ARTIFACT: The artifact used for this class is the inclusion plan for students in a literacy classroom. The plan gives a description of the current population of my school, as well as, strengths and needs. The student needs addressed most in our school include attention deficit disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, processing delays, speech and language, reading disabilities, type two diabetes, and numerous allergies. The plan includes three goals and the action plans to try achieve those goals.
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: Before this class, I was aware of the needs of our students, but I had not considered the importance of educating the entire student body, parents and staff about ability awareness. I also was not as knowledgeable about using assistive technology to meet the needs of my students.
During this class, I was made aware of ability awareness days in which students have the opportunity to experience trying to complete a task in a subject with a disability. I shared the information with our counselor. We hope we can include this event at our school in the near future. The various videos provided an opportunity to visualize what students with difficulties are dealing with daily. This helped me to feel more empathetic toward students with disabilities and strive to seek ways to accommodate them at my school.
After this class, I have been able to help students with specific learning disabilities with reading gain access to a federally funded program called Bookshare. It provides students with access to texts with audio and a highlighting feature. A boy who previously told the principal he hates reading, recently announced to me numerous times, he couldn't wait to get home to read the book "Who is George Lucas?" on Bookshare. Students who are struggling with the conventions of writing are being taught to use the dragon dictation app on the ipads in our school. They are excelling in getting their ideas down on paper before they lose them.
STANDARDS:
Standard #3 Teachers understand that children learn differently.
This standard was met in this class through the exposure to ways that will help remove barriers that will impede learning for some students. It introduced ways for teachers to adapt their instruction to support learning of all students including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.
Standard #5 Teachers know how to manage a classroom.
This standard was evident in this course by teaching us to use our understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. There were many examples of creating ability awareness so those without disabilities can understand the challenges and contribute to an environment of acceptance of all.
Standard #7 Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.
This class helped me to understand the needs of all the students including those with disabilities and exceptionalities, through the many videos that were shared. The authentic examples helped us to have a better understanding of different disabilities so lessons can be modified and /or differentiated to meet the needs of all students
IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING: This class has had an impact on the students of my school due to the implementation of some components of the inclusion plan. As of today, we have been able to implement actions to achieve the goal of utilizing assistive technology for students identified with specific learning disabilities for reading using the Bookshare program to gain access to books and textbooks being used in class. Students are also being taught how to use dragon dictation to write papers in order to preserve their ideas and then allow time to address conventions at a later time. Another goal was to train teachers in the areas of the disabilities. Our students with reading disabilities are benefiting from training received by the classroom teachers as well as interventionists in an Orton Gilligham approach to reading and spelling. This approach is designed for students with dyslexia. One student showed quite a bit of growth on her standardized test and has achieved grade level on her Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark assessment.
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH: Before this class, I was aware of the needs of our students, but I had not considered the importance of educating the entire student body, parents and staff about ability awareness. I also was not as knowledgeable about using assistive technology to meet the needs of my students.
During this class, I was made aware of ability awareness days in which students have the opportunity to experience trying to complete a task in a subject with a disability. I shared the information with our counselor. We hope we can include this event at our school in the near future. The various videos provided an opportunity to visualize what students with difficulties are dealing with daily. This helped me to feel more empathetic toward students with disabilities and strive to seek ways to accommodate them at my school.
After this class, I have been able to help students with specific learning disabilities with reading gain access to a federally funded program called Bookshare. It provides students with access to texts with audio and a highlighting feature. A boy who previously told the principal he hates reading, recently announced to me numerous times, he couldn't wait to get home to read the book "Who is George Lucas?" on Bookshare. Students who are struggling with the conventions of writing are being taught to use the dragon dictation app on the ipads in our school. They are excelling in getting their ideas down on paper before they lose them.
STANDARDS:
Standard #3 Teachers understand that children learn differently.
This standard was met in this class through the exposure to ways that will help remove barriers that will impede learning for some students. It introduced ways for teachers to adapt their instruction to support learning of all students including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.
Standard #5 Teachers know how to manage a classroom.
This standard was evident in this course by teaching us to use our understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. There were many examples of creating ability awareness so those without disabilities can understand the challenges and contribute to an environment of acceptance of all.
Standard #7 Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.
This class helped me to understand the needs of all the students including those with disabilities and exceptionalities, through the many videos that were shared. The authentic examples helped us to have a better understanding of different disabilities so lessons can be modified and /or differentiated to meet the needs of all students
IMPACT ON STUDENT LEARNING: This class has had an impact on the students of my school due to the implementation of some components of the inclusion plan. As of today, we have been able to implement actions to achieve the goal of utilizing assistive technology for students identified with specific learning disabilities for reading using the Bookshare program to gain access to books and textbooks being used in class. Students are also being taught how to use dragon dictation to write papers in order to preserve their ideas and then allow time to address conventions at a later time. Another goal was to train teachers in the areas of the disabilities. Our students with reading disabilities are benefiting from training received by the classroom teachers as well as interventionists in an Orton Gilligham approach to reading and spelling. This approach is designed for students with dyslexia. One student showed quite a bit of growth on her standardized test and has achieved grade level on her Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark assessment.