Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is technology used by individuals with disabilities in order to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. I have noticed one such type of technology being used in Mrs. M's classroom. One boy in the classroom is hearing impaired. In order to better hear Mrs. M, he uses an FM System. This device is a two piece set in which the boy wears one part of the system in his ear and the teacher clips on the other part of the system, which is a mic. The mic projects her voice into the student's earpiece. I have not noticed any other assitive technology being used in the classroom, but I do think that they could use their classroom computers for this purpose. While yes, they do use computers in the classroom, they do not really use them to enable any students that have a certain disability. There are many different forms of assitive technology. Other examples could include wheelchairs or machines that can read aloud, speak for people, or even translate speech to print. Different students can benefit from different types of assistive technology.

Collaboration

There are several different forms of collaboration that I have observed and/or heard about during my time at G Elementary school. The first type of collaboration is teacher to teacher collaboration. The main teacher in my class, Mrs. M teaches alongside another teacher, Miss L. Mrs. M and Miss L are actually cousins, which I found rather interesting. They work very well together and are able to help each other out in order to make the classroom as best as it can be. Sometimes they split the students into two groups, such as when they get in their reading groups. Mrs. M takes one group of students, and Miss L takes the other. This way the students can be in smaller groups and work more directly with the teacher and a smaller group of students. Other times one teacher will work directly with the students while the other does the busy work, such as grading papers or running off copies. I think the system they have going on is very effective. Mrs. M and Miss L also work with other teachers in the school as well. They teach other teachers students for certain subjects in order to benefit the student. The general education teacher and Mrs. M work together to come up with the best possible way to teach each of their students. Another type of collaboration is parent and teacher collaboration. I have not actually observed this type of collaboration is person, but I have heard about it and seen some results of this collaboration. One way in which the teacher hopes to work together with their students parents is by having the parents sign their child's planner each night. This way the parent can see what their son or daughter did in school that day and what homework they might have as well. Another way parents and teachers collaborate is through parent-teacher conferences. I know that IEP meetings are another way collaboration of this form can take place. Lots of collaboration must be done in order to make a student's education the best it can be. The more minds working together effectively, the better off the students involved are.

Observations: 11/9

 Every Tuesday morning is a mix of emotions and thoughts for me. I always second guess changing my major. I have yet to feel a peace one way or the other. This morning the fifth grade boys began their day by filling in maps of the United States with the state names and coloring different sections of states different colors. Miss L, the teachers aid, asked one of the students, "do you know what color green is?" I thought she was serious at first and I felt a little bad for the boy and got offended for him. But then she made a joke about singing the color song for him, so I relaxed a little. A little later Miss L said, "maybe you should label Maine, because I don't want you to get docked off." Sometimes I think the teachers care too much about the grade rather than the information being taught. One thing I found interesting is that Mrs. M and Miss L care less about the work being turned in in their classroom but more about how their students do on the work that gets turned into their regular teachers. Maybe they don't want to look like they aren't doing their job and helping the students out. A little later on, one of the boys came in and said he couldn't hear Mrs. M. She said that is was because he wasn't using his FM system. The boy claimed he didn't need it, but it was obvious that he did. I was wondering if maybe he was embarrassed by the devise. The same boy, we'll came him S, was rather tense the rest of the lesson. M, the only girl in the classroom at the time was being very encouraging to S telling him to calm down and that it would be okay. It was very sweet. Apparently this was a very unusual behavior for her. The third graders eventually came in for reading. They have this new ticket system that the teachers put into place. I think the goal for these tickets was to get the third graders to start listening and following directions better. They can earn tickets daily by bringing their planner and AR book or getting their planner signed by a parent. Also, if they pay attention during reading and are good, they can earn tickets. They can get tickets taken away by poor behavior, etc. These tickets can then earn the students prizes. Larger ticket amounts, equals larger prizes. One girl was reading an AR book that was too advanced for her apparently. The level exceeded what level of book she was supposed to be reading. The teacher said next time she needed to get a book that was at her level. To me, that is very irritating. I hated when teachers said that to me back when I read AR books. I felt so restricted and probably pretty annoyed as well. Some things about the AR system are not my favorite. I graded assignments for quite awhile. I realized I'm not a fan of having to give out low grades. It just isn't fun and I feel bad. Another reason why maybe I wouldn't make the best teacher. Although I'm doubting that any teacher enjoys giving out low grades to their students. A teacher just has to remember that the student earned the grade that they receive.

Meaningful Inclusion for Students With Disabilities

The entire class of students I work in has some sort of disability. That is the reason that they come to this classroom throughout the day. Not all of the students struggle in the same areas. The teachers works with the class as a whole, but takes time to work with them individually if need be. Mrs. M and her teacher aid make sure that no student just sits and does nothing. The teacher makes sure her class knows what is expected of them, such as informing a student that he or she should be doing what the rest of the class is doing. A student gets congratulated for a job well done by Mrs. M if she thinks this is appropriate. Most of the students in this classroom seem to have either a learning disability, behavioral disability, or both. The teachers work to correct and mold the student's behavior each and every day. If a student seems to be lost in an assignment, the teacher gives this student extra attention. If a student is not paying attention during class, the teacher may call on them for the answer. By doing this, the teacher is doing her best to include everyone in group discussions and class work.

Observations: 10/26

Today was an average day in Mrs. M's classroom. The normal routine was followed and there were no major mishaps or extremely entertaining stories to tell. The morning started out with the fifth grade boys working on their social studies worksheets. They finished up their work and headed out in time for three students to begin working on their math tests. Mrs. M read some of the problems out loud to the boys, while others she let them to do their own. During the testing time I was wondering if maybe Mrs. M was giving the students too much help on their tests. It is a test mind you. I also was thinking about how nice it is that Mrs. M has another teacher in the room to help her. They make a good pair, and while Mrs. M was giving and helping with the test, the other teacher could work on getting ready for upcoming lessons along with other preparation. This has got to help them not have so much out of school work to do, which must be very nice. Also, I realized I don't know half the answers to the things these fifth graders are being questioned on. Not good. Next in the classroom came the third graders. They got into their reading groups and starting in on the program they follow. It's very similar to the reading program we watched in one of our modules. Very directed, repetitive, and practiced. There is such a big, notable difference between the third grade students and the fifth graders. After the students were done in their collective reading groups I quizzed them each individually on recognizing their words. These words are in baggies and each child has their own. Some students were able to recognize their words very quickly, while others really struggled. One boy only had three words in his bag: want, pretty, and funny. Every time I'd show him one of the words, it would be like he had never seen it before even though he'd seen it just two words back. Finally after quite a while he got a bit better with the words and I had him use them in sentences and work on the spelling. The fifth graders came back in after the third graders left and got into their collective reading groups. They are on the ball compared to the third grade students. I personally don't know how I feel about the reading program. It seems so extremely directed. I learned to read just fine without ever using that program. Working with the students individually today made me totally second guess my decision not to continue with the Elementary Education major. I love kids and today made me remember just how much I enjoyed my interterm field experience in inner-city St. Louis last year. I honestly think all the tests and requirements of this major may have scared me away. Also, I wasn't sure I'd be smart enough to teach the subject content for all grades. I had no idea I would be second guessing myself already, and it's rather stressful. Today was a good day in my classroom and it turned into a very reflective experience for me.

At-risk Learner

K is one of the boys in the classroom I am doing my field experience in. He is struggling in math. He actually comes to this classroom because he has a learning disability in math and needs extra help. He doesn't always get the one-on-one help he probably needs due the fact that there are other students coming to the classroom at the same time for the same reason. One of the days I was observing, K turned his math homework in and as the teacher was checking his answers, he got answer after answer wrong. The entire page of math problems ended up being wrong, so the teacher had him start completely over. This time K was working one-on-one with the teacher.  The teacher laid out each problem step-by-step, reading the problems out loud. She would remind him of certain key things such as that he needs to keep his rows lined up and other things along this line. She used memory recall in which K would fill in the blank to the questions she was asking. At one point the teacher asked if K was understanding what was being covered on the homework a little better now that she was doing it with him, but she got no answer back from K. From my own personal observation it seems like the teacher was doing too much of the work for K. Once K had left the classroom the two teachers were talking to themselves. Mrs. M asked the other teacher, "is he figuring out how to do it on his own?," in which she replied, "I'm having to help with with every one." Mrs. M told the other teacher that the next time he really needed to try doing it on his own. Intervention was taking place, but I think in order for this intervention to be helpful in the long run, more emphasis needs to be put on K figuring out the problems more independently.

The Classroom Without IDEA

In reality, the classroom I am doing my field experience in may not exist at all if IDEA did not exist. This classroom is designed as one in which students can go to outside of their normal classroom. Individualized help and attention can be given to each child within this classroom. Children who come to the classroom may not all have an IEP, but they are all struggling with their grade level curriculum. IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This law ensures that services are provided to children with disabilities throughout our nation. Without this law ensuring that these services are provided, they may not be provided for at all, hence the fact his classroom may be non-existent. These children would then have to simply learn to get along in a normal classroom setting without any additional help. For some students this is just not possible. Thankfully this classroom does exist and these students can get the help they need and deserve. This classroom has benefited from the law by the fact that it is even a classroom to begin with. These children needed extra help, so a classroom was needed and provided. Schools must educate children with disabilities and provide services for them.