ED 561Educating Exceptional Learners

Workshop #1http://xlearners.wordpress.com

Rachel Karlsen

Approximate Schedule

6:00-7:00 Bible verse, meet n greet, overview of evening, overview of class, syllabus, website.

7:00-8:00 discussion/reading reactions, quickwrite, Freaks, Music Within, notes, classroom website

8:00-8:20 break

8:20-9:00 Inclusion Video, Jigsaw Activity

9:00-9:30 Learning Disabilities video

9:30-10:00 Share “take aways,” exit papers,

Group work

Focus Questions for Chapter 1

• What basic laws and procedures govern special education and inclusion?

• What are the key provisions and guidelines of IDEA?

• As a classroom teacher, what are your responsibilities for your students with special needs? What systems and resources are in place?

• What concerns do teachers, parents, and schools have about inclusion? What are some opportunities and challenges in your inclusive classroom?

Focus Questions for Chapter 2

• What important issues in special education are addressed by RTI?

• Describe an RTI model including the components and implementation practices.

• How do screening and progress monitoring of students facilitate RTI?

• What is the role of the teacher in an RTI model?

(Can use next slide)Leviticus 19:9-11

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”

– God’s perspective is that we are sharecroppers in his divine fields. Our personal property is not only “ours.” In Hebrew law, some of the crop was offered back to law. Some of the crop was left in the field to be gleaned by the needy. Every seven days, workers got a day off. Every seven years, the land was given a year off. Every fifty years, approximately, land was returned to original owners.

When God set up his society, he set it up to reflect his heart. He set it up so that none of his people would have to experience poverty without limits. He set it up so that those traveling through would not be hungry as a guest in YHWH’s nation.

– Point for prayer: How can your life and character reflect the hospitality of God?

James 3 (NIV)Taming the Tongue

•  1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

• 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Overview of First Workshop• Introductions• Syllabus and Expectations• Assignments due tonight • Assignments due next week• Instruction adaptations: getting organized (expanding file, journal, common

vocabulary, quickwrite)• Foundation and history of special education• IDEA 2004 and Vocational Rehab Act• Referral Process and the IEP• Inclusion• Transition programs• Consultation, Collaboration and Co-teaching Models• Working with parents of children with special needs• Cost of Special Education vs General education• Wrap Up/meet with group

Introductions

• Rachel Karlsen– rakarlsen@warnerpacific.edu– 360-901-5297– Mentor teacher– Middle School teacher– Special Education K-12– SALT (state committee for testing, data

review, standards and curriculum advice)– Technology Assessment Group

It’s all about you

Please tell us:

Your name………

Your experience with students with special needs….

About your interview……

Stand up if you….

• currently work in a classroom• know someone with a physical or learning

disability• plan to teach in grades K-4• plan to teach in grades 5-8• plan to teach in grades 9-12• plan to get an endorsement in special

education

Stand up if you…

• have been on a motorcycle• raced motorcycles• own a hybrid car• have been out of the US• bicycled across a bridge to another state• have went on a hot air balloon• know how many faces, edges and vertices

a cone has

Thumbs up, thumbs sideways, thumbs down

• Comfort level of working with students with learning disabilities

• Comfort level of working with students with physical disabilities

• Comfort level of working with students with behavioral disabilities

• Feelings or expectations toward this class (learning, activities, work load)

• Anyone want to share specific concerns?

Syllabus and Expectations

• Response to email

• Attendance (one absence, be prompt)

• Checklist for presentations, time limit (15-20ish minutes) see syllabus/website

• Checklist for papers, see syllabus/website

• Due dates/see syllabus – 20% grade deduction if paper is turned in more than

24 hours after class night– No late papers/projects accepted past Friday night

(4 days late)

• Questions/comments?

Scoring….

• Presentation: Checklist/rubric– Time limit must be adhered to– In file folder, on website

• Reflections/Papers (can reflect all of the reading or only parts)

• Pumpkin yellow participation “exit” sheet: fill out…score yourself each night

• Purple “important moments” sheet: for you…sometimes I will ask you to leave them in the folder

• Grades: online, posted by Saturday night, almost always

http://xlearners.wordpress.com

Assignment due dates/Grading criteria

• Assignment due dates, p. 10• Grading criteria:

– Participation – Reflection journal (p. 5) – Interview/research person with phys. disabilities (p 6)– Freaks movie/Music Within/your experiences (p. 6)– Mid-term exam (p. 6)– Final paper (p. 6/7)– Final Case Study presentation (p. 6/7)– Debate (p. 10)– Learning team presentations (see checklist online)

Assignments due tonight (place in file)

• Read chapters 1 and 2 from textbook• Read Balch, B.V., Memory, D.M.

Hofmeister, D.R. (2008) Teachers and the law: Application essentials, general considerations, and specific examples.

• Write a three-page reflection/reaction to readings.

• Interview a person with physical disabilities/research a person who dealt with physical disabilities (5 page paper)

Assignments due WorkshopTwo

• “Freaks” paper or a four to six page paper detailing your personal experiences with students/others with special needs. You will also include how people with disabilities were treated before ADA/IDEA and compare employment opportunities of the 1930s with the treatment and employment opportunities for disabled people today.

• Learning team presentation– Topics (see next screen)

• IDEA and the Law• Learning Disabilities• Communication Disorders• IEPs (physical, learning and behavioral disabilities)

• Include annotated references for each student, discussion• Follow guidelines of a lesson plan (goals, info, activities, closure)

Sign up for presentation(p. 7 and 8)

• IDEA and the Law• Learning Disabilities• Communication Disorders• IEPs and RTIs

• Questions? Ideas for shortened lesson plans? (See scoring guide, intro with learning goals, info/activity, a wrap up assessment, annotated bibliography..useful or not?)

Reading Reactions?

• Choose one quote you agree with and one quote you don’t agree with.

• Share your quote and give reasons.• Others’ opinions?

• Get ready for a seminar….(website/wall posters/clipboards/pencils)

SeminarInstruction Adaptations

getting organized (expanding file, journal, common vocabulary, quickwrite)

• Seminar (Show website http://xlearners.wordpress.com• Expanding file• Journal (Entry number, date, topic, page)• See posters on wall• Common vocabulary, definitions:

– Sympathy: a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings (wikipedia)

– Empathy: the capability to share and understand another’s emotions and feelings; having an emotional response that corresponds with another person

– Students “at risk” are also students “at promise”– People first speech/thought (student with autism rather than autistic

student)– It’s what the teacher does that makes the difference in the classroom

(End seminar with next slide)

Successes/Challenges

• On yellow sticky note: write about a success you had with a student with a disability

• On a green or blue sticky note: write about something that challenges you about working with students with disabilities

• Add notes to other wall posters

Quickwrite quotes

• Journal entry “Quickwrite”• (Read Sparky p. 192-193, Chicken Soup..)

Context: in the classroom

A. Definition of fair:

Everyone gets what they need to be successful (rather than everyone gets the same thing)

– Do you agree? How would this policy impact your teaching?

“The best place in the world to succeed is where you are with what you’ve got.” Charles M. Schultz

– Do you agree? How would this idea affect the way you interact with students with special needs?

Higher-Order Thinking and Hands-On Learning

In a broad-based study (Wenglinsky, 2000) of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, researchers found that, while teacher inputs, professional development, and classroom practices all influence student achievement, the greatest role is played by classroom practices.

For example…(continued from NAEP study)

• Math students whose teachers conduct hands-on learning activities outperform their peers by more than 70% of a grade level.

• Math students whose teachers emphasize higher-order thinking skills outperformed their peers by about 40% of a grade level (as compared to lower-order thinking skills-..such as memorization…drill and practice…)

Freaks and Music Within video

• Treatment of people with disabilities• CAUTION: Not for Kids or date night!• Freaks: controversial movie. The title is

upsetting. Uses real people with disabilities. Uses violence to show that the people without disabilities are the real freaks.

• Music Within: a more modern movie. R rated for language including some sexual

references and some drug content

Cast of “Freaks”

• Controversial movie because the actors/actresses were real people with real disabilities

Then: “Freaks” (1932) directed by Tod Browning

• The cast of “Freaks”

Freaks

• gooble gobble1 min 29 secwww.youtube.com

Then and Now: Little People, Big WorldReality Show Oregonian, downloaded 3/30/10

Music Within

• http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2598437145/

“Boy, dog may open doors…”Oregonian, March 12, 2011

• Educators can’t ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Boy with autism, meeting education goals, wanted to bring his trained service dog to his classes.

• Decision: this case was not under IDEA, but rather ADA, which states that schools must provide access to students with disabilities who use service dogs

DroodlesPurpose: teach flexibility and

originality

• http://www.droodles.com/

Droodles….

“Teachers and the law: Application essentials, general considerations and specific examples.” Balch, Memory, Hofmeister.

Jigsaw ActivityCan be used with any grade level; mix ability levels.

• Sort by A, B, C, D Repeat.• All As combine; all Bs combine; all Cs combine;

all Ds combine (3 to 4 per group). • Groups will read/discuss as marked on handout.• Re-group. One A, B, C, D in each group (there

may be more than one, if count is uneven).• You are the expert……report what you read.

Early Foundations of Special Education

• Before 1950s, students with disabilities excluded from attending public school

• Brown v Board of education, 1954: school segregation by race is not constitutional

• Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA), 1965: federal government should protect and provide for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (school lunch program)

• PL 94-142 (1975)-Education of All Handicapped Children Act (EHA): free and appropriate education for all

What did the Vocational and Rehabilitation Act of 1973 do?

• It banned the discrimination against individuals with disabilities by any federally funded program or activity. It required accommodations, such as access to buildings, and improved integration into society

What did PL 94-142 (the original special education law) call for?

• Free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities in this country, in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This ruling is also called the EHA (Education for all Handicapped Children Act)

What is the main principle of IDEA 1997?• Students with disabilities should be educated

within the general education classroom with appropriate aids and services, if necessary.

Recent Influences: No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 2001)

• Enacted a framework on improving the performance of elementary and secondary schools while ensuring that no child is trapped in a failing school

• Main idea: Requires accountability for the academic performance of all students, including those with disabilities.

• President Obama stated that there will be a change in the name and guidelines for NCLB

IDEIA 2004 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act)

• IDEA was aligned to match the incentives in the No Child Left Behind act. This act allows financial incentives to states who improve their special education services for all students. States who do not improve must refund money to the government and allow parents choice in schools for their children. Some states are reluctant to fully educate children with special needs, due to cost and other considerations, and are seeking remedies through the courts.

• Requires high qualification standards for special education teachers

• All students with disabilities must participate in annual state or district testing or documented alternate assessments

Critical Guidelines for Teachers for All Educational Settings

• Use of person-first language

• Transition services included in IEP

• Provide for states or school districts to be sued if in violation of IDEIA

• Inclusion of autism and traumatic brain injury

• Assistive technology used as a support service

• Promote involvement of students with disabilities in the general education curriculum

• Require greater accountability for results so students with disabilities are part of accountability system.

Critical Guidelines for Teachers for All Educational Settings

• Require IEP to describe extent to which students with disabilities will be integrated and detail the aids and accommodations

• Provide flexibility by allowing IDEIA-funded staff to work with others who need their help that are not disabled

• Require states to include students with disabilities in assessments with appropriate modifications and develop alternative assessments.

What is included in the IEP?

Student’s present level of performance

Measurable annual goals and short-term objectives; how these will be measured

Special education and related services

Explanation of the extend child will not participate with non-disabled peers

Individual modifications to statewide and district wide

Beginning date of services and modifications

Transition services-must be present at age 16

Classification Categories for special education or related services

• Intellectually handicapped• Learning disabled• Emotional disturbances• Communication disorders• Other health impaired (ADHD)• Hearing impaired• Developmentally delayed• Visually impaired• Traumatic brain injury• Autism

Now: Oregonian, April 1, 2009

Discovering your Purpose Activity

Also called Swinging a Pick AxIntended audience: 5th-12th grade

• Move into two groups• Read scenario alone or with group

• Discuss questions• Back into whole group

• Discuss questions together• What’s the point of this activity?

Inclusion, Mainstreaming, REI

• Inclusion: the placement of students with disabilities in the gen ed classroom (shared responsibility by all educators)

• Mainstreaming: participation of students with disabilities in gen ed classrooms to the extent that is necessary to meet their needs.

• Regular Education Initiative (REI): Promotes the placement of students with disabilities in the general education classroom for all or most of the school day.

Consultation, Collaboration, Coteaching

• Consultation: A voluntary process in which one professional assists another in addressing a problem concerning a third party

• Collaboration : Direct interaction between at least two equal parties engaged in decision making, working toward a common goal

• Co-teaching: Two or more professionals delivering substantive instruction to a diverse or blended group of students in a single space

Response to Intervention(RTI)

• Current model for screening students and using data to facilitate identifying students for special education services

• Gives necessary support to students early instead of waiting for them to fail

• Ongoing systematic progress monitoring of students

4 key components of RTI models

• They implement high-quality, research-based instruction to match needs of students

• They monitor students’ learning over time to determine level and rate of performance

• They provide interventions of increasing intensity when students continue to struggle

• They make important educational decisions based on data

Three tiers

• Implementation of effective classroom instructional practices (Tier 1)

• Provision of secondary intervention(Tier 2)

• Provision of more intensive individualized intervention (Tier 3)

Primary Instruction-Tier 1

• Instruction provided by general education teacher

• Instruction is evidence-based• Students are screened using easy-to-

administer measures• Students with math and reading difficulties

are administered progress monitoring measures

• Teachers differentiate instruction as needed

Secondary Intervention-Tier 2

• Provided for students not making adequate progress in Tier 1

• Typically provided in small groups• Tier 2 supplements core instruction taught

in Tier 1• Under domain of general education• Teacher continues to monitor student

progress

Tertiary Intervention-Tier 3

• Provided to students who continue to experience difficulty and show minimal progress during Tier 2

• Tier 3 intervention is provided for longer periods of time more frequently

• Tier 3 may or may not be special education depending on the number of tiers used in RTI

• Tier 3 students receive explicit instruction individually or in small groups

Reference

Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse and At Risk in the General Education Classroom, 5e

Vaugn, Bos, & Schumm-ISBN 01371519829 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Working with Parents

Good communication: A website (http://jrcam.wordpress.com)

Ideas?

Four Critical Questions

• What do we want students to learn?• How will we know that they have learned it?• What will we do if they don’t?• What will we do if they do?

– Select appropriate strategies– Reflect on and share best practices– Collaboratively design varied approaches to address

a variety of learning styles (differentiate instruction)

“Random” vs Effective teaching

What is your attitude toward teaching? hmmm

Raise your hands and say “That’s Me!”1. Learning is based on student’s ability.2. Learning takes place if the student takes

advantage of the opportunities to learn within the school.

3. All students can learn something and I will create a warm, pleasant environment for them to learn.

4. All students can learn and I will do whatever it takes to help students learn and achieve the agreed upon curriculum/standards.

Focus on Learning Instruction-Assessment Model

Pretest~~~Analyze results~~~Plan for differentiated instruction~~ ~Teach~ ~~Assess, Modify, Reflect, Adjust ~~Teach~~Posttest~~~Re-engage

Compare to older model:Teach

TestMove on….

In students, success yields:

• Confidence• Optimism• Desire to succeed• High level of effort• Risk taking

Continuous failure yields:

• Ideas?

Cost?http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/schoolanddistrict/

funding/sped/airorsefinance.pdf#6• One source for comparing what is spent on special

education in Oregon in relation to what is spent on the average special education student across the nation comes from a national special education expenditure study (Chambers et al., 2002). For 1999-2000, this study estimated a special education spending per student of $8,080. This can be compared to the average special education expenditure estimated by ODE for Oregon of $7,814 for 2003-04.

• From 1992 to 2000, spending per student on regular instruction grew at an annual average rate of 3 percent while spending per student on special education programs grew at an average annual rate of 14.3 percent. http://www.osba.org/Resources/Article/Budget_and_Finance/Fact_sheet-analysis_of_K-12_funding.aspx

Break….

Teaching Students p. 61

• Discuss questions #1-4

Inclusion Video

• Arguments for• Arguments against

Understanding Learning Disabilities

• Learning differences….

Some days are like that….

Take aways…Exit papers

Share something you will take away from our time together tonight

Exit/participation papers: Fill out and turn in….

Important Moments reminder…

9:40-10:00Group work….

Thank you for coming to class tonight!