Reflection

What makes the inclusion of children with exceptionalities successful?

I think that the use of modifications for assignments, such as visuals, manipulative tools and assistive technology is essential for the student’s success. Also the teacher needs constant training to learn new ways to help the exceptional children in their learning process. Co-teaching with the support staff, planning and modifying assignments for the student will make inclusion successful. The students in the classroom play a special role in the success of the exceptional children by assisting and guiding.

What are some barriers to successful inclusion?

One of the barriers that we can find for a successful inclusion is the teacher’s fear of losing control over the classroom and not knowing how to handle the situation with a student who learns in a different way. In my school, the EC teachers sometimes can’t give the support in the classroom because of the different schedules and have to pull out the student to another setting.

Who should be included in the general classroom?

In my experience, the students who are with learning disabilities such as autism, ADHD, mental retardation can be included in the general classroom. I think these students have the opportunity to learn and feel part of the class.

How can you determine if inclusion is appropriate for a child?

To decide if the inclusion is appropriate for a child, we have to review the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and the Individualize Family Service Plan (IFSP) goals to see if the inclusion setting will be appropriate for the student.

Inclusion

I believe that inclusion is beneficial for the student because they can learn from their peers. At my school, children with autism and learning disability are in the inclusion setting. Other students guide and assist them. Sometimes the teachers who give services like EC and OT pull them out of the classroom. On other occasions we see the EC teachers working with the students in the classroom. The EC teachers also assist the classroom teacher with modifications for the students that need them. I think that inclusion is great if you as a teacher have the support, training and knowledge to meet the student’s needs.

Assistive Technology

I'm not using assistive technology right now, but I believe that it is essential for education and for meeting the children's needs. When I was growing up in my country, we didn't have any tools that helped children with specials needs in their process of learning. They were expected to do the same task and work that a regular student did. I would definitely like to learn more about assistive technology and use it in my classroom.

Task Analysis

The task analysis that I chose was created to help Oscar become more independent.  Oscar is always reminded of what he has to do next. I used the morning schedule when Oscar is expected to do his daily activities. The task analysis was done in English and Spanish so that the mother can practice with him at home.

Communication Strategies

In the class that I observed, communication strategies are used every day to help students communicate their needs and wants. They are also used to improve the social skills of the students, helping them to put in words what they feel or want. Oscar has improved a lot. In the beginning he was pointing and making noises. Now he said “My turn”, “Mio (that is mine)” and “Please.” The communication strategies are helping Oscar increase his vocabulary. The teacher says the word in English and Spanish and this has helped him. The speech therapist helps Oscar pronounce the words correctly by putting her hand near her mouth and saying the word slowly so that Oscar’s attention is focused on the word and he is able to repeat it.

Motor and Self Help Skills

Oscar is becoming more independent in his motor and self help skills. Oscar is able to serve himself fruit, cereal servings, bread, and other types of foods. He is also able to clean up after he eats, brush his teeth and wash hands. He is able to take off and put on his own shoes. Oscar needs assistance with toileting; he still uses diapers and it is hard for him to tell the teacher when he needs to use the bathroom when he is involved in an activity. I think Oscar’s gross and fine motor skills are developing according to what is expected for his age.

Social Story

I chose to write a social story for Oscar that shows different ways that he can approach other children and adults and express his needs and wants.  This story will have different settings and it has to do with the daily schedule. Oscar parallel plays with other children at the head start program. He is very quiet and points to what he wants. In the story I will include words that can express his needs like “I want, I like, I need”; also to express interest in playing with others “Can I play, can I have this toy?” I hope this book will help improve his communication skills.

How Goals/ Objectives are embedded into activities

Oscar is the child in my practicum that has language delays. He is almost three years old. His primary language is Spanish. 

The goal of this activity was to increase Oscar’s vocabulary.

The objective for my first activity was: Oscar will be able to name correctly five out of the eight body parts.

For the first activity we sing the song “head , shoulders, knees and toes” in English and in Spanish. The students repeat the words in both languages. Oscar just looked at his friends. He seemed shy and reticent. Then I took the children to play with a puzzle of a body. Each child had a part of the body. I named the parts of the body and the children repeated them. Oscar was able to say “cabeza” (head) and “brazo” (arm).

It is important to embed the goals and objectives into the activities because it gives purpose to the activity. It helps us to evaluate which activities are appropriate for the child and shows what changes or modifications may be necessary to make the activities more effective for the child’s individual needs.

The Importance of the Intervention Plan and the Collection of Progress Goals

The intervention plan is built to provide individual services to meet the child’s needs and to assist the families. The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) provides services for the children and the family. The services provided can be through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for newborns to age two. In the IFSP, the family and the services provider work as a team to implement and evaluate services that the child needs. The services are provided in a natural environment such as the home or a child care center. The goal and objective is for the child to attain developmental (motor, cognitive, communication, socio emotional and adaptive) progress. The progress of goals is reviewed every 6 months.

For older children ages 3 to 21 IDEA has in place an Individual Educational Plan (IEP). Here the child will have special services within the context of the school system, giving possibilities for this child to be educated as the non disabled peers. The child’s information about present level of academic achievement and functional performance is essential to identify how the disability affects the child’s participation in age appropriate activities. The goal and objective is to prepare the child to learn with the non disabled children in the school system. The progress of goals is reviewed periodically at least once a year.

The intervention plans and the collecting of progress goals help us to see how the children’s needs change during a period of time and to provide adequate services for them.

Brown Vs. Board of Education

In the early 1950’s segregation of white and African American children in schools was predominant in many parts of the United States. White schools had a better quality education than black schools.

In Topeka Kansas a black third grader named Lisa Brown had to walk one mile every day to go to the “colored” school even though a white school was only few blocks away. Linda’s father Oliver Brown tried to register Linda in the white elementary school, but the principal refused. Mr. Brown asked for help from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and in 1951 he and other black parents joined Mr. Brown to request an end to the policy of racial segregation in Topeka Public Schools.

On June 26, 1951 the District Court of Kansas heard Brown’s case. In the trial the NAACP argued that the segregation gave a message of inferiority to the black students. They also argued that it deprived the black children of equal opportunities. The Board of Education argued that segregated schools would prepare students for a segregated life in adulthood. The court faced a difficult decision to make. On the one hand the court said that “Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children...A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn” and on the other they had the precedent of the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, where they accepted separate but equal  school systems for whites and black students. The court ruled in favor of the Topeka Board of Education.

Brown and (NAACP) appealed to the U.S Supreme Court in October of 1951. The Court heard the case on December of 1952 but failed to reach a decision. The court asked both sides to discuss the circumstances of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868. The court made a decision based on the question of whether desegregation provided equal rights to black children.

In May 1954, the Chief Justice Earl Warren read the court decision. He said segregation in public schools based on race deprived children of the minority group to equal educational opportunities. The court concluded that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' had no place.

“Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

The Supreme Court required desegregation across America. The decision of the court didn’t abolish desegregation in other public areas nor give a specific date for desegregation of the schools. Segregation in schools was declared unconstitutional in the 21 states that school segregation was still present.

Sources:

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html

http://www.nationalcenter.org/brown.html

Hola!

Hello everyone in the class CDFR 4300. I'm excited to start a new semester and end the school year. I'm a Spanish teacher in an elementary in Orange County Schools. I have over 450 students that I see weekly. Right now the third, fourth and fifth graders are doing the EOG test. My other students are ready for summer. Also, I lead a Spanish club with the third, fourth and fifth graders and I work as a family outreach with my Hispanic families. We have ESL adult classes at night time during the school year for parents of our students and our community.