Friend Text, Chapter 1

Friend Text Chapter 1: Planning Instruction by Analyzing Classroom and Student Needs

Resources:

1)www.myeducationlab.com

2) http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/44472.aspx

Great website for ideas on how to arrange the classroom to accommodate students with special needs.

3) http://www.uhseport.net/published/k/sh/kshaw/collection/1/

Provides websites for differentiated instruction strategies in a variety of subject areas!

My notes:

· You will be able to accommodate more diversity in the classroom if you set up your classroom in a way that caters to all students’ needs. Use the INCLUDE strategy.

· 2 key concepts of the INCLUDE strategy: 1) “student performance in school is the result of an interaction between the student and the instructional environment.” 2) “by carefully analyzing students’ learning needs and the specific demands of the classroom environment, teachers can reasonably accommodate most students with special needs in their classrooms.”

· Inclusion strategy contains ideas of both universal design and differentiated instruction

o Universal design- idea that instructional materials, methods, and assessments designed with built-in supports are more likely to be compatible with learners with special needs than those without supports, and they minimize the need for labor intensive accommodations later on.

o Differentiated instruction- the idea that a variety of teaching and learning strategies are necessary to meet the range of needs evident in any given classroom. Needs are met by differentiating the content being taught, the process by which it is taught, and the ways students demonstrate what they have learned and the level of knowledge through varied products. Differentiation is achieved by providing materials and tasks at varied levels of difficulty and with varying levels of instructional support, through the use of multiple grouping arrangements, student choice, and varied evaluation strategies.

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o 7 Steps of the INCLUDE strategy uses for differentiated instruction:

§ 1)Identify classroom demands

§ 2)Note students learning strengths and needs

§ 3)Check for potential areas of student success

§ 4)Look for potential problem areas

§ 5)Use information to brainstorm ways to differentiate instruction

§ 6)Differentiate instruction

§ 7)Evaluate student progress

o Factors of classroom management: physical organization, classroom routines, classroom climate, behavior management, the use of time

o Flexible grouping- using a variety of grouping strategies based on a student’s individual needs.

o Instructional Materials – using different instructional materials to help meet the needs of students such as basals which are published text books that focus on basic skills, often used in reading and mathematics, and texts that stress subject matter content in areas such as history and science. Teachers also use other materials such as manipulatives, technological devices like audiovisual aids, telecommunication systems, and computers.

o Instructional Methods- the ways in which teachers present content and skills to students and evaluate whether learning has occurred are the essence of teaching and are crucial for accommodating students with special needs.

o When evaluating students with disabilities, teachers must focus on what the student knows rather than on the extent of his disability.

o Teach positively by recognizing and focusing on students strengths. This helps students to see themselves and others positively, to see learning positively , and to overcome their weaknesses.

o Three areas describe students learning strengths and needs: academics, socio-emotional development, and physical development.

o 2 ways to differentiate for students with disabilities: 1) accommodations 2)modifications

· Select age appropriate strategies- students’ accommodations and modifications should match their age.

· Select the easiest approach first- Accommodations need to be easy for the gen ed teacher to implement and should not require so much time and effort that it interferes with teaching the entire class.

· Need to establish good effective routines in the classroom.

· Learning Outcomes reflect Blooms revised taxonomy related to levels of thought. 6 levels of thought, from lowest to highest: 1)remembering 2)understanding3)applying4)analyzing5)evaluating6)creating

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Chapter 2 Summary Continued (pp62-96)

Chapter 2 Summary (pp.62-96)

Resources:

1) http://www.myeducationlab.com/

2) http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/

3)http://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html

Summary:

· High-incidence disabilities- mild disabilities that include such disabilities as learning disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, mild emotional/behavioral disorders, and speech/ language impairments. Between 90%-95% of students with disabilities are in this category.

· Low incident disabilities- generally are more severe.

· Students with learning disabilities may struggle with their ability to remember certain things, be motivated, attention, and organization difficulties. Reading can also be difficult for them. Writing may be difficult as well. Math as well.

· Students with learning disabilities may also have language problems. Nonverbal learning disabilities-These students struggle to process nonverbal, visual-spacial info, and communications such as body language, gestures. They tend to miss social cues. Teachers can aid these students by establishing routines, giving them specific sequential directions so that they can prioritize when multi-tasking.

· Perceptual and Motor Difficulties- students with learning disabilities may have trouble recognizing, discriminating, and interpreting visual and auditory stimuli. Also may have gross and fine motor difficulties. Gross motor difficulties may include awkward gaits, clumsiness, poor balance and inability to kick a ball, skip and follow rhythmic sequence movements. Fine motor problems include trouble tracing, copying, pasting, holding a pencil etc. Another motor problem that can result is hyperactivity.

· Social-Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties- learning disabilities which may include problems socializing, self-concept, confidence, and motivation and social withdrawal etc.

· Students with oppositional and defiant behaviors often exhibit resistance to authority figures. Students with conduct disorders- engage in aggressive and disruptive behaviors. These students also exhibit obsessions, compulsions, and anxiety disorders. Students with selective mutism may speak at home but they avoid speaking when in school.

· Three types of ADD (attention deficit disorder) 1) constant motion associated with hyperactivity (ADHD-HI or ADDH) 2) inattentive distractible, disorganized (ADD/I) or without hyperactivity ( ADD/WO) or undifferentiated attention deficit disorder (UADD) 3) Students who exhibit a combo of hyperactivity and distractibility (ADHD-C) All three type commonly exhibit problems being inattentive, disorganized, poor motivation that interfere with their learning, memory, academic performance, socialization and friendship with others, and their emotional development. ADD is not recognized as a separate disability under the IDEA act unless they are also health impaired, learning disabled, or emotionally disturbed. Students with ADD who don’t qualify under IDEA can be eligible for services under Section 504.

· Students with Intellectual Disabilties:

o Students with mild intellectual disabilities- IQ scores that range from 50 to below 75 and need intermittent and/or limited supports to foster their learning

o Students with moderate intellectual disabilities- IQ scores range from 30 to 50, and they often need assistance and long term support to enhance their learning (includes those with Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Prader -Willi syndrome, and Williams’s syndrome pp72-73).

o Students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities have IQ scores below 30 and may have significant cognitive, communication, behavioral, physical, speech/language, perceptual and medical needs.

· Students with Physical and Health Needs pp 77-78: Students with physical disabilities are identified as students with orthopedic impairments or students with other health impairments. Students with orthopedic impairments includes impairments caused by congenital anomaly ( club foot, absent member); impairments caused by disease ( poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc) and impairments from other causes ( cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns which cause contractures)

o Students with other health impairments include those who exhibit limited strength, vitality, or alertness, it can also include those who are medically fragile or those who depend on technological devices for ventilation, oxygen , tube feeding.

o Students with physical and health conditions tend to have IQs in the normal range

o Some of the conditions these students have are congenital which mean they were present from birth; others are acquired which means they were caused by an accident or illness.