Project Review

This past week I have been finishing my intervention project with my student. I wasn't sure if we would reach our goal but we did. I wanted to improve my students working memory capacity during math time. The student that I worked with struggled with identifying the sums of ten. This was a skill he had been working on since the beginning of the year and was a goal on his IEP.

One of the discussions on the blog took us back to the topic of working memory. The speaker in the video that was posted touched on strategies that can be used to improve working memory. One of the strategies he talked about was practice along with repetition. My intervention was titled the taped intervention. It involved me making recording of the math facts I wanted him to learn. I would say the math problem, for example 4+6=_____ and pause for about five seconds. The student is suppose to write or say the answer to the problem before the teacher gives the answer after the pause.

When we first started this process there were a few changes we had to make. I had to make a few different recordings of myself saying the math facts because I was saying them to fast. My goal was not for him to decrease response time just to be able to identify the different sums of ten without using a manipulative to count. By the end of the intervention my students was able to say and or write the sums of ten without the assistance of the recording. Even though he has mastered identifying the sums of ten, I am going to keep giving him the fact sheets before the math lesson as maintenance or practice. 

Post Spring Break: Emotional Response

Over the break we discussed how emotion affects our students and learning. It got me thinking about this coming week after a long break. How will emotion effect their learning after a long break? Also, how will the iLEAP test this affect them emotionally?

I wanted to wait until Monday to answer the first question and then I will answer the second question after the iLEAP test is over on Wednesday. So far my students' emotional response to learning has been very positive. I added a writing component into their ELA lesson and it went great. They were able to focus and create sentences on their own or with limited prompting. Usually during these types of writing assignments my students tend to become very anxious. They also seemed very excited to show me their work. We read the book Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats. After we read the story we wrote 8 adjectives that described the main character as a class. The students were instructed to use the adjectives describing the main character in a sentence.

I don't think my students will respond the same way in math today the way they did in reading. Two of the three student I have in the classroom for math respond become very anxious during the math lessons. I am hoping that this afternoon continues the way it started so the students are able to focus. I'm going to do my best to keep the environment as calm and as possible. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes with the start of testing. I'm not really looking forward to that.

Balanced Instruction

After assessing myself this week I don't think I am as balanced in my teaching as I could be. It is hard sometime to go deeper into a lesson such as reading and math that are so scripted. I also have to think about whether what I'm asking my students to do is on their level and that can be complicated because their abilities range from very low to higher. Unfortunately I find myself not allowing students during math and reading to use new strategies and generate Ideas. I think thats because I really want them to grasp the concept of what we are doing before I move on. Some of my students can't do much without prompting.

However in the areas of science and social studies and ELA I would say that my teaching style is very balanced. I guess for these subjects I teach more in the way that Zull speaks of in chapter 3. This past week we were finishing up our discussion of spring an the different changes that occur. We focused on the changes in weather. We discussed it all week reading and watching videos doing different activities. On Friday we did a few experiments related to weather. The students made tornados. They were asked to hypothesize the best way to shake the bottle to generate the funnel in the tornado and explain how a tornado works in real life. This activity asked them to recall what they learned about tornados and use what they learned to make the tornado. 

I think with my the group of students I have now the best way to teach reading and math is to use the multiple pathways approach. Thats not to say that it is the only way those subjects should be taught but I think focusing on the approach that the student understands will provide better results academically. I do agree with Zell that learning alone will not make a well rounded student environment is necessary. The classroom should be a nature plus nurture environment. 

Making Connections in Different Environments

This past week was hard week for getting work done with testing. Because of the schedule change I was only able to teach science to my entire class and I teach ELA and science or social studies. The readings talked about how the body plays a role in learning. The text discussed sex differences, sleep, fuel, exercise and the importance of environment. I tried to incorporate as much exercise into the week as possible because three of my students were testing. During testing I usually get snacks for the class but I was unable to do that because my students were in different rooms. The principal gave the students an extended recess after testing was over for the day. This really helped the students focus better in class afterward. My students seemed very anxious at the beginning of the day because the entire schedule was different. As soon as we were allowed back in the classrooms I went back to the regular schedule to try and refocus them.

At the end of the day during science time I found that my students were tired but still engaged in the lesson. I also shortened the lesson from 45min to 30min to help with their fatigue and provided a mental break of 15min recess at the end of the day. I tried to improve their executive functioning with the breaks and lighter work load. The week before testing I taught the students how to read a table to get information. We did that again this week with a science lesson about animal sounds but the difficulty level was much lower. Even with testing they were very engaged and they also were very confident with their answers. I tapped into their executive functioning abilities by asking them questions that required them to wire what was taught with what they know. At the end of the day as I walked them to the bus we heard some bird chirping outside and they were able to tell me which birds (male or female) were singing and why.

I thought the lesson when very well. My goal was to get them to pick out animal sounds in the environment and understand why we were able to hear those sounds more clearly during spring than winter. During the lesson they were able to see and hear the animals making the sounds though youtube videos. I think they really made a connection with the bird sounds when we walked outside to the bus. They thought it was really cool that they knew the male bird was singing to the female and that was defiantly rewarding to them as well as myself.

Social Interaction: Creating a Positive Social Environment

Last Wednesday when was teaching a DI reading lesson to one of my students I was really tired. I rested my hand on my chin and was guiding my student through the lesson. when out of nowhere he imitated my body language of resting my chin on my hand and look me straight in the eyes. He rarely gives me eye contact and just as I was thinking that he was not paying attention to me, he imitates me.

Sometimes for social studies and science lessons I use a website aimed towards students with autism. Their favorite activity is a section call "Where is Joey?".  The students are provided with information about a topic or person in history or science and incorporates comprehension checks and educational games. Last week during the lesson I instructed three students to work as a team to solve the puzzle. It was very interesting to watch because they would rely on the direction of their peers rather than their own intuition. They were relying on social interaction and positive reinforcement they received from the others when they solved a problem. One of my students with autism what functions at a lover lever was like the group leader. I thought it was pretty cool because he rarely interacts that way with his classmates.

I'm going to incorporate more activities like this because positive social interaction with other people is a life skill my students will need in the future. I will continue to model what positive social interaction looks like everyday. I want these students to be a well rounded as possible.

Executive Function: Reducing Cognitive Load

I do a lot to reduce cognitive load during the day in the classroom. My students struggle with many executive functions do to their disabilities. I try to reduce cognitive load in class in many ways. towards the end of the week I could tell they were really having trouble focusing. If the weather is good I like to take them outside for about fifteen minuets before I start science and social studies at the end of the day. This past week was a difficult week for everyone because it rained everyday and the playground was to wet to got outside for recess.

By Friday everyone was going a little stir-crazy. So I decided to do a craft project with them that didn't was not academically related at all. It was defiantly the mindless activity we needed. The kids decorated their "hard hats" prepare them for PARCC testing next week. The students seemed to really enjoy it and even though it was a change in the schedule it was a calming activity.

After they decorated their hats we were able to start our ELA lesson and their attention and behavior definitely Improved. We usually start ELA with a picture book that I read to the class. While I read I ask simple questions about the story keep them engaged. Sometimes I will ask questions that require  them to use their critical thinking skills. When they are mentally rested they are better at answering the questions then when they aren't. After the arts and crafts brain break they were doing more critical thinking and I could see it in their work.

One thing I want to work on with my students is moving them to become more independent with their work. I'm going to try using more visual aids and simpler instruction to assist them to become more independent with their work.

Making Connections

Durring math time I teach two different lesson to three students. This time of day is very challenging but I enjoy it because I like teaching math. My students are working with the first grade Engaged New York curriculum but one of my student is significantly behind the other two. He has been struggling with adding sums of 10. In addition to his mild intellectual impairment he has some physical and medical impairments as well that make it difficult for him to focus in on what you are showing him or telling him. He is unable to found on his fingers because he lacks complete ring of motions in both hands. So I pulled out the abacus and taught him how to use it. He was able after a while to use it without my assistance. I see that as a step in the right direction but I am going to try an intervention with him so that he can memorize his facts. As we have been moving through the lessons they have been building upon the other and I can really tell he is becoming more and more frustrated than he use to.

I try to eliminate the distractions as much as possible but when I'm teaching him there is a student on the computer doing math activities in front of him. I try to make myself as engaging as possible but I think I might have to add another form of reward besides my positive praise. His attention is becoming more and more focused on what the other students are doing in the classroom. Despite the distractions he has gotten to the point where he can use the abacus without me sitting next to him. This is defiantly a move in the right direction. I can't with to start my intervention with him because I really want to see him reach his goal this year. Next year he will be in middle school and he defiantly needs to master this skill before he leaves.

The intervention I'm thinking of is called the Taped Problems intervention. It's kind of like flash cards that are voice recorded. Because he is so socially motivated by praise I am going to have him self monitor his progress on a chart using stickers. My goal is for him to be able to add to ten without having to count on the abacus or use the recording. Can't wait to try it!

Turning Lessons into Puzzles

There are few times during the day when I have a chance to teach all five students because there is so much pullout. Social Studies and Science are fun subjects to teach because I am able to be a little more creative. For the past week we have been focusing on geography and Louisiana state facts in social studies. I decided to create a word search using the Dolch sight words that came with the unit. I find it really interesting how completely engaged all of the students become when they are asked do a word search. My students with Autism always find the words in the order they appear on the list. Because they are so good at these types of puzzles I decided to try something different. I gave them a chart of information and questions. I wanted to see if they would be as engaged in this as they are with the word searches and big floor puzzles. 

Interestingly I found that my students with autism showed little interest in this type of puzzle or information search. Maybe it was to much for them to handle at once. I think next time I will modify the activity to allow for more opportunities to respond and receive praise, then gradually increase the difficulty. Two of my other students really enjoyed learning how to read the chart. It took a while for them to grasp the concept but once they did they couldn't wait to tell me their answers. I also want to try and use the promethean board that is in the room to make it more interactive. This way I can incorporate movement maybe some team building skills. I also think that this could be another way to engage my other students because they enjoy the computer so much. 

I would really like to try something like this when Im teaching reading. During reading time I am one-on-one with a student teaching the DI reading program. Lately his attention has been everywhere but with me and the material I am trying to teach him. He is a student with autism who is very limited verbally. I want to add some type of picture, word matching game to catch his attention and increase his vocabulary.  But I'm not sure how that will go because he does not like change in his routine. Unfortunately this coming week we are PARCC testing so I won't be able to try it out until next week because reading is in the morning and that is when we are testing. 

Dealing With High Levels of Student Anxiety

I recently started a new job a few weeks ago taking over for a teacher that went on maternity leave for the remainder of the year. The class Im in is an inclusive special education classroom with five students. Some of the students that I work with have very high levels of anxiety associated with their disability. One of my students with Autism gets very anxious about everyday classroom tasks and has a tendency to obsess over things that are stimulating to him, such as the computer. In my class schedule there are multiple opportunities for students take a break from instruction. Sometimes those breaks are not effective enough have I have to do some different soothing techniques that you might use with a younger child.

My experience working with students with Autism was limited until I moved to Baton Rouge. I have been working with this group of students along with their classroom teacher implementing behavioral interventions for about three semesters. So I'm very familiar with their behaviors. I have been using music and movement to help with my student with his anxiety. The calming techniques that I use the most are holding his hand and moving them in a circular motion in the air while speaking or singing softly to him. Another thing I do is stick to the schedule a much as possible because that helps with his anxiety. I would really like to try some of the other strategies that Zadina talks about in her book, but because my students education is so individualized its hard to implement one strategy for everyone.

My view on the research of plasticity and my students.

As I was reading chapter one I was not surprised by the research on plasticity it just reassured what I had previously thought. You know the phrase "we learn something new everyday", well I have always believed this to be true. I see it a lot with the students that I work with. I was doing some research on joint attention in children with Autism and most of the research that I found stated that the best time to teach or improve joint attention in students with Autism was between the ages of around 18 months and 4 years old. However, in reality being able to teach those skills at that age in the school system is very rare mostly because the students are not diagnosed until much later for numerous reasons. The teacher that I was working with (and continue to work with) was teaching two of her students with Autism specific joint attention skills. We worked with this specific student on increasing eye contact with teacher when prompted. Because of the time limit I was not able to progress as far as I wanted to.    
                                                                                                             
This year I will be working with the same students as the teacher goes on maternity leave and after being in the classroom a few times I noticed and big difference in this students rate of attention. The classroom teacher also showed me data that he was improving. This students rate of improvement was slow but there definitely was growth. This just proves to me that the brains always changing and growing.

Now the question about whether my students believe that intelligence is fixed is kind of tricky. I believe that younger students especially those with a positive educational experience believe that they  as equally intelligent as their peers. As students reach adolescence they tend to focus more on competition between their peers. Again in this situation I think that previous educational history and classroom environment can effect a students view on intelligence. I also think that culture plays a roll in student's believes on intelligence. Before I came to Baton Rouge I taught in a low income urban culturally diverse neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN. The demographics of the school were about 10% Caucasian, 40% African American, 30% Hispanic and 20% Asian (predominantly Hmong). I found that my caucasian and Hmong students viewed intelligence as something that can be changed where my african american students and hispanic students saw it as something that was fixed.

I think as teachers we have a large influence on changing how our students view their educational abilities. Praise goes a long way!