I feel that I have learned a lot from this course. Right from the first class, when we watched the Lavoie video, I was able to understand the frustration a child might have a little bit better. Even though I knew it was an exercise, I kept feeling angry at the “teacher” for being so mean. Throughout this course, what has come up again and again is the idea of creating a classroom community. I hope to be able to do this when I am on my own as a teacher. Differentiated instruction has been stressed a lot in this course. I am interested to see evidence of it and to try to use differentiated instruction in my practicum.
When discussing the importance of a classroom community, the focus seems to be on elementary classrooms. Although I plan to teach at a secondary level, I want all my students to know that my classroom is a safe place for them to express themselves. I think the first step in building this community atmosphere will be getting to know my students as individuals, without trying to act too much like their friend. One of my concerns regarding getting to know students is the cumulative files. I can understand the importance of them, of course, but I worry about having a tainted perspective of a student before I have gotten to know them myself.
I understand the importance of having differentiated instruction in a classroom, but I imagine this is difficult to actually put into practice. I think that now I will be better able to realize when I am observing differentiated instruction and to apply it in my own teaching.
For the most part, I think this course has given me a good introduction to inclusive classrooms. By putting this knowledge into practice, I will be able to understand the theory better, though.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom
Differentiated instruction involves teaching towards a range of learning styles. It attempts to cater to each individual student’s needs, and also to increase their abilities to learn in a variety of ways. Differentiated instruction is very important because everyone learns in different ways. It is unfair to limit our teaching to one or two strategies, because not every child may be able to learn from the one or two strategies used.
In my own teaching, I will try to focus on using flexible groupings, having successful classroom management techniques, and assessing students as often as possible. I believe that is important to be conscious of how one structures small and large groups of students. I think it would be beneficial for students to work with the widest range of their peers possible. My hope is that this will create more of a classroom community and that students will grow to appreciate that they all have something to contribute. Of course there will be times when students are allowed to choose their own groups, but I think that if groups are always student-selected the students will tend to just form groups with the same people. When this happens their ideas and thinking are less likely to develop and grow.
Classroom management is something that I struggle with. I think that it will be important for me to use a variety of signals with students in order to get their attention and their silence, when needed. The methods shown in the video on Differentiated Instruction were helpful.
Particularly in a classroom with a range of abilities and strengths and weaknesses, it is important to be assessing the learning of students on a regular basis. Devices such as observation checklists and exit slips will help me in this assessment.
My hope is that if I am able to combine these techniques in a cohesive manner, it will benefit all students.
In my own teaching, I will try to focus on using flexible groupings, having successful classroom management techniques, and assessing students as often as possible. I believe that is important to be conscious of how one structures small and large groups of students. I think it would be beneficial for students to work with the widest range of their peers possible. My hope is that this will create more of a classroom community and that students will grow to appreciate that they all have something to contribute. Of course there will be times when students are allowed to choose their own groups, but I think that if groups are always student-selected the students will tend to just form groups with the same people. When this happens their ideas and thinking are less likely to develop and grow.
Classroom management is something that I struggle with. I think that it will be important for me to use a variety of signals with students in order to get their attention and their silence, when needed. The methods shown in the video on Differentiated Instruction were helpful.
Particularly in a classroom with a range of abilities and strengths and weaknesses, it is important to be assessing the learning of students on a regular basis. Devices such as observation checklists and exit slips will help me in this assessment.
My hope is that if I am able to combine these techniques in a cohesive manner, it will benefit all students.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Living with a Disability: Asperger's Syndrome
I want to start off by saying that I appreciate getting this assignment. I found the website and the blog to be very interesting. Hopefully I will be able to find the book easily, because I definitely want to read it.
John Elder Robinson has Asperger’s Syndrome. This is a form of autism, but people with Asperger’s have a higher functioning level than those with typical autism. As a result of having Asperger’s, Robinson has a number of strengths that have, after a difficult childhood, served him quite well as an adult. He is able to think very logically and seems to naturally understand technology. Robinson is able to frame a problem in his mind - such as the ratio of females to males at an event – and to not only solve the problem, but to organize it in a novel way, i.e. each female is represented by adding 1 and each male is represented by subtracting 1, with the end result being 14. His weaknesses are common to those of many people, not just people with Asperger’s. These would be feeling awkward in social situations, particularly large gatherings, and not being sure how to act. I know that I certainly share these anxieties.
I am not sure if my teaching strategies would necessarily change if I had a student who I knew had been diagnosed as having Asperger’s. If a child is not understanding something I think my first attempt to help them would be to break the problem down into logical pieces. Something I would have to keep in mind with a student who has Asperger’s or autism would be ensuring that I was not using phrases with double meanings or ambiguous meanings. I imagine sarcasm or irony would be something that may confuse or frustrate students with Asperger’s, especially, but I do not think sarcasm is really an appropriate way to speak with any child.
Of course the social aspect of schooling would be a difficult issue in this case. I think if I was teaching a child with Asperger’s at a primary level I would want to try to very slowly get the child comfortable with being in a large group setting. This would require a lot of collaboration with perhaps an occupational therapist or another professional who would be able to focus their attention more on the individual child. I think it would be very important, particularly starting at a younger age, to take “baby steps,” working up to more and more social interactions. Creating a classroom environment where the student feels safe and secure would be vital.
If I was teaching a student with Asperger’s at a high school level, and the student had not been involved in any sort of early intervention program, I imagine it would significantly more difficult to gain the student’s trust. I think that feeling of trust would be key in accommodating a student with Asperger’s.
John Elder Robinson has Asperger’s Syndrome. This is a form of autism, but people with Asperger’s have a higher functioning level than those with typical autism. As a result of having Asperger’s, Robinson has a number of strengths that have, after a difficult childhood, served him quite well as an adult. He is able to think very logically and seems to naturally understand technology. Robinson is able to frame a problem in his mind - such as the ratio of females to males at an event – and to not only solve the problem, but to organize it in a novel way, i.e. each female is represented by adding 1 and each male is represented by subtracting 1, with the end result being 14. His weaknesses are common to those of many people, not just people with Asperger’s. These would be feeling awkward in social situations, particularly large gatherings, and not being sure how to act. I know that I certainly share these anxieties.
I am not sure if my teaching strategies would necessarily change if I had a student who I knew had been diagnosed as having Asperger’s. If a child is not understanding something I think my first attempt to help them would be to break the problem down into logical pieces. Something I would have to keep in mind with a student who has Asperger’s or autism would be ensuring that I was not using phrases with double meanings or ambiguous meanings. I imagine sarcasm or irony would be something that may confuse or frustrate students with Asperger’s, especially, but I do not think sarcasm is really an appropriate way to speak with any child.
Of course the social aspect of schooling would be a difficult issue in this case. I think if I was teaching a child with Asperger’s at a primary level I would want to try to very slowly get the child comfortable with being in a large group setting. This would require a lot of collaboration with perhaps an occupational therapist or another professional who would be able to focus their attention more on the individual child. I think it would be very important, particularly starting at a younger age, to take “baby steps,” working up to more and more social interactions. Creating a classroom environment where the student feels safe and secure would be vital.
If I was teaching a student with Asperger’s at a high school level, and the student had not been involved in any sort of early intervention program, I imagine it would significantly more difficult to gain the student’s trust. I think that feeling of trust would be key in accommodating a student with Asperger’s.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Disabilities in the Classroom
Just as there is no such thing as a “normal” person, there is no such thing as a “normal” classroom. Each student is an individual contributing to the character of their classroom. Today individual differences within a classroom are celebrated. It has taken over three decades, at least, to get to this point. According to the text, before the 1970s students with disabilities were kept separate from their non-disabled peers. What I am unsure of is what happened when students with disabilities reached adulthood prior to the 1970s. Did they continue to be kept away from “normal” society?
In today’s classrooms there is a great range of ability amongst students. I think it is important to remember that all students have strengths and weaknesses. Despite being classified as having an intellectual or learning disability, a student may excel in certain areas. The move towards empowerment and self-determination is important for all students. The junior high I attended had a special education section within it. It was the main school for children with special needs in Grande Prairie. I feel that this was an advantage to myself and my classmates because we were exposed to a variety of students on a fairly regular basis. However, since the students in special education were rarely involved in the general education classes, there was an obvious divide between those two areas of the school. There was, unfortunately, a certain amount of teasing and ostracism that I believe was partly a result of this division.Because students of varying abilities are present in today’s classrooms, it is vital for teachers to build a strong sense of community within their classroom. Hopefully this will lead to a better understanding and compassion in all students. Probably the most effective way of doing this would be through modeling. Students need to see that their teacher cares about each one of them as an individual and really wants them to succeed. Competition should be minimized, to be replaced with cooperation. Giving students opportunities to do group work would be a key method for encouraging a cooperative atmosphere within the classroom. At times the teacher would be required to divide the students into groups to ensure that each student has an opportunity to work with many other individuals so that they can grow through one another’s experience.
In today’s classrooms there is a great range of ability amongst students. I think it is important to remember that all students have strengths and weaknesses. Despite being classified as having an intellectual or learning disability, a student may excel in certain areas. The move towards empowerment and self-determination is important for all students. The junior high I attended had a special education section within it. It was the main school for children with special needs in Grande Prairie. I feel that this was an advantage to myself and my classmates because we were exposed to a variety of students on a fairly regular basis. However, since the students in special education were rarely involved in the general education classes, there was an obvious divide between those two areas of the school. There was, unfortunately, a certain amount of teasing and ostracism that I believe was partly a result of this division.Because students of varying abilities are present in today’s classrooms, it is vital for teachers to build a strong sense of community within their classroom. Hopefully this will lead to a better understanding and compassion in all students. Probably the most effective way of doing this would be through modeling. Students need to see that their teacher cares about each one of them as an individual and really wants them to succeed. Competition should be minimized, to be replaced with cooperation. Giving students opportunities to do group work would be a key method for encouraging a cooperative atmosphere within the classroom. At times the teacher would be required to divide the students into groups to ensure that each student has an opportunity to work with many other individuals so that they can grow through one another’s experience.
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