6/13/2019
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Maureen Tucker
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As a Middle School Counselor, I have limited opportunities to facilitate lessons in a classroom; however, I am responsible for providing Career Education. During my sessions, there are several students who have Other Health Impaired Disabilities (more specifically ADD). As a result, I have to prep my lesson to accommodate the needs of the ESE students during the activity. Often times, the accommodations end up being great teaching strategies for all students (Gen Ed and ESE); in the end, the lessons are more clear and yield the desired results.
For example, the students, who have barriers of remaining focused, are seated in close proximity to me so that I can gently touch their shoulders, walk near their computer, give non-verbal ques to stay on track or answer questions. Also, I make sure expectations are written on the whiteboard. We go through the directions step by step. When appropriate, I will ask a student to repeat the instructions to ensure understanding. To establish that there is continued understanding throughout the lesson, I have the activity projected on the screen to make sure the lesson is done with efficiency. I reserve a projector with the Media Specialist so that I can simultaneously go through the activity with students as they are engaged. This keeps students from feeling inadequate because we are all moving at the same pace. To add, many of the Career Inventories are very lengthy so I make sure that they have breaks for water or to stand. Usually, I will not attempt to complete the entire activity in one session due to the potential loss of interest. |
6/13/2019
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Maureen Tucker
|
Last school year, I had the opportunity to administer a State Writing Assessment one-on-one, and the student had to utilize a device that had speech to text capabilities because of a Orthopedic Impairment. This was my first time encountering a situation that needed specific technology. The Tech Support on campus was instrumental in setting up the computer to be able to provide the student with the support needed to complete his Assessment. |
6/13/2019
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Maureen Tucker
|
Several years ago, my school had an EBD Unit on campus. At that time, the EBD students had all of their core academic classes together, but they were in General Education classes for electives. The major strategy to amend the unpredictable behaviors was through individual counseling, point sheets, and incentives. The incentives were a major tool towards adjusting unwanted behaviors...extra P.E. time, snacks, and remaining in the Gen Ed population for electives. The EBD students had to earn their privileges. |
6/16/2019
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Maureen Tucker
|
2. Describe at least one way you have used technology to meet the needs of a student with a disability in your classroom. Be sure to identify or describe the specific technology and the student's disability. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
As the School Counselor, it is essential to foster a sense of self advocacy for all students. As a result, I create small groups for students who are struggling academically or have low State Assessment scores. I call these sessions "data chats". The goal of the activity is to teach students about Middle School Progression, championing for their own education by knowing their status, taking ownership for their own progress and staying on track... check past and current class grades; awareness of FSA Reading and Mathematics Levels (explaining proficiency); respectfully contacting teachers with questions and inquiries. In order to access the aforementioned information, students need to be trained to navigate the District's Portal Website. Students need a password/user ID and a computer (computer lab) or the students' smart phones. The great advantage of "data chats" is that all students reap the benefits of setting academic and behavior goals based on the data gathered. The pace of this activity is very flexible and the information gathered is private.
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6/17/2019
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Maureen Tucker
|
This past school year, I had a student who was on the Autistic Spectrum (Asperger's Syndrome). The student had repetitive patterns, and he completed classwork depending on his mood and his personal use for the assignment. To add, his social interactions with peers were sometimes inappropriate and rude which caused challenges with his connections and interpersonal relationships with teachers and other students. This made grouping or peer partnering difficult. Therefore, to gauge his level of understanding through assessments, there were alternative measures to check for comprehension...self evaluations (ongoing assessment); teacher observations (ongoing); exit cards (post assessment); student journal (post assessment). The aforementioned assessments allowed this student to be reflective and it empowered him because he is moving at his own pace but is involved, and the assessment did not require him to be directly involved with classmates. |