CEC+7.+Instructional+Planning


 * 7. PLANNING **


 * CEC Standard: **

__**7. Instructional Planning **__

//**a. Special educators develop long-range individualized instructional plans anchored in both general and special curricula. **//

I have written several lesson plans surrounding the topics of acids and bases, atomic structures, bonding, adaptation, environmental sustainability, and the nature of science. Within these lessons I have included differentiated instruction that provides opportunities for all students to access knowledge and learning experiences and gain understanding of the concepts of the science being taught. A good example of a long-range plan surrounds my lesson on acid rain, which was a part of my innovative unit on acids and bases (7.a.1). The innovative unit focused on three students and their individualized instructional plans across the units development and design. The acid rain lesson had students investigating acid rain in lakes by having them use cups filled with different ground materials such as sand, granite gravel, and limestone gravel, along with water. Students then put drops of vinegar into the water, simulating acid rain, and discovered that the rate of pH change was slower in some cases than others and this rate of pH change was related to the type of ground material in the water. Students evaluated that these ground materials acted to slow the reaction that the vinegar had with the water. This was the final part of an acid and bases unit. Students as a summative assessment were allowed to choose from a list of questions what questions they wished to answer what they learned about pH, and they could do this in multiple forms such as drawing, making a poster, writing, comic strips, etc (7.a.2). I have also included instructional plans that reflect the universal design for learning (UDL) framework, which promotes differentiation of activities, assessments, and interests that are found in the learning styles of each student. The importance that UDL provides to the planning of lessons is that it individualizes instruction plans to all students and not just those students with ELN. This means that a teacher must be able to present material in multiple ways and effectively create learning environments were all student learning styles and needs are being reached (7.a.3).

//**b. In addition, special educators systematically translate these individualized plans into carefully selected shorter-range goals and objectives taking into consideration an individual’s abilities and needs, the learning environment, and a myriad of cultural and linguistic factors. **//

Short term goals were also included in lessons through the promotion of self-advocacy, self-motivation, empowerment, and autonomy in individuals. For instance, at SWW students were provided with a choice to investigate one of four topics surrounding issues that relate to ecological footprints, which developed student autonomy. This was further developed by allowing students to ask their own testable question regarding these topics, and then designing their own procedures and collecting their own data for analysis. This helped with student interest and motivation in conducting these science investigations. Students also developed skills of critical thinking and problem solving by looking at these results and evaluating them to develop an argument that answers their question. Students then presented these arguments to the entire class, providing each student with voice, advocacy to be democratic citizens hoping to enact change, and empowerment and ownership of knowledge and understandings (7.b.1).

//**c. Individualized instructional plans emphasize explicit modeling and efficient guided practice to assure acquisition and fluency through maintenance and generalization. Understanding of these factors as well as the implications of an individual’s exceptional condition, guides the special educator’s selection, adaptation, and creation of materials, and the use of powerful instructional variables. **//

In most lessons students performed scientific inquiry investigations. These investigations required the manipulation of several materials, as well as the instructional understanding of the lab procedures to collect the data for analysis. In one lesson plan in particular I had students model acid rain by creating lakes with different ground materials in them. These ground materials included sand, granite gravel, and limestone gravel. These materials were placed in cups and filled with water, and then drops of vinegar were added to the lakes to simulate acid rain. Students then measured the pH of the lakes using Vernier LabQuests and probes and found that the pH changed slower in some cases, and the rate of change correlated to the ground materials used. Students found ease of access in this lab investigation through the incorporation of visual pictures to accompany written instructions, as well as a demonstration and run-through of the procedures for the entire class before beginning (7.c.1). Students also had access to all the materials and were allowed to manipulate these materials in groups. One student in particular was confined to a wheel chair and required the materials to be placed in accessible locations, or to work with cooperative colleagues, which both were provided. Students thus used these lakes to model and simulate acid rain, and found that certain ground materials slow the rate of reaction and allow more time for human intervention to help living organisms in those lakes (7.c.2).

//**d. Instructional plans are modified based on ongoing analysis of the individual’s learning progress. **//

Each lesson plan included a section on reflection, which is where I expressed my understanding of what things went well for the students and what things didn’t, what were the actual lesson strengths and what were its limitations and areas for improvement, and what did I learn about myself as a teacher and planner. These reflections helped me to modify instructional practices in future lessons to develop activities that would enhance student performance and achievement in both areas of strength and areas of need. Specifically, during STARS my lesson plans show continuous modification of the learning and activities in order to reach the learning goals that my team developed for our unit. We found that girls increased motivation and interest in the inquiry process when they were provided with explicit leadership roles and jobs to complete. Catering to each students interest, my team planned lessons that reflected these skills inside of the science investigation for each girl. Examples of leadership roles include measurer and observer, recorder, and video conferencer (7.d.1). Additionally in STARS we modified lessons to build upon student experiences and ensure understanding of science concepts. For instance, this investigation introduced girls to the concept of pH, which they shared with us was the first time they had experienced it in detail. As a result, we planned lessons each successive week that reinforced the concepts of pH. These lessons included performing pH measurements with Vernier LabQuest and probes, testing the acidity of candy, and performing the elephant toothpaste reaction (7.d.2).

I also modified lessons during my student teaching placement according to the students’ learning process. During my placement at East high school I taught a lesson on the periodic table. Students found trouble understanding how to know the number of neutrons in an ion and an atom of the same element. In order to clarify this I had students take an index card with elements drawn on one side of them. Students had to count the number of protons in the element and then go around the room and find the person whose card matched with theirs. One of these students had the element in ion form and the other had the element in its atomic form. Students then had to solve how many neutrons and electrons the ion and atom both had (7.d.3).

//**e. Moreover, special educators facilitate this instructional planning in a collaborative context including the individuals with exceptionalities, families, professional colleagues, and personnel from other agencies as appropriate. **//

In my placement at SWW I had my students perform scientific investigations on shrinking our ecological footprints and impact on the Earth’s environment. These investigations required them to ask a testable question, design a procedure for data collection and carry it out, analyze this data and make evaluations from their knowledge and observational results, and then develop an argument to answer their question and present this argument to the class. Students were grouped into one of four different investigations based on their interests and choice. I worked with students to provide them with the resources they would need to complete their investigation and a timeline for completing their investigation. Several groups included multiple students with disabilities, but all groups presented their findings successfully and completed a science investigation surrounding a topic that is relevant to their lives and the community they live in (7.e.1).

Also at SWW I was involved in an expedition with the students that involved planning with Clark Patterson Lee (CPL) construction company in Rochester. Students worked on designing shelters for animals at Lolly Pop Farm, which included them learning about soil and ground materials from environmentalists at CPL and the equipment needed to test these conditions to discover the best locations to build their shelters. Students contributed their designs in order to try and help resolve the issue of poor living habitats and space for these animals (7.e.2).

//**f. Special educators develop a variety of individualized transition plans, such as transitions from preschool to elementary school and from secondary settings to a variety of postsecondary work and learning contexts. **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In many cases most of my work has been with developing transitions for students from secondary locations to postsecondary careers and contexts. The emphasis of planning for these transitions has been on developing critical thinkers that can problem solve and relate issues to scientific knowledge and processes of inquiry. Through this process, students can valuable capabilities such as autonomy, self-advocacy, voice, empowerment, self-motivation, and self-direction. For instance, students at SWW conducted science investigations surrounding the topic of ecological footprints. Students worked to ask a testable question, design a procedure and carry it out to collect data, analyze this data and evaluate the results to make an argument that answers their question, and then present these arguments to the class. Through this students found observational skills that they combined with scientific models to understand natural phenomena (7.f.1). They also found knowledge in using technologies such as Vernier LabQuests and probes, which allowed them deeper understandings and contexts for evaluation. Students could also relate this experience to a previous one taught on adaptations, where they saw that the observations they made about an animals characteristics could be used along with the environmental context of that animal to understand why that characteristic is evolutionarily adaptational (7.f.2).

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">g. Special educators are comfortable using appropriate technologies to support instructional planning and individualized instruction. **//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">I have used a variety of technologies in my classroom instruction. These technologies include such things as smartboards, Vernier LabQuest and probes such as pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, iFlips, and many more. In particular, the iFlips were used during GetReal! Science camp as an alternative to journal reflections. Students could conduct video interviews that allowed students the opportunity to vocalize their thoughts instead of writing them out, which could be difficult or uncomfortable for some students (7.g.1). Smartboards were used as visual aids to provide videos and photographs that expressed science concepts which are difficult to observe directly and see with human vision. This enhanced students understanding through new contexts upon which they can apply their observations and results from science investigations (7.g.2).

|| ED452 Inclusion Innovative Unit || [|20100330-EastHighIU#5&6-MSaunders.doc] [|20100327-EastHighAcidRainLab-MSaunders.doc] || Lab instructions - Visual aid and demonstration runthroughs || [|Picture_10.png] [|Picture_9.png] [|DSC07459.JPG] [|Picture_25.png] [|Picture_1.png] || STARS leadership roles || [|elephant toothpast and acidic candy.doc] [|stars pictures.doc] || STARS pH activities || [|20100319-EastHighLPObs2.IonIsotope-MSaunders.doc] || East high - Atoms vs ions || [|DSC07670.JPG] || SWW biomes || [|DSC07611.JPG] || SWW adaptations || [|20100324-EastHighIU#1&2-MSaunders.doc] || Smartboard use ||
 * **EVIDENCE #** || **EMBEDDED OR LINKED OBJECTS** || **DESCRIPTION** ||
 * 7.a.1 || [[file:20100504-ED452InclusionInnovativeUnit1-MSaunders.doc]]
 * 7.a.2 || [|DSC00568.JPG] || East high school Acid rain ||
 * 7.a.3 || [[file:20100212-ED452B-Reflection1-MSaunders.doc]] || UDL ||
 * 7.b.1 || [|20091214-SWWLesson2-InvestigationTopics-MSaunders.doc] || SWW investigations ||
 * 7.c.1 || [|20100331-EastHigh-MSaunders (2).doc]
 * 7.c.2 || Reference 7.a.1 || East high Acid Rain ||
 * 7.d.1 || [|Picture_14.png]
 * 7.d.2 || [|stars graphs.doc]
 * 7.d.3 || [|20100319-EastHighObs2-MSaunders (4).doc]
 * 7.e.1 || Reference 7.b.1 || SWW investigations ||
 * 7.e.2 || [|DSC07468.JPG]
 * 7.f.1 || Reference 7.b.1 || SWW investigations ||
 * 7.f.2 || [|DSC07607.JPG]
 * 7.g.1 || @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fUAWuWD2Ls || iFlip video interviews ||
 * 7.g.2 || [|20100319-EastHighObs2-MSaunders (4).doc]

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