Describe your notebook or file box.
For the project I created a notebook. At first I was really not looking forward to this assignment because it sounded like a lot of research. When I actually started trying to find things for my binder I was surprised that it was actually fun. I never knew how much information and resources were out there. Pretty soon I was printing off everything. Even things that I wasn't sure I would ever need but knew there was a possibility. I loved finding new strategies that I had never heard of and thinking of the ways I could make it work for my students. I think that this assignment is an awesome idea. It forces us to search for strategies on our own and to use critical thinking when applying them to deaf education.
Do you think this will be helpful during student teaching?
I definitely plan on using my binder during student teaching. I even thought about that as I was completing it. I think every strategy that I found could be used with these students. I can't wait to try out some of the new ones that I found. I think I will continue to add to my binder as well. I love having everything in one place so I am able to find it when I need it. I think this project will be so helpful during student teaching and beyond.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Week 12
What are three pointers you have learned in using instructional strategies?
One pointer that I have learned during this class is how to use deeper thinking questions. It is so easy to ask students "what" questions but it requires a lot more thought for them to answer "why" questions. We should get out of the identifying questions pretty early on in elementary and moving on to more complex, deeper thinking questions.
Another pointer that I have taken from this class is how to help our students transition. I never realized how important this aspect of a deaf educators job was. I learned all of the different things involved in transitioning our students and how to make it easy on them, the parents, and ourselves. Part of teaching our students to transition is allowing them to attend their own IEP meeting and contribute to future plans. The class on transition was probably one of the most insightful classes this semester and has helped me to understand more about my duties as a deaf educator.
The third pointer that I have learned in using instructional strategies is the importance of having a solid behavior plan. There are so many different behavioral strategies out there and it is important to find one that is motivating for your student or students. All students are different and will be motivated differently. For this purpose you may have to have several behavior plans or perhaps just one will work. Whatever the case it is important to have a solid behavior plan in place for each student, young and old.
Has your viewpoint of teaching changed after taking this course? How or how not?
I wouldn't say that my viewpoint of teaching has changed. I would say that I now feel better equipped to be a successful teacher. I still feel the same about teaching. I am still excited to work with kids but I now feel that I have many "tricks in my bag" to help me do so. I think that I am now more aware of all of the aspects that my future career entails but I am ready to take it on.
One pointer that I have learned during this class is how to use deeper thinking questions. It is so easy to ask students "what" questions but it requires a lot more thought for them to answer "why" questions. We should get out of the identifying questions pretty early on in elementary and moving on to more complex, deeper thinking questions.
Another pointer that I have taken from this class is how to help our students transition. I never realized how important this aspect of a deaf educators job was. I learned all of the different things involved in transitioning our students and how to make it easy on them, the parents, and ourselves. Part of teaching our students to transition is allowing them to attend their own IEP meeting and contribute to future plans. The class on transition was probably one of the most insightful classes this semester and has helped me to understand more about my duties as a deaf educator.
The third pointer that I have learned in using instructional strategies is the importance of having a solid behavior plan. There are so many different behavioral strategies out there and it is important to find one that is motivating for your student or students. All students are different and will be motivated differently. For this purpose you may have to have several behavior plans or perhaps just one will work. Whatever the case it is important to have a solid behavior plan in place for each student, young and old.
Has your viewpoint of teaching changed after taking this course? How or how not?
I wouldn't say that my viewpoint of teaching has changed. I would say that I now feel better equipped to be a successful teacher. I still feel the same about teaching. I am still excited to work with kids but I now feel that I have many "tricks in my bag" to help me do so. I think that I am now more aware of all of the aspects that my future career entails but I am ready to take it on.
Week 11
How can you prepare to address transition for students who are Deaf/HH?
Transition is something that I really did not know much about before this class. I knew it was something that we needed to prepare our kids for but that was all that I knew. After we discussed it in class I know have a much clearer picture of what all that entails. I think that one way to prepare our students for transition is to let them know that it is coming. Our students usually aren't big on change in routine so it is important to warn our students that this is coming up and let them in on what you are going to do to prepare for it. Having the student attend their IEP meetings is also a good way to help them to transition. I think it important that the student is part of the plan whether it be college or the work force. If the student is going to be attending college then it is important that we, as well as the parents, help the child prepare for tests like the ACT and the SAT and filling out college applications. If the student is planning on joining the work force then it is important to teach them how to fill out job applications and how to be professional during a job interview. There is a lot that goes into transitioning our students and I think it is important to be knowledgeable in every aspect so that we can prepare our students to the best of our abilities.
What do you think is important for students to learn as they prepare to graduate?
I think it is important for our students to know how to function in the hearing world. Deaf Culture is extremely important but the reality is that this is a hearing world. Math, science, English, and social studies, are all important but that is not the only thing we are responsible for teaching our students. We also need to teach them how to communicate with others who don't speak their language, how to order at a restaurant, how to ask for something they need while in the grocery store. It is also important to teach them how to socialize and make friends. To me, all of these things are just as important as the core subjects and it is our job to teach these things as well.
Transition is something that I really did not know much about before this class. I knew it was something that we needed to prepare our kids for but that was all that I knew. After we discussed it in class I know have a much clearer picture of what all that entails. I think that one way to prepare our students for transition is to let them know that it is coming. Our students usually aren't big on change in routine so it is important to warn our students that this is coming up and let them in on what you are going to do to prepare for it. Having the student attend their IEP meetings is also a good way to help them to transition. I think it important that the student is part of the plan whether it be college or the work force. If the student is going to be attending college then it is important that we, as well as the parents, help the child prepare for tests like the ACT and the SAT and filling out college applications. If the student is planning on joining the work force then it is important to teach them how to fill out job applications and how to be professional during a job interview. There is a lot that goes into transitioning our students and I think it is important to be knowledgeable in every aspect so that we can prepare our students to the best of our abilities.
What do you think is important for students to learn as they prepare to graduate?
I think it is important for our students to know how to function in the hearing world. Deaf Culture is extremely important but the reality is that this is a hearing world. Math, science, English, and social studies, are all important but that is not the only thing we are responsible for teaching our students. We also need to teach them how to communicate with others who don't speak their language, how to order at a restaurant, how to ask for something they need while in the grocery store. It is also important to teach them how to socialize and make friends. To me, all of these things are just as important as the core subjects and it is our job to teach these things as well.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Week 10
Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing often have difficulty socializing and making friends with their peers. How can you address this within your classroom?
This is a difficult task for teachers. I think the first thing that should be done is introducing the other students to the child's hearing loss. I think it is important to explain to them in very plain terms what it is and about the amplification the child has to wear. If the child and the family are comfortable with it I think it is also a good idea to let the other students come up and touch the child's amplification. I think if all of this is taken care of at the beginning then the children will accept the child with a hearing loss as no different than anyone else. It is important to encourage the child who is deaf or hard of hearing to make the effort to communicate. A lot of times children are discouraged because they have to work hard to listen and often times don't want to put the effort in. This results in the child secluding themselves. It is important to teach them self-advocacy and how to make themselves understood.
Communicating with parents is very important. What are some ways you can communicate with parents and is there a better way than another?
There are many ways to communicate with parents but I think the best and most effective way is face to face. This eliminates the possibilities for unnecessary misunderstandings. However, sometimes that is not always possible. I think phone calls or emails are both acceptable ways to communicate with parents depending on your relationship with them. I also think it's a good idea to put out a monthly news letter for the parents letting them know what is coming up for the students. This way parents are always in the know and can contact the teacher if necessary.
This is a difficult task for teachers. I think the first thing that should be done is introducing the other students to the child's hearing loss. I think it is important to explain to them in very plain terms what it is and about the amplification the child has to wear. If the child and the family are comfortable with it I think it is also a good idea to let the other students come up and touch the child's amplification. I think if all of this is taken care of at the beginning then the children will accept the child with a hearing loss as no different than anyone else. It is important to encourage the child who is deaf or hard of hearing to make the effort to communicate. A lot of times children are discouraged because they have to work hard to listen and often times don't want to put the effort in. This results in the child secluding themselves. It is important to teach them self-advocacy and how to make themselves understood.
Communicating with parents is very important. What are some ways you can communicate with parents and is there a better way than another?
There are many ways to communicate with parents but I think the best and most effective way is face to face. This eliminates the possibilities for unnecessary misunderstandings. However, sometimes that is not always possible. I think phone calls or emails are both acceptable ways to communicate with parents depending on your relationship with them. I also think it's a good idea to put out a monthly news letter for the parents letting them know what is coming up for the students. This way parents are always in the know and can contact the teacher if necessary.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Week 10
If you are having a student who is struggling to pay
attention in their regular education class, what are some strategies you can
use to help the student attend?
I have a student who is struggling to pay attention in their regular education class room I will first have a discussion with the regular education teacher. Together we will assess what might be causing the problem. I will make sure that the child is sitting in an appropriate spot based on their hearing loss. We will then assess whether or not the child is understanding the material. This could be an underlying reason for the child's difficulty to pay attention. If all of these things are addressed then I will then give the teacher strategies she can use to help the child pay better attention such as capturing the student's attention before the lesson begins. This can be accomplished by using a motivating introduction. Another way to ensure that the child pays attention is providing lots of opportunity for the students to participate. Praising students who are being attentive will also motivate the inattentive child to do so as well.
Positive Behavior Supports or PBS is a program some
districts or schools implement. Complete a mini-research regarding this
program. Do you think this is a beneficial program? Why or Why not?
I think the PBS program is beneficial. I think it is beneficial because it really focuses on what is causing the undesired behaviors. It is important to understand the underlying reasons the behaviors are occurring before we can correct the problem permanently. In order for this program to work the techniques must be feasible, desirable, and effective. I really think this program is beneficial for not only the students but the educators as well.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Week 9
While I was searching for strategies to teach Science and Social Studies I ran across several ways to teach vocabulary. One strategy I found was having the child look up the word and then use it in their own sentence. This ensures that they not only know the definition but also understand how to apply it. When teaching these subjects I think it is very important to pre-teach the vocabulary so that the students are not lost during the lectures. It is important to incorporate vocabulary activities using the new words before prior to teaching the actual material.
I think one of the most important ways you can prepare to teach these two subjects is to know the subjects yourself. We cannot expect to teach students to understand something if we do not understand it ourselves. I think we as teachers need to know the material well enough that we can alter and modify it in ways that our students will better understand.
I think a good way to expand on similarities and differences and get our children to the level of creating metaphors and analogies is providing lots of modeling. It is important for the children to see this kind of language being used. I think our students will require more explicit teaching of these things than children without a hearing loss. I think a good way to start this could be making a list comparing two things and then plugging those words into a sentence. The teacher could provide several examples and then ask the students to create their own.
I think one of the most important ways you can prepare to teach these two subjects is to know the subjects yourself. We cannot expect to teach students to understand something if we do not understand it ourselves. I think we as teachers need to know the material well enough that we can alter and modify it in ways that our students will better understand.
I think a good way to expand on similarities and differences and get our children to the level of creating metaphors and analogies is providing lots of modeling. It is important for the children to see this kind of language being used. I think our students will require more explicit teaching of these things than children without a hearing loss. I think a good way to start this could be making a list comparing two things and then plugging those words into a sentence. The teacher could provide several examples and then ask the students to create their own.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Week 8
The authors noted the lag in development of mathematics concepts is due to delays in language development, lack of exposure to life-based problem-solving, and inadequate pre-service teacher preparation in the area of mathematics. Do you agree or disagree.
I agree with this statement. The language used in mathematics is sometimes difficult for us as hearing people to understand and it is especially difficult at times for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I also think that children who are deaf or hard of hearing do not get as many opportunities to problem-solve in real life. Some of this is due to over protective parents and lack of incidental learning.
I think teaching math to students who are deaf or hard of hearing requires a lot of pre-teaching of vocabulary terms and concepts. This isn't always possible in larger classes and many of these students are mainstreamed into the regular education classroom. I think teachers need to be made aware of this language barrier that our students face when it comes to math and provide individualized instruction whenever possible or consider sending these students to the deaf education classroom for math.
I agree with this statement. The language used in mathematics is sometimes difficult for us as hearing people to understand and it is especially difficult at times for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I also think that children who are deaf or hard of hearing do not get as many opportunities to problem-solve in real life. Some of this is due to over protective parents and lack of incidental learning.
I think teaching math to students who are deaf or hard of hearing requires a lot of pre-teaching of vocabulary terms and concepts. This isn't always possible in larger classes and many of these students are mainstreamed into the regular education classroom. I think teachers need to be made aware of this language barrier that our students face when it comes to math and provide individualized instruction whenever possible or consider sending these students to the deaf education classroom for math.
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