Today in our group myself, Jana, and Heidi, gave a presentation on Cognitive Impairments. We titled our presentation as Intellectual Disability because we felt that was what it is mostly referred to now as we researched. Our lesson deliver went really well. I was surprised and happy with the participation that was reciprocated as we presented and we were able to do our presentation in a timely manner that was well organized.
The evidence we have of effective student engagement was we were able to watch them and see how they talked as groups, they shared thoughts with us and brainstormed strategies as we gave them points to guide their conversation. I loved how everyone thought about their comments and added to the lesson instead of distracting or getting off topic.
If I were to teach this lesson by myself, the only thing I would change would be that we would be able to go more in depth on each impairment that we talked about. I wanted to learn more about the every day life of each of these children. This wasn't any fault of a person in our group it was what we decided was most important that needed to be covered in regards to what we were already learning in class.
In my teaching I think time management and practice is an area of improvement. I had a lot more material prepared than I thought and I wasn't able to go into as much depth as I wanted to. I also took more time than the other girls as I tried to include the class in my topic and also a video. I need to learn how to practice beforehand so I know how much time I need to take on each topic I am teaching.
I would give our group a 10. We were able to apply the the materials to the class course as a whole, and show how they applied to the principles we have learned. We were able to leave time to discuss with the group and as a class and we covered different disabilities to show examples.
Monday, November 23, 2015
SPED 310 Week 10
This week was a really fun week and I was able to apply a lot of what we learned to how I can use it as an educator. We learned about differentiated instruction, and we applied it by teaching. We also had a lesson on Orthopedic Impairments and Traumatic Brain Injuries, as well as giving a presentation on Cognitive Impairments.
When we learned about differentiated instruction we were able to see different teaching styles there are and the things we liked and didn't like about each of them. As we chose a strategy to use we were able to now see how effective they were in our lessons. For my group we chose to teach another group how to make snowflakes. For our teaching strategy we had one teacher who was the head of the lesson, and we combined with each other by having two assistant teachers and one observing teacher. By doing this we were able to assist those who didn't understand the material and also have an observing giving us feed back at the end. I really liked this strategy and it was effective for us because we had a strong lead teacher who was prepared, and we were prepared to assist. We were then taught how to throw pizza dough with towels and we were taught with a visual video and also with assistant teachers. We really liked learning this as a group.
The presentation on Orthopedic impairments and Traumatic Brain Injuries really opened my mind to all of the different kinds there are of each. They can be genetic and acquired and it is important for us to see how this fits into IDEA to see the services we may be able to provide for these students. I wish this would have been discussed more in the presentation, but overall it raised my awareness of the conditions.
For the final day this week I along with my group gave a presentation on Cognitive Impairments. It was fun to see our progression in the learning process as we learned so much about many different kinds of Cognitive Impairments as well as they stigmas and myths we thought. We were able to see how society has evolved in their thoughts about cognitive impairments as well as expand our knowledge of how Cognitive Impairment itself is not a syndrome, but how it is coupled with other syndromes and disabilities. What I liked were the teaching strategies we were able to find in our research so that we can implement them in our classroom.
The resource most helpful to me this week was the wonderful internet. I was able to find so many amazing sites for our presentation and great information for teachers and parents.
When we learned about differentiated instruction we were able to see different teaching styles there are and the things we liked and didn't like about each of them. As we chose a strategy to use we were able to now see how effective they were in our lessons. For my group we chose to teach another group how to make snowflakes. For our teaching strategy we had one teacher who was the head of the lesson, and we combined with each other by having two assistant teachers and one observing teacher. By doing this we were able to assist those who didn't understand the material and also have an observing giving us feed back at the end. I really liked this strategy and it was effective for us because we had a strong lead teacher who was prepared, and we were prepared to assist. We were then taught how to throw pizza dough with towels and we were taught with a visual video and also with assistant teachers. We really liked learning this as a group.
The presentation on Orthopedic impairments and Traumatic Brain Injuries really opened my mind to all of the different kinds there are of each. They can be genetic and acquired and it is important for us to see how this fits into IDEA to see the services we may be able to provide for these students. I wish this would have been discussed more in the presentation, but overall it raised my awareness of the conditions.
For the final day this week I along with my group gave a presentation on Cognitive Impairments. It was fun to see our progression in the learning process as we learned so much about many different kinds of Cognitive Impairments as well as they stigmas and myths we thought. We were able to see how society has evolved in their thoughts about cognitive impairments as well as expand our knowledge of how Cognitive Impairment itself is not a syndrome, but how it is coupled with other syndromes and disabilities. What I liked were the teaching strategies we were able to find in our research so that we can implement them in our classroom.
The resource most helpful to me this week was the wonderful internet. I was able to find so many amazing sites for our presentation and great information for teachers and parents.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
SPED 310 Week 9
This week we started out by preparing personally and with our groups for our test. We did a review game in class which really helped us better apply the materials such as case studies and idea laws to children with different specific needs. I really feel like the online reviews were my greatest help and resource this week in preparing for tests.
On Tuesday I met with my group that I will be presenting on Cognitive Impairments with on November 23rd. It was so great to get together and start to plan how we are going to break it up into categories. We found that most of the time Cognitive Impairments are coupled with another disorder such as Autism, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, even strokes and accidents that happen after the child is born. At first we thought it was its own specific disorder but we were able to learn a lot about how it is usually accompanied or caused by something else. My group is really excited to present and we have been able to talk about other group's presentations that we liked and can borrow things from and other aspects we didn't like.
Friday was a day full of learning as we were taught signs of sexual abuse, and neglect. It was very interesting to learn about how we need to go with our gut, but also follow clues and not make assumptions. My group was really open in sharing personal stories and stories of others and it was really touching and eye opening to see that this is real stuff. We will see this.
I also turned in my Mid-term HWD report for Prader Willi Syndrome. Learning more about a disorder my hand had to deal with has helped me understand what her life was like and help my grandparents cope with her passing. I found out to day that through my aunts funeral they were able to raise $26,000 for PWS research. Even though a cure may never be found through this research they are able to subdue effects and help these people live more independent lives. That was a huge discovery to me as I looked at some medical journals and talked with my grandparents.
I am excited for my future as an educator learning and furthering awareness of people who have disorders and being their advocate when others may look down on them.
On Tuesday I met with my group that I will be presenting on Cognitive Impairments with on November 23rd. It was so great to get together and start to plan how we are going to break it up into categories. We found that most of the time Cognitive Impairments are coupled with another disorder such as Autism, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, even strokes and accidents that happen after the child is born. At first we thought it was its own specific disorder but we were able to learn a lot about how it is usually accompanied or caused by something else. My group is really excited to present and we have been able to talk about other group's presentations that we liked and can borrow things from and other aspects we didn't like.
Friday was a day full of learning as we were taught signs of sexual abuse, and neglect. It was very interesting to learn about how we need to go with our gut, but also follow clues and not make assumptions. My group was really open in sharing personal stories and stories of others and it was really touching and eye opening to see that this is real stuff. We will see this.
I also turned in my Mid-term HWD report for Prader Willi Syndrome. Learning more about a disorder my hand had to deal with has helped me understand what her life was like and help my grandparents cope with her passing. I found out to day that through my aunts funeral they were able to raise $26,000 for PWS research. Even though a cure may never be found through this research they are able to subdue effects and help these people live more independent lives. That was a huge discovery to me as I looked at some medical journals and talked with my grandparents.
I am excited for my future as an educator learning and furthering awareness of people who have disorders and being their advocate when others may look down on them.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
SPED 310 Week 8
This week in Sped we were put into new groups. I was excited about my new group and have seen them contribute valuable insights in class before. This week we talked mostly about Abuse, Neglect, and Poverty. My group was awesome in talking respectfully about recognizing abuse and signs of abuse. This was a hard topic to talk about and the realization that we would have students in this situation became clear. We need to be educated on this as teacher and parents so we can help save a child and provide a safe environment for them in school.
In preparation for Wednesdays class we watched a video about an elementary school in Las Vegas that has most of their student body as homeless. The principle who came into the school took it into her own hands to take care of the students and find ways to provide a better school environment and a better home environment. She realized that if their home environment was bad they would end up not coming to school. She got the whole community involved in donating food, clothing, and school items to the school for children. She made it a small community at school that was safe for the children. This video helped me realize that if we can't get the services we need for our children through the school district, there are ways that are safe to help our children. As teachers we can be the change we want to see.
My favorite day this week and also the hardest day for me to sit through was Wednesday where we talked about poverty. We did a simulation where we had to spread out a small amount of money throughout the month and we had two kids and a job that didn't pay very much. This simulation was all too real for me. My dad and I did live in poverty. We experienced things in the simulation like having our phones turned off, our cars repossessed, and not gas in our home. My dad made the best of it and never told me things were bad. It's all I knew. I think that is how a lot of these children are. They don't know anything else so they accept their circumstances. Their parents are trying and my not have resources to get out of poverty at that moment. They rely on friends and family to help them get through hard times. My grandparents had to drive me places when my dad couldn't but I know that a lot of children don't have the church support and family support I had to help me.
One person in class made a comment to the extent of, "Why are they buying stuff they can't afford, like a car they can't afford." I wanted to answer her statement that she shouldn't be quick to judge. They need a way to get to work, to take their kids to school events and commute. Sometimes public transportation isn't the best option. We need to empathize with our students and their families. We can't judge them, we must simply help them.
This week my greatest resource was my own experiences that can help me see my students in a different light than other teachers. I have been there, and I can help them see the opportunities given to them through school. It is such a blessing to have free public school where teachers can make a difference. They need to choose to make a change.
In preparation for Wednesdays class we watched a video about an elementary school in Las Vegas that has most of their student body as homeless. The principle who came into the school took it into her own hands to take care of the students and find ways to provide a better school environment and a better home environment. She realized that if their home environment was bad they would end up not coming to school. She got the whole community involved in donating food, clothing, and school items to the school for children. She made it a small community at school that was safe for the children. This video helped me realize that if we can't get the services we need for our children through the school district, there are ways that are safe to help our children. As teachers we can be the change we want to see.
My favorite day this week and also the hardest day for me to sit through was Wednesday where we talked about poverty. We did a simulation where we had to spread out a small amount of money throughout the month and we had two kids and a job that didn't pay very much. This simulation was all too real for me. My dad and I did live in poverty. We experienced things in the simulation like having our phones turned off, our cars repossessed, and not gas in our home. My dad made the best of it and never told me things were bad. It's all I knew. I think that is how a lot of these children are. They don't know anything else so they accept their circumstances. Their parents are trying and my not have resources to get out of poverty at that moment. They rely on friends and family to help them get through hard times. My grandparents had to drive me places when my dad couldn't but I know that a lot of children don't have the church support and family support I had to help me.
One person in class made a comment to the extent of, "Why are they buying stuff they can't afford, like a car they can't afford." I wanted to answer her statement that she shouldn't be quick to judge. They need a way to get to work, to take their kids to school events and commute. Sometimes public transportation isn't the best option. We need to empathize with our students and their families. We can't judge them, we must simply help them.
This week my greatest resource was my own experiences that can help me see my students in a different light than other teachers. I have been there, and I can help them see the opportunities given to them through school. It is such a blessing to have free public school where teachers can make a difference. They need to choose to make a change.
Wheelchair Simulation 11/5/2015
This week I completed an orthopedic impairment where I spent 2 and a half hours in a wheelchair. With this assignment I was not allowed to tell people I was doing this for my class and I had to do specific assignments.
The first assignment I did was go to another building on campus and ask a question. As I left the third floor the elevator was under maintenance and so I asked a teacher if I could lift the chair and carry it down the stairs and then begin the assignment. She said yes, but I realized someone with a real orthopedic impairment wouldn't be able to do that. As I went down the hill to the Kimball building, It was a breeze and I was able to turn. I went across the cross walk and couldn't get over a bump in the curb that was fairly small. Someone offered to help me which was another part of the assignment to accept help once. I accepted his help and continued to the Kimball and asked about admissions and my track. Then I had another assignment. I needed to open a door by myself without help from the automatic door or a person.
At first when I tried to go through the door by myself, I was struggling so a man opened it for me. On my way out of the room I did it myself but I was bumping into the door and struggled. My next assignment was to use the automatic door and go uphill. I used the automatic door which was much more simple than doing it myself. As I began to go uphill to the Hinkley building I really struggled and realized it would be a while before I made it the short distance up the hill. Many people stopped ans asked to help me up the hill and it was hard to tell them no and also not to tell them it was for a class. Lots of people asked if I was sure I didn't need help because they could probably tell I was struggling. I was very appreciative of their offers, but part of the assignment was to be as independent as possible. My arms hurt so bad and when I was almost to the Hinkley two girls stopped and offered to help. the talked to me like a baby and I told them I was fine. I felt dumb that they talked to my with a tone someone would talk to me as a baby. When I finally got to the top into the Hinkley I was exhausted and sweaty and just stayed outside for a bit to cool off.
When I got inside I had a few more things left to do. I needed to go get a drink form the drinking fountain, and use the restroom in large stall and transfer myself to the toilet and back. When I went tot he drinking fountain I was glad no one was around because the water ran down my face and made a mess. It was really hard to get the right angle without getting in the wheelchair. By this time the elevator was working again so I wiped off my face and went in the elevator which was another part of the assignment. Once I got upstairs I had a hard time opening the door to get into the bathroom and then once in the stall it was very tight. I wasn't allowed to use my legs and my wheelchair didn't have brakes. I got up close to the toilet and bars an pushed myself up. As I finished in the bathroom I went and did homework in the hallway and saw someone else doing the assignment.
As I reflected on my time in the wheelchair I realized how hard it would be to get around if we didn't have simple things like automatic doors, elevators, slanted curbs, and larger stalls in bathrooms. It was very eyeopening to see who some people wanted to help and how I also needed to be independent. It gave me the ability to empathize with those in a wheelchair and see how hard it would be to have people talk to you like a baby all the time. It helped me see how I can help others with orthopedic impairments and also help them be independent.
The first assignment I did was go to another building on campus and ask a question. As I left the third floor the elevator was under maintenance and so I asked a teacher if I could lift the chair and carry it down the stairs and then begin the assignment. She said yes, but I realized someone with a real orthopedic impairment wouldn't be able to do that. As I went down the hill to the Kimball building, It was a breeze and I was able to turn. I went across the cross walk and couldn't get over a bump in the curb that was fairly small. Someone offered to help me which was another part of the assignment to accept help once. I accepted his help and continued to the Kimball and asked about admissions and my track. Then I had another assignment. I needed to open a door by myself without help from the automatic door or a person.
At first when I tried to go through the door by myself, I was struggling so a man opened it for me. On my way out of the room I did it myself but I was bumping into the door and struggled. My next assignment was to use the automatic door and go uphill. I used the automatic door which was much more simple than doing it myself. As I began to go uphill to the Hinkley building I really struggled and realized it would be a while before I made it the short distance up the hill. Many people stopped ans asked to help me up the hill and it was hard to tell them no and also not to tell them it was for a class. Lots of people asked if I was sure I didn't need help because they could probably tell I was struggling. I was very appreciative of their offers, but part of the assignment was to be as independent as possible. My arms hurt so bad and when I was almost to the Hinkley two girls stopped and offered to help. the talked to me like a baby and I told them I was fine. I felt dumb that they talked to my with a tone someone would talk to me as a baby. When I finally got to the top into the Hinkley I was exhausted and sweaty and just stayed outside for a bit to cool off.
When I got inside I had a few more things left to do. I needed to go get a drink form the drinking fountain, and use the restroom in large stall and transfer myself to the toilet and back. When I went tot he drinking fountain I was glad no one was around because the water ran down my face and made a mess. It was really hard to get the right angle without getting in the wheelchair. By this time the elevator was working again so I wiped off my face and went in the elevator which was another part of the assignment. Once I got upstairs I had a hard time opening the door to get into the bathroom and then once in the stall it was very tight. I wasn't allowed to use my legs and my wheelchair didn't have brakes. I got up close to the toilet and bars an pushed myself up. As I finished in the bathroom I went and did homework in the hallway and saw someone else doing the assignment.
As I reflected on my time in the wheelchair I realized how hard it would be to get around if we didn't have simple things like automatic doors, elevators, slanted curbs, and larger stalls in bathrooms. It was very eyeopening to see who some people wanted to help and how I also needed to be independent. It gave me the ability to empathize with those in a wheelchair and see how hard it would be to have people talk to you like a baby all the time. It helped me see how I can help others with orthopedic impairments and also help them be independent.
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