Differentiating Instruction Week 10

I loved learning about differentiating instruction this week.  To understand that there are ways to accomodate students by differentiating what is being taught, the process it is taught, and the different ways to evaluate students' learning was helpful in making an inclusive curriculum.  Some examples I really thought were helpful were selecting and sequencing example problems or situations, introducing new skills at different rates depending on past knowledge, providing instructional opportunities to help students practice or review concepts or skills, or organizing the way content is taught to accomodate different learning styles.
I am grateful for the many examples I have seen of teachers making accommodations for students who need extra help.  One teacher allowed a student to type instead of write to find out what he could actually do.  Another example was to have questions on a test read aloud to a student instead of having them read the problem themselves.  One last example was just seating children who might need extra help near the teacher during a test. 
This chapter was full of useful and insightful information.  There were many examples and illustrations of how to make accommodations and differentiate instruction to meet the educational needs of everyone.

Curriculum compounding and Gifted and Talented

There were two things I really liked about this unit.  I liked the idea of curriculum compacting and the programs for gifted and talented. 

When students become bored and things are repeated that they already know, they become “turned off” about school.  I would like to share an example of this.  We moved when my twins were going   1^st grade.  They had had a wonderful experience in kindergarten and felt challenged.  After a few months in their new school, I asked them what they liked most about school.  They paused for a moment and then said, “recess!!”  almost in unison.  I was shocked because of how much they loved school before.  I asked they why, and one of them had so much frustration that he became teary-eyed and said, “Everything my teacher tells me, MRS. GREEN ALREADY TOLD ME!”  He was so anxious to learn and became so frustrated that he began to give up because he wasn’t learning anything new but was required to sit quietly while the teacher repeated things he had already learned.  He did not qualify for the gifted and talented, but he could have used the curriculum compacting.  In the school they were in for kindergarten had a philosophy of pushing the students as far as they could go, understanding that not all of the students will be able to do everything, but offering the growth for them.  The new school focused on meeting minimum standards. 

I think students who are gifted and talented suffer much the same way.  I remember a “class clown” in junior high who ended up going to Purdue right out of high school.  I wonder why he was misbehaving.  I am grateful for these concepts and programs that allow for learning for students who would otherwise shut down in much the same way as a student who is not understanding anything.

Learning how to accomodate

I am feeling like there is so much for me to learn as a future teacher as it pertains to creating accommodations and a plan for students with special needs.  It seems like so much of what we are doing is guess work.  Many of the learning disabilities are similar and students respond differently to the help that they are given.
When I was a permanent sub for third grade, there were several students I felt needed additional help.  I knew they were falling behind each day, but I didn't know exactly what I could do other than personally trying to tutor them.  They didn't respond to an extent that I felt was acceptable.  I knew I needed to alert others as to their needs. Wen I did alert others of the needs I discovered, they did not feel it was as serious a situation I felt it was.
I feel I still have lots to learn when it comes to accommodating children with social or learning disabilities, but the INCLUDE outline is a huge step in helping me to understand how to begin.  It is a great way to make sure all aspects of a students needs are being taken into consideration when creating the best learning environment possible.

We must be careful

We did a case study about a girl who had a very tough background who was being considered for an IEP.  She came from Mexico, had no formal schooling, and barely spoke Spanish but didn't know English at all when she came to the United States. 
When the group met to discuss her IEP, it seemed they weren't really measuring her cognitive ability, it seemed they were more focused on her mastery of the English language.  It seemed that if they were really interested in measuring her cognitive ability, they would test her in her native language. 
It was really hard to understand the case and to know the details of what was discussed since we didn't have a copy of the discussions, but it made me more aware of how careful we must be when making judgements on the cognitive abilities of children. 
We want to give them every opportunity to succeed and I hope that when schools follow the guidelines for setting up an IEP, that they are doing everything they can to ensure a correct diagnosis of problems and a good solution to most help the student succeed.