Article 4: Teaching Special Kids:Online Resources for Teachers

Summary:

The article reveals resources for internet searches for teachers working with special needs students by narrowing the list to particular topics. It particularly covers lessons and activities for special students, informational resources, technology sites, and additional special education sites with a short concise explanation of each. The links are in the informational paragraph of the subjects covered.

Reaction:

The article is valuable for my future teacher plans, since I plan on working in special education. The information for a variety of teaching resources is on the same page and the explanations are to the point. When an issue arises I want a solution fast and this article solves lengthy searching online. The article’s link for The Instant Access Treasure Chest is broken, however it is available at http://www.has.vcu.edu/for/ld/ld.html. That is the only problem with the article since I found it useful and informative overall.

Moore, S. (1999, April 15). The Foreign Language Teacher's Guide to Learning Disabilities . Retrieved April 30, 2011, from The Instant Access Treasure Chest : http://www.has.vcu.edu/for/ld/ld.html

Star, L. (2010, June 08). Teaching Special Kids:Online Resources for Teachers. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from Education World: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr139.shtml

Article 3: Classroom-Management Tips for Teachers

 Summary:

Spot lights favorite tricks of the trade for classroom management. The first one covered is a kindergarten classroom where students ask to get a drink of water or to go to the bathroom in sign language. The teacher answers back in sign language; it is less disruptive to the rest of the class. Then the video covers redirecting students when they are focused on unwanted behavior. The example is a student crying because she misses her mother, the teacher asks the student to get a Kleenex. The student is redirected to get a tissue and it is all that it takes for the crying to be over.
Next trick is using “Fishbowl” for discussions to learn manners and math, they are asked to look for evidence of subjects for discussion then talk about it after wards. It is helpful for how to use manners, when to ask questions, identifying particular types of language, ways to ask questions, and how to disagree.  Once foundation is built the academics can be more thoughtful. This is the pair and share concept where they are guided to understand the concept correctly.

The next tip is how to quiet the classroom by not raising your voice louder than the students. Counting backward is the example, and clapping or flicking the lights, as long as you don’t raise your voice, since students will talk louder also creating chaos.

Next tip is to reinforce lessons each day by greeting students at the door to the classroom with a handshake and a question. The criteria for each student are to have a firm handshake and to answer questions correctly or go to the end of the line to be asked again and they cannot enter the room. Questions are from lessons taught four weeks ago and the way the teacher connects with his students.

Reaction:

The article adds vast ideas for managing the classroom I particularly like the “Fishbowl” idea. After teaching a class at the high school level it was hard to tell if the students actually pair and shared the lesson. To have gone over the reason for the pair and share first would have made the idea concrete to students.  All of the ideas are good and I would use all of them. In the self-contained classroom some of the students are non verbal so sign language is a vital instructional tool, I had not thought of teaching basic sign language for the bathroom and getting water for general education. Super tips!

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2008, 11 19). Classroom-Management Tips for Teachers. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-management-teacher-tips-video

Article 2: The Backwards Class

Summary:

This article explains how Stacy Roshan uses pre-recorded lectures for her class to watch the night before class. The idea is to watch the lecture to come to class knowing how to do their AP Calculus assignments; then when students have questions about assignments they have a Roshan able to give for 1 on 1 assistance the day. The process requires Roshan to spend more time recording lectures, but more time helping students in a fast paced class that before the recording left students bewildered.

Reaction:

This has been one of the best ideas for using technology resources since the chalkboard. It saves time giving a lecture without people asking questions and teachers stopping to answer. Also if a student has basic need thoughts (hungry, restroom, or is tired) they can satisfy those needs by pausing the lecture and coming back to it fully attentive to the communication. The negative side recording the lesson would be the time invested in it, and then if the curriculum changes the lectures would need to be updated.

Schaffhauser, D. (2011, Febuary 02). The Backwards Class. Retrieved April 05, 2011, from The Journal: http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/02/02/the-backwards-class.aspx

Article 1: A School That's Too High on Gizmos

Summary:

This article is in The Washington Post by Patrick Welsh, a teacher who has taught for more than 30 years at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria. The high school he teaches at has been replaced by a $98 million building with ceiling-mounted LCD projectors and 126 security cameras; teachers received “school pads” to use in the classroom to control overhead projectors. “the Magna Doodle pads we had as kids. It's another way to waste money for people who are too lazy to write on the board.” (Welsh, 2008) In his article he points out the reaction of teachers of the district pushing technology at a high price, even when there are resources that have worked well in the past and in many cases is a better choice, with laptop computers not uploading programs for class, outdated technology, and failed connection to the wireless server. His message is for the district to know great teachers have completely different styles and not all need to use expensive “gizmos”.

Reaction:

The article leads the reader to believe that school districts are blindly supplying technology to students and teachers. It would not be far to believe Welsh is on target with his view of technology being pushed too hard. However these tools are here for the long run, and some people have trouble with change. Learning the process will require extra work and time, though one would believe it be economically feasible for the future. It is the job of the school districts to be cost efficient and this appears to be the case, at least it seems to be an attempt for that goal.


Welsh, P. (2008, February 10). The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 29, 2011, from The Washington Post Web site: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803271.html