Final Reflection
Posted on May 4, 2008
What I learned in this course is how important collaborating is. I know that I do not want to loose this community of educators. We have to continue working together sharing ideas and resources. We have learned so much this year, but we all have so much more to learn. I heard last week that the TRIPSCY site (easiest way to get to it is to google it) is going to provide a way for educators to communicate in the state. I am hoping that we can keep in contact through this site or another similar to it. We don’t need to be apart of a class to share information and we can get other educators involved. Just think of what can happen when a whole state of educators work together to improve programs for special needs youth.
I have enjoyed reading all of your responses. I have learned something from each of you.
Thank you Tim for providing a way for us to learn, even in our pajamas!
Nancy
Week 13 Reflection
Posted on April 27, 2008
I don't remember being provided any training back in grad school about the use of paraprofessionals. I guess my training was being a para myself and working with an excellent special educator who respected me and treated me as a colleague. This unit has helped me to examine my schools and my own use of paraprofessionals. I will look at this material regularly to access my practices and to hopefully improve my colleagues practices also.
It is important that we keep the student's needs in mind, not ours, when deciding the need for a para. We want all student to be able to navigate their world as independently as possible and not to be afraid of being a member of their community. This can't be accomplished if we have a para chained to the ankle of each special needs student!
This unit has made it even more apparent of the need for a Peer Buddy Program. I want every student to have opportunities to interact with their peers throughout the school and into their community.
Week 12 Reflection
Posted on April 13, 2008
While reading the articles, I kept thinking, are we really preparing our students for the future? Having a para for each student at our school is not preparing them to be independent and to get along in a social world. How we interact with the people we work with has lots to do with how happy we are with our jobs. By having a para with each student we are robbing them of a safe place to practice, to prepare for their futures. School is a great place to practice. It’s what all the students are learning, how to interact with others.
When I read about training paras on facilitating social interactions, I realized we have not really provided them with this very important training. We have just assumed they knew what to do. We want to make sure the students learn how to ask for help, they will need this skill when they are on the job and don’t know what to do. The student will need to learn how to follow directions, and maybe they need to take the wrong turn sometimes without being rescued. They need opportunities to make their own friends, to not always have the para within arm distance.
It is important that my high school implements a Peer Buddy program. So many of the issues brought up in the articles would be eased by having peers interacting with and supporting students with special needs both in and out of the classroom. We can better prepare ALL students for the future.
Week 11 Reflection
Posted on April 6, 2008
I believe the reason for the terrible twos is the child’s inability to communicate in a way that can be understood. For some students with special needs this difficulty with communication and the frustration of not being understood continues for years. Technology can help. Everyone is into technology today making it more acceptable and cool. There is just so much to know about.
I found at our school the SLP had the most knowledge about AT in the school as it relates to students with special needs. But even she expressed that it is difficult to keep up with the many changes in AT. It would be helpful to have a workshop each year where we could explore the different AT used in the district and discuss if there are any gaps that need to be addressed.
There is no way that I could be the tech person. I have done all right and I can discuss what might be needed, but it takes someone who eats and sleeps technology to keep up. It’s not me!
Week 10 Reflection
Posted on March 29, 2008
There is so much to learn about technology. It is great that technology is such a part of our lives because it allows students with special needs to fit in and to access the world. I support a student who is going to college next year. We have been preparing the student for the past few years for this transition. The student is visually impaired along with ADHD and some other stuff. The student uses ZoomText which magnifies the computer screen, including the text, menus, icons, background color, etc. They also use a Closed Captioned TV (CCTV) to enlarge text books and other material that may be handed out. We do order some books in enlarged print, but I find that they doesn't like to use them. We enlarge handouts and test. The school just received MP3 players and the student recently listened to Hamlet this way. We provide the student with a note taker and writing organizers such as Inspiration. With all this the most important part is teaching the student to be a self-advocate. This can be the hardest thing that we teach some of our students. This student is still learning to tell teachers that the lights need to be on or I can't see the pink chalk on the board. The student needs to be able to communicate what is working and not working so that corrections can be made in the supports she receives.
Other students in our school use a variety of switches, Access Suite Talking, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Boardmaker, Victor Reader, Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, Kurzweil, Universal reader, Alpha Smart, IntelilKeys, Smartboard, etc. A teacher is looking into a trial of a Dynavox for a student with ISE needs.
For many students we are continually searching for technology to assist them to become more independent. With so many different choices out there and the money involved, I can see that it is important to have people available who can help in this search. The problem is there are not that many people in VT that have the expertise or knowledge of the variety of AAC/AT out there. And the people that do are overloaded, taking weeks to get back to teams. They also have to have a clear understanding of the needs of the student, along with their strengths and weaknesses, before they can suggest the best tool and this takes time. We can talk with the SLP who has some experience with AT, but it would be helpful to have several people in the state who could have this knowledge and could keep up with the changes. I see this as an area of need.
Week 9 Reflection
Posted on March 23, 2008
I find myself thinking often about the importance of relationships and friendships in my life and in the lives of the ISE students I support. The relationships I have with my coworkers and with my students help to make my work special and meaningful. I spoke with a ISE student this week about how the school is doing to develop peer relationships for her and her classmates. She said we are doing ok, but she wanted to be able to say I to more people and to hang out with other students. I want this for this student and all students, I want their high school years to be special and meaningful. I want this ISE student to spend time with friends without an adult standing nearby. I want her to have the chance to develop meaningful friendships with any student in the school. I am excited about starting a peer buddy program at our school, so that the adults can step back. I can see how such a program can enrich and change many lives.
Week 8 Reflection - 3/16/08
Posted on March 16, 2008
I enjoyed reading about how the importance of peer relationships and friendships. Several times I stopped to think about my own experience in high school. I was a shy kid, but I had a group of friends that I had classes with and hung out with. Friends convinced me to join chorus and I became involved with the stage crew, helping to put on plays. My friends were a very important part of my high school years. The academics were important, but my peer relationships helped me to learn lots too, maybe even more. How we relate to others is very important in any stage of our lives. How successful and happy we are in our careers depends on how we interact with our boss, coworkers and other people we come in contact with. The positive interactions and support I get from my coworkers are very important to me. It’s the same for the students we support. It was helpful to read about what others have done to facilitate positive peer relationships. I especially enjoyed reading about the peer buddy program in Nashville. I will discuss with colleagues how MMU could implement a peer buddy program. What a great experience the program would provide for all students.
This week I also thought about how important it is for parents and the school to work together in fostering positive relationships. We have to work together. We provide opportunities at school for social interactions, but we could give parents more information about what we are doing and how their child is developing friendships. The parent needs this information so that they can develop these friendships further. I have worked with parents who felt it was the schools responsibility to provide their child social opportunities, while they did little to do the same outside of school. Instead of complaining about what the parent isn’t doing, I should ask what the school could be doing to help support parents in this very difficult and important task of developing peer relationships.
Week 7 Reflection
Posted on February 28, 2008
As I read this weeks reading I thought about two causes for disruptive behaviors that I see with high school aged or older students. Some students can be disruptive when they don’t understand social situations. And behaviors can arise when students are bored with school and don’t want to be there anymore. I know when I was a senior in high school I was ready to move on. It is the same for students with special needs. I do a pretty good job with the social skills but I can see that I could help teachers to convey to their students the connections between what they are learning in class to the world outside the classroom.
Kampwirth wrote about the high correlation between motivation and school achievement. I try to learn what motivates each of my students so that they will want to complete tasks. Students need to explore employment opportunities so that they can see the connection between school academics and their future. And for many of the students that I support it helps if they are learning in real life situations. I am collaborating with a student’s team to develop a high school transition program which will be located on a college campus. We are developing a systems change, a change from how services have been provided in the past. It is important to the student to be with same aged peers. The reading was helpful in identifying some of the processes we will need to keep in mind.
Kampwirth had many helpful suggestions and process to help teachers be more successful in teaching struggling students so that students don’t need to resort to behaviors. I liked the classroom rules he listed on page 227, they are a simple ways to give students the structure they need to be successful. I also liked the samples of positive ways to communicate with students. These would be good to share with other teachers in the school
Week 6 Reflection
Posted on February 24, 2008
This week, as I read, I have been thinking about my past experiences of being a consultant and of being a consultee. The reading gave me insights on why collaboration worked or did not work in those past experiences. Chapter 5 also gave me further insights on the SST process.
As a consultant I try to use effective communication skills. The biggest part of the job is getting to the root of the issue. I do try to listen and to ask questions which will lead to the real issue. The consultees want to know that you are hearing what they are saying, that you understand. Most of my work as a consultant involves supporting students in academic classes or employment situations. I work closely with the teacher and the student’s assistant to develop the supports that the student needs to be successful. I feel that I do a good job collaborating with the academic team. It is a little harder with parents. I am working with parents who are getting nervous about what awaits their child when they leave the high school. They want their child to be as prepared as they can be for their future. It can be hard to get to these fears that they have, to ask the right questions. I am working on my knowledge about transition, by taking a year long course, so that I can better support my students and their families.
The reading helped me to identify why some consultants that I have encountered were not successful. One consultant never took the time to understand how a high school works. They observed and made suggestions without getting input. No wonder the plans didn’t work. Staff at the high school did not own the plan and the plan was faulty in several areas. The same consultant made another plan without collaborating and then complained to the whole team via e-mail, including the parents, when they didn’t see effort going into their plan. It was difficult to trust after this encounter. What I need to do is reflect on is how I could have improved the situation? How could I have insured that the whole team was collaborating?
We have an Educational Support Team (EST) at school rather than a SST. In our school students are supported in many ways to be successful and when a student is struggling Student Services is the first line of support for struggling students. Few students are referred to the EST committee. By high school most of the students with disabilities have been identified and receive the necessary supports. The students that I support have disabilities that were identified when they were young and received early special education services. Even though the reading focused on the EST process, it is very similar to the process I use to support teachers and students at our school.
Having the opportunity to look back at my communication and interpersonal skills is helpful to improve my practice as a consultant and as a consultee.
Week 5 Reflection
Posted on February 16, 2008
This week’s activity helped me to look at what I do to support students. I had not stopped to look at what my role was, I just did what I needed to do. The reading helped to clarify to me why some consultation models work and others do not.
I would definitely say that I follow the collaborative model. Many times I have seen a solution to a problem come from a group of people contributing their unique perspective. The solution in most insistences is a combination of ideas from the team. In supporting a student in an academic program I may get input from the team on what we want the student to take away from the class, but it doesn’t stop there. I collaborate with the SLP about social issues, the reading specialist about the most appropriate reading level to assist in comprehension and the teacher to discus not only class content but activities that may enhance the students understanding of the material and other issues.
I work primarily with students transitioning to their life after high school. I need to collaborate with a team of people to make sure the student, and family, is as prepared as they can be. The student’s parents are an integral part of the team. Every family is different. The supports available to them may be different. No one person or consultant can do this alone. Open communication is important, and also important to collaborating is that each member of the team should feel safe in contributing ideas.
Last summer I witnesses staff at a teachers college in Uganda being ridiculed by the college president for ideas or views they shared. Because that staff didn’t feel safe or heard, change will be very slow to occur in their educational system. My daughter is there primarily as a consultant to support a systems change. She would like to be able to collaborate with teachers and student teachers to model how a group can problem solve and develop solutions that fit their unique needs. But she is frustrated by a system where teachers are scared to share their ideas and to change how they teach.
Having the opportunity to compare how teachers collaborate in Uganda and how I try to at my school, makes clear to me the advantages of the collaborating model. It is a rare to find that one person that has all the answers. Teaching is a team effort. By working together collaboratively, the most appropriate plans can be developed.
Reflection 2
Posted on February 10, 2008
I have enjoyed this session learning more about developing supportive classrooms. Through improving student’s experiences in school we will have students who will want to learn and will also have opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with their peers and with adults in the school. I have begun thinking of how I can improve my practices in school and hopefully the practices of my colleagues.
Searching for education pod casts has been a challenge for me. I had difficulty finding information about the assigned topics. I did find tips on presenting material from the Tenacious Teacher, information on using pod casts in the classroom, information about Universal Design for Learning, etc. Before this course I was not aware of how pod casts could help my students to make learning fun and how it could be accessed for information on so many topics. I would appreciate any tips anyone may have for navigating through the system. I have had more luck finding websites on the information I’m seeking. I am more aware of the information that is available when I take the time to look.
The readings from The Supportive Classroom were helpful in providing systems which will help to provide meaningful experiences for students. I like how the supportive classroom model helps to teach all students how we should interact with the people around us. Teaching students pro-social skills are so necessary to be successful in school, on the job, and in their personal lives. How successful and satisfied we are in life has a lot to do with how we interact with the people we come in contact with daily. The forms provided in the book will help to give more structure to what we already do at school.
It is helpful to have the opportunity to look at the practices that my colleagues and I are doing. I will begin to incorporate what I have learned about the supportive classroom model into my practices so that each student has a positive educational experience.
My First Reflection
Posted on February 2, 2008
Tim, the history of special education in Vermont you shared started me to think of my own experiences. I was teaching in the Burlington school system in the early 1980’s, soon after the Brandon Training School was closed. I taught in one of the regional programs that you talked about. I taught an older group of students with severe disabilities and we were located in a middle school. None of my students were from Burlington and they were all older than the other students in the school. All but one of the students had grown up in the Brandon Training School. At the training school they had received little physical contact. One student, I learned later, had spent much of his earlier life in a crib. He learned to walk later than he would have normally. I have often wondered what their lives would had been like if they had lived with loving families and had been able to stay in their local communities, attending school with their same aged peers. Only one student lived with his family in a neighboring town and he was bused to our program each day. People in their own communities never had the opportunity to know these young people. Their same aged peers in their own communities often didn’t even know that people with disabilities existed! We tried to integrate the special education students into the school, but the middle school students were younger and from a different community.
I am so glad changes were made and that students with disabilities where able to receive an education in their home schools through the Homecoming Project. The “inclusion” model has enabled students with severe disabilities and their non-disabled peers to learn so much more by being together.
Now that a new century has come it is important that I also change with the times. I love how this course is exposing me to the resources that are available on the internet to help me to better serve my students. It is also helpful to learn more about technology that could enable my students to be more successful when they graduate from high school. Teenagers are so comfortable with technology today. I need to make sure that the students I work with are also.
In all that we have read and explored on the internet for this class I keep one question in mind. How can this help the students I work with be more prepared for life after high school? In your paper, Student Centered Education, you wrote that the success of inclusion depends on the student’s strengths and interests. You also wrote that we need to make what they are learning relevant to them. This is very true. When I adapt curriculum for my students I try to keep in mind what their interests are. One student loves fashion and I used this interest when she was studying US History. I also keep this in mind when finding employment for the students I work with. When a student with special needs first enters high school I begin learning about their strengths and interests. I can use this information and information from their educational team and evaluations to help the student explore career possibilities.
Much of the reading this week has been about working with elementary and middle school children. I work in a high school and classes are more focused. Our school struggles to modify academics to meet the needs of students with severe disabilities. The inclusion model has introduced a wide variety of students with varying academic challenges into the mainstream classroom. My goal for this class is to learn to apply “best practices” in supporting academics and the need for functional skills so that each student’s learning and social experience is maximized, no matter what their learning level.