Final Reflections

My participation in the course has influenced my understanding of disabilities.  Through the course work and class discussions, I have further enhanced my understanding.  The seminars in particular have taught me a great deal about how to support students with different syndromes.  I also learned about some syndromes that I have never heard of.  My colleagues taught me though other discussions as well.  When I posted about a challenging student or other issue, I got feedback and resources which will help me in my practice.  The course materials were also excellent and I have gained an excellent resource bank going forward.  These resources and the advice given will be helpful in supporting students with disabilities.  Also, the instructor helped a great deal by offering additional feedback on tasks given and suggested ideas that I could look into more.

In future, I plan to further my understanding my taking my Spec Ed specialist.  I also plan to try to get resource sections so that I can begin to monitor IEPs.  I would like to get training/support in Assistive Technologies/ Apps for Education so that I can better support my students with disabilities.

This was an excellent course, thank you!

Melanie

Environmental, Instructional, and Assessment

Environmental, instructional, and assessment accommodation strategies that can be used as part of the DI classroom

Environmental	Assessment	Instructional
minimize distractions preferential seating Allow frequent breaks flexible grouping Objects to fiddle with during lessons Movement desk/exercise ball Differentiate the learning environment	access to computer for written work allow for frequent breaks allow notes/open book for tests alternate location prompts clarification of questions or instructions extra time to respond read all written instructions reduce written output Scribe Respectful tasks Continuous assessment Differentiated process, product, content, affect Differentiate according to learning profile, interest, and readiness	Access to calculator/math aids Access to computer Allow extra time for copying Allow notes/open book for tests highlight/chunks material Increased task completion time provide instructions visually and verbally provide needed prompts and cues provide samples to work from read written instructions as necessary reduce new skills to smaller steps scribe information for student when appropriate Differentiated process, product, content, affect Differentiate according to learning profile, interest, and readiness Use instructional strategies like: RAFTs, graphic organizers, scaffolded reading, cubing, think tic-tac-toe, tiering, learning centres, inquiry projects, webquests, etc.

Consulted: http://www.diffcentral.com/model.html 

Resource Bank

Print:

People First Language https://d2l.educ.queensu.ca/content/CTE165int/CONT505/downloads/People_First_Language.pdf
Fair Assessment http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/classroom_assessment/fairstudent.pdf
Growing Success http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf
Inclusion vs. Integration http://www.cdss.ca/images/pdf/general_information/integration_vs_inclusion.pdf
Highlights of the IRPC process http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/hilites.html
Sample WISC Report https://d2l.educ.queensu.ca/content/CTE165int/CONT505/downloads/WISC-V_Sample_Report.pdf
IEP Guide http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/guide/resource/iepresguid.pdf
SMART Plans https://www.scdsb.on.ca/Programs/Program%20Documents/SMART-goal-brochure.pdf
Parent Engagement http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_parentEngage.pdf
Literacy Support http://edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/reports/literacyreport.pdf
Learning for All http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/LearningforAll2013.pdf
Writing Supports http://all4ed.org/reports-factsheets/writing-next-effective-strategies-to-improve-writing-of-adolescents-in-middle-and-high-schools/
Spelling Supports http://ldatschool.ca/literacy/spelling/
Low Tech Toolkit http://www.setbc.org/Download/LearningCentre/Communication/AAC_Low-Tech_Toolkit_Resources.pdf
Relationships and Behavior http://www.interventioncentral.org/blog/behavior/how-use-power-personal-connection-motivate-students-4-strategies
Checklist for Inclusive Classroom http://www.curriculum.org/LNS/thinking/files/ChecklistInclusiveClassroom.pdf
DI http://www.readinghorizons.com/blog/six-necessary-components-of-effective-differentiated-instruction
Metacognition Strategies http://ldatschool.ca/executive-function/metacognitive-strategies-or-thinking-about-my-thinking/

Digital:

National Association of Special Education Teachers: https://www.naset.org/2876.0.html
Theories of Intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hMhpB8ikR8&feature=youtu.be
Learning Style Assessment http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles.shtml
Google Read and Write
Kurzweil http://kurzweil-abs.blogspot.ca/2011/10/pros-and-cons_17.html
Overdrive
Word Q http://www.goqsoftware.com/wordQ.php
http://ngsd.org/supports/supports-index-phase-2/s202-self-instruction

Issues and Questions

This course (Spec Ed Part 2) has been really informative and I have learned a great deal.

Some issues that have emerged for me included:

• the challenges presented with collaboration with various stakeholders (parents, community members, colleagues, administration and EAs
• the number of syndromes and learning disabilities that I was not aware of
• the difficulties of the IRPC process
• I need to begin working on the IEP/IRPC process. 
• I need to learn more Apps for Education and Assistive Technologies to support my students

Questions:

• How do I best support an essential class as best practice? 
• How do I develop independence in my students when they rely heavily on supports?
• How do I create a school based IEP?
• How should I best utilize my resources? (EA, Assistive Technologies, etc)

Initial Beliefs and Understanding

Personal Beliefs Over time, my own beliefs about students with exceptionalities has changed drastically.    When I was in High School, there was definitely stigma attached to being Spec Ed or needing and IEP.  Most students were integrated, however streaming was more strictly enforced.  Most exceptional students were placed in General or Basic programming.  Many did regular classes with resource support as well.    I am embarrassed to say that I used to believe in the stigma and did my best to stay away from students who were different than me.   I also feel like I had great experiences with many excellent teachers, but some were not as inclusive and supportive of individual student needs.  I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 14 and was offered no support from many of my teachers.  Late marks were regularly applied to me and I did not feel that some of my teachers understood me. My current views have changed quite a bit.  I have realized the importance of supporting exceptional students.   I also have been integrating these supports as best practice for all students.  My school is very inclusive.  We offer a variety of programming and supports for many students.  We also integrate our Community Pathways Programs and transition students with our other streams whenever possible (physical education and field trips, etc).   We also support our students’ individual education plans in any pathway and focus our teaching efforts on individual student success.  We also have a school team to discuss some of our struggling students.  We also offer Differentiated Instruction throughout our courses to give students the opportunity to show what they know and use their strengths.  I think that Ontario has changed quite a bit and so have teachers.  We have significant ethical and legal obligations  which need to be followed.  Over time, the culture of inclusion has changed quite a bit.