CEC+2.+Development+and+Characteristics+of+Learners


 * 2. LEARNING **


 *  CEC Standard: **

__** 2. Development and Characteristics of Learners **__

//** a. Special educators know and demonstrate respect for their students first as unique human beings. Special educators understand the similarities and differences in human development and the characteristics between and among individuals with and without exceptional learning needs (ELN). **//

 I will always remember that visitor we had in ED 452 one weekend who came in to talk about her son who has autism. She taught us about seeing everything from the parents’ perspectives and giving them the opportunity to see their vision come true. She told us a story that was really powerful to me, and goes to show how you need to see students with disabilities as unique human beings. She read off two lists to us describing students and asked who we would rather have in our class. The first sheet described a child who needed extra attention in class, who randomly yelled out at times, who needed materials provided in text and in pictures, who needed to go to the resource room once a day, and who had a variety of other accommodations to consider. The next list described a child who loved the Yankees, whose favorite kind of ice cream was chocolate, he loved going camping with his family, liked Star Wars, and got along really well with his siblings. The fact of the matter was, these two lists described the same child, her son. One of the most accepting and accommodating teachers her son had was one who wanted to get to know him before school started. She didn’t care to see his IEP but wanted to get to know HIM, who he was, what he likes, what his personality was like, etc. She did not want to have a first impression of him as a list of needs, but wanted to get to know the child he was. It is a good way to remind everyone that yes, it is important to read over a child’s IEP and see what he may need, but it is even more important to disregard the IEP the first week or so, to get to know the child as a person, independent of their disability. It might even be difficult to recognize he has one. But for some teachers who go in with the thought of having to do so many extra things for a certain child, they are already strengthening the label he has been given rather than being truly inclusive and meeting him for the first time just like one would be meeting all the other non-disabled students in the class; with no assumptions present. Each student brings with him his own personality, strengths, and experiences, which can be a great addition to any class. Teachers just have to believe that, and then embrace the differences to allow for a more diverse classroom where students have so much to share and learn from each other.

 Special educators must also understand the similarities and differences between and among students with and without ELN. For students in general, teachers should be looking for age appropriate behavior. Often, if that is not present, then something might present itself as atypical and might become a concern. One has to consider how often it occurs, how severe it is, and so forth. Another thing to look at is a child’s language development. Once children progress through the stages of development, they typically learn the components of language and have higher levels of semantics and pragmatics. Some differences start to be noticed when the child is young and whether they are able to follow simple directions and how they are at expressing language. Sometimes students have learning disabilities where they have trouble grasping concepts or need something broken down further. The differences between intelligence and achievement tests can tell a professional whether a student has a disability and how they perform in relation to their peers. I performed an achievement test on a student at Brighton High School for my summer class. The test I performed was the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). I learned about the student, administered 4 sections of the test, learned how to score it, entered her age/grade based percentage, and gave her my own authentic assessment that I felt would better test her knowledge of one of the four sections (2.a.1). However, when teaching through differentiated instruction, the needs of all students can be met, providing them with choice, accommodations or modifications if needed, and each student can reach their highest potential. However, whether students have ELN or not, all students have their needs and preferences. All children want to fit in, want to make friends, and do not want to stand out from the group. It is crucial to remember this and make a safe environment for all students so that they can feel comfortable getting to know and working with each other.   //** b. Special educators understand how exceptional conditions can interact with the domains of human development and they use this knowledge to respond to the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals with ELN. **//

 Exceptional conditions can interact with the domains of human development by slowing the developmental process and making it more difficult for a student to perform at a higher cognitive level simply due to biological processes out of his or her control. There were terrible times in history when people did not even view people with disabilities as “human.” People with disabilities are just different though. Cognitively they might have some troubles, and intellectually they may need modifications or assistance. However, it is important for teachers to understand that being different does not mean they are inferior or inept. I have read articles and seen movie clips where people with ELN can communicate and have such expressive language, just not in a language that most people can understand. The first thing that comes to mind is the video where the person was humming, running their hands under water and so forth. To other people it could be just movement or annoyance, but that was the development of this person who was getting to know the world around them. It shows how teachers need to be cognizant of all the different senses one can use to communicate, for everyone has something they are feeling and thinking. Teachers have to provide ways for people to express themselves kinesthetically, visually, verbally, etc. Other students may be on varying levels or have different abilities from the majority of the class. However, it does not mean that he or she cannot understand something. One has to be aware of the student’s readiness level, providing them with alternate readings or books that are tailored to their developmental level, still addressing the same content information. Teachers must also understand that sometimes certain students need things to be much more explicit so that they can follow directions, or understand what meaning is being conveyed, or simply so it does not discourage them from reading it and they can put the pieces together afterward. In order to respond to the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals, it sometimes takes time to find out what works best for them. In order to respond to a need, they might be referred for special education, or the teacher works to better differentiate the lessons. By going through the IEP and observing his or her needs and goals, they can structure lessons to meet those goals and cater to his or her needs. Sometimes students will know and sometimes they won’t, but it can always be helpful to go directly to the student and ask what works best for him or her. I did that for two of my students who had IEPs. We were having difficulties with their behavior in the classroom, so I asked them what they thought about the activity, what they liked, what they didn’t like, and what they might have preferred. I found out they liked group work, they liked games that had a bit of competition, and they could not believe how easy reading a prompt and answering it was when I broke down the prompt for them into several sections they could focus on. That class they acted so mature and so focused, that I sent two letters home with them to translate to their parents (2.b.1). They came back the next day saying how excited and proud their parents were of them, because they rarely get anything positive sent home, usually only negative. Also, I do not think the teachers had ever really asked them for their opinions. I think that once they saw I had taken their ideas and used them, they were so much more willing to cooperate, plus it really did help out their learning needs and preferences!

//** c. Special educators understand how the experiences of individuals with ELN can impact families, as well as the individual’s ability to learn, interact socially, and live as fulfilled contributing members of the community. **//

 It is necessary to recognize how the experiences of individuals with ELN can impact families, as well as their own lives. A student with ELN can have trouble learning, interacting socially, as well as living as fulfilled contributing members of the community. However, if there are people there to support him, provide them with the services he needs and teach him self-determination and how to self-advocate, then all of this is more than possible! The experiences of ELN can be hard on families who did not expect to have a child with ELN and who hear this socially constructed idea that he or she will not be able to accomplish as much as another child. It can be very hard on a family emotionally and physically. Once they are in school, families become the number one advocate for the child, having to do a lot of research, meet with teachers, and constantly try to get everyone to help out in the best-interest of the child, as mentioned in the article I wrote my journal critique on (2.c.1). It can also be very difficult for the parent to not get discouraged and feel powerless in IEP meetings if there is not someone there informing them of what is going on, what things mean, and what they can do. This is the job of the special educator. Parents need to be involved, need to feel empowered, and need to be able to be a part of the decisions made for their child. After all, they know the child best. There was an excerpt we read from Raising Blaze, that puts you into the shoes of the mother of a child who has been referred to special education. She feels as though she has done something wrong, and the staff at the meeting is not being clear on what has happened and she feels helpless like they have already made a decision for her on what Blaze will have to do. The individual him or herself, once labeled, often succumbs to lower expectations held by teachers who should not be in the field. All students need to recognize that they are just as capable as other students, and teachers have to have high expectations for them as well. Whether that means providing accommodations or modifications, students can achieve great things and reach the same standards as others, just taking a different path to get there. As we have learned, “fair is not always equal” but students have a right to receive what they need to reach those standards and expectations to be successful just like others (2.c.2). Special educators also need to encourage students to interact socially and help them become contributing members of the community. I have read articles, and experienced in my own classes where teachers often encourage students to become part of a club or group to help them meet peers they can relate to. Getting involved in the community can also be helpful, and it helps in the transition process when they have networked and made connections so that they can be involved in the lives of others and they can work, interact, and socialize all together.  || ED 405 - WIAT ||
 * **EVIDENCE #** || **EMBEDDED OR LINKED OBJECT** || **DESCRIPTION** ||
 * 2.a.1 || [[file:20100628-ED405Part3-MSaunders.doc]]
 * 2.b.1 || [|DSC07661.JPG] || Letters home ||
 * 2.c.1 || [[file:Saunders art crit.doc]] || Journal critique ||
 * 2.c.2 || [[image:http://www.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/msword.png height="32" link="http://comprehensiveportfolio-msaunders.wikispaces.com/file/view/20100804-ED451WhatWeLearned-MSaunders.doc"]] [|20100804-ED451WhatWeLearned-MSaunders.doc] || ED 451 Final Reflection. what we learned: "fair is not always equal" ||

home