Learning disabilities interfere with a student’s learning and understanding of his or her entire life. Challenges, such as behavior, social, and emotional, interfere with a student’s learning, and commonly overlap with academic difficulties. Many students with learning disabilities exhibit these challenges, and may engage in further poor self-concept or self-esteem.
According to http://www.smartkidswithld.org/, the different kinds of learning disabilities are dyslexia, nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and executive function disorder. Dyslexia—I recall a young lady coming to a teaching credential course at the University of San Diego with dyslexia. The professor had her come to discuss the challenges she faced and the way her brain would sort out the sounds heard in spoken language, and how that inhibited her writing, reading, math, and spelling skills. She shared school work, as she was a high school student, and the hardships she endured when trying to write a complex sentence or comprehend social studies content. Persons identified with NLD often exhibit socially awkward behaviors and do not conceptualize the main idea or “big picture.” Persons with NLD struggle to learn nonverbal skills, and have difficulties with manipulating and exchanging the nonverbal information. Persons with ADHD or ADD have difficulty paying attention and using the appropriate amount of time on the information. Being a person with ADD, I am easily distracted; have difficulty processing (or comprehending) information, and; have high anxiety, due to my inability to focus, recall information, or deliver my thoughts comprehensively. Persons with executive function disorder struggle to control and manage day-to-day skills, such as planning and organizing, regulating emotions, and setting goals. Some key symptoms are failing to control emotions during a daily task. For instance, the person may begin to cry and throw a tantrum when it’s time to clean their room.
Through my own experience, the experience of my students, and readings and materials about LD, I have learned how it impacts the person developmentally, cognitively, behaviorally, socially, academically, and/or emotionally. As no two persons are alike, their remains signs and symptoms to be aware of, and strategies to employ for all learners. A learning disability affects the academic experience, which correlates with the person’s emotional, behavioral, social, developmental and cognitive understandings. All persons want to be “normal,” and this form of identifying the disability only labels the disability and not the person. Teachers should emphasize that learning disabilities are not diseases, and there aren’t “cures” for them. Simply, persons with learning disabilities need interventions, strategies, supports, and an environment that strengthens the whole person.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Activity 2.3 Misunderstood Minds
Misunderstood Minds has provided an effective and important reality of the challenges many students with learning disabilities endure. Being a person with ADD and auditory processing disorder, I found myself quickly shutting down and giving up on some of these activities because I already experience many of these everyday challenges.
Attention
Experience Firsthand
The attention video provides a glimpse of the social challenges students face when identified with learning disabilities. The boy who would go into the trashcan for his own excitement relates to the struggle of positive, social behavior. He stated that he was known for playing in the trashcans; thus, building a self-perception based on his need for hyperactivity, but in an inappropriate manner.
For the visual activity, for instance, I only read the first sentence and did not retain any of the content. After putting my best effort into the auditory portion of the “Experience Firsthand,” I again became easily frustrated and could not comprehend the directions from the teacher. In addition to the auditory clip being a glimpse for persons without a learning disability, my own auditory processing disorder made this activity more of a challenge.
In addition, I recall the auditory portions of Spanish tests during high school, and regularly failing these portions of the tests. My auditory processing disorder and ADD make it hard to focus and process the information being heard. Thus, I did not demonstrate my knowledge of the content, due to my inability of processing the information heard. This activity also correlates with the emotional challenges persons with learning disabilities face because I easily became overwhelmed and frustrated by my failing attempts. My failed attempts have induced much frustration in my learning experience, which has led to a fear of success and self-esteem. Namely, I have named my successes to the people who constantly support me (i.e., family, boy friend, principal, god mother, fellow colleagues, professors, and teachers). Over the years, I have used the strategies taught, and daily employ techniques to better serve the needs of my students.
Basics
Paying attention is the brain’s ability to filter the stimuli around us by sorting, organizing, prioritizing, and categorizing information. The ability to focus is a chronic problem for persons with ADHD. When I was in high school, I didn’t realize that I was missing portions of notes in my notebooks because I would be thinking about something else, or distracted by all of the stimuli, for long periods of time. As I have been identified with the inattentive and impulsivity characteristics of ADD, I do not exhibit hyperactivity. There is one student in my classroom who is very hyperactive and inattentive to instruction or on-task activities. I am aware of his behavioral characteristics, but am also aware of his age and developmental stage of learning, which is below grade level. Thus, I do not expect him to remain seated as long as his peers, but set goals for him to reinforce appropriate behaviors to help manage the behavioral challenges.
Difficulties
When reading about the “mental energy” of someone with a learning disability, I found the sleep and arousal balance and performance consistency very relateable to a student in my class. The mother says that her daughter receives at least eight hours of sleep, but she struggles to control the ability to sleep well enough at night. Thus, she is tired in class and has trouble getting up in the morning. Her performance is also inconsistent, where she concentrates and performs well at times, and does not concentrate and perform well at other times.
Responses
Many of the strategies provided are currently implemented within the classroom routine, procedures, and management. My students are learning how to efficiently and correctly complete tasks; thus, by providing short breaks, using buddies or small group leaders to jump-start activities, preparing students before asking them to respond, using maps and graphs, building listening skills and strategies, and more, are some of the strategies I use everyday for my students. I believe that self-grading might be too advanced for first grade students, but I do have them complete checklists to stress the importance of my expectations for them.
Reading
Experience Firsthand
As a first grade teacher, I instruct, model and guide my students towards ways of recalling, remembering, and understanding what was read. Phonemes are learned and practiced throughout the school year, and language skills are imperative for an effective reading experience. I teach these skills and strategies to my students so that they can become more effective and comprehensive readers. However, when I was growing up, I had trouble recalling or remembering what I read. I did not employ the strategies I learned for reading, and my comprehension and retention continued to fail.
Basics
Reading an important component of the first grade curriculum. By the end of the school year, they are expected to decode, comprehend, and retain what has been read. Fortunately, I demonstrate many of the strategies discussed in the last section. Last year, I had a student with a speech impediment, which led to low decoding skills, and little progress in reading skills. This speech impediment also linked with emotional and social challenges. During small group or buddy activities, he rarely spoke because he struggled to recognize the appropriate sounds of words. I recommended a speech pathologist, which resulted with a comprehensive and enjoyable reading experience. His social and emotional challenges continued to diminish because he mastered the sounds of letters and words.
Difficulties
The video of the student having trouble with retaining and recalling the information truly demonstrates what many students with learning disabilities struggle with. Key signs of reading difficulty for students with learning disabilities are trouble with: sounds and letters, understanding what was read, and remembering or understanding what was read. It is important for teachers to teach reading strategies to all students to help raise their reading levels.
Responses
In addition to the responses from the “Attention” section, encouraging the student to join a reading organization, and seek assistance from other professional organizations and support groups, strategies should be used in the classroom and at home. Building self-esteem is imperative for students with reading problems, and providing illustrations or additional materials should be used, if necessary. In the end, the teacher must model in various ways about the joy and many purposes of reading!
Writing
Experience Firsthand
“Making Writing Automatic” video provides a glimpse of the challenges students have with writing. The boy struggled to remember the grammar and logical sequence of writing, which is a process that many students master. The other boy who does not write notes quick enough is a common example of my learning problems in the classroom. Providing notes for the boy or an outline for him could help accommodate this learning problem.
Basics
There are many stages of writing development, and I find the sequential ordering of letters and numbers as very important. I use white boards and paper letters for the students to blend, segment, and decode words and their phonemes. Using a whiteboard is a fun tool for my students because they can work on their penmanship as they connect sounds of letters and form words.
Difficulties
There are many neurodevelopmental problems that impact the writing process, but an important component that I, as a teacher, must note is to use a writing portfolio to monitor progress of their work over time. This helps to identify the problems and develop strategies to ensure appropriate and individualized progress. I use a monthly writing journal for my students to evaluate their work in a consecutive and comprehensive manner. Following my observations and assessment of writing journals, I develop appropriate instructional strategies.
Responses
I find the responses for supporting students with writing problems to use the responses exemplified in the “Responses” reading and attention sections above. Emphasizing the feeling of empathy towards these students shares and reassures them, and further helping their anxiety of feelings of discouragement. Time is another important component that is realistic to the needs of the child. If time cannot be extended, then the writing length should be shortened.
Mathematics
Experience Firsthand
The multi-step problems and spatial activity require much more than simple arithmetic. Rather, the mathematics facts became very complicated because it requires more learning strategies and skills. Mathematics is very abstract, and the activities given demonstrate the process to higher levels of thinking, and struggle to recall, focus, or connect the concepts being built on one another.
Basics
Since mathematics has many rules, recalling the rules necessary to progress in math is vital. To solve problems both factually and procedurally, memory is required. I differentiate instructional methods and use more than one mode for mathematics lessons because it helps provide a meaningful learning experience for my students.
Difficulties
My current first grade class has many difficulties understanding many mathematical concepts. The mastery of number facts to 20 (addition and subtraction) is required of all students by the end of first grade. The students who have mastered this requirement does not always reflect their knowledge of connecting these numbers with actual quantities, objects, picture representations, or real world contexts. Also, since many of my students speak English as their second language, the vocabulary of math is confusing and not understood with the values or definitions in specific problems.
Responses
The strategies for mathematics are very similar to the strategies explained in the previous sections. I found the use of mnemonic strategies for solving word problems, such as TIPS: Think (read), Information (what do you need to solve), Problem (write equation), Solve. I instruct and model this strategy, but without the mnemonic. What a wonderful way for my students to remember it!
Attention
Experience Firsthand
The attention video provides a glimpse of the social challenges students face when identified with learning disabilities. The boy who would go into the trashcan for his own excitement relates to the struggle of positive, social behavior. He stated that he was known for playing in the trashcans; thus, building a self-perception based on his need for hyperactivity, but in an inappropriate manner.
For the visual activity, for instance, I only read the first sentence and did not retain any of the content. After putting my best effort into the auditory portion of the “Experience Firsthand,” I again became easily frustrated and could not comprehend the directions from the teacher. In addition to the auditory clip being a glimpse for persons without a learning disability, my own auditory processing disorder made this activity more of a challenge.
In addition, I recall the auditory portions of Spanish tests during high school, and regularly failing these portions of the tests. My auditory processing disorder and ADD make it hard to focus and process the information being heard. Thus, I did not demonstrate my knowledge of the content, due to my inability of processing the information heard. This activity also correlates with the emotional challenges persons with learning disabilities face because I easily became overwhelmed and frustrated by my failing attempts. My failed attempts have induced much frustration in my learning experience, which has led to a fear of success and self-esteem. Namely, I have named my successes to the people who constantly support me (i.e., family, boy friend, principal, god mother, fellow colleagues, professors, and teachers). Over the years, I have used the strategies taught, and daily employ techniques to better serve the needs of my students.
Basics
Paying attention is the brain’s ability to filter the stimuli around us by sorting, organizing, prioritizing, and categorizing information. The ability to focus is a chronic problem for persons with ADHD. When I was in high school, I didn’t realize that I was missing portions of notes in my notebooks because I would be thinking about something else, or distracted by all of the stimuli, for long periods of time. As I have been identified with the inattentive and impulsivity characteristics of ADD, I do not exhibit hyperactivity. There is one student in my classroom who is very hyperactive and inattentive to instruction or on-task activities. I am aware of his behavioral characteristics, but am also aware of his age and developmental stage of learning, which is below grade level. Thus, I do not expect him to remain seated as long as his peers, but set goals for him to reinforce appropriate behaviors to help manage the behavioral challenges.
Difficulties
When reading about the “mental energy” of someone with a learning disability, I found the sleep and arousal balance and performance consistency very relateable to a student in my class. The mother says that her daughter receives at least eight hours of sleep, but she struggles to control the ability to sleep well enough at night. Thus, she is tired in class and has trouble getting up in the morning. Her performance is also inconsistent, where she concentrates and performs well at times, and does not concentrate and perform well at other times.
Responses
Many of the strategies provided are currently implemented within the classroom routine, procedures, and management. My students are learning how to efficiently and correctly complete tasks; thus, by providing short breaks, using buddies or small group leaders to jump-start activities, preparing students before asking them to respond, using maps and graphs, building listening skills and strategies, and more, are some of the strategies I use everyday for my students. I believe that self-grading might be too advanced for first grade students, but I do have them complete checklists to stress the importance of my expectations for them.
Reading
Experience Firsthand
As a first grade teacher, I instruct, model and guide my students towards ways of recalling, remembering, and understanding what was read. Phonemes are learned and practiced throughout the school year, and language skills are imperative for an effective reading experience. I teach these skills and strategies to my students so that they can become more effective and comprehensive readers. However, when I was growing up, I had trouble recalling or remembering what I read. I did not employ the strategies I learned for reading, and my comprehension and retention continued to fail.
Basics
Reading an important component of the first grade curriculum. By the end of the school year, they are expected to decode, comprehend, and retain what has been read. Fortunately, I demonstrate many of the strategies discussed in the last section. Last year, I had a student with a speech impediment, which led to low decoding skills, and little progress in reading skills. This speech impediment also linked with emotional and social challenges. During small group or buddy activities, he rarely spoke because he struggled to recognize the appropriate sounds of words. I recommended a speech pathologist, which resulted with a comprehensive and enjoyable reading experience. His social and emotional challenges continued to diminish because he mastered the sounds of letters and words.
Difficulties
The video of the student having trouble with retaining and recalling the information truly demonstrates what many students with learning disabilities struggle with. Key signs of reading difficulty for students with learning disabilities are trouble with: sounds and letters, understanding what was read, and remembering or understanding what was read. It is important for teachers to teach reading strategies to all students to help raise their reading levels.
Responses
In addition to the responses from the “Attention” section, encouraging the student to join a reading organization, and seek assistance from other professional organizations and support groups, strategies should be used in the classroom and at home. Building self-esteem is imperative for students with reading problems, and providing illustrations or additional materials should be used, if necessary. In the end, the teacher must model in various ways about the joy and many purposes of reading!
Writing
Experience Firsthand
“Making Writing Automatic” video provides a glimpse of the challenges students have with writing. The boy struggled to remember the grammar and logical sequence of writing, which is a process that many students master. The other boy who does not write notes quick enough is a common example of my learning problems in the classroom. Providing notes for the boy or an outline for him could help accommodate this learning problem.
Basics
There are many stages of writing development, and I find the sequential ordering of letters and numbers as very important. I use white boards and paper letters for the students to blend, segment, and decode words and their phonemes. Using a whiteboard is a fun tool for my students because they can work on their penmanship as they connect sounds of letters and form words.
Difficulties
There are many neurodevelopmental problems that impact the writing process, but an important component that I, as a teacher, must note is to use a writing portfolio to monitor progress of their work over time. This helps to identify the problems and develop strategies to ensure appropriate and individualized progress. I use a monthly writing journal for my students to evaluate their work in a consecutive and comprehensive manner. Following my observations and assessment of writing journals, I develop appropriate instructional strategies.
Responses
I find the responses for supporting students with writing problems to use the responses exemplified in the “Responses” reading and attention sections above. Emphasizing the feeling of empathy towards these students shares and reassures them, and further helping their anxiety of feelings of discouragement. Time is another important component that is realistic to the needs of the child. If time cannot be extended, then the writing length should be shortened.
Mathematics
Experience Firsthand
The multi-step problems and spatial activity require much more than simple arithmetic. Rather, the mathematics facts became very complicated because it requires more learning strategies and skills. Mathematics is very abstract, and the activities given demonstrate the process to higher levels of thinking, and struggle to recall, focus, or connect the concepts being built on one another.
Basics
Since mathematics has many rules, recalling the rules necessary to progress in math is vital. To solve problems both factually and procedurally, memory is required. I differentiate instructional methods and use more than one mode for mathematics lessons because it helps provide a meaningful learning experience for my students.
Difficulties
My current first grade class has many difficulties understanding many mathematical concepts. The mastery of number facts to 20 (addition and subtraction) is required of all students by the end of first grade. The students who have mastered this requirement does not always reflect their knowledge of connecting these numbers with actual quantities, objects, picture representations, or real world contexts. Also, since many of my students speak English as their second language, the vocabulary of math is confusing and not understood with the values or definitions in specific problems.
Responses
The strategies for mathematics are very similar to the strategies explained in the previous sections. I found the use of mnemonic strategies for solving word problems, such as TIPS: Think (read), Information (what do you need to solve), Problem (write equation), Solve. I instruct and model this strategy, but without the mnemonic. What a wonderful way for my students to remember it!
Activity 2.2 Strategy Instruction
1. Suggest at least three ways that strategies can help students in the classroom.
Strategies are a series of cognitive steps, providing you with effective tools to improve performance more quickly and easily. Strategies facilitate instruction and empower students to effectively complete task requirements. Strategies help students complete tasks more quickly, efficiently, and easily. Strategies help improve the performance of all students, including students with learning exceptionalities. Strategies provides forms of self-regulation; thereby, employing the tools of setting goals, self-monitoring, self-talking, and self-reinforcement. Strategies enable students with the tools to effectively complete tasks.
2. Compare the characteristics of strategic learners with those of non-strategic learners.
Strategic learners know what, when, and how to use strategies for completing tasks. Strategic learners know how to analyze problems and develop a plan. Meanwhile, non-strategic learners are unorganized and have no order or awareness in effectively completing the assignment. Strategic learners access their background knowledge and use skills previously learned to effectively conquer the tasks at and. To compare, non-strategic learners are unaware of the novel tasks, nor how to apply them. They do not employ memory techniques, nor use manageable steps to accomplish the task. Strategic learners use self-regulated strategies while engaged in a task.
3. List the six research-validated stages of SRSD. What aspects of each would you emphasize as the most important?
The six stages of the Self-regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) are (1.) developing background knowledge; (2.) discuss it; (3.) model it; (4.) memorize it; (5.) support it, and; (6.) establish independent practice. When developing background knowledge, the teacher must identify and assess the skills that students need to develop or already possess. The teacher must help students develop necessary skills through explicit instruction. The teacher discusses the importance and benefits of strategies, and how and when they will use them. Explaining the need of the strategy, and modeling the explicit steps is crucial during this process. Then, the students memorize the words in a manner that meaning is maintained. This step is important for the students to become fluent in the steps of the strategy. The teacher supports the strategies collaboratively and with charts or graphic organizers. The teacher attains constructive feedback and discusses ways to maintain the strategy. Ensuring the initial goal is attained, in addition to supporting the strategy in other settings, leads to independent practice. I emphasize the support and maintenance of the student’s performance, as needed, further encouraging this in various settings and different tasks.
4. Imagine you are a fifth-grade teacher. Mary Ann, a student in your class, understands why she should use an instructional strategy that you are teaching, but she is not yet ready to use the strategy independently. Explain how you would help prepare her to do so.
To better prepare for this instructional strategy, I would re-assess her knowledge and use of particular skills necessary to develop this strategy. I would then model and explicitly discuss the steps and reasons the steps are necessary. Since she has been shown the instructional strategy, I would then incorporate more memorization activities that helps her to learn the steps of the strategy and action performed. After she is fluent in the steps, we would create a graphic organizer or chart that reinforces this strategy, and supplies her with a resource to self-regulate the strategy and goal being attained.
5. You've followed along as Mr. Carter introduced the four self-regulation strategies in a way that was appropriate to the needs of his students. Can you describe an alternate way to introduce the self-regulation strategy?
In my first grade classroom, I could introduce the self-regulation strategy during learning centers, whereby the students would be monitored individually. Assuming the students have developed the background knowledge of the self-regulated strategy development, I could teach, discuss, and model each self-regulation strategy (i.e., goal-setting, self-monitoring, self-talk, self-reinforcement) during learning centers. The following day, learning centers could be organized in a format where the students engage in tasks that employ this self-regulation strategy. To reinforce understanding and assess their knowledge of the self-regulation strategy, students would then verbally explain to the teacher and/or illustrate on a paper an example of this strategy during learning centers.
Strategies are a series of cognitive steps, providing you with effective tools to improve performance more quickly and easily. Strategies facilitate instruction and empower students to effectively complete task requirements. Strategies help students complete tasks more quickly, efficiently, and easily. Strategies help improve the performance of all students, including students with learning exceptionalities. Strategies provides forms of self-regulation; thereby, employing the tools of setting goals, self-monitoring, self-talking, and self-reinforcement. Strategies enable students with the tools to effectively complete tasks.
2. Compare the characteristics of strategic learners with those of non-strategic learners.
Strategic learners know what, when, and how to use strategies for completing tasks. Strategic learners know how to analyze problems and develop a plan. Meanwhile, non-strategic learners are unorganized and have no order or awareness in effectively completing the assignment. Strategic learners access their background knowledge and use skills previously learned to effectively conquer the tasks at and. To compare, non-strategic learners are unaware of the novel tasks, nor how to apply them. They do not employ memory techniques, nor use manageable steps to accomplish the task. Strategic learners use self-regulated strategies while engaged in a task.
3. List the six research-validated stages of SRSD. What aspects of each would you emphasize as the most important?
The six stages of the Self-regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) are (1.) developing background knowledge; (2.) discuss it; (3.) model it; (4.) memorize it; (5.) support it, and; (6.) establish independent practice. When developing background knowledge, the teacher must identify and assess the skills that students need to develop or already possess. The teacher must help students develop necessary skills through explicit instruction. The teacher discusses the importance and benefits of strategies, and how and when they will use them. Explaining the need of the strategy, and modeling the explicit steps is crucial during this process. Then, the students memorize the words in a manner that meaning is maintained. This step is important for the students to become fluent in the steps of the strategy. The teacher supports the strategies collaboratively and with charts or graphic organizers. The teacher attains constructive feedback and discusses ways to maintain the strategy. Ensuring the initial goal is attained, in addition to supporting the strategy in other settings, leads to independent practice. I emphasize the support and maintenance of the student’s performance, as needed, further encouraging this in various settings and different tasks.
4. Imagine you are a fifth-grade teacher. Mary Ann, a student in your class, understands why she should use an instructional strategy that you are teaching, but she is not yet ready to use the strategy independently. Explain how you would help prepare her to do so.
To better prepare for this instructional strategy, I would re-assess her knowledge and use of particular skills necessary to develop this strategy. I would then model and explicitly discuss the steps and reasons the steps are necessary. Since she has been shown the instructional strategy, I would then incorporate more memorization activities that helps her to learn the steps of the strategy and action performed. After she is fluent in the steps, we would create a graphic organizer or chart that reinforces this strategy, and supplies her with a resource to self-regulate the strategy and goal being attained.
5. You've followed along as Mr. Carter introduced the four self-regulation strategies in a way that was appropriate to the needs of his students. Can you describe an alternate way to introduce the self-regulation strategy?
In my first grade classroom, I could introduce the self-regulation strategy during learning centers, whereby the students would be monitored individually. Assuming the students have developed the background knowledge of the self-regulated strategy development, I could teach, discuss, and model each self-regulation strategy (i.e., goal-setting, self-monitoring, self-talk, self-reinforcement) during learning centers. The following day, learning centers could be organized in a format where the students engage in tasks that employ this self-regulation strategy. To reinforce understanding and assess their knowledge of the self-regulation strategy, students would then verbally explain to the teacher and/or illustrate on a paper an example of this strategy during learning centers.
Activity 2.1 "Special Students Learn Strategies for Social Studies"
1. If I were the principal, I would answer the charge that it was not fair. If the students had not previously learned “how to learn” (due to their learning disabilities), or in this case study for the test, then the resource specialist would be the person that would help fully support them in their learning experience. Thus it would be fair for these students. The students that went to the resource room were active learners, but had learning disabilities that required the support of the resource specialist. The students that are not sent to the resource room, on the other hand, have shown through various implications that they know how to employ effective learning strategies independently.
“Metacognition refers to the awareness of one’s systematic thinking about learning” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 159). The students with Ms. Weiss exhibit metacognitive awareness when they study the chapter text in manageable parts. The remaining students are more than capable of exhibiting metacognitive strategies; thus, they need to control their own learning by enabling the strategies themselves. Metacognitive strategies are difficult for students with learning disabilities. When I went to tutoring after school during my junior high and high school years, I was repeatedly and strategically modeled and guided through the use of charts and graphic organizers to better organize and formulate my thoughts. My tutor also modeled and repeatedly guided me through each comprehensive process because I struggle comprehending and processing information correctly and efficiently. Going to a tutor allowed me to progress in my ideas and build upon my knowledge in a comprehensive manner. Meanwhile, my peers used their knowledge and learned skills to accomplish tasks in effective manners. Furthermore, it is fair for me to have a “Ms. Weiss” who guides my cognitive skills into effective learning strategies.
2. Motivation plays an important role in doing well in the test with Ms. Weiss’s group. Ms. Weiss made learning enjoyable for the students because she provides a guided and social environment that supports the learning needs of these individuals with learning disabilities. The motivation of the remaining students depends on Mr. Keene’s instructional strategies and form of instructional approaches. This is important in playing an important role of motivation because the engaged and active learners correlates with the knowledge and self-confidence they had when taking the test.
3. Ms. Weiss used behavioral, cognitive and developmental strategies in her teaching. The learning strategies she implemented were developmentally appropriate for the seventh-grade students in her group. A behavioral objective she employed was the use of task analysis by breaking down the chapter contents into manageable steps. In addition, she structured the materials and lessons to help the students master each component. For instance, she had the students analyze the key vocabulary words, followed by outlining the chapter, using the subtitles to guide the outline structure. These behavioral strategies function as a support for students with learning disabilities, helping develop automaticity in a sensitive manner. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 148)
Ms. Weiss employed cognitive instructional strategies for her group of students because she organized the information and applied techniques that helped them grasp the concepts and subject matter. She used metacognitive strategies to help them understand and recall the material by acting out the parts and outlining the chapter. By developing questions to ask each other, they helped themselves understand and recall the material.
“Metacognition refers to the awareness of one’s systematic thinking about learning” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 159). The students with Ms. Weiss exhibit metacognitive awareness when they study the chapter text in manageable parts. The remaining students are more than capable of exhibiting metacognitive strategies; thus, they need to control their own learning by enabling the strategies themselves. Metacognitive strategies are difficult for students with learning disabilities. When I went to tutoring after school during my junior high and high school years, I was repeatedly and strategically modeled and guided through the use of charts and graphic organizers to better organize and formulate my thoughts. My tutor also modeled and repeatedly guided me through each comprehensive process because I struggle comprehending and processing information correctly and efficiently. Going to a tutor allowed me to progress in my ideas and build upon my knowledge in a comprehensive manner. Meanwhile, my peers used their knowledge and learned skills to accomplish tasks in effective manners. Furthermore, it is fair for me to have a “Ms. Weiss” who guides my cognitive skills into effective learning strategies.
2. Motivation plays an important role in doing well in the test with Ms. Weiss’s group. Ms. Weiss made learning enjoyable for the students because she provides a guided and social environment that supports the learning needs of these individuals with learning disabilities. The motivation of the remaining students depends on Mr. Keene’s instructional strategies and form of instructional approaches. This is important in playing an important role of motivation because the engaged and active learners correlates with the knowledge and self-confidence they had when taking the test.
3. Ms. Weiss used behavioral, cognitive and developmental strategies in her teaching. The learning strategies she implemented were developmentally appropriate for the seventh-grade students in her group. A behavioral objective she employed was the use of task analysis by breaking down the chapter contents into manageable steps. In addition, she structured the materials and lessons to help the students master each component. For instance, she had the students analyze the key vocabulary words, followed by outlining the chapter, using the subtitles to guide the outline structure. These behavioral strategies function as a support for students with learning disabilities, helping develop automaticity in a sensitive manner. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 148)
Ms. Weiss employed cognitive instructional strategies for her group of students because she organized the information and applied techniques that helped them grasp the concepts and subject matter. She used metacognitive strategies to help them understand and recall the material by acting out the parts and outlining the chapter. By developing questions to ask each other, they helped themselves understand and recall the material.
Activity 2.1 Learning Theories
Important Characteristics Developmental psychology is the “maturation of cognitive skills (or thinking) follows a sequential progression” (p. 137). The maturational/ developmental level is the basis of the instructional methods for each child. (1) Developmental Variations: Each child has different rates of growth for various abilities in their development. (2) Piaget’s Maturational Stages of Development: “cognitive growth occurs in a series of invariant & interdependent stages” (p. 139). - Sensorimotor stage: Birth to Age 2. Children learn through the environment by interacting with it using their senses. Children learn about the manipulation of them with objects. - Preoperational stage: Age 2-7. Children are intuitive, build relationships, use language, and gain perceptions of the world through concrete objects/symbols. - Concrete operations stage: Ages 7-11. Children begin to understand the consequences of acts (perception), think through relationships and use logical reasoning. They use prior knowledge/experience to bridge concrete objects. - Formal operations stage: Age 11. Children use abstract knowledge and logical conceptualizations, building upon on real world or basic understanding of concepts. (3) Stages of Learning: The sufficient amount of time for children to know/ comprehend a concept (p. 143). - Stage 1: Exposure. Student exposed to knowledge and needs support/ direction by teacher. - Stage 2: Grasping the Knowledge. Student grasps knowledge, but needs a lot of practice. - Stage 3: Independence. Student completes task independently. - Stage 4: Application. Students applies concept to other situations and real world experiences. (4) Implications of Developmental Psychology for Learning Disabilities and Related Mild Disabilities: Immaturity does not correlate with disabilities. - Birth-date effect (younger children in earlier grades have more referrals for learning disabilities services). - Educational environment requires cognitive abilities beyond development. - Readiness of knowledge must be at the state of maturational development and number of strengthening prior experiences. - Being a sensitive teacher helps students acquire readiness abilities. | Examples from my classroom - I have a student who displays maturational levels of a five-year-old. He is six-years-old, but is struggling to use words about understandings. He also has a short attention span (5-10 minutes). - Student retained in Kindergarten (current 1st grader) because she lagged readiness to perform at given stage. - Most of my first grade students think I am only a teacher. When seeing me in “non-teacher clothes” and outside of school and church environment, they often are confused and don’t know why I am there. - By the end of first grade, some of my students begin to recognize objects or situations for word problems in math without physically counting or touching them. - I instruct the new material, then guide students through concepts, and use informal observations through participation, for example, to support students needs. I use seatwork and centers to reinforce and grasp knowledge. I assign homework for students to demonstrate knowledge of concepts independently. Students use new concepts in real word tasks, such as field trips. - Student retained in Kindergarten due to readiness of knowledge within maturational development. |
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Activity 1.4 Educational Settings & Role of the Catholic Family
An inclusive environment ensures the least restrictive environment for the individual with disabilities to the greatest extent appropriate and beneficial. The major goal for inclusion is the child with disabilities integrated with children with no disabilities, receiving instruction in the general education classroom. There are many inclusive settings to support and engage children with disabilities, and teachers are committed to providing the adequate resources and supports for them. In addition, practical strategies in general education are emphasized for inclusion such as the following: using a team approach with other teachers or related professionals and supportive services, teaching acceptable classroom behaviors, and practicing and planning for being accepted socially by peers in the general education classroom. These strategies are key factors for inclusion, and must be utilized and supported being that the number of students with disabilities continues to increase, as well as the number of students placed in alternative settings.
Good Shepherd Catholic School provides two alternative services, which are the general education classrooms and resource room. “The concern is that one size does not fit all, and lumping all students with learning disabilities in the general education classroom ignores the notion of individualized instruction” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 115). Fortunately, I utilize parent volunteers for four hours, two days each week. In addition, I have an instructional aide for the entire school day of every day. As my paraprofessional helps to meet the needs of each student academically, she does not share the same philosophy for classroom management and behavioral plans. Thus, the steady and continual support for students with behavioral issues are not met and reinforced by her.
Teaching Tips 4.3 chart titled “Suggestions for Parents and Families” on page 128 provides many ways parents can strengthen their role in the educational, decision-making process of their child (Lerner & Johns, 2012). Some examples of these suggestions are to simplify complex and stimulating situations and routines, to be explicit and supportive, and to teach the importance of being a contributing member of the family, school, etc. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 128). These suggestions provide a key resource and reminder for all Catholic school parents, being that they are the primary educators of their children.
Another form of establishing healthy parental attitudes and ensuring parent-teacher communication and collaboration is parent support groups and family counseling. Support groups allow parents to relate and understand similar encounters that other families experience. In doing so, parents are reduced from the feeling of isolation and loss, and learn ways to perceive their children differently and understand their difficulties more effectively. The diocese provides workshops, adult groups, etc. to discuss, pray, learn, and be proactive about Catholic faith and today’s issues. Ultimately, supportive communities and parishes provide opportunities for families to acquire the tools to help their child meet his/her goals. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 132)
Likewise to the parent support groups, National Center for Learning Disabilities’ podcast, titled “Multiple Children, Multiple Challenges”, provides the parents’ insight of truly helping parents to embrace the family experience with children with disabilities. Parents must effectively communicate with one another to move forward for the better to help their children. Likewise to the Catholic school philosophy, parents are the primary educators. Thus, it is important for parents to look for the strengths of their children, and make a conscious effort that provides a proactive and positive environment inside and outside the home.
Good Shepherd Catholic School provides two alternative services, which are the general education classrooms and resource room. “The concern is that one size does not fit all, and lumping all students with learning disabilities in the general education classroom ignores the notion of individualized instruction” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 115). Fortunately, I utilize parent volunteers for four hours, two days each week. In addition, I have an instructional aide for the entire school day of every day. As my paraprofessional helps to meet the needs of each student academically, she does not share the same philosophy for classroom management and behavioral plans. Thus, the steady and continual support for students with behavioral issues are not met and reinforced by her.
Teaching Tips 4.3 chart titled “Suggestions for Parents and Families” on page 128 provides many ways parents can strengthen their role in the educational, decision-making process of their child (Lerner & Johns, 2012). Some examples of these suggestions are to simplify complex and stimulating situations and routines, to be explicit and supportive, and to teach the importance of being a contributing member of the family, school, etc. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 128). These suggestions provide a key resource and reminder for all Catholic school parents, being that they are the primary educators of their children.
Another form of establishing healthy parental attitudes and ensuring parent-teacher communication and collaboration is parent support groups and family counseling. Support groups allow parents to relate and understand similar encounters that other families experience. In doing so, parents are reduced from the feeling of isolation and loss, and learn ways to perceive their children differently and understand their difficulties more effectively. The diocese provides workshops, adult groups, etc. to discuss, pray, learn, and be proactive about Catholic faith and today’s issues. Ultimately, supportive communities and parishes provide opportunities for families to acquire the tools to help their child meet his/her goals. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 132)
Likewise to the parent support groups, National Center for Learning Disabilities’ podcast, titled “Multiple Children, Multiple Challenges”, provides the parents’ insight of truly helping parents to embrace the family experience with children with disabilities. Parents must effectively communicate with one another to move forward for the better to help their children. Likewise to the Catholic school philosophy, parents are the primary educators. Thus, it is important for parents to look for the strengths of their children, and make a conscious effort that provides a proactive and positive environment inside and outside the home.
Activity 1.3 Ch. 3 Clinical Teaching
“What is important is the teacher’s ability to integrate feedback information and be ready to make decisions, modify the teaching plan, and be sensitive to the individual student’s interests, preferred way of learning, level of development, and personal feelings” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 79).
Clinical teaching is about effective bridging assessment and instruction in a continuous and purposeful manner. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 77). To structure clinical teaching, there are five stages within this cycle designed for the teacher to continually make decisions, differentiate instruction, apply specific, preferred strategies based on integrated feedback information, personal emotions and feelings, level of development, and interests. The five stages of the clinical teaching cycle are: (1.) assessment, (2.) planning of the teaching task, (3.) implementation of the teaching plan, (4.) evaluation of student performance, and (5.) modification of the assessment (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 78). It is important for teachers to have many strategies at their disposal to ultimately meet the needs of individual students with unique needs (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 83).
Clinical teaching uses a variety of teaching methods to effectively teach the unique child within each class. Some key methods include differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, cognitive processing, direct instruction and mastery learning, and psychotherapeutic teaching. Psychotherapeutic teaching, for example, centers on the students feelings and building a relationship with the teacher. Building a relationship with each student has been difficult this year because many students view consequences within the classroom as the teacher being mean. The correlation of words or actions that make a student unhappy leads to them responding back rather than implementing the conflict resolution tools we role play, model, use, and practice on a daily basis. As the goal of psychotherapeutic teaching is to “let the student know that the teacher understands the problem and has confidence in the student’s ability to learn and succeed,” my students continue to view consequences for their actions as my fault (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). This example of many students’ viewpoints reflects the many controlling instructional variables that must be implemented as a clinical teacher.
Teachers must use careful considerations on the controlling instructional variables because they are the key factors that help lessen elements contributing to the learning problem. The controlling instructional variables are the difficulty level, space, time and language. The difficulty level of material this year has been modified for several students in my class, meeting their present performance and tolerance levels. Within the difficulty level, the concept of readiness, in particular, focuses on the maturational development being imminent for certain skills to be learned. There is a boy who turns seven-years-old next August and is maturing at much slower rate than his peers. He struggles remaining seated, listening, remaining in his body space, and talking at appropriate times. I have taught him how to use a hand-held timer, which he receives a smiley face every ten minutes that he remains seated and talks at appropriate times. Ten minutes is at his own maturational level of development being his zone of proximal development (ZPD) according to Vygotsky’s theory of development (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). In doing so, I am not “[e]xpecting a student to perform a task far beyond their present level,” which “can result in a complete breakdown in learning” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). Thus, by controlling the task difficulty for the student, the intervention shifts the internal consciousness from cognitive to habitual (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 88).
Fostering motivation for several students in my first grade class has been very difficult. Lavoie’s basic tenets of motivation pinpoints the forces of motivation these students have, such as needing friends, independence, control, recognized, have affiliations and/or belong to a group, and to know what is going on. “A healthy relationship implies compassion without over-involvement, understanding without indulgence, and a genuine concern for the student’s development.” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 90) This quote emphasizes the good rapport teachers must have with their students. I admit to the over-involvement I have with the several students with behavioral issues, and the need to be more aware of this. I plan to develop visual records of progress through charts/graphs, which makes the students conscious of their success and progress (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 92). Another strategy I plan to implement is bibliotherapy because students identify themselves with characters in books, and learn how to find resolution to the character who suffers similar problems.
“There is no magic formula for teaching a child” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 83). That quote emphasizes the need for educators to better understand the world of their children with learning disabilities. “The Social and Emotional World of Children with Learning Disabilities” podcast discusses some effective strategies and organizations to better help children with LD. Some key strategies include the following: practice the struggling material more with lots of encouragement; use role play at home to practice social interactions with family members; attend group therapy meetings with other peers with LD to instill good feelings and positive social skills, and; contact private schools and www.ld.org for more information and organizations nearby. In the end, there are no magic formulas for teaching; however, there are effective strategies, organizations, instructional methods and factors teachers must implement and use to better tailor the learning experiences for each individual’s unique needs.
Clinical teaching is about effective bridging assessment and instruction in a continuous and purposeful manner. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 77). To structure clinical teaching, there are five stages within this cycle designed for the teacher to continually make decisions, differentiate instruction, apply specific, preferred strategies based on integrated feedback information, personal emotions and feelings, level of development, and interests. The five stages of the clinical teaching cycle are: (1.) assessment, (2.) planning of the teaching task, (3.) implementation of the teaching plan, (4.) evaluation of student performance, and (5.) modification of the assessment (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 78). It is important for teachers to have many strategies at their disposal to ultimately meet the needs of individual students with unique needs (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 83).
Clinical teaching uses a variety of teaching methods to effectively teach the unique child within each class. Some key methods include differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, cognitive processing, direct instruction and mastery learning, and psychotherapeutic teaching. Psychotherapeutic teaching, for example, centers on the students feelings and building a relationship with the teacher. Building a relationship with each student has been difficult this year because many students view consequences within the classroom as the teacher being mean. The correlation of words or actions that make a student unhappy leads to them responding back rather than implementing the conflict resolution tools we role play, model, use, and practice on a daily basis. As the goal of psychotherapeutic teaching is to “let the student know that the teacher understands the problem and has confidence in the student’s ability to learn and succeed,” my students continue to view consequences for their actions as my fault (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). This example of many students’ viewpoints reflects the many controlling instructional variables that must be implemented as a clinical teacher.
Teachers must use careful considerations on the controlling instructional variables because they are the key factors that help lessen elements contributing to the learning problem. The controlling instructional variables are the difficulty level, space, time and language. The difficulty level of material this year has been modified for several students in my class, meeting their present performance and tolerance levels. Within the difficulty level, the concept of readiness, in particular, focuses on the maturational development being imminent for certain skills to be learned. There is a boy who turns seven-years-old next August and is maturing at much slower rate than his peers. He struggles remaining seated, listening, remaining in his body space, and talking at appropriate times. I have taught him how to use a hand-held timer, which he receives a smiley face every ten minutes that he remains seated and talks at appropriate times. Ten minutes is at his own maturational level of development being his zone of proximal development (ZPD) according to Vygotsky’s theory of development (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). In doing so, I am not “[e]xpecting a student to perform a task far beyond their present level,” which “can result in a complete breakdown in learning” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 87). Thus, by controlling the task difficulty for the student, the intervention shifts the internal consciousness from cognitive to habitual (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 88).
Fostering motivation for several students in my first grade class has been very difficult. Lavoie’s basic tenets of motivation pinpoints the forces of motivation these students have, such as needing friends, independence, control, recognized, have affiliations and/or belong to a group, and to know what is going on. “A healthy relationship implies compassion without over-involvement, understanding without indulgence, and a genuine concern for the student’s development.” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 90) This quote emphasizes the good rapport teachers must have with their students. I admit to the over-involvement I have with the several students with behavioral issues, and the need to be more aware of this. I plan to develop visual records of progress through charts/graphs, which makes the students conscious of their success and progress (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 92). Another strategy I plan to implement is bibliotherapy because students identify themselves with characters in books, and learn how to find resolution to the character who suffers similar problems.
“There is no magic formula for teaching a child” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 83). That quote emphasizes the need for educators to better understand the world of their children with learning disabilities. “The Social and Emotional World of Children with Learning Disabilities” podcast discusses some effective strategies and organizations to better help children with LD. Some key strategies include the following: practice the struggling material more with lots of encouragement; use role play at home to practice social interactions with family members; attend group therapy meetings with other peers with LD to instill good feelings and positive social skills, and; contact private schools and www.ld.org for more information and organizations nearby. In the end, there are no magic formulas for teaching; however, there are effective strategies, organizations, instructional methods and factors teachers must implement and use to better tailor the learning experiences for each individual’s unique needs.
Activity 1.2 RtI and Discrepancy Model
“One of the most controversial issues in the comprehensive evaluation of students with suspected learning disabilities is the evidence of a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and the student’s actual achievement” (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 46).
RtI
• Universal screening of all students in a comprehensive evaluation provides data indicating learning disabilities. (NCEE, 2009, p. 1)
• Screening measures/misidentifies some students as needing assistance when they don’t need it or not needing it when they do need it. (NCEE, 2009, p. 16)
• Teachers follow the discrepancy formulas that state and school districts use to identify students with learning disabilities. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 47)
• The assessments provide data that emphasizes the need for intervention materials. (NCEE, 2009, p. 20)
Discrepancy Model – Determining the existence of a learning disability
• Student’s achievement of what he/she has learned does not reflect what the student is potentially capable of learning (intellectual ability). (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 46)
• Teachers need to identify students who are at-risk (sensitivity) and not at-risk (specificity) providing interventions to students who need assistance. (NCEE, 2009, p. 17)
• A child may not be identified as having a learning disability in one state and denied services in different states. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 47)
• These interventional materials may not be necessary for the adequate progress, nor assist the students’ proficiency. (NCEE, 2009, p. 20)
RtI
• Universal screening of all students in a comprehensive evaluation provides data indicating learning disabilities. (NCEE, 2009, p. 1)
• Screening measures/misidentifies some students as needing assistance when they don’t need it or not needing it when they do need it. (NCEE, 2009, p. 16)
• Teachers follow the discrepancy formulas that state and school districts use to identify students with learning disabilities. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 47)
• The assessments provide data that emphasizes the need for intervention materials. (NCEE, 2009, p. 20)
Discrepancy Model – Determining the existence of a learning disability
• Student’s achievement of what he/she has learned does not reflect what the student is potentially capable of learning (intellectual ability). (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 46)
• Teachers need to identify students who are at-risk (sensitivity) and not at-risk (specificity) providing interventions to students who need assistance. (NCEE, 2009, p. 17)
• A child may not be identified as having a learning disability in one state and denied services in different states. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 47)
• These interventional materials may not be necessary for the adequate progress, nor assist the students’ proficiency. (NCEE, 2009, p. 20)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Activity 1.2 - Ch. 2 Accommodations Made for Testing Students with Exceptionalities
Activity 1.2
Discussion Prompt: Describe several accommodations that can be made for testing students with disabilities.
The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA—2004) sanction the need for accommodations in statewide testing for students with disabilities (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 65). These accommodations for students with disabilities must be stated within their individualized education plan (IEP). However, students must be assessed, whereby critical information must be gathered about them in order to make meaningful and purposeful decisions for instructional strategies and teaching methods (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 72). In addition, teachers must support and guide students when implementing effective accommodations, holding all students fairly accountable. Thus, several accommodations that can be made for common assessments are timing, presentation, presentation, and response. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
An accommodation that I receive for testing is the extension of time to complete the test. During college, I received double the amount of time to complete a test as the class received. Some other examples for timing accommodations are altering the time of day a test is taken, providing frequent breaks during the tests, and/or administering the test in several periods or days. I found this accommodation very helpful for my disability because my auditory processing makes it longer to process. Thus, the extension of time provided an ample amount for me to comprehensively complete the test. As a teacher that administers test, I sometimes administer the test at a different time of day or in several sessions of the day for a student with a high hormonal imbalance. This student was diagnosed to have a high hormonal imbalance this month, and allowing a break or altering the time for her has improved her test score and overall testing experience. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
A second accommodation that is made during testing is the change of or alteration to the setting. For all tests in my classroom, students have individual privacy shields, which make the environment less distracting for them. Some other forms of accommodations to the setting are administering the test in a different room without distraction. For example, I completed my tests in a white room without other people or posters to distract me. There was an ample number of scratch paper, sharpened pencils, pens, and utensils permitted to ease the stress and anxiety I already had of retaining, comprehending, and delivering of the information taught on the test provided. A frequent form of assessment within the first grade is small group assessments. I have my students teach one another and demonstrate their knowledge during centers. This form of assessment allows for me to adapt to the needs of each child, and continually monitor the mastery of skills. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
Presentation is a key accommodation because it allows students to effectively demonstrate their knowledge of the information. The presentation of the test may not provide accurately measured scores. Thus, CDs or audiocassettes, enlarged print, computers to read the test, or magnification devices are some ways the presentation can be accommodated. As a teacher of first grade students, many students struggle with listening skills. To accommodate this weakness I repeat the direction, restate the directions in two formats, and/or read the test aloud. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
The response of assessments is accommodated in several ways. The accommodated responses of testing must allow students with disabilities to use separate sheets or assistive technology to record answers, for example. Using a word processor, tape recorder, booklet, and dictation are examples of accommodated responses for students with disabilities. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
In summary, it is important to implement the timing, presentation, presentation, and response of assessments. Individualizing assessments for the unique individuals within one’s classroom is key. By using theses accommodations for assessments, students are monitored effectively and monitored on individual progress and measurement.
Discussion Prompt: Describe several accommodations that can be made for testing students with disabilities.
The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA—2004) sanction the need for accommodations in statewide testing for students with disabilities (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 65). These accommodations for students with disabilities must be stated within their individualized education plan (IEP). However, students must be assessed, whereby critical information must be gathered about them in order to make meaningful and purposeful decisions for instructional strategies and teaching methods (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 72). In addition, teachers must support and guide students when implementing effective accommodations, holding all students fairly accountable. Thus, several accommodations that can be made for common assessments are timing, presentation, presentation, and response. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
An accommodation that I receive for testing is the extension of time to complete the test. During college, I received double the amount of time to complete a test as the class received. Some other examples for timing accommodations are altering the time of day a test is taken, providing frequent breaks during the tests, and/or administering the test in several periods or days. I found this accommodation very helpful for my disability because my auditory processing makes it longer to process. Thus, the extension of time provided an ample amount for me to comprehensively complete the test. As a teacher that administers test, I sometimes administer the test at a different time of day or in several sessions of the day for a student with a high hormonal imbalance. This student was diagnosed to have a high hormonal imbalance this month, and allowing a break or altering the time for her has improved her test score and overall testing experience. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
A second accommodation that is made during testing is the change of or alteration to the setting. For all tests in my classroom, students have individual privacy shields, which make the environment less distracting for them. Some other forms of accommodations to the setting are administering the test in a different room without distraction. For example, I completed my tests in a white room without other people or posters to distract me. There was an ample number of scratch paper, sharpened pencils, pens, and utensils permitted to ease the stress and anxiety I already had of retaining, comprehending, and delivering of the information taught on the test provided. A frequent form of assessment within the first grade is small group assessments. I have my students teach one another and demonstrate their knowledge during centers. This form of assessment allows for me to adapt to the needs of each child, and continually monitor the mastery of skills. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
Presentation is a key accommodation because it allows students to effectively demonstrate their knowledge of the information. The presentation of the test may not provide accurately measured scores. Thus, CDs or audiocassettes, enlarged print, computers to read the test, or magnification devices are some ways the presentation can be accommodated. As a teacher of first grade students, many students struggle with listening skills. To accommodate this weakness I repeat the direction, restate the directions in two formats, and/or read the test aloud. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
The response of assessments is accommodated in several ways. The accommodated responses of testing must allow students with disabilities to use separate sheets or assistive technology to record answers, for example. Using a word processor, tape recorder, booklet, and dictation are examples of accommodated responses for students with disabilities. (Lerner & Johns, 2012, p. 66)
In summary, it is important to implement the timing, presentation, presentation, and response of assessments. Individualizing assessments for the unique individuals within one’s classroom is key. By using theses accommodations for assessments, students are monitored effectively and monitored on individual progress and measurement.
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