect their poetry portfolio projects. Those that were finished were very proud of their work. A few students asked me to look over their projects. They added hand drawn illustrations and computer graphics which added a nice finished touch. Some of the students who did not have computer access at home, were able to hand write their poems and explanations. Although they had class time and access to a computer lab in school, some felt as though they would need to work on their projects at home and chose to write their projects. I thought it was good that the students had an option because the students who needed extra time and did not have computers wouldn't suffer. When the poems were written by hand the projects felt more personal, like they were creating a journal. One of their tasks of the project was to pick two songs and address the lyrics like a poem. They were asked to find similes, metaphors, explain what the lyrics mean, and explain why it is an important song to them. I thought some of the students were picking songs that were more mature than their age. The lyrics, although "appropriate" or free of curse words, were deep, lovey-dovey, and passionate. Some of the students shared experiences of break-ups with boyfriends/girlfriends. I thought this was a little much for students who are around 12. It might be easier for the students to write down what they feel rather than communicating their feelings to anyone verbally. Young love was a common theme that the students liked to discuss in their projects. I think it is true that kids are growing up faster in today's world, they are exposed to so much from a young age. These 12 year olds know much more than I did when I was 12. This might be because I am an only child who never rode the bus. (I think young children are exposed to a lot on the school bus.) My parents definitely tried to protect my childhood innocence. It could also be because I grew up in a small town around families similar to my own. I do not feel as though I was at a disadvantage in this way but I understand that maybe these students DO need to know the things they know in order to stay safe and make the right decisions.

We are all influenced by people around us. I think adolescents are especially susceptible to peer pressure and the need to fit in. "But because the emotional repertoire of the child is socially constructed, in part, it can be socially modified, and that is one of the major objectives of special education" (Kirk et. al., pg 19). The emotions a student is able and willing to display is partially dependent on the kind of social life and family life they are a part of.

Class-Nov 5

Today in class we had visitors from Opportunities Unlimited. I worked in a group with Jenna, Kelly, and our new friend from Opportunities Unlimited, Jason. We took pictures of good and bad work habits to eventually create a video. At first I was nervous, I did not know how Jason was going to react to us or if he would be willing to cooperate. After a few minutes I realized it was very easy to make conversation with Jason and he was willing to go along with whatever our task was. We found out details about Jason and we shared things abut ourselves as well. We found out that Jason lives in a group home. Our group worked really well together and I think Jason felt very welcome. I noticed that all the students from Opportunities Unlimited were happy to carry on a conversation and laugh with us. After we took pictures, we played with play-doh, went to a story station, and built a fort. These different stations allowed us, and the students from Opportunities Unlimited to demonstrate "how we are ALL smart." For example, I played best with play-doh and created something out of play-doh that represented me. Some people work best building things, like the fort.

Learn and Serve 10/28

At learn and serve this week my classes took place in the computer lab. The students were working on poetry portfolio projects. They were asked to find poems online using the library's database, find a literary device in the poem, and explain why they chose the poem. This is a big assignment so they will be in the computer lab until the first week in November. The students have a few projects this year that are going to require time and research in the computer lab. They are emphasising technology greatly, and I think this is a good thing. "Instructional technology involves the computer and related tools that support and expand the computer's usefulness. Instructional technology is developed primarily as a means to deliver content and instruction in an appropriate manner to exceptional children" (Kirk et. al., pg 63). The students seem more eager to do their work when they are able to be on the computers. The style of teaching used the in English department at Gaskill Prep is called Nigara's Choice. This time at learn and serve was one of the first times I was able to reach out and help the students because they were doing independent work the whole class period. Some students needed direction or guidance in addition to what the teacher provided. I was able to help them choose good poems or suggest things to look for in a poem.

The second class is an accelerated pace class and some of those students really opened up to me. They were flocking around me to have me read some of the poems they had written themselves. One boy wrote a poem about a car accident, it was the first time I had seen an example of work (in this class) that really seemed like accelerated student work. The student told me he had been in a car accident and his grandmother and sister were injured, luckily they are alright now. He had a good handle on how a poem should be structured. There was a clear story line but he was using descriptive words to "show" his reader, instead of "tell" his reader. This is an advanced skill. This student is a talented writer.