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Dyslexia Research and Powerpoint Project

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Dyslexia Research and Powerpoint Project

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Paraprofessional Communication & Information Sharing Tool

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Paraprofessional Communication & Information Sharing Tool

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Journal Entry #5- Building Relationships/Social Supports

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Journal Entry #5- Building Relationships/Social Supports

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What are the 6 ways to facilitate relationships outlined in the textbook? Are there other ways you can think of to foster relationship building that you have seen used or have used yourself?

- Highlight similarities among students.

- Help students invite each other to socialize.

- Provide behavioral supports that are social in nature.

- Provide your student responsibilities that are interactive and collaborative.

- Help other students understand.

- Get out of the way!

With the 6 ways to facilitate relationships from the textbook I can think of an idea that might help along the way. An idea that could be useful would be having students pair up with different partners in their classes that way they have the opportunity to meet many different people on their own and maybe see if they can find similarities and create friendships with the other students. I believe that even if a student may not have much in common, there are many students that are friendly and are always willing to hangout or talk with students who may not fit into the typical mold. I believe that when facilitating these friendships we shouldn't try to force the relationships but rather support them. If students find similarities it would also be helpful to give them ideas on how they could expand on the similarities such as school events or activities to do together.

How can students be supported naturally?

I think that students can be supported naturally by giving them the space they need to create relationships or work on assignments while also being near for support if and when they need it. If you notice a student being left out in a social circumstance you can reach out and see if there are things that would make them feel more comfortable or included. Listening goes a long way and can provide the information you need to make the adjustments to help a student.

How can adults support students during an unstructured time without it being socially damaging for the student?

Maintaining a healthy distance and not hovering or over facilitating a social circumstance. If you keep your distance and only intervene when it seems necessary you are giving the student room to grow and reach out on their own which can provide some independency to the student. An example the book gives is finding a partner for the student to walk to school with or walk to the bus stop with. This example is great because it gives the student support while also making a connection with another student where they can get to know each other one on one.

Make a list of outside resources schools could utilize/advertise to help support social skills for students. Think about what may have been mentioned in the reading but also resources you can think of in your own community.

I would like to use some of my own ideas that i have noticed in schools.

- Volunteering in events such as school basketball games, helping the cafeteria, volunteering at a bingo night or fundraising night

- After School program or the Boys and Girls Club

- School clubs that relate to an activity the student enjoys such as book club or science club

- If the student enjoys a sport, maybe trying to join a sporting activity in some form weather it be on the team or as a manager and supporter

- Pep Club which gets you into most events at school for free and you get to support your school.

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Digital Journal Entry #4- Teaming and Collaboration

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Digital Journal Entry #4- Teaming and Collaboration

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I believe that Co-Teaching is very important for not only student growth, but for your persona, growth as a teacher. With Co-Teaching, students receive more teacher time which in turn helps students be more successful with their classroom activities. Teachers in a study done on Co-Teaching said that they preferred in-class support to pull-out support because the more collaborative approach seemed to inspire a greater focus on instructional approaches for students with unique learning needs(Schwarz, 2007). In my own opinion, I see Co-Teaching as a way to pull from all your resources to provide the best education possible. This is done by getting ideas from other teachers or even advice on hard situations. This would also include working with other teachers inside of the classroom to insure that while you are instructing, someone is there to assist or explain to students what is happening throughout instruction. I think that the benefits outweigh the cons and that this method can only help students and teachers.
With all the benefits of Co-Teaching, there are some drawbacks to be had, this can be anything from miscommunication to a difference of opinion on how something should be taught. I think that the best way to avoid these kinds of conflicts would be to ensure that the communication is always the first step in any ideas for instruction. Communicating a plan and getting on the same page before starting is a great way to prepare yourself before getting in front of the students and having a disagreement. I also think there could be a drawback in the relationships created with the students. This isn't a huge drawback but could cause complications if a student only feels comfortable with one teacher and not the other. I think in this case, the best scenario would be to make sure that the student is getting the same communication from both teachers and that they are helped in a way that makes them feel comfortable and helps them become successful in whatever it is they are doing.
When speaking on student collaboration, I only see benefits from doing this. Students are made to feel included and heard when discussing their education. In every situation, I believe that students want to have a say about their education or at least feel like they are being communicated with. When including students with IEPs in their meetings you are giving them a confidence in their communication skills by having them discuss the things going on in the classroom. This is also a help to the teachers and can help parents see an improvement or inclusion of their child. Teachers can also utilize the students to help their peers by including them in tutoring groups or committees. By doing this, you are creating an advocate for other students and the students are learning to advocate for themselves.

Schwarz, P., & Kluth, P. (2007). Collaboration & Teaming in the Inclusive Classroom. In You’re welcome: 30 innovative ideas for the inclusive classroom. essay, Heinemann.

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Clint seems to be fine behaviorally and academically, however, he struggles focusing on tasks by himself and needs some stimulation while he works through assignments. This student also focuses better when things are done in a more creative manner such as through music or projects with his hands. Clint seems to feel like he is in trouble for causing distraction when it doesn't seem like he can control something like this. My concern is that Clint  may have a Musical Intelligence style rather than the other styles we have learned about. If this is the case, he would be better with patterns, rhythm, or music.
With Clint i would suggest using music in the background when working on individual tasks and a fidget toy during instructional periods. Using these two objects could help Clint tremendously and i would use the strategy of Choose and Learn Boxes. With this strategy Clint is able to have things that keep him focused and on task throughout each step of instruction.
The other method i would use would be Assign Projects. This method seems to help keep students on task and can be tailored to any learning style. Since Clint is more musically and creatively inclined, an art project or musical project would be something he could focus on and also boost his self esteem in the classroom.
Effective communication is the best way to understand Clint and what things he struggles with in order to adjust the instruction in a way that could benefit his learning. Changing a few simple things would only enhance his learning capabilities.

In the video about Beau, I don't necessarily see anything wrong with the story except for the fact that Beau is alone every day at lunch and that it took him being recognized by someone older that students looked up to, to sit by him. The football player did a very genuine and kind thing by making sure everyone was included and no one felt left out. For Beau, it may have been uncomfortable for him to walk up to a huge group of people to meet the football players. If anything, a teacher or aide should have asked Beau if he wanted to go meet the football players. I don't believe it is a teachers job to make students be friends with anyone, but i do think that if Beau is in an inclusive environment and is in general education classes, he might have other friends to sit with at lunch. I do not know his academic environments or what his teachers are doing, but it seemed like he might not really know any other students. Even though i don't like that it takes something like this for students to recognize someone, i do like how they recognized that he sits alone and chose to make sure he didn't anymore.

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What does IDEA stand for? What is their mission?

- IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and their mission is to support special education and other related services for children or youth with disabilities. This program/act is geared towards making sure that there is fair education for students with disabilities, which means making sure that there are programs and supports in schools to help those with disabilities rather than hanging them out to dry. I believe this act is what helps students with dyslexia get extra help or people who struggle with comprehension get extra work with their reading rather than being pentalized for being behind. This goes for all other students with disabilities and the extra help they NEED to be receiving in school to succeed.

What information did you find most useful? Why?

- The information i found that was most useful was from the second article on page 221. It shows the states that are meeting or not meeting requirements for IDEA. There are many states that are meeting the requirements but when looking for our state we are pretty far over on the list. Nevada is listed as needed 2 or more years of consecutive assistance to meet requirements of the IDEA. Being that this is the state i will be teaching in, this shows that there is a huge problem in our schools and that our students with disabilities are not getting the support they need. It is an eye opener in the sense that i will need to be paying attention to the needs of my students and making sure that they are getting the support they need to help them succeed in their education. Which is what should be happening already and is clearly not meeting the requirements.

What did you learn from researching this information that you didn't know before?

I learned that the IDEA is actually a big contributor to the funding and grants received by schools and states for students with disabilities. Im sure that there are many contributors, but i like how the IDEA isn't just someone who is making policies and laws but actually advocating and putting things into effect. The IDEA grants support things like research, technical assistance, technology development, and even family training. It is amazing how they even offer grants and fundings to help families be able to learn more about how to support and help in their children's education.

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Entry #1- Introduction to EDSP301 Video Reflection

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Entry #1- Introduction to EDSP301 Video Reflection

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For video 1, the take away is to not focus on what a student cannot do but what the can. The man speaks of feeling low about himself because he was always reminded of his weaknesses and what he struggled with. He emphasizes the fact that he was great at things he didnt even realize and that boosted his confidence. The goal as teachers is to remind students that even though they may struggle with something, they are great at something else and can make the best of the things they arent good at and work on them while also thriving in their strong spots.
For video 2, it is all about what everyone can learn. Everyone is a work in progress and can always have something to take away from every situation. Students often teach us things by just interacting with us, all we have to do is listen and absorb what they are saying and make them feel understood. We expect students to listen to us talk all day and learn something, but we can also take feedback from them on how to be better. The biggest takeaway from this video is that there is always room to grow, succeed, and learn, for everyone.
I didn't see a third video, but from the reading i was able to take away that we as educators need to recognize our own mistakes and faults and work on them. There is always room for improvement. In these cases in the chapter, we are seeing different scenarios about what the best setting for a student may be. It is okay to be wrong and then to be better the next time around. As the videos said, there is always something to learn and we need to take advantage of the strengths students have and try to work in a way that highlights those. Not for ourselves but for them. Using other teachers to bounce ideas off is a great way to change and revise curriculum to work better for students and it might even make things easier on us as well. Being understanding and willing to change and adjust based off the needs of the classroom is a huge deal and there are many resources and ideas to try until the right one for your situation is found.