Disability Activities - Kassidy Norman

Throughout the semester I had the opportunity to "try on" a disability for a couple of hours. This was really eye opening to me and it was really difficult and frustrating at times but I really enjoyed being able to experience some of the different disabilities. The wheelchair really opened my eyes to a whole new world without being able to use my legs. It was frustrating at times when I trying to get to one place but there were people in the way I just wanted to get up and walk because it would've been so much easier but people who really are paralyzed can't do that and that must be very frustrating to them. The masks were interesting to me because I got to know a little bit of how it would be to not see very well. They gave me a headache and I had to have someone take notes for me. It was hard for me to not be able to see everything around me and that I was limited to my what I could see but it was interesting to know what it feels like to have that disability. The two speech ones were the most difficult and frustrating to me. Not being able to say my l's and s's was very hard to have to really think about things before I said it. The stutter was difficult as well because I felt as if people were looking at me differently and I was embarrassed. But all in all I really enjoyed these experiences and they really opened my eyes to how individuals wit disabilities must feel like and how we really need to care for them and help them feel as included in the world even though they may feel "different."

Lesson 12 - Kassidy Norman

This week we discussed how to respond to student behavior whether it be positive or negative. There are two different types called positive behavioral and intervention supports (PBIS) and positive behavior supports (PBS). These are important because they are trying to give alternate punishments for negative and positive behaviors. They are trying to lean away from punishing a child and using alternatives to this behavior. Reviewing the case study was helpful to really get to understand what these two types are and how to put them into action.

Lesson 12 - Sarah Holgado

This week we discussed different responses to student behavior. We learned about the two different kinds of behavioral supports - positive behavioral and intervention supports (PBIS) and positive behavior supports (PBS). This is to reinforce positive and negative behavior for students without punishing them. In class, we looked at a case study within our groups. This helped me to deepen my understanding of PBIS and PBS. 

Lesson 10 - Sarah Holgado

This week Brother Christopherson and Brother Cloward taught us about different team teaching styles. They split the class into two groups. The people in Brother Christopherson's group searched through IRIS to find acronyms for different age groups. In Brother Cloward's group, they used the textbook to search for acronyms depending on what was school-age appropriate. It was a nice change to work in smaller groups so we could have more interaction with our teachers. It always helps me to participate more in class discussion when it's with fewer people. 

Lesson 5 - Sarah Holgado

This week our lesson revolved around assessing student need and planning for instruction. We were instructed to read chapters four and five in the textbook. I learned to recognize and articulate the educational needs and classroom implications of students, especially those with exceptional learning needs. In class we reviewed a case study that help develop a deeper understanding of student need and instruction.

Lesson 1 - Sarah Holgado

This week we read a few general conference talks to prepare for class. The "Doctrine of Inclusion" is a very inspiring talk that stresses the importance of including everyone, regardless of culture, race, or disability. In class we read statements about different topics in special education where you had to physically move around the room to designated places to stand under a sign that read strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. We had to defend our position based on the sign we were standing by. This was a good experience because I learned how to voice my opinion and advocate for children.

Lesson 12 - Amanda N.

This week, we studied how to respond to student behavior. We also learned about two different kinds of behavioral supports, which are positive behavioral and intervention supports (PBIS) and positive behavior supports (PBS). The purpose is to reinforce both positive and negative behavior for students without using forms of punishment. Teachers should have set classroom rules and expectations for their students to follow and it is important to always go through the expectations. We also got to look at different case studies in groups. The scenario I learned about was a second grader who had transferred from a different school and he did not know what the classroom rules were and he struggled with his behavior. The teacher and class should make him feel welcome and help explain to him the class expectations.