Looking Backwards and Forwards | Week 8 Reflection

The main thing I've noticed this semester is growth in my confidence in the classroom.

Prevention as Management | Week 7 Reflection

The majority of my classroom management relies on using prevention to limit the disruptive behaviors that occur in the classroom.

Time Management | Week 6 Reflection

This week, I struggle with time management issues.

Technology in the Classroom | Week 5 Reflection

Today, I discuss my concerns and frustrations with using technology in my current classroom.

Field Trips and Standardized Tests | Week 4 Reflection

During week 4, we took some students on a field trip to the Shock Trauma Center in downtown Baltimore. Another class struggled with a multiple choice test.

Positive Reinforcement | Week 3 Reflection

This week, I got a lot of great feedback and experience in the classroom.

Co-Teaching Ups and Downs | Week 2 Reflection

During week 2, I reflected on interdisciplinary instruction, co-teaching, and UDL.

I plan to spend more time in the next few weeks looking at how to present biological vocabulary to students in a way that is more effective and better utilized by the students than what is currently being done.

On My Own | ED 645 Week 1 Reflection

This week marks the first week of the next class in my program, so we are back to week 1. For the next eight wees, I have decided to do the majority of my reflection through video rather than through text. For this first week, I reflect upon what teaching two class periods on my own taught me about classroom management.

One thing I didn't mention in this video was that, despite having gained the respect of my students, I did struggle to find ways to motivate some of my students who came to class having decided they didn't want to do any work that day. I tried multiple different tactics, but I had two students in particular that I just could not convince to focus on their classwork. While this was frustrating, it was a situation that helped me to evaluate the best courses of action and showed me a skill that I need to spend more time developing.

Talk Softly | Week 8 Reflection

This week, the experience that I had in school that made the most impact on me happened during an assembly rather than in class. The 9th and 10th grade students were called down to the auditorium to for a presentation on distracted driving. Typically, the students in the school that I'm working in are relatively respectful of the teachers but in this circumstance the assembly made them more rambunctious than usual. Much to the teachers' disappointment, the students had a lot of trouble settling down before the assembly started. Multiple times, the students were asked by the principle and by other teachers to quiet down. At one point, even the presenter told the students that she would not be able to continue if they didn't settle down. The presenter finally did begin her presentation but the students are still having trouble staying quiet. One of the faculty members asked the presenter to stop so that she could reprimand the students. She began raising her voice at the students and they laughed at her. This made the faculty member even more angry and she began yelling even louder. Finally when it was clear that she was not going to be able to get the students under control, another teacher stepped in. Rather than yelling, this teacher talked softly but seriously to the students in the auditorium. He calmly explained to them that it was embarrassing for the teachers and the administrators to have a visitor come to the school and to have the students act in such a way. He asked them to be respectful and said that if there were any students who were unable to do so, he would remove them from auditorium to have a talk. From this point on the students began to settle down and were nearly silent at the time the presenter began speaking again.

This experience was so profound for me because it demonstrated many of the things that I have heard people talk about and seen writings about when discussing classroom management. One of the things I've heard a lot when talking about classroom management is that students will take their cues from you, as the teacher. If you raise your voice or show that you were angry, they will mimic you. It's very important to keep an even, calm temper even if the student is doing something that upsets you. The difference in the students' reaction to the two different faculty members was as clear as night and day. The first faculty member immediately started off accusing the students and losing her temper. The second faculty member addressed the students calmly, pointing out that the students were better than the behavior that they were demonstrating. While the students clearly needed to be reprimanded for their actions, it was absolutely not necessary to yell at them. In fact, the yelling had exactly the opposite consequence as was intended.

This is a concept that I definitely am trying and will continue to try in my classroom. During my first observation, I noticed a student who was off task and calmly reminded her to return to her task. After I was done, the person conducting the observation commended me on the fact that I stayed calm while still steering the student back to the correct activity. My initial inclination when seeing students misbehaving is to take them aside and to have a conversation. This way, not only can I discipline them in a calm manner, I can do so in a way that is not public, in the front of their peers. It was interesting to see this concept played out in a real school scenario rather than just reading about it. This is a lesson that I will keep with me as I continue to learn and begin in my own classroom.

Best Laid Plans | Week 7 Reflection

There was one particular situation in class this week that stuck out to me. In the GT Biology class, my mentor teacher and I have been working with the students on macromolecules. They have been introduced to the four different types of macromolecules through notes, videos, craft projects, and readings. My mentor teacher has planned many different methods for helping the students to get familiar with the new concepts and to be able to distinguish between the different molecules. For many of the students, this is their first in-depth look at carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In this lesson, there is also a lot of new vocabulary. Something the students have been getting confused about is that there are often several terms that mean the same thing (subunit, building block, monomer). It has taken some time and many different activities for the students to get the hang of all of the new vocab, but we were finally confident that we could move on from the introduction of these molecules into their reactions.

On Thursday, we introduced an activity to them where they would be answering questions and then cutting out shapes and manipulating them to help them visualize dehydration reactions that combine monomers into a polymer. It was clear early on that several of the students were getting lost. My mentor teacher decided to stand at the front of the class and walk through the steps with the students to model the activity. Still, students were having trouble answering the questions for that activity while also trying to figure out what they were cutting and how to connect the shapes of paper to the concepts there were supposed to be learning. It took nearly half of the class period to get the majority of the class back on track. It was tough for the students and tough for us as teachers to figure out what was going wrong and how to fix it. We were having trouble figuring out where the disconnect was and the students were having trouble explaining what they weren't understanding.

In particular, there was one student who had all but given up on the activity out of the frustration. When I walked around to the table where she was sitting to ask how they were doing, she said to me, "I don't understand any of this." I spent the next several minutes talking through what we were doing to try to understand where the break down in her understanding occurred. At one point, when I realized that the problem might extend beyond this activity, I asked her if she could tell me what a macromolecule is and she could not. After not being able to answer the question, she expressed to me that she was having trouble keeping track of all of the vocabulary words. We talked a little bit about what would help her to keep track of the words. Unfortunately, the class was ending at this point so we weren't able to make any further progress.

After the class I talked to my mentor teacher about the interaction and we concluded that several students seemed to be having trouble remembering all of the new words. We made a plan to give students a set of flash cards for the new vocabulary so that they had one single thing to look at when they couldn't remember a definition, rather than having to search through all of their notes. I look forward to giving these to the students and seeing if that helps.

Ultimately, what this taught me (and what I continue to learn from being in the classroom) is that, as a teacher, you have to constantly be adjusting your instruction and staying aware of how students are doing with the material you are presenting to them. Teaching is a constant back and forth and the final instruction is often quite a bit different from the initial plan. It is clear that some of the most important skills for good teachers to develop are flexibility and the ability to adapt when needed. It's been endlessly helpful to watch and participate in the process through my mentor teacher's classroom.

Routine Management | Week 6 Reflection

In ED 640 this week, we read and discussed assessments and classroom management. Since classroom management has consistently been my biggest worry when preparing to teach, this was particularly of interest for me. We were given a video from the Teaching Channel to watch about a first year teacher from the Bronx who got tips for classroom management from a veteran teacher (click here to see the video). This was an interesting video to watch because it showed that teachers should be open to getting assistance with classroom management issues if they need. It also provided some suggestions for things to try in the classroom.

One of the concepts that was brought up multiple times through this week was the idea of using a routine to help with classroom management. Routines allow students to know what is expected of them and what they should be doing at a particular time in class. I've had experience with how routines impact students' behavior in the classes that I am observing. My mentor teacher began a routine at the beginning of the school year where there students know every day to grab a paper that sits in a table at the front of the room when they come into class. This is their drill and it typically reviews concepts from previous classes or introduces the concepts that will be covered in class today. Students know that they are expected to sit down and begin working on the drill right away. This allows the teacher to get administrative tasks such as attendance done at the beginning of class while also getting the students prepared for the class ahead.  I have observed other classes where there was no drill, and it often took the teacher more time at the beginning of class to focus students' attention for the first task. While there are still a few classroom management issues in my current classes, many problems can be avoided by having the students know what they should be doing from the minute they walk into the door.

One concern that I still have with classroom management relates to intervening when there is a conflict between students. In one class that I observed, an argument between two students escalated until they were yelling across the classroom at each other. My mentor teacher had already tried multiple times to diffuse the situation but was unsuccessful. Finally, she had to remove the students from the classroom separately and take them to the office. This is a situation I have no experience with, so I was glad to have an experienced teacher there to take control of the situation. Now, I have an example from which I can learn. Another issue that is occurring in my 9th grade classroom is that there are two students sitting next to each other that tease each other. The majority of the teasing is done by one of the two students and I've felt the need to intervene during several class periods because the teasing was mean spirited and inappropriate. I plan to have a discussion with my mentor teacher about the situation so we can figure out the best way to handle this situation.

Ultimately, I still have so much to learn about classroom management, but the resources we have been given this week have provided many helpful strategies that I look forward to implementing in my classroom. I've also learned that I should look for help from more experienced teachers if I am unsure about how to handle a situation in my classroom.

Observations | Week 5 Reflection

This week in class was not abnormally exciting. For the most part, the students have been continuing with units that they started in the previous weeks. One different thing that happened this week was that my mentor teacher had an observation. The principal of the school and the department chair observed the classroom during the first class of the day, Biomedical Interventions, a Project Lead the Way course. Leading up to this observation, my mentor teacher had been gathering materials to present during her pre-observation meeting and had been providing me with some insight into what the process is like for her. It was interesting to hear her perspective from a teacher who has tenure and who has been through many observations. She pointed out the things that she typically does with the class that the administrators would be looking for, like having a clearly stated objective. She also mentioned how important it was for the observation that she make sure to come up with good questions for the students and to get them involved in discussions. During the observation, both my mentor teacher and I spent time questioning the students as they worked in groups on a project. The school principal also made the rounds, having the students describe what they were doing and what they were learning from the task. Ultimately, the observation went well. The department chair and principal were both pleased with what they saw in the classroom.

This week in class we have been learning about Danielson's Framework for Teaching that can be used to evaluate the quality of instruction. Not only was I able to take the time to look at my mentor teacher's instruction and compare it to the framework, I was also able to see this week how a professional observation is prepared for and carried out in the classroom. Having this experience gave me things to think about for when I have my first official observation as a teacher.

Asking the Right Questions | Week 4 Reflection

This week in my graduate class, we have been reading about and discussing purposeful questioning. Question generation is a skill that I want to stress in my future classrooms, so it has been helpful to spend time learning about the questioning process and figuring out what to do and what to avoid in the classroom. Our text, Principles to Action: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All from the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM), has outlined various levels of classroom discourse. In a Level 0 classroom, students only answer questions requiring short answers posed by the teacher. As the levels increase, students are asked more questions that rely on them to reflect on their thinking process. They are also given the opportunity to discuss and question their peers. At the highest level, Level 3, the teacher's role is simply as a facilitator of conversation, with the students doing most of the questioning and answering. In my ideal classroom, all discussions would be student-centered, like in the third level of the NCTM classroom discourse. In the 12th grade class that I am observing, the students are currently working on a project where they are creating a layout for a hospital emergency room that is supposed to help eliminate the problems found in many current ERs. For the majority of this project, the students are working in groups to come up with solutions to their problems and create their own designs. I have been able to observe students presenting ideas to their partners and then having a discussion about whether or not that idea would work, with little to no interference from myself or my mentor teacher. It has been interesting to see this level of discourse in action in a classroom and encourages me that I may be able to be successful creating this environment in the future.

In the younger, ninth grade class, the level of discourse is not this high. Often, the students are still given questions from the teacher to answer that deal mostly with small pieces of information. However, this does occasionally vary, specifically when it is clear that the class is having trouble getting a grasp on information. This week, the class watched a BrainPop video on the properties of water and then completed the quiz at the end as a class. One of the questions stumped the majority of the class and they could not agree on an answer. I was running this activity, so I guided the students through some thought processes to help them arrive at the right answer, but students were also talking among themselves to problem solve. One student took the initiative to look up the definition to a word in the question with which much of the class was not familiar. I noticed that students were more animated and engaged when I gave them the opportunity to problem solve rather than just simply rattle off the answer to the question. However, I had a student who tends to be disengaged with the class frustratedly ask me why I wouldn't just give them the answer instead of spending time having the students figure it out. One thing that seems clear to me is that many students aren't used to being in a classroom that is anything but Level 0 most of the time, so when they are asked to do more than just answer simple questions with clear answers, they feel confused and maybe even overwhelmed. I want to make sure to keep this in mind when I am in my own classroom so that I can slowly introduce the higher levels of discourse to get my students comfortable with the idea of discussion, answering open ended questions, and even creating questions to ask themselves.

Making and Grading | Week 3 Reflection

For a lot of this week, I've spent time reflecting upon the workshop we had during residency with Josh from the Digital Harbor Foundation makerspace. To me, the concept of making seems to line up perfectly with project and inquiry-based learning. By bringing making activities into the classroom, you are encouraging students to solve problems in novel ways and get a deeper understanding of concepts. It also gives learners with non-traditional learning styles a opportunity to get a meaningful, hands-on experience with a tangible project in the end. In his presentation, Josh mentioned that making is an important skill to have because when you make something successfully (as opposed to buying it) you not only have a cool product, but you also gain learning an experience. But more importantly, even if you make a product that doesn't work well or at all, you still have gained learning and experience. This is the growth mindset in practice. I was so inspired by the workshop that I decided to do a little reflection about my own learning experiences on my video blog:

Another area that I have been reflecting on is the assessment and grading portion of instruction. On Tuesday of this week, the GT Biology class that I am working with did a worksheet.  As a class, they worked through the majority of the worksheet and then were asked to individually complete the problem on the last page. As they were completing the final question, my mentor teacher and I walked around to each group and talked through the question with them to make sure they were on the right page. As a result, the teacher decided to collect that final question for a grade. When it came time to grade the question, my mentor teacher explained to me how she wanted the assignment graded and then let me grade it. This was the first assignment I had ever graded and I was concerned that I was being too harsh when awarding points for the answers. The problem was that nearly every one of the students had not seemed to understand what the question was asking of them. When I realized that there had been a disconnect in their understanding, I discussed my concerns with the teacher. We decided to return the assignment to the student with the bad grades and give them the chance to redo the assignment after we clarified our expectations and answered any of their questions. I will be interested to see if this clarification helps them to complete the assignment in the way we initially intended.

This experience really brought my attention to the importance of making sure that your assessments, formative and summative, are assessing what you want them to assess. If student don't understand what is being asked of them, their performance is not going to be a good representation of what they have actually learned. In this situation, the students knew the information that the question was hoping to draw from them, they just did not understand how to provide that information. This is an experience that will stay with me as I begin planning my own classwork and assessments.

Starting in the Classroom | Week 2 Reflection

This week, I finally made it into the classroom. After having a really encouraging meeting with my mentor teacher last week, I was looking forward to getting into the class and starting to make myself a part of things. For this semester, I will be following two classes, a Project Lead the Way class called Biomedical Interventions and a GT Biology class. Due to the school's A/B day schedule, I am visiting the school every other day for two periods in the morning. Last year, I found that it is helpful to schedule my observations so that I can be a part of a class every day that they meet, rather than skipping around and missing some days of instruction. This helps me to get a better understanding of the flow of instruction and also helps the students to get to know me and become more comfortable with me. I anticipate that it will make the lessons that I teach in these classes more successful.

This week, I had asked the teacher if I could just sit in the class and observe. I wanted to get a chance to see how she ran her class and spend a little bit of time getting a few for the type of students that were in her class. The teacher did give me the opportunity to introduce myself to the class. I made a very quick Prezi presentation, complete with a picture of a two-headed fish that I encountered while I worked in an ecotoxicology lab. Unfortunately, I think I found that picture cooler than the students, but I tried!

From watching the teacher during the two days I've spent at the school so far, I have already gathered some information about being a successful teacher. As a teacher at this school, you have to command respect from your students. Otherwise, they won't take you seriously. Interestingly, the PLTW class is made up mostly of seniors that had my mentor teacher for classes earlier in their high school careers. There is already a respect and rapport that has been established in this class. The GT Bio class, on the other hand, is made up of freshmen. The teacher is still working to establish this respect and you can see the students testing her limits. My mentor teacher is very good at commanding respect. She is firm with the students, but in a way that is fair and reasonable. When I was a high school student, I remember that I had trouble respecting my teachers if they were unnecessarily strict for no reason. This teacher strikes a good balance.

Classroom management is one of my biggest concerns as I am working towards becoming a teacher. I am very fortunate to have been placed with a teacher who seems to have a handle on her class and manages it in an almost effortless manner. I know I will learn a lot from her in this aspect and will hopefully gain more confidence in my ability to obtain respect from the students and manage their behavior.

The Beginning | Week 1 Reflection

Starting with this blog, I will be cataloging my reflections of the experiences that I am having as I continue through my MAT program and spend more time in the classroom. While there are many things that watching videos and reading articles can do to put future teachers in the right mindset, so much of the process of being a teacher must be learned in the classroom, working with students. Up until the time of this blog post, I have had, at most, four hours of classroom time in a week. This time was spent mostly observing another teacher and occasionally answering students' questions as they worked. I have taught a single lesson as a requirement for a previous course. What this means is that I still have so much to learn. Over the next several months I will gain practical experience in a classroom that will be an invaluable contribution to my success as a teacher. I am greatly looking forward to beginning this journey of learning.

Unfortunately, there is little to reflect upon at the moment because I have not yet been in the classroom during this school year. However, through the process of trying to figure out my school placement, I have learned more about two important qualities of being a teacher: flexibility and patience. At the beginning of the summer I was given a placement for the 2016-2017 school year. However, halfway through the summer, I was told that placement would no longer work out and was given a new placement. As the school year was rapidly approaching, I had not heard back about this new placement and was not sure if it was still happening. Then, during the first week of school I heard that I was to be moved once more to a different mentor teacher.  This was a stressful and frustrating process, but it allowed me to practice these skills I knew I was going to need in the classroom.

Yesterday, I was finally able to meet with the teacher with whom I will be working over the next year. It was an excellent meeting and it seems like we have compatible approaches to the classroom. I am looking forward to spending time in her classroom and learning the day-to-day lessons that you can't get from a book. I am nervous because I don't have a lot of experience teaching yet, but I am sure that this year will help me to feel more comfortable planning lessons, providing instruction, and interacting with students, parents, and the various other adults in the school.

Somebody Else’s Kids: Tomaso

The 1981 novel, Somebody Else’s Kids, tells the story of the author, Torey Hayden’s yearlong journey of teaching four “problem students” with varying disabilities and needs. In this novel, Hayden explains how she worked and struggled to find the best ways to reach each child and help them to work to their full potential. One particular student, Tomaso, displayed aggressive, inappropriate behavior and had difficulties regulating his emotions. Tomaso had witnessed the violent death of his father and brother at the hands of his step-mother when he was five years old. Afterwards, he had been moved around the country and through several foster homes, eventually ending up at Hayden’s school at the age of ten. He had been put in Hayden’s classroom because his aggressive behavior had become too much for the other teachers to handle.

When Hayden reads Tomaso’s files, she discovers that he has a record of “antisocial behavior,” (Hayden, 1981, p. 78) and she often refers to him as emotionally disturbed. After reading the novel, it became obvious to me that Tomaso showed some classic signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.  According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2015), children with PTSD often exhibit aggressive behavior, anger, low self-worth, and isolation. Tomaso clearly displays these symptoms, and also relies on a reoccurring fantasy that his father is still alive and will soon be coming to get him. While the diagnosis of PTSD was never given to Tomaso (PTSD was not added to the DSM until the 1980s), it seems to fit his symptoms and history.  I would use information about children with PTSD to inform how I would plan his instruction in my class.

Because Tomaso’s difficulties in the classroom stem from emotional disturbances, the accommodations that best fit his needs may be of a different kind than accommodations that you typically think of for students with physical or learning disabilities. Also, because of Tomaso’s mood fluctuations, accommodations that work for him at some points may not work for him at others. For example, when comfortable, Tomaso enjoys interacting with other students and is often more successful and motivated when given responsibility. When he was given the task of being another student’s designated reader, he took the responsibility very seriously (Hayden, 1981). However, when Tomaso gets frustrated or over stimulated, he can become aggressive. During these times, it is necessary that Tomaso have a quiet, private place to calm down, away from other students. For particularly challenging assignments that may frustrate Tomaso, it might be beneficial to allow him to work at his own pace and to not work in groups if he becomes frustrated. One particular trigger of Tomaso’s aggression occurs if he feels like he is being made to look stupid or foolish. If Tomaso was working with a group and began having trouble with the assignment, there is the potentially that this could spark into an aggressive episode. It would be imperative for me as a teacher to monitor Tomaso when working with groups in order to dispel any bouts of anger before they flare up into dangerous behavior and to find a place where I could allow Tomaso to have a break from stimulation (in the form of challenging classwork or other students) if it begins to overwhelm him.

Parts of Tomaso’s behavior issues also have roots in his dramatically low self-worth and self-esteem. Several times, Hayden (1981) writes about how Tomaso actively tries to make her dislike him and seems flabbergasted when another student brings him a birthday present. The five years he spent moving around the country, through foster homes, have made him believe that no one wants him and cause him to push others away. This behavior could make it difficult for me to build a relationship of trust and respect with him. Low self-esteem can also negatively effect motivation in the classroom. In order to mitigate the effects, I would make an effort to build up Tomaso’s confidence with his course work by providing him with prompt and positive feedback when he completes assignments and follows the rules of the classroom. Verbal reinforcement of good behavior will help to increase Tomaso’s self-confidence as well as help to strengthen a positive student-teacher relationship. Another accommodation that would be helpful for Tomaso’s self-confidence would be to provide him with choices to make about his assignments. By providing Tomaso with the opportunity to choose what he works on in class, he will feel a sense of control and responsibility over his education. It could also help prevent him from being given assignments that will cause anxiety and frustration, which could lead to an aggressive episode. Positive reinforcement and being given choices of activities are both accommodations that would help mediate the problems caused by Tomaso’s low self-esteem.

A further accommodation that could help to meet Tomaso’s needs in the classroom is to work with him to make a list of expectations at the beginning of the class. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (2016) suggests taking this approach with students who display disruptive behavior in the classroom. Especially at the beginning of the time that Tomaso spent in Hayden’s classroom, he did not only display aggressive behavior, but he also often acted inappropriately, using many curse words and lewd innuendos (Hayden, 1981). By creating a list of expectations together, Tomaso and I could clearly outline which type of behaviors where appropriate for the classroom and which are not. This would make my expectations for Tomaso’s behavior clear from the start of class as well as give Tomaso the opportunity to provide his own input into what is expected of him. This could have the added bonus of making him feel as though his opinion had weight in the classroom, helping his self-worth, as discussed previously. This accommodation would also allow me to give Tomaso a chance to express his expectations for me as a teacher. He could state what he needed from me to be successful. This could give me additional insight into how to adjust my instruction for me. 

To continue with the theme of communication, I also think it would be helpful to institute a policy of debriefing following any emotional outbursts. Hayden made a point after calming Tomaso down to discuss with him what had made him angry and occasionally how to prevent himself from becoming angry in the future (Hayden, 1981). This could prove to be difficult because you run the risk of making him angry all over again, but calmly discussing the incident would allow Tomaso to explain and reflect upon how he felt and the actions he took as a result. This could also help me as a teacher to better understand what triggers these episodes in order to prevent them in the future. The other positive outcome of a debriefing is that it makes it clear to the student that they are important to you as a teacher. This care was important to Tomaso in Hayden’s (1981) story, even if he didn’t seem to understand why she would care.

  There are other potential issues that could arise with Tomaso that I am still unsure about how I would handle them. Many of the accommodations discussed here have the undesirable effect of singling Tomaso out from the other students, which could hurt his self-esteem, even as I try to help it. Tomaso is very concerned about the way that other people, both students and teachers, perceive him. He never wants to appear weak or like he needs any helps. The very suggestion of giving him extra help could potentially push him to anger. As a teacher, I would need to be tactful in the way that I carried out these accommodations from Tomaso so as to not make him feel separate or lesser than his peers. Another potential issue is Tomaso’s reoccurring fantasy that his father is still alive and will be returning soon. Tomaso often uses this fantasy as a coping mechanism when he is feeling uncomfortable, or as a way to distract himself from negative thoughts. In Hayden’s classroom, this fantasy caused problems when both Hayden and the other children confronted Tomaso about it not being true. In my own classroom, there is the potential for this same thing to happen. Currently, I am unsure what the best approach would be when Tomaso begins to brag about things his dad has done or made for him. I would need to consult more qualified professionals for advice about this behavior.

Ultimately, while there are many things to be concerned about when considering the best ways to provide appropriate instruction for Tomaso, he is also a lively, passionate, and caring child. He was willing to help his other classmates and encourage them. If I had Tomaso as a student, I would try my best to work with his strengths in order to help him succeed. It would be critical to develop a good relationship with him and keep the lines of communication open so that I could prevent any aggressive outbursts before they occur.  Finally, I would involve Tomaso in choices about his education so he could feel a sense of responsibility and control. It would be a challenge, but I think it would be possible, with a few accommodations, to provide for Tomaso's needs and give him the quality of education that he deserves. 

References 

Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (2016). Addressing Students' Needs: Importance of Knowing Your Students. Retrieved from http://www.cirtl.net/node/2543
Hayden, T. (1981). Somebody Else's Kids. New York: Avon Books.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2015). PTSD in Children and Teens. Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/family/ptsd-children-adolescents.asp

IEP vs. 504 Plan

See the full size image here.

In the past, I have had no experience with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans. I had heard them talked about enough to have a vague sense that they were programs put in place by schools for students who needed extra assistance in the classroom due to a disability. It was very helpful to take the time to sit down and investigate what made the two plans different and how they impacted the education of the students for whom they were provided.

It is important to understand that 504 plans developed as a result of a civil rights law ensuring access for individuals with disabilities to public places and services, one of these services being public education (Wright & Wright, 2015). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ensured that students in public school would not be prevented from accessing education because of their disability. This act provided a relatively loose definition of what qualifies as a disability and is often the easier plan to obtain from the school district (The Understood Team, 2014).

On the other hand IEPs were created as a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was specifically focused on providing free and appropriate education to individuals with disabilities (Wright & Wright, 2015). Rather than simply making it easier to access the education, like a 504 plan, IEPs are used to create an educational plan that fits the individual's needs. The IEP process is much more strictly defined than the 504 process, even providing a list of 13 disabilities that make individuals eligible for a plan (Understanding Special Education, 2009). There are also strict guidelines for who is on the team that creates and evaluates the plan and what the evaluation process looks like.

For both plans, parents and teachers can be included in the process and students can not be evaluated without their parents' consent. In both situations, the goal is to create a way for students to be more successful in school by accommodating the needs the student may have due to their disability. It is important for parents, teachers, and school administrators to understand the differences between IEPs and 504 plans in order to determine what works best for individual students.

References:

The Understood Team (2014). The Difference Between IEPs and 504 Plans. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans

Understanding Special Education (2009). Retrieved from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/

Wright, P. D. & Wright, P.W.D., (2015). My Child with a 504 Plan is Failing, School Won’t Help: Your Eligibility Game Plan. Retrieved from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.idea.eligibility.htm

Special Education: Past and Present

In an effort to understand the current status of special education in the United States, it is important to look at events in history that have shaped special education into what it is today. The embedded timeline provides a quick look at a some event which have had an impact on the current educational climate for students with disabilities.



It's clear that throughout the years, legislators have spent time revising and refining the focus of laws in an attempt to provide individuals with disabilities with an education that is equal to that of students without disabilities. However, even with 40 years of refining since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, there are still many issues in Special Education that still need to be addressed.

The most current federal law dealing with special education is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was amended in 2004 (Understanding Special Education, 2009; Wright 2010). Through this act, students with disabilities are guaranteed the right to free public education with students who do not have disabilities in a setting close to home. Students with disabilities should also be provided with individualized support to help them succeed in their program. Finally, the child must be assessed to determine their needs, but only with consent from parents (Understanding Special Education, 2009). IDEA also requires special education teachers to be more highly qualified in order to ensure that quality of education for the students. The overarching purposes of IDEA are to address the individual needs of each student as well as to protect the students' and their parents' rights. 

While IDEA has certainly contributed to a better educational environment and higher achievement for individuals with disability than the previous legislation (or lack thereof), there are still many challenges faced by children with disabilities and their families. For one, there is still a lack of funding for special education programs. According to UnderstandingSpecialEducation.com (2009), only 15% of what is needed to support IDEA mandates is currently being provided by the federal government. This means that while the laws are in place to provide students with higher quality education, the resources are still not available to follow through with these promises. Another longstanding issue is the over representation of minority students in special education programs (Wright, 2010). Sikba et al. (2008) describe the many factors, including poverty, discrimination, and cultural differences which have contributed to this issue over time. While there have been attempts to reduce this over representation over time, it is still a major issue in special education today. 

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done before the major issues still plaguing special education are solved, and none of them have simple solutions. However, the educational environment for students with disabilities has seen much improvement over the past 40 years and the country is still working towards providing the highest quality, most equal education for all students.

References

Skiba, et al. (2008). Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges. Council for Exceptional Children. 74(3).
Understanding IEP Law and Special Education (2009). Understanding Special Education. Retrieved from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/special-education-law.html
Wright, P. W (2010). The History of Special Education Law - Wrightslaw. Retrieved from http://www.wrightslaw.com/law/art/history.spec.ed.law.htm

Literacy Web Tool Modeling

One web-based literacy tool that I see a great deal of application for in a STEM classroom is Blendspace. Blendspace is an incredibly flexible tool that can be used to bring together many resources and store them in one space. A Blendspace lesson consists of multiple different slides that can populated with text, images, video, powerpoint slides, link to webpages, and more. In addition the content, there is an area where the creator of the Blendspace can write a summary of the resource. There is also the option to create quizzes to assess students within the tool. On top of this flexibility, teachers can create classrooms on Blendspace and track their students’ activity while using the lessons, or students can create their own lessons. Blendspace users are also able to leave comments on the lesson, which allows for discussion.

            Because Blendspace is so flexible, it can support a number of literacy skills. If students are asked to create a lesson from a text where they use each slide to present something from that text, such as a vocabulary word or a main concept, they would be using the literacy skill of citing textual evidence when analyzing the meaning of a text. Teachers could also create a Blendspace lesson that compares and contrasts one author’s presentation of events with that of another. By populating a lesson with sources from two different perspectives, the teacher can support this skill by having students create comment on the lesson identifying the similarities and differences between the texts. Teachers could also ask students to create a Blendspace to identify and summarize central ideas from the text. Students could create slides with quotations from the text or add in images and videos that represent ideas. Because there are so many options for how to use Blendspace, the teacher can choose which literacy skill on which to focus.

            Blendspace also works well to facilitate differentiation. Teachers could create leveled lessons that include content of varying degrees of difficulty. If there is a student who struggles with reading large amounts of text, the teacher can provide a Blendspace that relies more on images, videos, or diagrams. The Blendspace lesson itself could provide students with multiple options for an activity. A teacher could populate a lesson with multiple videos or directions for activities and allow the student to choose with which one they would want to engage. Additionally, students have options when creating Blendspaces to use many different types of content. Some students might be more comfortable representing ideas with visual content whereas other students might prefer to write out their ideas. This tool allows students to work in the mode with which they are most comfortable.

            There are many topics in science course that are often difficult to grasp and students often benefit from being show multiple representations of the concepts. One way I might use a Blendspace lesson in my classroom is to help students more thoroughly understand a complex process such as cellular respiration. I could populate a Blendspace with a series of videos, pictures, diagrams, articles, and interactive activities that will help students to get a better grasp on the process. I would allow the students to work through the material at their own pace and choose the type of resources that they like. I would also encourage students to leave comments on the lesson to identify concepts they thought were important or to ask questions if something does not make sense.  I would also be interested in having students create their own lessons as a mini-research project. I would present students with a list of topics and then require them to find resources that explain different aspects of that topic. I would again utilize the comment feature so that students could review each other’s lessons and generate questions.

            The flexibility of Blendspace and variety that it provides are the two biggest pros for this tool, but they can also be cons. Some students may struggle with so much freedom if asked to create their own lesson. It also may be overwhelming to present a student with so many sources at one time. In order to combat this, I would model how to approach a Blendspace lesson with my students and provide them with an example of a lesson if I ask them to create one. I would spend time monitoring my students’ success and comfort level with the tool to make sure that it is appropriate.

            Ultimately, I think that Blendspace has many applications in the classroom. I look forward to utilizing it to supplement my instruction and helping students develop skills necessary for STEM content literacy.

Maryland Teacher Technology Standards

The following is a list of the technology standards for Maryland Teachers. Following each standard, I have indicated how I plan to address those standards in my classroom.

I. Information Access, Evaluation, Processing and Application

Access, evaluate, process and apply information efficiently and effectively.

1.     Identify, locate, retrieve and differentiate among a variety of electronic sources of information using technology.

I will actively seek out new resources using various online education communities, as well as us sites such as Twitter and Pinterest to connect with other educators and share ideas.

2.     Evaluate information critically and competently for a specific purpose.

When I encounter a new potential resource, I will determine how it could be used in my classroom and then use a spreadsheet to make notes about the resources. I will then be able to refer back to the spreadsheet of resources when I encounter a need for a specific thing, such as resources for ELL students or a leveled reading assignment.

3.     Organize, categorize and store information for efficient retrieval.

I will use applications such as Symbaloo to gather resources that I find over time to use in the classroom. These applications will allow me categorize the resources as needed so that I can use them when I need in the classroom.

4.     Apply information accurately in order to solve a problem or answer a question.

I will research the best solutions to issues that I am having in the classroom and use my system of categorization to find the resources that are the most relevant and applicable in the current situation. The more resources I collect, the better prepared I will be to confront issues.

II. Communication

A.   Use technology effectively and appropriately to interact electronically.

1.     Use telecommunications to collaborate with peers, parents, colleagues, administrators and/or experts in the field.

I will participate in online group discussions in order to collaborate with others in the education field. I would give parent the opportunity to video chat with me if they are unable to attend an in-person meeting. I will actively pursue opportunities to work with peers in other classrooms to complete projects or share ideas.

2.     Select appropriate technologies for a particular communication goal.

I will stay informed about the best way to communicate in various situations. I would be open to creating an online blog or newsletter to keep parents and students aware of what is going on in class each week. I will use social media platforms such as Twitter to stay connected with the educational community.

3.     Use productivity tools to publish information.

I would like to use Google Classroom applications to create a more efficient and streamline instructional experience, as well as to facilitate the transfer of information and discussion between my colleagues, my students, and myself.

B.    Use technology to communicate information in a variety of formats.

4.     Use multiple digital sources to communicate information online.

I will actively post information on accounts such as Google Classroom, Twitter, and my blog to provide students with various sources and types of information.

III. Legal, Social and Ethical Issues

Demonstrate an understanding of the legal, social and ethical issues related to technology use.       

1.     Identify ethical and legal issues using technology.

I will keep an open dialogue with my administration and faculty members about the appropriate use of technology, while also researching how peers in other school systems are using technology in ethical and legal ways. I will also make sure to research new technologies that I intend to use in the classroom to determine any potential issues.

2.     Analyze issues related to the uses of technology in educational settings.

I will get involved with communities of educators who are identifying issues with technology use in the classroom. I will also give students and parents the opportunity to voice their concerns about classroom technology to me. I will make sure to keep my students’’ safety and privacy as my ultimate priority.

3.     Establish classroom policies and procedures that ensure compliance with copyright law, Fair Use guidelines, security, privacy and student online protection.

I will spend time instructing my students on how to appropriately cite information that they find online, as well as how to create the safest environment for them online. I will also publish information online about these topics where students can access it if they have any questions.

4.     Use classroom procedures to manage an equitable, safe and healthy environment for students.

I will model the appropriate way to use technology in the classroom to foster a safe environment for my students. I will also closely monitor my students’ activity when using technology to identify where any problems might be. I will verify that students understand the classroom rules before allowing them to use any new technology.

IV. Assessment for Administration and Instruction

Use technology to analyze problems and develop data-driven solutions for instructional and school improvement.

1.     Research and analyze data related to student and school performance.

I will maintain an awareness of my students’ and my school’s achievement level and look for ways to improve that level. I will also monitor how my students perform in relation to the school as a whole and work to identify the reasoning behind any differences in performance.

2.     Apply findings and solutions to establish instructional and school improvement goals.

I will actively implement strategies to improve my students’ interest, engagement, and achievement. I will document my instructional processes and reflect on them to determine how they can be improved and which strategies work best.

3.     Use appropriate technology to share results and solutions with others, such as parents and the larger community.

I will use a web or video log to discuss strategies that I have implemented in the classroom (without infringing on the privacy of my students) in order to get input from parents and the community.

V. Integrating Technology into the Curriculum and Instruction

Design, implement and assess learning experiences that incorporate use of technology in a curriculum-related instructional activity to support understanding, inquiry, problem solving, communication and/or collaboration.

1.     Assess students’ learning/ instructional needs to identify the appropriate technology for instruction.

I will provide students with the opportunity to express their needs to me either in person or through an online survey. I will also give students the opportunity to try out different technologies to determine with which they are most comfortable.

2.     Evaluate technology materials and media to determine their most appropriate instructional use.

I will read my peers’ reviews and evaluations of technology materials. I will also spend time testing out new materials on my own to find their appropriate place in the classroom. Finally, when using a new material or media in the classroom, I will monitor how well it is working and adjust as needed.

3.     Select and apply research-based practices for integrating technology into instruction.

I will find measurable ways to evaluate the success of new technology in my instruction. I will also do research online to determine how successful the new technology was for other teachers.

4.     Use appropriate instructional strategies for integrating technology into instruction.

I will consult with colleagues and peers to determine which instructional strategies best suit technology based instruction. I will monitor how my students respond to my instructional strategies.

5.     Select and use appropriate technology to support content-specific student learning outcomes.

I will determine which technology is the best fit for a specific learning outcome, such as using cameras to document science experiments or having students participate in an online discussion about a current environmental issue.

6.     Develop an appropriate assessment for measuring student outcomes through the use of technology.

I will evaluate my assessment options to determine which is most appropriate. For outcomes that require students to use critical thinking, a creative assessment such as a presentation or writing assessment graded with a rubric may be appropriate. When I am assessing for retention of facts, an online quiz may be sufficient.

7.     Manage a technology-enhanced environment to maximize student learning.

I will give my students the opportunity to have experiences with a variety of technologies to find ones with which they are successful and comfortable. I will have students reflect upon which technologies are the most helpful for them and which cause them to struggle.

VI. Assistive Technology

Understand human, equity and developmental issues surrounding the use of assistive technology to enhance student learning performance and apply that understanding to practice.

1.     Identify and analyze assistive technology resources that accommodate individual student learning needs.

I will confer with specialists within my school system for accommodations with which I am unfamiliar. I will also consult peers online to determine how best to accommodate students who require assistive technology.

2.     Apply assistive technology to the instructional process and evaluate its impact on learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics and abilities.

I will monitor my students’ success with assistive technology and identify areas of strengths and weakness for each student. I will keep in mind that students may differ in their experiences with the technology and apply that knowledge accordingly.

VII. Professional Growth

Develop professional practices that support continual learning and professional growth in technology.

1.     Create a professional development plan that includes resources to support the use of technology in life long learning

I will constantly search for new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom, including finding course or training that will help me implement new technology.

2.     Use resources of professional organizations and groups that support the integration of technology into instruction.

I will search for and be active in online communities that will help me to integrate technologies into the classroom and overcome hurdles along the way.

3.     Continually evaluate and reflect on professional practices and emerging technologies to support student learning.

I will periodically assess how well I am incorporating new technologies into my classroom by setting goals at the beginning and throughout the year. I will keep a reflective journal to document my progress.

4.     Identify local, state and national standards and use them to improve teaching and learning.

I will consult with my administrators and colleagues for assistance in meeting all of the standards necessary in my classroom.