Week 6 Field Experience

Gloria Wade Gabb

Week 6

Journal Entries & Forms

Journal Entry One

05/30/2019

Prior to entering the classroom, I was welcomed by the teacher who invited me in at about 2:50 p.m. I waited for the incoming class.  The teacher invited the students inside reminding them of the transition rules.  They were to enter quietly, take a seat and have their materials ready for the lesson. Some of the students were talkative and did not complied immediately.  After being spoken to, they followed the directions.  The teacher gave me a copy of the worksheet which would later be completed in groups. Students sat in groups in this class.  The Standards, Essential Questions and Lesson Objectives were posted on anchor charts on the wall.

She began by engaging the students on a discussion about natural disasters-tsunamis.  This was a follow up lesson. Following the discussion, she showed a video on tsunami and its effects. Following video, students were given a worksheet to complete in groups. The worksheet was evaluated at the end.  Students switched papers and graded each other’s work. Most of the students were very engaged in the lesson. One student showed extraordinary participation by continuously asking questions and volunteering responses.  The teacher was very friendly and accommodating.  She circulated the room while the students were working on the worksheets and offered assistance accordingly. 

Journal Entry Two

05/31/2019

I entered the class approximately 2:50p.m. One class was already in the room completing their exit tickets and leaving when done. Another class was preparing to enter. After all students vacated, the new class entered.  The transition was very smooth. This teacher had the day’s agenda posted on the smartboard. The objectives and standards were included.  The breakdown of the 40 minutes of instruction were as follows: 5 minutes of Do Now; 5 minutes of Do Now review; 12 minutes of teaching and modeling; 3 minutes of guided practice; 10 minutes of independent practice and an exit ticket for 5 minutes. The teacher and a teaching assistant co taught the math lesson. Students were very receptive and orderly. Both adults circulated the room giving assistance as needed. One student demonstrated extreme difficulty with the worksheet. The teaching assistant helped the student for about ten minutes.  The teacher in turn gave her support to that student.  In the end she showed signs of comprehension and worked independently. Due to time constraint an exit ticket was not administered; however, students were assigned the exit ticket for homework.

Journal Entry Three

06/13/2019

I entered this classroom at approximately 2:50 p.m. and was welcomed by the teacher.  He provided an outline of the lesson and planned activities.  The lesson titled the water cycle was a continuation from previous lesson taught. Shortly after the students came trickling in. They were late from a previous class. They were also loud and had to be redirected repeatedly. Some followed the teacher’s directions immediately.  The assignment had different stages. First students played a water cycle dice game to determine the flow of a drop of water. They logged the pathways on a worksheet.  Following this, they worked on an essay. In the essay they had to pretend they were waterdrops and would describe how they would travel through the water cycle.   Students enjoyed the activity.  While some students were playing the dice game, others were working on their essays on the computer.  The teacher circulated the room modeling in small groups and offering support and assistance.  The students were very engaged and interacted well even though the room was a little noisy.

I did not get to see the conclusion of this lesson.

Journal Entry Four

06/14/2019

I arrived and met the teacher at about 2:45 p.m. The class was late. The teacher greeted the students at the door, giving each student high five. The students entered but quickly became noisy.  They were escorted out the room and had to reenter.  The teacher indicated that they will be taking a math assessment.  The students reacted negatively to the announcement even though they received prior notice about the assessment.  They were rowdy and were redirected several times.  The teacher reviewed the test expectations as well as examples of problems that would be on the test. A few of the students took advantage of the review by asking questions and seeking clarifications.  While testing, two students were redirected for talking during test. One student completed the test within a very short span and claimed it was easy.  One student struggled and needed clarification on a few questions.

Journal Entry Five

06/18/2019

I arrived at approximately 9:45 a.m. and waited the arrival of the students.  The teacher explained that they would be embarking on a project-based learning.  They would work in groups as a follow up to a previous lesson on natural disasters-hurricanes. Teacher had all materials needed laid out on tables prior to the arrival of the students.  This included computers, construction paper, glue, etc.  As students arrived, they were instructed to sit.  The teacher reviewed information on hurricanes. She reviewed group assignment and directions for the group. Each student was assigned a particular task within their group. Students were then allowed to break off in their groups.  One boy did not like his group assignment and refused to join his group.  He went into a corner of the classroom and covered his face as he was about to cry.  The teacher intervened and spoke to him.  He went into group but was reluctant to work.  Other members of the group interacted well. One group had disagreements about how the presentation must be made.  The teacher moved over and immediately settled the matter. The classroom enjoyed the group activity.  Though conversations were not all related to the work at hand, they were getting their work completed.

Form 1- Home School Administrator's Consent 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fuM17fghiqudgsQVtTKrloy2QH6GC2FS/view

Form 2- Documentation of Field Experience
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12k06HZJfRzdWY2Fg-zQbst5xRMPLgJmr/view

Form 3- Record of Hours
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CcQimRbaWsZQmRtV7ymTzipFv2tWB3I4/view

Week 6- Learning Resources for Learning Disabilities

Gloria Wade Gabb
Week 6
Learning Resources for Learning Disabilities

There are a variety of learning resources for students with learning disabilities.  For the purpose of this assignment I selected three of them which I found to be useful and entertaining.

1. IXL is an educational website that provides fun exercises in four major content areas, namely ELA, Math, Social Studies and Science from grades K to 12.  It is adaptive learning and is aligned with common core standards.  while engaging in fun exercises students earn awards and stickers. This website is widely used even among English Language Learners because it has a component in Spanish. Visit the website by clicking here https://www.ixl.com/.

2. FunBrain is another education website with exciting arcade games.  It serves the k-8 student population.  Students watch videos and practice skills in games.  Game directions are illustrated for struggling readers.  This could be very useful for brain break activities in classroom.  Many students enjoy playing games on the computer and would therefore enjoy its usage.  Click here to visit this website https://www.funbrain.com/pre-k-and-k-playground

3. AAA Math is another educational website especially designed for students diagnosed with dyscalculia.  It provides numerous math lessons for students from k-8.  Students are provided with practice questions and fun games.  Instant feedback is given to the students in order to prevent learning incorrect methods. It is accessible by clicking here. http://aaamath.com/

Week 5 Keystone Assignment

Gloria Wade Gabb 
Week 5 Assignment # 3
Case Study & SETSS Forms

Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETSS) is a specially designed program that serves students with disabilities who are placed in General Education classrooms. For the purpose of this keystone assignment, a student with disability was identified via case study, the SETSS framework was applied and three lesson plans were created to facilitate the student's need.

Student Profile
Jerome B is a 10 year old student in Grade 4. His learning disability is classified primarily as Cognitive Disabilities/ Executive functioning. He has identified problems in planning, organization, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space. 
His strength includes drawing, talking to close friends and playing video games. Jerome B. is currently functioning below his chronological age on the area of academic and cognitive ability, language and receptive development and social speech development. He also reads below his grade level.  His learning style is multi-sensory learning style. As a result of this, he needs to be taught using more than one modality. He requires individualized, and small group instruction. He needs a variety of learning materials on his reading level. He needs strategies that will help him to remain focus and task oriented as means of helping him to complete tasks and pay attention to details. Jerome B. needs full time general education placement with moderate support through special education.

Classroom Environment
Jerome is in a General Education classroom which consists of 24 students ranging from ages 10-11. Of this 16 are females and 9 males. The class is not racially diverse; 22 of the students are African or Black American. Two students are English Language Learners (ELL) and both receive ESL services. One female has a 504 Plan. There is one student with disabilities who is eligible for and receives Special Education Services. This class has a total of 5 students who are unusually demanding of time and energy who are not identified in other categories. A total of 3 males are disruptive, withdrawn, and defiant. A total of 2 females are unusually demanding, needing constant supervision and encouragement to stay on task and motivated. On average the number of disruptions is 3 to 4 per class. The type of disruptions range from small issues like talking while giving instruction, going over instructions multiple times due to distractions, and students not following instructions that lead to mistakes within their personal work to major disruptions like throwing and breaking pencils, misuse and abuse of materials, and malicious destruction of another students’ work. Having a well-equipped and organized classroom is essential to the successful delivery of an instruction. Having supplies out at each table is necessary but couldn’t be done because students are distracted by them. A small portion (5 minutes) is spent on wait time due to talking and the redirection of inappropriate behavior.

Technology Application & Accomodation
Jerome B. needs individual chromebook or Ipad with updated software programs with accompanying headphones on a daily basis to help him learn.  Instructional tasks include taking notes during video presentations, completing graphic organizers, reading, comprehending and summarizing texts and, presenting thoughts clearly in group discussions. Jerome B. requires testing in small groups in a separate location with minimal distractions. 

Click below for access to SETSS forms and lesson plans in reference to Jerome B.

Form 1- Consideration of AT Needs

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dxRd3AU5AI3nMWNeqHYKRX5yudNwYwYT/view

Form 2- Identifying & Prioritizing Tools

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EXktm-uG71-hCKbXjUGEGXlxF2OSTNmv/view

Form 3- Data Gathering

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nFeuzaCvEDwIvBCz0fduSWskqJU8lpzU/view

Form 4- Implementation & Evaluation Planning

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OrM0qoRbMQ8oZpQLbwocXlOBSrfjoSOl/view

UDL Lesson Plan 1- Natural Disasters
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d6dQLCw2KlEp2H_6GJKqcwgqh-BlyBp1QKREmV5aDVM/edit

UDL Lesson Plan 2- Earth's Water
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jB4qeXFlV1MSK6uuLIwnLCNCap3iEl555O6tklXKFkc/edit

UDL Lesson Plan 3- Water Cycle
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wr0F45pDrz5WTuMyBYiHtYjmZGcAe10ko_VqtG9mJq0/edit

Week 5 Assignment #2 Special Education News

Gloria Wade Gabb
Week 5 Assignment # 2
Special Education News

“Thousands of City Children Not Getting Special Education Help” by Elizabeth Harris (2017) painted a grim reality of what has been happening with special education services in our schools. According to the article published by the New York Times, tens of thousands of children did not receive mandated educational services in 2017. Students are supposed to receive services for difficulties like speech impairment, emotional disturbances or learning disabilities but their needs are unmet despite reports made by the chancellor’s office on major investments made in hiring more staff, opening new programs and expanding partnerships with providers.

If a school does not have staff to provide special education services, it has to look for a contractor who can deliver the services. If one cannot be found, vouchers are issued to parents whose responsibility is to find a provider and have the child seen outside the school. Many families who were given vouchers for special education services, however, were unable to use them simply because there weren’t enough therapists available to service the number of students emerging with special needs. This continued lack of support and availability shows up in academic results, especially in standardized test scores.

The above has dire implication for teaching, learning and technology as many special needs’ children are included in general education classrooms where teachers are not sufficiently trained to address their disabilities. Also, assistive technologies required for some special needs’ children may be unavailable in general education classrooms. No doubt, students with disabilities can master general-education content if they receive educational supports. Supports, depending on the level of need, can include basic adjustments such as having test questions read aloud, or being allowed to sit in a certain part of the classroom or even differentiation of content and process when teaching.

The need for all teachers to have both the knowledge and the ability to teach special-education students is more critical today than ever before. Teachers must have the time, support, and training to provide a high-quality education based on a student’s needs.

Consistent on-the-job training for the already certified general education teacher is one possible way for equipping the teacher to deal with inclusion while efforts are continuously made to increase the number of special education providers.

Week 4- A3 UDL Lesson Plans & Reflection

Gloria Wade Gabb
Week 4 Assignment #3
UDL Lesson Plans & Reflection

In this assignment I used the UDL template to create a unit on Earth's Resources. The topics explored are Weathering and Erosion. There are two lessons lasting 40 minutes each that are included.

Recognition -The What of Learning
In this unit entitled Earth's Resources, students will explore the science of weathering and erosion to understand how Earth’s surface changes. They will discover what happens during weathering, and the different ways materials are moved through erosion.

Strategic- The How of Learning
In order to ensure that students attain a rich conceptual understanding of this unit, they will be provided with a variety of options. They will be exploring the concepts through through experiments, discussions, group activities, note-taking and videos.

Affective- The Why of Learning
Students should be able to use their understanding of changes to Earth's resources to explain how a volcanic eruption results in the formation of rocks

Click to gain access to two lesson plans created using the UDL template. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DErGAY8S_GokoWiqT7KUgWHM-hB1fqFvM-5OVqlmeBU/edit#

Week 4- Assignment # 2 ELL & Technology News

loria Wade Gabb

Week 4 Assignment # 2

ELL & Technology

“Where do English Language Learners fit Into the Ed Tech Revolution?” by Jefferey Knutson (2015) is an interesting read.  According to this article, English Language Learners (ELL) are a growing yet underserved segment of the U.S. student population. The diversity of learners among ELL student populations remains one of the greatest challenges facing the teachers of ELLs. Diversity emerges in the form of language and ethnicity, but also in the wide variety of educational backgrounds these students bring to the classroom. Teaching these diverse learners presents teachers with a host of unique and very complex challenges. While Ed-tech resources for English Language Learners do exist, they are scarce. This scarcity presents the ed-tech industry with a challenge given the fact that the number of EL Learners are increasing. As this happens, the need for qualified teachers and teaching resources -- like quality ed-tech tools for ELLs become an issue.

When ELL teachers look to the ed-tech industry for solutions that specifically address their students' needs, they often come up empty-handed. Apps, tools and resources for nearly every grade level, subject area and skill imaginable are available, but tools for ELL students and their teachers often seem to be missing. Teachers can access language-learning apps and programs available, but few, if any of them are suitable for young learners in a classroom setting. There are plenty of games and apps, like digital-storytelling platforms, that can be applicable in an ELL classroom, but they don't explicitly offer support for language learners. In light of this, teachers are bound to continue using and repurposing these types of tools and other digital resources in creative and useful ways to try and make students acquire the language. ELL teachers regularly employ a variety of specialized and unique teaching strategies and best practices aimed at helping their students acquire English and thrive academically.

This news article brings to my awareness the sad reality in our schools today.  Even sadder is that there seems to be no sense of urgency in addressing ed-tech resources for ELLs, despite the increasing population.  A few emerging companies are starting to develop some promising and exciting, new ed-tech innovations, but given the level of need, and the growth of ELL populations in schools, the ed-tech industry does not seem to be coping with the demand to bridge the digital divide. This also brings to memory a previous news article read exposing the lack of resources in schools where ELL population is high.  If we are serious about addressing diversity in our schools, then we all have to be urgent in our efforts.

Week 3 Assignment 3 Lesson Analysis

Gloria Wade Gabb
Week 3 Assignment 3
Lesson Plan Analysis Using UDL

Day one of the science lesson entitled "Rocks and their Properties" is an introductory lesson, however, has incorporated the elements/principles of Universal Design Learning (UDL). Click on link for access to the selected lesson plan. http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/explore.php?op=static&pid=rocks_1

The Why of Learning
In the Day One Lesson Plan, the learners' interest will be stimulated through a "thumbs up thumbs down" activity to initiate a discussion on rocks. The teacher will share a number of statements on rocks. Students will indicate by showing thumbs up if the statements are true or thumbs down if they are false. Students then turn and talk, sharing why they chose the responses they did.

The What of Learning
The lesson plan indicates that the information will be presented to the students in different ways. First, the teacher will expose students to key vocabulary words by using the blackboard, overhead projector or PowerPoint slides. Teacher will highlight the words and meanings so students can get visual representation. Teacher will then provide guided practice for the students by first modeling how they will compare and contrast the rocks using simple tools. Teacher will be providing support and scaffolding to students while in conducting investigation in their groups.

The How of Learning
Based on the lesson plan, students will be provided with different options of engagement in the lesson. They get to turn and talk to each other. They will participate in groups. They engage in a think, pair and share activity where they will discuss a question posed by the teacher and then share out their responses. During their grouping activity students get to compare and contrast in different ways. Some will be using hand lens to observe the rocks closely, others will scratching the rocks with fingernail or penny, others will be weighing or measuring the rocks.

The above introductory lesson is a springboard to subsequent lessons in the unit and indicates usage of UDL for diverse students in a classroom setting.