Week 14 - Chapter 12 video posting

***There is more coming to this blog ASAP..

Video 1 Questions:
1. Teacher Lisa Kelleher describes her role as a teacher in an inclusive classroom as being quite multifaceted. Are there any aspects of her role that surprised you or made you envision your future role as a teacher differently? Explain.

Honestly, after working in an inclusion classroom myself, not much in this video was new to me. I can imagine that it must be difficult to work as an inclusion teacher, especially with minimal help. I think it is great that Lisa has Danielle as an aide for MaryAnne, because as we saw in the video with Peter earlier in the semester, there were no additional aides to help him. Obviously there is a huge time change between the two of these videos, but it appears that there have been significant changes made for the better.


2. What skills does elementary classroom aid Danielle Doucette bring to work with MaryAnne, the child who has spina bifida? How does Danielle take MaryAnne's academic and social/emotional development into account when planning activities?

Danielle seemed to be on the ball when working with MaryAnne! She knew what MaryAnne liked to do and didn't like to do, but handled all situations well. She knows that it is important for MaryAnne to not only do well in school academically, but also socially and emotionally. With MaryAnne's new electric wheel chair, Danielle states that it is so much easier for MaryAnne to get around and socialize with the rest of the class. It is important for MaryAnne to feel like an included part of the classroom!


3. What questions has this video raised in your mind about your own familiarity with adaptive technologies for children? How can you take action on Lisa's suggestion that teachers familiarize themselves with how the equipment works (e.g., an electric wheelchair) even before you have your own classroom?

I definitely realize that I too, need to become more familiar with adaptive technologies for children both with and without disabilities. Technology is becoming such a huge part of education, but if I don't know how to use it, I will not be teaching to the best of my ability! I have a cousin in her 30's that has disabilities which prevent her from doing things the same as everyone else. Through her I have begun so see some of the processes that take place. Although Tammy does not have any problems with mobility, I see her adapt to technology in different ways than I may do things or friends or family members would do things. In order to get some hands on experience before I have my own classroom, I would like to help in classrooms that have students with these kind of disabilities. I may also consider looking into activities outside of the school setting which reach out to children with disabilities to help and enhance their lives.


4. In the bonus video, "Encouraging Social Interactions in an Inclusive Classroom," Lisa explains how she makes sure that all students have opportunities to play together, typically through music or art. Can you think of any activities you've used successfully to engage a full range of learners? If not, what types of activities do you plan to add to your repetoire?

I agree with Lisa, and believe that social interactions are very important to the classroom setting. Of course, one of the main objections in a classroom is to learn, however, this does not always mean academic learning, which I think is often times misunderstood. I think that it is also very important that students learn to socialize with each other properly. In a case where there is a child with disabilities in a classroom full of children without disabilities, I can see that this can become difficult. I would make sure that there is a game taking place that the child with disabilities can take part in, and make sure that the other children are accepting of everyone. It is difficult to think of specific examples because I do not have laid out disabilities in front of me, but for example, if a child has a disability regarding movement, I would make sure that instead of playing baseball, we play something like Pictionary, or Shirades, an activity that highlights the strong points of the individual with disabilities so that they too can take part in social activities.


5. The classroom artifact entitled "MaryAnne's Schedule" blocks our MaryAnne's schedule for the day in words and illustrations. How could a chart like this be used more generally to help students with other types of learning challenges (such as ADHD)? Explain.

I feel like this is a great way to map out a schedule for ANY student regardless of whether they have a disability or not. In general, I believe that images help students to visualize the activity that they will be partaking in, rather than just thinking about that activity. In a classroom, there are words everywhere!!! Students can not survive a day without reading. I think this a great thing for a classroom, however, students do need a break from this every once and awhile. I think this could also benefit students with ADHD because it gives them something different to look at. By looking at the same things over and over again, students will be easily bored. Symbols, instead of just words, help to liven up the classroom!



Video 2 Questions:
1. Kindergarten teacher Tony Byers describes his responsibility to teach Jamie, a girl in his classroom who has cerebral palsy, so that she can feel like an equal participant. Have you had any experience in working with children who are physically challenged? If not, how can you gain experience before you have your own classroom?

I have had the opportunity to work with a few students who are physically challenged and therefore need assistive technologies to help provide them with proper mobility. As seen in the first video, this does add to frustrations when working in the classroom. For example, there always needs to be enough room for a wheel chair to move around. This means that the work environment also needs to be kept neat. In a classroom full of 20 students, it is difficult to guarantee that there will always be enough and a clean space.


2. Inclusion facilitator Sara Woodruff is an advocate for assistive technologies. She explains that there are many ways to help children access their voices and their minds as best they can. What assistive technologies--either high-tech or low-tech--have you seen or read about? How and when would you be likely to incorporate them into your teaching?

In the schools that I have done my learn and serve at, they all use computers as assistive learning. Some of them use sounds and some use symbols to help the student to learn about multiple different things, such as animals, math, science etc. A very low-tech assistive technology could be a book that has buttons that identify to different sounds, or have animal fur to help a child associate an animal with a certain feeling.


3. As you watch Jamie complete an activity using a speech output device, what do you notice about the way Sara interacts with her? What can you learn from Sara's approach in general, and the way she describes her goals for Jamie?

When Sara interacts with Jamie she is very excited! By getting excited every time Jamie does something right, Jamie must feel like she is achieving something great. I feel that this is a very good approach when dealing with students, especially students with special needs. By using assistive technology, Sara wants Jamie to be able to access her environment by using her mind, body and voice as best as she can.


4. According to Tony, having Jamie use assistive technology "helps show the other children that there's a wide range of communication capabilities in our population as a whole. Children are shown an alternative way of communicating that is different rather than better or worse." What questions about your own understanding of the potential of assistive technologies has this video raised?

This video makes me wonder how an educator knows that a certain assistive technology is working or is going to work. If a certain technology is not working, how do you know when to change it and what to change it to?


5. In the bonus video entitled "Adapting the Curriculum: Mr. Byers' View," Tony describes the tension he feels between teaching spontaneously and the need to slow down and adapt every lesson for all students. Can you think of any experiences you've had that have created a similar tension? Explain your ideas.

I have seen this take place in the classroom many times. The teacher that I shadow this semester will always explain to me what his intentions are for the day and the lessons specifically, and usually things do not go according to the original plan. Knowing that this will happen will help you to move on when it does happen. If a lesson does not go according to plan, Mr. Stillinger will adjust it for the class so that they have a better grasp on it, however, sometimes this leaves certain individuals confused. This is a constant struggle that anyone can face regardless of whether they teach in an inclusion classroom or not.