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.

Post 5 Chapter 6

(6.2) If you interpret for a student throughout the course of a school day, what strategies could you employ to help your student become increasingly independent and to develop long-term memory storage of things like signs for course specific language, class schedule, etc. Identify at least one strategy for long-term memory storage to: (1) promote metacognition, (2) encourage meaningful learning, and (3) make use of mnemonics.

There are many strategies that an interpreter can employ in order for a deaf student to gain independence and develop long-term memory storage. One strategy is to teach deaf students and hearing students how to communicate through an interpreter. The hearing students can also be taught some sign, which would promote communication and interaction between the students. There are also benefits to hearing students learning sign language, which are are listed in the link. Doing these two strategies will help the deaf student to feel more involved in the classroom. These feelings of involvement allow a student to feel higher self efficacy, more independence, and make it easier for them to store information in long term memory. Allowing for a student to be more involved in the classroom encourages meaningful learning.

Interpreting in Elementary School

Post 4: Chapter 6 EI question

The gold standard for teachers is to get students to store information in their long-term memory. What role do interpreters play in what is stored in the student’s sensory register? working memory? What are some potential issues that may arise?


Educational Interpreters are one of the main people that a deaf child has interaction with throughout the school day. Therefore, interpreters play a large role in helping a student with storing information in long term memory. The student may be a very visual learner so this would change how you could interpret. For example, when interpreting a mnemonic device instead of just interpreting the words into signs, fingerspelling can be utilized. An interpreter could set up the device by spelling the device word vertically, and then going back and spelling the meanings horizontally. Another way that an interpreter could help a visual learner is to write it down so that the student could see the concept. If the child were more of a kinesthetic learner then the interpreter could have the child sign the concept with her.An issues that may arise in storing memory may be that if the concept relies on hearing a deaf child would not understand or would have a harder time understanding. An example of this would be using alliteration for a concept, which would not work at all for a deaf student. Songs could also pose an issue for deaf students and the interpreter meaning that they would not translate well into ASL.
This link is to a review on research that has been done regarding working memory and deafness.
   

Chapter 14 EI Topic

I chose to use the Educational Interpreting case study. It is about the misbehavior of a deaf elementary student named Luke. There are many theories that could explain his misbehavior. It may be that Luke does not want a female interpreter. There are many more female interpreters in the field of interpreting than male interpreters. Particularly with younger boys, I can see how it may be embarrassing to have a female interpret for you. Luke may also feel isolated from the class. Sometimes when children feel isolated they may begin to also isolate themselves. Depending on his age, he may not yet have learned how to effectively communicate his thoughts and feelings, and therefore, acting out in this inappropriate way. It is important that an interpreter use the mode of language that is most effective and beneficial for the student’s comprehension and learning. This link is a good overview of an interpreters role in the classroom according to IDEA. It contains some information about the role of an educational interpreter that I had not previously seen before. I did not realize that providing communication according to the student's language abilities fell under this law.   

Chapter 13 PLE

(13.1) List five areas you will attend to as you work with educational staff to create a learning environment that is conducive to interpreting.


1. Where the interpreter is located:

This is vital for a deaf student to be successful in a classroom. If they cannot see the interpreter and whatever aids the teacher is using to teach then it will be difficult for this student to learn. The interpreter also does not want to be in front of the student the entire day. This can be very tiring for the student. As an interpreter I will be ready jump in when interpreting is needed, but when I am not needed it is good to give the student a break.


2. Where the student is locate:

Deaf students are like everyone else. They have their preferences of where they sit. While they will often sit up front, so as to see better, some may not wish to do this in various school settings. It is important for the student to feel comfortable in their learning environment.


3. Relationship with other students:

It is important that the deaf student does not feel isolated and feels like as much a part of the class as any other student. This will significantly aid in how well the student learns and how much they enjoy school.


4. Relationship with teacher:

It is vital that the teacher have a good relationship with their deaf student. This way if there are any problems with the student, such as disruptive behavior, the teacher will be able to understand the cause (is it cultural or simply the student acting up) and act accordingly.


5. Vocabulary terms:

A student may need extra clarification with terms they do not understand. If a student has a puzzled look on their face then it is necessary to go into further detail to explain the term. It is also nice to have a list of terms before the class begins. This way if there are not signs for the term the interpreter will know how to spell the term, and can better explain the term to the student.


This website contains great information for the role of an educational interpreter, and what they will and will not do in a classroom.

Motivation

     Motivation is crucial in order to for people get things done. I know, for me, that if I have low motivation towards something it will most likely remain unaccomplished (or will be done at the last possible moment). I tend to use the goal theory of motivation most. I make lists for everything... groceries, school, work, things I want to do, things I want to buy... everything. Most of my lists contain performance goals rather than learning goals. In thinking about it, though, I do have learning goals even though they are not written down. While goal theory seems, to me, to be the most influential in my motivation I see how the other theories we talked about in class also play into my motivation. After having to take many science classes I think I will do well in microbiology. This makes it easier to study for this class because I believe that I can do well in it. Based on this I can see how self efficacy theory also plays into my motivation for school. In a classroom I have seen how setting goals, and encouraging self efficacy can be very helpful for students. My sister is a pre-school teacher, and she sets goals for her students and encourages them as they try hard activities like writing. I see how in her classroom her students are motivated to write and read because of these uses of motivation theories.

PLE post 1

     While this class if primarily for teachers I do believe there is much that I can learn. As I have seen teaching is not only restricted to a classroom. With interpreting you never exactly know what kind of assignment you will be given or what you will have to do. It is important to be able to understand how children think and act in various situations. I am excited to learn more about children's cognitive and linguistic development because how these things develop are crucial to how a child will understand their world. I also found this video Classroom Interpreting. It is really cheesy, but if you were wondering what exactly an ASL interpreter does in a classroom the information is pretty good.