Barb Retenbach reflection

a. How did this presentation change your view of those with Autism?

     I found it interesting to see someone with autism who has overcome expressive barriers, and is able to communicate her thoughts. This presentation really helped me to understand that when working with people with autism the best way to communicate with them is through something they like, such as cooking. I also noticed how Barb saw herself as something different and special, and had a very positive view of herself. 

b. How will you consider autistic children in your classroom in light of this presentation?

     You can never discount an autistic child as having nothing valuable to give to the classroom. It is vital that a way is found to help children with autism express themselves.

c. How does the information you’ve learned affect your future teaching practice?

     One idea that was brought up during the presentation that I think any teacher can use is that you should build students' strengths. It is important that a student know how best their students learn so that the teacher can help them be successful in the classroom.

d. Was this information new, and how do you feel about it?

    I did learn some new information during this presentation. It was very hopeful, in that there are ways to help children communicate what is going on in their heads. 

Group Differences Forum

What did you learn during our forum that you didn't know before?

     From this forum I learned of the different ways that researches categorize people with disabilities. I had also never realized that there are people who are proponents of eradicating special education.

What would you have liked to learn more about?
     I would have liked to learn more about integrating ELL students in the classroom, and how data corresponds to stereotypes we believe about different minority groups.

How do you think the information presented in the forum will help you in your classroom?
     The common thing I noticed within the overall discussion is that with all of the issues discussed  it is important for us, as professionals, to remember to be aware of how different all of the students in a classroom are.

What could have been done to help you learn more?
     It would have been helpful for us to have more of a focus as a whole class. This way we could go more in depth with the particular subjects.

What suggestions do you have about the forum (changes I should make, articles to pitch or to keep, topics that should be discussed that we did not cover?)
     I thought that overall the forum went really well, and there was plenty to discuss. The one change I would make would be to limit the subjects discussed so that they could all center around a common theme.
     

PLE post #10

Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine Table 2.2 (p. 51), in what ways might children who use sign language differ in development from those who communicate with spoken language?

A child who uses sign language to communicate will most likely differ quite a bit in their abilities to understand and utilize English. This will greatly effect their cognitive development. Much of what is learned in schools is done through listening and reading. A child who is deaf is going to have problems, especially with reading. Most likely this child will be behind for a while. Because they will only be learning English from what they see, and not also what they hear, it likely that this child's word knowledge will be less than what is expected at their grade level. These children will also have more trouble producing English because it is not the language they are used to using, or get as much practice with naturally. For these reasons, it is imperative that this child have access to various resources and one-on-one time in order to cultivate English learning. This type of intervention would be most effective in the k-5 grades, where the foundational rules of language are established.

This blog is from a teacher in Israel who teaches deaf and hard of hearing students there. Each of the students is at different level and this blog briefly explains how accommodations are made for each student.

PLE #9

How might self-efficacy and self-regulation contribute to the intervention plans you use in your case study?

If Luke felt he had high self efficacy in his subjects then he would be less likely to act out, and more motivated to pay attention. I would plan to use interventions with the goal of raising his self efficacy. As his self efficacy rises Luke would also be more likely to self regulate. Self-regulation would be extremely important for Luke to learn. It is hard to learn when you don't set goals for yourself or if you are not intrinsically motivated. 

The ability to self-regulate is not only important for learning, but is also important in life. The marshmallow test is just one example of how setting goals and learning to work towards those goals can be important. It also shows how some children posses this ability and others do not.

PLE post #8

This is your first week as an educational interpreter at Brown Elementary School. One of your students, Luke, has completely shut down and is not engaged in learning. During instruction, he refuses to look at you for communication. He has not completed any assignments that would help him demonstrate an understanding of material and has, on several occasions, put his head down on his desk and gone to sleep. On the second day of school, you tried to talk to Luke between classes to find out if there was a problem and he walked away from you. Yesterday, when you attempted to facilitate communication with his math teacher, Luke crossed his arms and turned his back toward you. His math teacher got angry and requested that you contact his parents, who are both hearing, and set up a meeting to discuss Luke’s behavior.

Based on a behaviorists understanding of cognitive development, conditioning would be beneficial for this student, particularly positive reinforcement and removal punishment. Because the behavior is already occurring removal punishment, such as taking away time at an activity that Luke likes to do, would be effective. This could lead him to become more isolated, however, if that event is social in nature. For this reason I would think that positive reinforcement would work better over all. This could be done by finding out something Luke likes, such as candy or computer time, and giving that to him if he does actions like paying attention or staying awake. 

In contrast, from a constructivist understanding it would be helpful to alter the activities the student is doing. In the case study it says that Luke has shut down and is not engaged in learning. This could be because he is not involved in creating or constructing his own knowledge. This link contains ideas for constructivist lesson plans for various age levels. 

Behaviorism would be helpful in teaching the student the behavior that is desired, while constructivism would help engage Luke. In this case it may be easier and less disruptive for a teacher to employ a behavioristic model for changing behavior. The constructivist model would allow for Luke to be more integrated into the classroom. However, it would be much more difficult to do. 

PLE post 7 EI question

(8.2) The student for whom you are interpreting must complete an activity that requires him to solve a complex problem with a partner. Rather than collaborating with his partner, your student asks that you just tell him and his partner the answer. How would you re-direct this student and encourage him to work with his partner and persist in the task?

I can see how this type of situation may be intimidating or uncomfortable for the deaf student. However, this would be no excuse for the deaf student because being to work with others is an important skill to have whether the student is deaf or hearing. I would remind the student that he must do his own work, and that I am there only to help him communicate. One suggestion that I would give the student's is to start by making sure they both understand the assignment and agree on what needs to be done. It would also be imperitive that the students ask questions of each other so they can find out what prior knowledge exists. 

This link is to pamphlet put out by North Dakota School for the Deaf about the roles of the interpreter, teacher, and student in a mainstream classroom situation.

PLE post # 6 Chapter 7

(7.1) You have been assigned to interpret for a student in a constructivist classroom. What strategies would you use to make sure that you accurately interpret all spoken messages and convey the students’ questions or replies to the teacher and to other students?




In a constuctivist classroom there is a lot of hands-on learning, so as to allow the students to construct their own knowledge. Often times hands-on learning lends itself to discussion, which can be tricky for an interpreter to successfully and accurately interpret. It is important if group discussion is going to happen that only one person talks at once. This can be achieved easier if their is one person in charge of facilitating the discussion. Another thing to consider with discussions is that there is lag time between what is said and what is interpreted. Because of this it is helpful to allow for extra time for the comment or question to be interpreted, and then time for the deaf student to formulate their answer. This website contains more useful information about working with interpreters, and specifically working with interpreters during group discussion.