Learn and Serve Day 1- 9/23

I am excited to be in a 7th grade English classroom this semester. Last Wednesday was my first day. The teacher that will be my Learn and Serve "mentor?" was not there. There was a substitute teacher and an aid in the classroom. Within the first five minutes of my arrival, a group of boys threw a balled up piece of paper at a group of girls. The substitute picked up the paper and ignored the behavior. In this case, his strategy worked because they stopped. A few minutes later there was an outburst between two boys. (They were supposed to be reading silently.) One boy said, "Stop looking at me! Are you gay or something?" All the students started laughing. In this case the aid interveined. She took the boy who was being disruptive (and mean) out into the hallway and had a talk with him. After that, there were not anymore problems with him. The substitute teacher read aloud a short story "Mechanical Mind", by Gary Soto. The students completed a worksheet on the story. I noticed while the substitute was reading that one girl was not paying attention or following along in her copy. The other two teachers in the classroom did not seem to notice. When it came time to complete the worksheet, she just sat there. Her friend, who was sitting next to her finished her worksheet in about ten minutes. When she was done, she gave it to her friend and her friend started to copy. Again, I think I was the only one who noticed this behavior. I didn't know if I should step-up and say something or not especially since it was my first day. I walked over to the girls and said very quietly, "You should try to think about the answers yourself. You can use the story to find the answers. If you need help, let me know, I will help you." The girl who was letting her friend copy, removed her paper from her friend's sight. After class ended, I looked at the student's paper who was copying. She had finished the worksheet and she had come up with some good answers on her own. During the class almost every student asked to either get a drink or go to the bathroom. They may have been taking advantage of the substitute. This class had 18 students. The second class period had 25 students and hardly any disruptions or problems, with the same class schedule as the first.

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities

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Class 9/17

In class today we worked on a quiz for chapter 3. We went over the quiz as a group and talked about the most important parts of the chapter. Everyone was a little confused due to technology. We took pictures of environmental stressors around campus. I took a picture of Clet dining hall. I took a picture of Clet dining hall because I do not find the food there enjoyable or satisfying. Because I am constantly eating pizza from Clet dining hall this is an environmental stressor in my life. We also watched videos about Peter. Peter is a child with down-syndrome. It was amazing to see Peter's transformation especially the strides he made during third grade. At first, Peter was not included and this was because his classmates and teacher were scared. His classmates were scared because they did not know why Peter acted and looked the way he did. It was not an easy adjustment for anyone in the class. Initially, I sympathized with the other children because I thought it was not fair that they were subject to Peter's outbursts (hitting, kicking, and yelling) while they were learning. Then I realized that Peter could not totally control his behavior, he never asked to have a disability which caused him to have outbursts. I saw Peter as a hinderence to the other student's learning but quickly realized he was teaching his classmates new things everyday. I think you have to put yourself in Peter's family's shoes. If I had a child with disablities, I would want he/she to be included in a classroom and experience interacting with other students. It is important to develop some kind of social skills if possible and Peter was very capable. His classmates and teacher opened their hearts and minds to him after some time. The classroom became a happier and more learning condusive. The students accepted Peter and wanted him to succeed. I thought it was so nice that they would cheer him on and clap for him when he showed improvement. Not only were the other students learning third-grade cirriculum, they were better prepared members of society. I think it's great that Peter touched so many lives. I learned a lot from this video.

Entry #3 Chap 9

Entry #3 Chapter 9
“How do public schools define children with gifts and talents?”
The term gifted usually refers to someone who has extraordinary intellectual gifts. “Giftedness” can have different meanings depending on culture. Giftedness was once thought to be strictly based on tests and IQ levels. Recently, the term giftedness has been expanded to include more than intelligence level. Some students may not show excellent performance but may show the potential for displaying their special talent or gift. Students who are gifted “exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields”(Kirk et.al., pg. 288).

Children who are gifted also deserve extra attention and resources. However, sometimes service and activities for students who are gifted are not provided by schools. When I was reading about giftedness I thought of a former fellow student. She had a disability and was in a wheelchair and was an extremely talented percussionist in our high school band. As I read further in the text I discovered that public schools recognize “twice exceptional” students. A twice exceptional student is a student who has a disability and gifts. This is common because I can think of a few cases where this exists.

“What are some characteristics of children with gifts and talents?”
Exceptional talents and gifts may be shaped by family and heredity. Traits such strong work ethic, persistence, and drive students may have engrained in them from home. Children who are gifted generally make friends readily, have adequate social skills, and are involved in school or extra-curricular activities. However, issues such as depression, perfectionism, suicide, and stress are common and controversial topics to those with gifts and talents. Perfectionism is a condition which is common in those with talents and gifts. “Perfectionism is the combination of thoughts and behaviors associated with high standards or high expectations for one’s own performance” (Kirk et.al., pg. 296).
Throughout high school I encountered students who were perfectionists. I was taking a college level history course my junior year when I witnessed a perfectionist’s response to failure. A girl in my class started crying hysterically because she received a 93 on a test, instead of her usual 100. (I would have been happy with a 93.) I found this to be a very extreme reaction to something that should not be a big deal, but to her it was a big deal. Sometimes students will say their “perfectionism” is triggered by their parents want for them to succeed. Suicide is unfortunately another occurrence amongst the gifted population. Which raised the question, are students with gifts and talents more stressed than other students? There does not seem to be a concrete explanation for the cause of the larger number of suicides in the gifted population. Creativity drives many types of gifts and talents.

I find creativity quotes insightful. Creativity is associated closely with the arts. Students who are creative can generate new ideas, think deeply into their ideas, explore their ideas, and listen to their internal voice more readily and naturally than people who may not be as creative. The characteristics of students with gifts and talents rage widely because so many “kinds” of students are considered gifted.

Entry #2 Chapter 2

“What specific advantages do computers offer in the education program for exceptional children?”

Technology is becoming more sophisticated as years progress. Schools and classrooms are placing more emphasis on technology. “Special education has often led the way in the acceptance and use of technology in education” (Kirk 63). There are companies who specialize in building technology to suit exceptional students. http://specialed.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=specialed&cdn=education&tm=18&gps=161_575_1259_629&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.rehabtool.com/
There are two different types of technology used to aid students with disabilities: assistive technology and instructional technology. Instructional technology specifically uses the computer and computer programs to adapt the material into a coherent manner for exceptional children. Computers provide an interactive feeling to students. If a student is not able to go outside for a hike for science class, there are interactive websites with realistic pictures and information. In addition to being interactive, computers are fun for students to use. “Even more important, computers allow children to learn at their own rate and provide immediate feedback and reinforcement. The child’s learning becomes more active and self-directed” (Kirk 64). Computer programs can make learning seem more like a game and hold a student’s interest. A student can move at their own pace because they are determining how quickly the content is introduced. Technology can be empowering to students, accelerating their desire to learn and participate.


“Discuss assessment of students with exceptionalities and how RTI model isincorporated into this process.”
National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI) http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

A child is usually referred for special education services due to observations of the student’s school work and/or behavior. Most schools use screening tests in either mathematics or reading at an early grade level to try to find the students who need help before they experience excessive failure or success. Depending on the situation schools may establish a child-study committee to find ways to address the student’s behavior and to establish if the student should have a referral to special education services. If a child is referred to special education “one of the major tasks …is to assess both individual students and the effectiveness of the special programs” (Kirk 45). The assessment of a student is designed to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of that student and determine where the child should be placed in a school setting.
Assessment is a major part of the Response to Intervention (RTI) model. http://www.lehigh.edu/education/mp3/rti/Website_WhatIsRTI_files/rti_tier_circle2.jpg
The RTI model groups students according to the instruction needed at their particular level. It looks like a pyramid. At the base (tier 1) is where most students fall, needing core instruction. Tier 2 is in the middle where some students fall that needs enhanced instruction. The top tier is the smallest (tier 3) with intensive instruction needed. Students who fall into tiers two and three are monitored to determine if they are in the right tier and if they are showing progress. “Teachers and other staff members can use five general approaches to provide an assessment of a child: norm-referenced tests, diagnostic achievement tests, interviews, observations, and informal assessments” (Kirk 46). Each form of assessment has advantages and disadvantages. A combination of a few forms of assessment may be used to achieve the most accurate placement for a student.
http://www.northern.edu/ASLP/strategies.html

Entry #1 Chapter #1

Entry #1 Chap 1
“When is a child considered to be educationally exceptional?”
It is hard to determine when a child is educationally exceptional because everyone is unique in their ability to learn and follow educational practices. What is considered “normal” or “average” can be hard to define. An exceptional child differs from the average child in ways which vary widely. However, an exceptional child usually requires modifications and/or special education services to develop and maximize their skills. According to our textbook, an exceptional child differs in “1) mental characteristics, 2) sensory abilities, 3) communication abilities, 4) behavior and emotional development, and/or 5) physical characteristics” (Kirk 5). When we think of exceptional children we often think of children who are at a level below their peers. Students with exceptionalities are at all different skill levels. An exceptional child can include a gifted child or a child who finds school to be a struggle due to impairments or developmental delays. Students with learning disabilities, auditory/visual impairments, emotional distress, superior intellects, and multiple handicaps are just a few examples of the conditions which can cause a child to be exceptional. An exceptional child is not always easily recognized by teachers or parents. Exceptional children can be placed in inclusion classrooms or into resource room setting. A teacher shares her insight and opinions of classrooms with exceptional children on her blog http://cecblog.typepad.com/cec/2009/09/its-all-about-perspective.html#more.

“How do parents/siblings respond to the presence of a child with disabilities in the family?”
When the birth of an exceptional child occurs, families have much to absorb. The new information concerning the addition to their family can trigger a strong response either positively or negatively. “And it is important to consider those responses, because they happen to every parent of an exceptional child, regardless of his or her educational background or socioeconomic level” (Kirk 16). In a small way, it is probably comforting to think that there are millions of other families who have gone through and adapted to the necessary lifestyle changes. Parents who have seriously disabled children often feel shock, denial, sadness, and anger along with a “symbolic death” of the “normal” child who was to be. The responsibility of providing daily care can be overwhelming when a child is difficult to dress, cloth, feed, and calm down. It must be very difficult to realize that a child may never be an independently functioning adult. Parents may feel financial stress due to extra costs of an exceptional child's needs. The site, http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/disabilities_managing_finance.html explains costs that families should consider when raising an exceptional child. Unfortunately, exceptional children are at risk for abuse. It is hard to imagine any parent harming their child but when some parents become frustrated or stressed they take it out on the child. Parents may need the help of support groups or professional attention to better care for their exceptional child. It is important that parents of exceptional children take an interest in their child’s education and that the child gets the attention they deserve from school and home. The parents of an exceptional child may react differently than the sibling. The sibling(s) may feel neglected or jealous. To a sibling, it would appear that a parent is spending more time with the exceptional child. The sibling may become resentful to the other because they are jealous of the attention. Even though the home environment is different when there is an exceptional child “…there does not seem to be any tendency for the siblings of children with disabilities to be more disturbed or stressful than the siblings of children without disabilities” (Kirk 23). In my opinion, siblings of exceptional children are more passionate for others who may have an exceptionality or have a sibling with an exceptionality. Siblings can be each other’s biggest fans or strongest enemies depending on the day. The sibling of an exceptional child will know about his/her sibling’s ability and hopefully help others to understand, too.