Strategies for Promoting Inclusive Practices (EDU-6465)

          I recently completed the graduate class Strategies for Promoting Inclusive Practices.  The guiding question for this class was: How does inclusion happen?  As part of this class, I participated in class discussions and applied my learning to many projects.  These projects included creating and co-teaching a lesson, creating an FBA, designing and delivering a presentation, writing a paper, and conducting two interviews.  I also continued to spend time working within special education in my school.

            One of the requirements of the graduate students within the class was writing a paper on a specific behavioral disorder.  I liked that we were given the freedom to choose our own behavior disorder to focus on.  I chose Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because I did not know that much about it.  I really enjoyed researching the disorder and finding different ways that other people had accommodated students with OCD.  If I ever have a student with OCD within my classroom, I believe that I am more now knowledgeable about how to make my classroom a more successful place for someone with OCD.

            The FBA was helpful because I was able to perform the FBA on a student within my first grade classroom.  When you are in the process of teaching it can be hard to see everything that is happening with every student.  It helped me to take a step back from teaching and observe a student who was struggling with some behaviors.   I was able to use the information to better help the student and meet his needs within my classroom.

            Co-teaching is something that I do frequently within my school.  I spend time co-teaching with our math and reading specialists.  It is a great model because you are able to see other teacher’s techniques and ideas, and apply them to your own teaching.  I fully believe that too often classroom doors are closed and that there is not enough collaboration happening. Co-teaching allows teachers to grow and to also have more fun when teaching.  The more fun teachers are having in their jobs than the more enjoyable it is for students to learn.

            I enjoyed reading the book Lost at School by Dr. Ross Greene.  The book outlines Dr. Greene’s approach to dealing with behaviors.  He believes in making it collaboration between the student and all of the adults in the student’s life.  The book uses detailed examples of students, and how they’re lives were changed by using this technique.  I have started to use pieces of his technique within my classroom, and I hope to use more of it with my class next year.  I really like that the program looks at each student as a whole person, and forces adults to really listen to what their students have to say.  The program helps to look at what is really best for each student.

            I did enjoy many aspects of this class, and feel that the assignments have made me a better first grade teacher and future special educator.  I did at times find it challenging because it was primarily an undergraduate class, and I do wonder how my experiences would have been changed if it had been a classroom of graduate students.

Special Education Practices and Procedures (EDU-6730)

            I recently completed the graduate class Special Education Practices and Procedures.  The guiding question for this class was: How can special education support the inclusion of students with disabilities?  I did not actually attend this class because it was held during school hours and this did make the class a little more challenging. 

However, for this class I spent time working within my own school as a special education graduate student.  I spent time working with students within first grade and students outside of my grade level.  I performed assessments, one on one instruction, small group instruction, and supported students within the general classroom setting.  I also helped teachers with accommodations and modifications for their classrooms.  I worked with a special educator in my school, and she helped to guide me and answer any questions that came up.  In addition to these tasks, I participated in my school’s PBIS team and worked with different behavior management tools.

A lot of the tasks I performed were already things I had completed within my job as a first grade teacher.  However, I did enjoy working with students outside of my grade level and seeing what other accommodations and modifications were being used in other classrooms.

Another aspect of this class was learning about Individualized Education Plans.  I have read many IEPs as a teacher, but this was the first time I had created my own.  None of the students on my supervising teacher’s caseload were up for re-evaluation, so I got to choose which student I wanted to write an IEP for.  I chose a student I had in my first grade class, but now she is currently in third grade.  Through this class, I had the opportunity to work with her again.  I used her previous IEP, the observations I completed, and evaluations I had done with her.  Using all of this information, I created my own IEP.  My special educator offered guidance, and I found it to be a very beneficial learning experience.

As a graduate student in this class, I was required to complete a literature review each week.  The professor assigned the topic of the literature review, but we were able to choose the articles we wanted to use.  This allowed me to look at the area of special education from different viewpoints.  It also gave me ideas to use with my own students, and got me thinking about obstacles I might face as a special educator.

Overall, I enjoyed the time I spent working within special education at my own school.  I do feel like I missed out because I was not able to attend the actual classes.  These would have been helpful when designing my own IEP and for learning other important details about being a special educator. 

Language, Culture, and Education (EDU-5039)

           This semester I have been participating in the graduate class Language, Culture, and Education at Johnson State College.  The guiding question for this class was: how does language make us who we are?
         This class has showed me that our language does affect who we are.  Children who struggle with communication disorders have different life experiences than they would if they did not have those struggles.  These struggles and experiences help to mold who they are.  This is also true for children who are raised speaking more than language.  Their lives are enriched by this experience.  They may have access to different experiences because of their language abilities.  Your language is a part of your culture, so it has an impact on the person that you are.
         A requirement for this class was to research a specific language difficulty and apply this knowledge in three different ways.  I chose to research stuttering.  It was a topic I had not had a lot of exposure to.  The first way we applied our new knowledge was by writing a literature review.  This was a great way for me to really dive into the topic, and learn about the topic from different viewpoints.  We then took our literature review and molded it into a topic study.  This gave me the opportunity to research different ways to help students who may stutter within my classroom.  Lastly, we took all the information we had learned and created a resource guide using technology.  I chose to use Google Slides to present my information.  I enjoyed this project the most out of all the tasks we were assigned this semester.  I enjoyed using technology to create a resource that could be used by my own colleagues.  It also helped to solidify the information I had been learning about all semester.
         Another requirement of this class was to spend time observing language within a certain setting.  I chose to observe the language within my own school.  As teachers we spend so much time talking, but we don’t always stop and really think about the language that is being used in our classroom.  Through completing this project, I was able to see ways communication was being created and blocked throughout my whole school.  I learned this by writing down the conversations I heard, and then sorting and coding all of the conversations I had recorded. I learned that ability, topic fixations, and adult interference could block student communication.  I also learned that peer support and adult scaffolding are the most common way that communication is created.  Overall, I enjoyed finding the time to really listen to my students communicate. 
         This class really pushed me to think about how difficult it is for some students to communicate their thoughts and feelings and how frustrating this can be.  School is a place where communication is constantly requested of you.  Students are asked to communicate through listening, speaking, and writing.  It is an exhausting world for some children to exist in. 
         Language, Culture, and Education was a beneficial learning experience for me.   I was able to learn about ELL students, language development, and language difficulties.  It gave me an opportunity to think about speech and language, and what a complicated process it can be. 

Evaluating Characteristics of Diverse Learners (EDU-6330)

I recently completed the graduate class Evaluating Characteristics of Diverse Learners.  The guiding question for this class is: how can evaluating academic characteristics promote success in school?

As an educator, assessments are a huge piece of my teaching process.  I am constantly assessing students both formally and informally.  They inform my teaching by helping me get to know my students better.  I am able to see what my students understand and what we need to spend more time studying.  Assessments also give me information to share with my coworkers and with parents.  It is critical to have proof when speaking to parents about their child’s strengths and weaknesses.

A requirement of this class was to acquire strategies for developing individualized and measurable goals and objectives.  I found this activity to be beneficial as a future special educator and as a current first grade teacher.  I read many IEPs every year, and it gave me insight into the IEP process by having to create my own SMART goals and objectives.  As a future special educator, paperwork is a huge part of the job description.  It was helpful to start learning about writing IEPs in a small and manageable manner.

We were also required to learn the practices and procedures associated with the WJ-IV.  We were able to administer the WJ-IV to a peer within the class and actually take the test ourselves.  I found it valuable to experience both sides of the testing experience.  It helped me to become more familiar with the assessment and the experience helped me to identify with what my students might feel when they are asked to take the WJ-IV.  As an educator, it helped me to better understand the results of the WJ-IV when the students from my classroom are being evaluated.

It is clear the there is a symbiotic relationship between evaluation and teaching strategies.  Evaluations and assessments help educators to choose strategies that will best help specific students.  Also, knowing specific strategies that help certain students can give educators information that will be helpful when choosing the appropriate assessments for a student.  For example, if a student has high oral comprehension and high verbal skills but lower reading skills, a teacher may want to assess this student using an interview process.

Evaluating Characteristics of Diverse Learners was a great learning experience for me.  The class reaffirmed my belief in the importance of assessments in the classroom.  I also received new learning about how to write IEP goals and objectives and how to administer the WJ-IV.

Critical and Cultural Perspectives of Education (EDU-6555)

      Since January I have been a student in the class Critical and Cultural Perspectives in Education.  As a student in this class, I have participated in discussions, read many articles, written papers, completed observations and interviews, and created a tutorial for my peers.  All of these activities have forced me to look closely at education, government, and our society.  The course focused on the question: what is the role of education in a democratic society?
         Within this class, I participated in a class book discussion.  The book I was assigned to read was titled Ability Profiling and School Failure: One Child’s Struggle to Be Seen as Competent written by Kathleen M. Collins.  This book follows the life of one boy as he struggles to fit in and make progress within public education.  This book really highlighted for me how we are failing many of our students.  Our current education system is just not set up to meet everyone’s needs.  We as educators need to examine the current education system and work together to make a truly inclusive learning environment. Collins (2013) writes, “A disability may be a better display board for the weakness of a culture than it is an account of a real person”(p. 2).  We are so quick to label our students, but we are not working hard enough to meet their many needs.  We are not taking the times as a culture to get to know our students, so that we can really help them succeed.
Through this class I was able to spend time observing and interviewing a social service employee.  She works for the Howard Center in their Autism Spectrum Program.  While spending time on my inquiry project, I focused on this question: How does the work of the human service professional serve the aims of democracy?  From my research, I came to the conclusion that social service agencies help to keep democracy running in a number of ways.  They help individuals build skills, so that they may be independent and participate within a democratic society.  They also advocates, helping to protect the rights of the individuals they support.  They teach their clients how to advocate for themselves and they also advocate for those who are not able.
         While researching the Howard Center, I saw how many individuals and families their many programs help.  I also know that even with all the Howard Center and other agencies are doing, it is still not enough to conquer the poverty and needs within Vermont and within our country as a whole.  How are children supposed to come to school and learn when they are more concerned about their basic needs being met?  Without a good education and a positive set of skills, people will continue to struggle to live and the circle of poverty will continue.
          This class has made me reflect on the many things that can affect a child’s development and overall life.  The one factor that has the biggest influence is poverty.  Everything seems to come back to poverty.  If parents do not have good jobs then they do not earn enough money.  If a family doesn’t have enough money then children can lack food, positive attention, safety, housing, healthcare, and a good education.  Poverty has a negative impact on a child’s life, and it is a never-ending circle for many families.  However, as country we don’t seem to be doing enough to solve this problem.  Many people in our country spend too much time blaming each other and not enough time looking at themselves and really thinking about what they could do to help our country be more successful.
          As an educator, I think the most important thing I will take away from this class is that there are so many factors and influences in a child’s life.  As a teacher, you can’t be aware of all of them.  However, as educators we must really work to get to know our students are learners and as people.  We should talk to them about their home lives, their dreams, and their worries.  If a child in my class is worried about food or safety, I can’t expect them to be fully available for learning.  I must give them extra support to try and help balance out the insecurities they are feeling in their lives outside of school.

Educational Studies (EDU-5011)

        I have spent the last four months being a student in Educational Studies.  This is my first class as a graduate student at Johnson State College.  While attending this class, I have read different educational texts, had many discussions, participated in a group presentation, and written two papers.  Through all of these activities I have learned many things about education and about myself.
         This class has opened my eyes to the diverse beliefs and theories in education.  This semester we read and discussed many past and present learning theories.  It helped me to see that there are so many ways that education can be approached.  I believe that the best educators do not rely on just one theory but immerse themselves in all of the possibilities.  The most important thing for an educator to understand is his or her students.  Once you truly know your student as learners and people, it is much easier to choose the best path for their education.  It is about constantly adjusting and improving your teaching, so that your students may have the most success.

         One way to best meet all students needs is through creating an inclusive learning environment.  I had the privilege of participating in a whole class discussion about inclusiveness in education and within our society.  An inclusive educational system is not something that can happen for overnight, but it has already started to begin within our state of Vermont.  Mara Shapon-Sevin (2007) states, “This is my hope for all of us- that we are able to turn our loving attention to the task of creating a just society.  And that we begin that task by living inclusively from the beginning” (p. 238).  Students will benefit from being surrounded by all different types of learners.  They will learn to be part of a diverse community and care about those who are both similar and different from them.  If students grow up in an inclusive learning environment, hopefully that will inspire them to create a more inclusive world. 

        I grew up within a school district that believed and still believes in inclusive learning.  I did not realize that other people my age did not have the same learning experience as I did.  Reflecting back on it now, I know that growing up in an inclusive learning environment made me a better student, teacher, and human being.  I fully agree with Mara Sapon-Shevin (2007) in her belief that, “Inclusion allows us to acknowledge that the traditional categories of “able bodied” and “disabled” don’t make much sense because we are all complex humans” (p. 22).  I learned how to be apart of an educationally diverse learning environment.  I learned that everyone has something to give, and I learned how to learn from my peers.  It showed me how to work with people who were very different from me.  I think the skills I learned from being a student in an inclusive school have helped me to work more cohesively with my fellow teachers and better help my students find success.
        While working on my Educational Life Story Interview, I was able to reflect upon myself as an educator along with my strengths and weaknesses as a person.  I first read the book The Stories We Live By: Personal Myths and the Making of the Self  by Dan McAdams. McAdams (1993) writes, “Through knowledge come power and mastery, and knowing the world (or self) can be likened to conquering one’s own external (or internal) environment” (p. 141).   This personal interview process helped me to learn more about myself.  I reflected upon my past experiences and how they have molded me into the person that I am today.  It gave me more knowledge about myself, which gave me the power to be a better educator.
         While working on my Learning Environment Project, I was able to observe and reflect upon the environment in which I teach.  I observed my own classroom along with the other first grade classes at my school.  I observed these learning environments with these four questions in mind: How well does the learning environment support learning and growth?  How well does the learning environment demonstrate support for difference?  How well does the learning environment create a safe and secure atmosphere?  How well does the learning environment address the conditions and actions that lend to discrimination?  I was able to recognize that there were a lot of positive things happening within my school.  Teachers were working hard to meet the needs of all their students and create Universally Designed lesson plans.  They were also working to create safe and secure learning environments through the use of PBIS and Responsive Classroom practices.
        I was able to observe that there were some improvements that could be made.  Within some of my observations, I noticed that male students were receiving more attention than female students, and I now want to work to fix this at my school.  These young girls must be shown that their ideas and education are just as important as their male counterparts.  I believe that the boys were being called on more often to keep them engaged and focused but there must be a better way to attain this without taking away from other’s learning.  I think that as educators we are so stressed by the many demands that are placed upon us but we must think creatively on how to engage all students.  We must also work to include everyone in classroom discussions, so that every voice is heard.
         I think the most important thing I will take away from this class is that every educator must be purposeful.  As an educator, my words must be chosen carefully.  I must create learning activities that are thoughtful and well planned out.  Students should be engaged and they should be given different ways to successfully access the information being shared.  I should consider everyone’s needs when creating my class environment, so that every student may feel safe and secure.  Every action and decision I make as an educator should be done with the focus of creating the best learning opportunities for all my students.
         This class has made me want to create an inclusive classroom that best meets the needs of all my students.  It has helped me to reflect upon myself as a person, my qualities as a teacher, and the environment in which I teach.  Participating in Educational Studies has inspired me to be constantly trying to create the ideal learning environment.

References

McAdams, D. P. (1993). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the

         self. NY: Guildford Press.

Sapon-Shevin, M. (2007). Widening the circle. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Characteristics and Development of Diverse Learners (EDU-6235)

           I have been attending the course Characteristics and Development of Diverse Learners for the last four months.  This is my first semester as a graduate student at Johnson State College.  I have participated in discussions, written papers, created lesson plans, and read many educational texts.  These experiences have taught me about graduate school, myself as an educator, and education in general. 

            This course has shown me what to expect from graduate school.  I have learned that the relationships you create with your peers are vital for success.  Your peers are there to edit your writing, grow your thinking, and engage in class discussions.  This course had a relaxed feeling that allowed for whole class discussions where everyone felt comfortable to participate.  I learned from my peers’ thoughts and that information they shared in discussions and presentations.

            I was able to learn about myself when completing my Developmental Self-Study.  We read and discussed many different learning theories.  We were then required to apply some of these learning theories to ourselves.  I was able to reflect upon my own development and how I was affected by the different events in my life.  These events molded me into the teacher I am today.
       Through applying these learning theories to myself, I was able to think more deeply about them.  For example, from this experience I decided that I do not agree with John Bowlby’s theory of attachment.  I do agree that children need to develop an attachment with an adult but I do not agree that it has to be primarily with a mother.  I came to this conclusion because of my own experience of growing up with both a mother and father that cared equally for my needs.

            I have learned a lot of information about specific learning disabilities and accommodations that can be useful.  While this information was helpful to learn, this class has reaffirmed my belief that the most important thing an educator can do is get to know his or her students.  Forming a connection with your students and understanding them as learners will help you to become skilled at accommodating their weaknesses and highlighting their strengths. 

            As a first grade teacher, this course has made me more aware of creating Universally Designed lessons.  I believe that my lessons already incorporated some Universal Design but this course has made me want to create lessons that inspire even more student independence and success.  I want every lesson I teach to meet all of my students needs and for my students to have many different ways to access the information.

            Universal Design allows for the concept of inclusion to run more smoothly.  This course has also confirmed my belief in the importance of an inclusive classroom.  I think that students can learn so much from participating in a classroom that is diverse.  They can learn to be a part of a learning community and work together.  These are skills that will serve them well in a workplace.  I believe every child has the ability to learn and that every child has something important to share with his or her peers.   

            Characteristics and Development of Diverse Learners was helpful and a great introduction to graduate school at Johnson State College.  The activities were interesting and well designed and the peers within the class enhanced my learning.  I was able to learn more about my beliefs and myself as an educator.