week 6

Here are all of my recourses for learning disabilities. 

https://ldaamerica.org/resources/

This is a great website for it has guides that are true to life for teaching and learning and it explains disabilities such as ADHD. It is important for the teacher to know and understand the disabilities of her students so that she can help educate them. This site is also beneficial for the teachers because it has a listing of disability-related resources in each state.

https://www.ncld.org/

The National Center for Learning Disabilities website is also very beneficial for teachers and the students in the classroom. It explains many different disabilities that are extremely prevalent in the school systems today. For example: dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADHD. There is also a technology system integration part to read about on this website which is important for teachers for there is a real importance for ALL students to have technology integrated into their classes. Furthermore, in this website, they address ESSA-missed opportunities for students with disabilities. This is a must-read in order to prevent this from happening and so that all types of students, even with disabilities will be attended to.

http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/specific-learning-disabilities/

This website has a lot of information that a teacher should read in order to understand a student that may be struggling. It explains many disabilities which may help the teacher and direct her, how to approach that student’s academic achievement in school.  It also ensures that the teacher is “diagnosing” the student with the right disorder and the impact that the disorder has on the students learning abilities.  Its important for teachers to be knowledgeable in this.

keystone case study

view my keystone case study here!

new article-week 5

View the article here

The article is about a teacher who became a teacher. Her classes often contained a mix of students but she had no idea how to handle her students with disabilities. Their educational challenges ranged from all different deficits to behavioral disturbance. She had to learn a lot of how to handle her students on her own because she was never instructed properly about how to run such a class. There is a crucial need today for teachers to have both the knowledge and the ability to teach students with special needs. There is a national push to take students who have special needs out of isolation, therefore, most of them now spend majority of their days in special education classrooms. The problem is that training programs are doing little to prepare teachers with the right skills. The teacher “Fair” was an example of one of those teachers.

UDL lesson plan

view my  first UDL lesson plan here
view my second UDL lesson plan here

week 4-2

view my article on current issues on technology and English language learners here
In summary, English language learners gain very much from the reinforcement of vocabulary and concepts through pictures, graphics and video. They also benefit from being able to use technology as a tool to help them express themselves. As the authors demonstrate, technology helps English language learners find a voice, easing the transition to a new language. When the students use technology, it is very beneficial because the teacher can provide students with the necessary contextual cues  for them to fully understand new concepts. There are many different types of new technology coming out that can help ELL. There are digital whiteboards, having a discussion board and more.

UDL on the lesson

lesson
This lesson on butterflies is incredible! It starts with asking the students a basic question so that they keep the main theme in mind. (why)The students were able to answer to a partner, or to the class, as long as they share their their ideas. Everyone shares what they know on the topic-recognition. (what) Furthermore, the student's responses were put on either a whiteboard or on the projector. (what) This helps the teacher know the level that the student is on and how much they are understanding. Also, the students were asked all different questions on the understanding of the topic and questions to generate a discussion. This allows the students to express themselves freely.  Representation-show a model of the butterfly cycle and the students will be able to look at their cards to see it. Students were able to learn in either a small group or on their own. (how) The students got to choose an animal of their own choice-engagement. There are also learning centers in which the student can choose 2 centers to go to depending on his/her interests. the teacher is also always available to answer questions and to hear the ideas of the students-caring (why) The students work was put up on the board in a chart of similarities and differences-recognition-(what) At the end of the lesson, there was a great wrap up of problem solving for students to think and be creative-(how)
why what how

UDL

Universal Design for Learning is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights about how the human learns.

In a diverse classroom, UDL maximizes the learning for all the different types of students. The curriculum should provide the needs and interests of EVERY student. There are 3 parts in our brain. 1) recognition-the what of learning. 2)skills and strategies-the how of learning 3) caring and prioritizing-the why of learning. 

In the classroom, when creating a lesson, ask yourself: what is my goal?! each lesson has to incorporate many ways of representation of the topic. also, there should be many options for actions and expressions in which the students can express themselves. thirdly, engagement. Give students choices to help them fuel their interests. Always keep in mind the goal.