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On Page 131 of our textbook, Woolfolk discusses that educators should use Person-First Language (e.g. student with xyz) because everyone has a number of talents, skills, as well as difficulties. One of these characteristics does not define who a person is. Although the reasoning is definitely accurate, I would like to add a different perspective. Over the years, individuals with these different labels have fought against the language used and claimed that Identity-First Language should be used when referring to us. An entire academic field has been developed to explore the perspectives of this group of people and their allies, which is called Disability Studies. Similarly to other Cultural Studies, we are proud of our Disability Culture and we prefer to be referred to with Identity-First Language. As an example, I consider myself to be both a Deaf and disabled person because these two characteristics actually make up an enormous part of my identity that is important to me.

The label of a person with a hearing-impairment as our textbook suggests in contrast emphasizes what I cannot do (i.e. hear) instead of emphasizing my identity as a Deaf person. Identifying as a Deaf person shows that I am a proud member of the Deaf Community and that I use a visual language (e.g. American Sign Language). Along similar lines, I also identify as a disabled person because I am a proud member of the Disability Community and I cherish my identity. Similarly to myself, there are many individuals who identify as autistic or blind because these characteristics are such a significant aspect of who they are. Would it be possible to refer to students with Identity-First labels at least once they have claimed such an identity for themselves?

In response to Sarah Jane’s post:

I wholeheartedly agree with your point about first using varied teaching strategies to see if any of them have a positive impact on the students with ADHD and possibly others in the classroom. Should any of them be helpful for the students, then everyone in the classroom community would benefit without having to medicate the student who may be different. However, the feelings of academic, social, and emotional success are also important for students with ADHD. The answer is not simple and will probably be unique for each individual student. Even if medication is the best route for an individual student, other interventions should also be used and the student should be respected as an individual and an equal member within the classroom.

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Medicating a student with ADHD is a complicated and very individualized decision requiring the input of the parents, teaching staff, and the student themselves. I appreciated how the Point/Counterpoint was laid out on page 157. It gives a concise look at the benefits of both medicating and not medicating.

In my experience, medicating is definitely a necessity to ensure some students are able to succeed due to how education is structured in our society. The school day is 7 hours and depending on how a school structures their day, students can often sit for 45 mins or more at a time. Granted, effective teaching practices try to include some movement breaks within each class period but that’s not always practical and realistic given how much curriculum we have to go over (teach to the tests!). The components of ADHD (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity) can strain the learning environment for all if the individual student doesn’t have coping mechanisms, and the teacher isn’t sensitive to their particular educational needs, whether those mechanisms are medication or not. Ideally, depending on the individual student of course, best option is medicating if varied instructional strategies have been insufficient for success during the school day. Once the environment isn’t so structured (i.e. home time and summer) medication hopefully would decrease or go away altogether, though that can be challenging for the family which is where additional support structures outside of school become important.

Re: Ingrid

I think your question “Would it be possible to refer to students with Identity-First labels...once they’ve claimed such…” is where we need to be. Some prefer Identity-First and some prefer Person-First and it really is just common courtesy to ask individuals which they prefer and then use it, similar in a way to preferred pronouns.

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RE:  CQ in the classroom:  I think they fit into the same categories of intelligence and disabilities across cultures.  However, how a culture values these different forms of intelligence may vary as well as their focus to perfect particular aspects.  Because culture is so imbedded in our reality we may not even be able to identify our own cultural assumptions. I think we must be flexible in own way of thinking. Speaking with a student or who doesn't appear to value the things the way you were taught should be initially addressed with curiosity and questions, not punishments and presumptions.

Therefore, by applying the CQ benefits diverse bodies by making reasonable accommodations it will prepare them to function successfully in our society's culture.  When they are inclusive we will be able to see the range of all our student’s culture represented and have the opportunity to learn from our own community.

Additionally, I think we should support other cultural factors that may affect our students.  For example, allowing our students the ability to create their own black lives matter walk through the school, awareness when it is Ramadan and how it may affect those who celebrate.

How do you want to incorporate CQ in your classroom/school?

Students with learning challenges, particularly ADHD, has had considerable attention in the media (pg. 156).  In all area areas of learning challenges our numbers continue to increase nationally.  There are many theories as to why: over diagnoses, we use more evaluations and testing, impacts of toxins in our environment, etc. Which ones seem to be the most probable to you?  Are children being overmedicated?  How does the label affect their sense of self?  Do we need to start moving in new directions for theory development?

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I think the topic I most wanted to talk about, even though it's a short section, is suicide. Many adolescents have considered suicide, and up to 10% have attempted it. These adolescents may or may not have emotional or behavioral problems such as depression. I knew that Native Americans have higher incidences of suicide, but I was surprised to learn that students in rural communities are also more likely to commit suicide.

While I knew the actual facts already, I've heard many of the myths presented in Table 4.11 so it was good to see these myths addressed.

I think it is very important to know students well enough to notice marked changes in behavior, such as no longer caring about school, fun activities, or friends; giving away possessions; or talking about suicide or not being around anymore.

Sometimes it’s not as easy as that though. My high school friend didn’t give any of us any warnings. We didn’t know that his girlfriend had accused him of rape when her parents found out they were dating and that her wealthy parents were ramrodding his case through the system. We didn’t know that he felt he had no other options.

Sometimes we just have to pay attention, and sometimes we will have to say goodbye anyway.

Re Alex:
I agree with some of the criticisms, but I do think that musical and linguistic intellegences are intelligences and not talents as some critics suggest. I think some of the critics have too fine a definition of intelligence, which was Gardner's point. What it all boils down to for me is, present the information and opportunities in multiple ways so that students can interact with it in multiple ways.

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I was startled by the criticism surrounding the topics of multiple intelligences and learning styles. Throughout most of my educational career and especially as I've progressed through this MAT program, most, if not all, of my courses have brought up intelligences and learning styles at some point when discussing how students learn in the classroom. Gardner's multiple intelligences is one theory I have come across several times, but after reading this section, I find myself agreeing with many of its criticisms, that these abilities are rarely separate. With how often this gets covered in teaching practices, I am surprised that there is little research evidence supporting the effectiveness of adopting any teaching strategies that incorporate multiple intelligences.

I think what many educators are actually doing is combining MI theory with learning styles (or preferences as our author prefers to call them). That musical or linguistic "intelligences" are visual or verbal learners. When I do a quick google search for learning styles, I see many that incorporate both multiple intelligences and visual/verbal/spatial learning styles. My main takeaway is that, as with pretty much every theory we have covered so far, it is not an either/or. The text states: "Intelligence is a current state of affairs, affected by past experiences and open to future changes" (p 142). There might not be a lot of quantifiable evidence that using learning styles or intelligences to adapt curriculum to students is extremely effective, but there is evidence that supports adapting curriculum to the students' needs is crucial. I think the question I'll be pondering as we head into class this week is should teachers be using MI theory? Should we be considering different learning styles? If the research does not support an advantage for using these, why do we continue to debate their merits as educators?

------ Response to Dena ------

Dena- I was thinking about talking about the section on suicide as well. The statistics are staggering and have only gotten worse. I liked the myth debunking as well. As teachers, we are at the epicenter of many of these children's lives, and there is a real possibility that it will fall on us to see the warning signs (if we can) and to take action.

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Ryan: Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence 

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Ryan: Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence 

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Unlike the more content-focused intelligence theories of Spearman, Cattell, and Horn, Carroll, and Gardner, Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence offers a more practical and, in my opinion, a more accurate definition and understanding of what intelligence is and how we, as teachers, should incorporate such findings in our classroom. By focusing on the three components involved in information processing—higher-order selection (choosing which strategy to approach learning a given subject), implementation (of that learning strategy to the material), and knowledge-acquisition (deciding which information is most pertinent to understanding the material)—teachers can better teach their students how to learn rather than what to learn, a distinction that is often too much ignored in our test-centric, facts and figures-based educational system. This is one major advantage of the perennialist philosophy of education over the essentialist philosophy because it emphasizes theories, themes, and ideas, whose applications are far more practical and important outside of the classroom than a simple regurgitation of facts, dates, figures, and numbers.  As we proceed into a future where there is no limit to the amount of information and facts at our fingertips, it becomes ever more important to help our students learn ways to effectively process that information and to think in more conceptual and theoretical ways.

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Like you, Zack, I was really taken aback by the section regarding learning styles and preferences and why teachers should be cautious about implementing lesson plans around those styles. I think you bring up a good point that there is a major difference between learning styles and learning preferences. I think this also relates to the ultimate motivation for learning the material (i.e., is the student approaching the material to gain a deeper understanding of the material or is he or she just hoping to glean a surface understanding of it in order to pass an exam). When I consider my own education, one of my major disappointments is how often I took the latter approach to the material. I would excel on tests and get a high grade in the course, but in retrospect I wonder how much I actually learned from the class or how much I took away. I think this is one of the major problems of modern schools relying so much on testing and focusing on grades; it often defeats the actual purpose of education: to learn.

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I love your point about the importance of getting kids the right resources, and the fact that it is important for school teachers and administrators to think about the role that mental health stigma can play in how we approach students with behavioral challenges.  RE: lack of diversity in gifted and talented programs, I would be interested to learn about what different school districts are doing to combat this disparity. Many students, perhaps with more individualized support, should & could succeed in more challenging courses if given the right tools, and with a positive self-concept.

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I agree that we need to look at different approaches to dealing with issue similar to these.  I also think that parents need to be more involved with the school and in better contact with their teachers about the actions of their children, not that the teacher has control of that.  Another concern for me is when schools lose funding it usually increases the workload of the teachers and students with these types of diagnoses continue to increase.  When class sizes increase and assistance in the classroom decreases, everyone loses.

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Doug Butler - response to Rachel and personal response

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Doug Butler - response to Rachel and personal response

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Rachel, I agree that the proportion of African-American students identified as having an emotional/behavioral disorder is distressing. Coupled with the fact that approximately one third of students with emotional and behavioral disorders are arrested during their school years paints an even more troubling picture. Yet, I wonder if this is a case where a diagnosis is more helpful or harmful. Identifying students with emotional or behavioral disorders is necessary in order to provide the proper psychological support. In general, there is a general lack of understanding or discussion of mental illness. One of the most important things I believe we can do is to be more open and honest open mental illness and eliminate the stigma surrounding emotional and behavioral disorders.

In a similar vein, gifted programs are comprised of only 8% each of both African-American and Latina/o students although they make up a much greater portion of the overall student population. Although the definition of gifted students according to The No Child Left Behind Act includes high achievement in “intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields,” too often school focus too much on intellectual and academic ability. Could allowing more creative and leadership minded individuals into gifted programs help improve the proportion of students of color in gifted programs? Because students may be gifted in one area and struggle in others, it is even more important to allow students to follow their interests and possibly discover unknown gifts.

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Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorder: Alan Grund and  Hleeda Her

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Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorder: Alan Grund and  Hleeda Her

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Alan Grund Reflection:
From the reading this week I was drawn to the section on working with students with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties.  This section gave some alarming statistics and this caught my eye because those statistics can also label a child.  "1/3 of these students are arrested during their school years and half are unemployed 3 to 5 years after leaving school."  Teachers see this students as causing consistent problems in class, disrupting other students that are learning and disrupting their own learning.  There is a disproportionate amount of African Americans represented in the 400,000 students with emotional disturbances. My fear in reading this section is that some people would read the ED (Emotionally Disturbances) and already have some preconceived notions about the child.  I know this section is really just a blurb of the information that is out there but the reading did not do it any justice in my eyes.  What are some of the root causes of a child acting out?  How do you work with a student's family in this situation?

I am an authoritative parent and belief that will come out in my teaching as well and I do not see that as a bad thing.  In a K-6 environment I feel that structured classroom and teacher centered learning can meet a majority of the needs of students in a classroom.  Time can always be build in for student led learning and other activities to challenge a student's thinking and how to problem solve in different ways.

Hleeda Her Response:
Alan, as I was reading your post, it dawned on me that most teachers are not prepared enough to handle these types of students in the classroom and often for liability purpose, as stated in the reading, teachers are constricted to following guidelines due to court rulings. Some schools set policies that rely heavily on behavior specialists to solve the problem, granted, that is the job of a behavior specialist, dean of students, or counselor, but since students spend more time with their teachers, we are the first to develop a rapport and build a trusting and respectable relationship with the students in the classrooms. We should take some ownership of that responsibility.

I experienced this when I worked at my first school. The student was a third grader, parents were divorced, remarried and had a lot of issues at home. The student would bring all that anger with him and lash it out on his classmates and teachers throughout the week.  All his teachers tried disciplining, rewarding, creating behavior chart, giving him "breaks" and talking to him 1-1. When that didn't work, he was sent down to the office for the behavior specialist to handle the situation. He would miss class time or get suspended from school, so he probably felt like the classroom was not a place for him to belong. When he knew that he could get out of class by acting up, he began to use it to his advantage. His mother enrolled him in a counseling program outside of school, where a specialist would make weekly visits to check on his progress but that didn't stop him from continuing his disruption in class, either.

He was getting thrown here and there, hearing different adults disciplining and counseling him. It wasn't until a new science teacher got hired during the second semester that his behavior began to change. What the science teacher did to change his behavior was amazing, in my mind. The science teacher could see that he was getting tired of the "talks." He didn't need contracts or punishment records, he needed his teachers to provide him a purpose and a sense of belonging regardless of what he has done or what he was going through. The science teacher owned a pet hamster in class and with proper procedures and approval from the parents and the school, decided that she was going to assign this student as the "care taker" of the hamster with her supervision. He helped her care for the hamster in the morning, during end of recess, and right before the end of the day when it was her prep time. Those three times served as check-ins. When he was in her class, they would talk about how to be caring and how to be responsible. She was careful not to address those issues directly at him, but taught him how to be a caring, responsible person through his job. She didn't talk about his behavior, instead she pointed out to him regularly how the happy the hamster was feeling because of his actions. His behavior improved within a month.

Our text listed several approaches to help these students such as providing structure, organizational tool, and choices. I believe those are all great approaches, but those mentioned in the text wouldn't help him much because his issue wasn't because of structure or organizational problem, or the need for losing and gaining points. What the science teacher did, leads me to believe that teachers should explore different ways to deal with emotional and behavior disorder students instead of just sticking to the "guidelines."
In closing, what are some other ways teachers can deal with students with emotional and behavioral problems, considering the rise of violence in schools between students and teachers? What can we, as teachers do, besides just following guidelines or impose authority?

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Module 12 introduces emotional and behavioral disorders as inappropriate behaviors that really interfere with a child’s development, and with the lives of others around them.  I found it distressing that 26% of students identified as having an emotional/behavioral disorder are African American (though African Americans make up 13% of the population).  I would be interested to learn much more about this statistic.  Is it really that more African American students exhibit behavior that qualifies them as having a disorder? If so, can we look to factors like systemic oppression, social mobility, community safety, etc. that might increase a child’s likelihood of living with a behavioral disorder, and therefore might help explain the higher occurrence in the African American community? Might there also be other forces at work, for example, learning communities being more reluctant to diagnose a white child with a disorder while being more willing to diagnose a student of color (i.e. an influence of prejudice or lack of awareness of cultural differences)?  How does trauma influence a child’s likelihood of being diagnosed with a behavioral disorder?

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Martin Wegner: reflection and response to Tang Xiong

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Martin Wegner: reflection and response to Tang Xiong

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Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences: there are at least 8 different intelligences; people have varying levels of ability in these intelligences. This doesn’t seem helpful to teachers. I took a quiz on the levels of my intelligences. Whatever I enjoyed doing added to the intelligence rating in that area. Just enjoying something does not mean you are good at it. Obviously, enjoying something to the point you do it a lot can help you improve. However, it doesn’t indicate where you began or where you will end up. I think most teachers already understand that it is helpful to make the learning process enjoyable for the students. What about teaching students subjects they don’t enjoy? Many things that are important (and required in school) are hard and unpleasant at first.

Re: Tang’s reflection

If a gifted student is basically warehoused in a mixed-ability group in order to keep them from bothering the teacher or to be an unpaid classroom assistant, then that is a problem. I don’t think that is what you did, or what most teachers do. I agree that these students need to be challenged and somehow need to get advanced instruction. However, I also feel that helping their classmates can be valuable. I know that I benefitted greatly on a personal growth level from volunteering one week each summer for over 10 years at a camp for people with developmental disabilities (the majority of the campers had Down Syndrome, but one camper had cri du chat syndrome and some older campers were undiagnosed).

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Jocelyn McQuirter Discussion and Response with Kelly Rygh

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Jocelyn McQuirter Discussion and Response with Kelly Rygh

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Page 134 shares Howard’s Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, which made me think of an outlook on cultural intelligence (CQ) in relation to the other intelligences. CQ is essentially the ability to navigate relating to and working in diverse environments. With our nation being exceedingly more multicultural, so to the need to be knowledgeable in understanding similarities and differences in order to coexist and be an effective educator. How do multicultural students fit into the existing intelligences? How could CQ application to the education system benefit diverse bodies? What does CQ look like in a school in a way that makes them inclusive?

RE: Kelly:  How do you want to incorporate CQ in your classroom/school? And page 156.

CQ will be a central part of my pedagogy and overall methods to keep my students engaged and included in their learning. Through the curriculum I develop, I plan to have each diverse learner and their respective community in mind.  I also agree with you to create safe spaces for students to celebrate their differences and share their love for what at times can be an absent narrative.

In response to the ADHD prominence, over diagnoses seems most probable. Overcrowded classrooms, teachers lack of control, removal/lack of physical education among others are factors I see leading students to act out and need attention more. The students sense of self may be as though he is a misfit with special accommodations to excel in class. ADHD theory development should continue to be evolving and be evidence-based to track the full implications of advantages vs. disadvantages of treatments.

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I agree with you and the author about IQ tests in schools. Intelligence tests, and really any test for that matter, can be a high-stress situation for kids and there are any number of factors that go into taking them. To base a students potential off of a timed written test is disappointing. There are many different ways of assessment that can give a more realistic outlook of a students knowledge and can boost their self-esteem as well.

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The Need for Differentiation - Christopher Michael

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The Need for Differentiation - Christopher Michael

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The need for differentiation in education has been made abundantly clear by the profound amount of research that tends to attempt to categorize learning. In understanding that we all come from different genetics, backgrounds, cultures, etc (the list really does go and on), it is only natural we become different learners. There is no specific formula, therefore, understanding the research might be a foundation for getting through to all students, it most certainly is not the answer. What I gathered from this reading is that it is most important to be aware of your students’ abilities, be understanding, and most importantly, figure out the best methods to targeting their unique learning abilities.

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I don't believe thirty minutes is nearly enough, but at least it's a good start. Developing IEP's (or even discovering the need for) tends to be a long and involved process. I have sat in on IEP meetings. I was a paraprofessional invited by the student's mother because she did not trust the school was meeting her son's inclusion needs. There was must indignation over this and a lot of time wasted and the student already had a plan! So at the very least, this particular RTI can provide a jumping off point to help these students...?

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Response To Intervention-Nicolle Kitt                         

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Response To Intervention-Nicolle Kitt                         

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The RTI goal is to catch children before they have a chance to fail.  In my school this is implemented in a 30 minute chunk of time in the morning through all grade levels.  I am usually with one of my first grade students.  I have noticed that this intervention involves a few pull-out groups and a small group with the teacher.  The rest of the students do independent work or work in pairs.  I have also noticed that there are 3 things the students work on: reading to selves, reading to others, or writing.  I am wondering what other people have experienced?  Do you feel that 30 minutes/day is enough time for these students?
RE: Christopher Michael
I agree that the research is a great foundation for us to start with students. I would say that some students are unique learners, but I do believe that most mainstream students can be grouped into specific categories of learning (preferring visual, hands-on, lecture, etc.). I think that as teachers we need to strive to make sure that we know how our students learn, but also help them understand HOW they learn. I was a little surprised to read that students actually don't know what works for them. How can they understand what they are being taught if they don't actually know how to learn it? I would also say that this is something that should be explored and pushed in the lower elementary grades. With a better understanding of what actually works for them, students would be better prepared for the rest of their schooling (with the help of understanding teachers of course!).

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Module 13 talks about teaching the Gifted and Talented students and how it is always not an easy approach. One of the most common mistakes that I have made, and seen many teachers do, is to have the students be in mixed-ability groups. The idea behind that is to have the higher ability student assist with his/her lower ability classmates. However, this method is detrimental to the higher performing student because it does not challenge or keep them interested. A brief reminder, I work with Hmong students at a charter school. I asked many times for gifted students to help their peers, because it is part of the Hmong culture for those who are more capable to assist others. Instead, I did not think about how nowadays, the younger Hmong generation may not be accustomed to that anymore. So as always, I still feel stuck in the middle as an educator.
Re: Martin’s Response

From what I’ve seen- teachers who know that their students are disinterested in a subject, they bring something from the youth culture to the classroom. For an example, students can make a short song to help them memorize a physics formula to a popular tune on the radio station. That part at least gets their attention and hopefully makes it more fun. On the other hand, it does take extra effort to keep students engaged and make learning fun (what the students consider fun, may not be fun to us teachers).

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I agree that as teachers we do not need to utilize all 8 ways of learning for one lesson, but I do think that we need to be aware of which one each of our students uses, and if they are struggling to understand a lesson or activity, that we need to use that way to help them. I also think that we as teachers need to try our best to utilize all of the 8 sometime throughout the school year in order to cater to everyone and to figure out which one helps our class the most.

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I found the 'lessons for teachers' section of the multiple intelligences section to be very helpful advice. Gardner claims that while students may learn in different ways, that doesn't mean as teachers we need to try to touch on all 8 of these ways of learning all at once. As teachers we need to try to understand the students as individuals to teach them properly. Also, if we try to teach in 8 different ways at a time we won't successfully get the content across. I understand the importance of teaching to students strengths when possible, but experiences learning in different ways can be helpful for students as well. Reflecting on my time learning in school, I understand that a perfect classroom for me is the opposite of what a lot of our MAT course work advises. I love learning through lecture in a perennialist fashion. That may be lame for most students, but I get more out of that than endless discussions, yet I have to learn through discussion often. I believe it is good for us and our students to work at our weaknesses as well.

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One part of the reading that I was not fully surprised to read was the section on IQ Tests, especially the part of group IQ Test settings. According to our reading, group IQ Tests may have students do poorly because they do not understand the instructions, they have trouble reading, their pencils break, they lose their place on the answer sheet, other students are distracting them, or because the answer format confuses them. What I am surprised about is that if all these things jeopardize our students testing skills, why are we always having our students tested in a group? Would assessing them individually in a room separate from all the other students be more effective? I understand that this would take much longer and we would need separate teachers for each student, but would the result be worth it? For some students, myself included, testing causes great anxiety, I believe that individual testing could help this. Another way we could quicken this up would be by having them be take home tests, this way a student can choose how they would like to take the test.

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I was surprised to read that most learning styles research criticizes teachers adapting teaching to learning styles in the classroom. Students may know how they want to learn, but they don’t usually know how they learn best. Thinking back, this actually fits many of the middle and high school students I’ve worked with – they just want to be told what they need to know so they can move on to something else. Granted, the ones who acted like this didn’t always seem to be the most self-driven learners, so I wonder if the effectiveness of learning styles could depend on one’s motivation to learn. If someone is motivated to learn, then it would make sense that his or her learning preferences would be the best way that person knows how to learn, right?  Maybe, like Richard Mayer argues, most learning styles are irrelevant because learning is so context dependent. For me personally, I really crave verbal learning in classes I care about (like this one!), but for the anthropology and sociology classes I’m only taking because I have to for my social studies license, I prefer online classes where I just read the textbook and take multiple choice tests because they require minimal effort on my part.