Wheelchair Experience

This activity was very interesting. I knew being in a wheelchair would be difficult, but I had no idea how much I really use my legs a day. Trying to use a handicapped bathroom was the hardest for me. No only could I hardly maneuver in those bathrooms, but trying to get from the chair to the toilet without using my legs was almost impossible. I couldn't help but move my legs a little bit to make it easier, and I didn't realize I was doing it until after the experience was over. Opening the door without using the button was also difficult. I use the button sometimes in my every day life, and I'm not even in a wheelchair. The door kept hitting my chair, and again, I couldn't help but move my legs to try to make it easier for me. Luckily, I didn't struggle for long before someone came to my rescue and opened the door for me. Throughout this experience, I realized just how difficult it is to do things I take for granted every day. However, I also realized how willing some people are to help. If I was really struggling with something, there was always someone there to help me out.

From my experience, no amount of extra instruction can take the place of pre- and post- assessments. If the teachers dont know what the students already know, chances are they will end up reteaching at least some of the material. Post-assessments are just as important, in that teachers need to be able to know if their students know the material on their own.

Pre- and Post- Assessments

Although the teacher might believe that avoiding pre and post assessments allow for more instruction time but in reality the assessments allow teachers to gauge how much information their students know prior to the instruction time as well as how much information they learn after the instruction time.

Pre and Post Assessments

To the teachers that said Pre and Post Assessments are time wasted that can be used for instruction, I would say that they are necessary. You cannot effectively measure the level of growth in students if you aren't assessing their progress. How can you tell if a student is actually learning unless you test them before their taught, then again after their taught? At that point, only assumptions can be made, and students may not be learning what they need to, which is vital information that can only be learned if they are tested.

I am not really sure what I would say probably just that from experience it is important to have a pre assessment and a post assessment. It has helped me with my preschool class when we talk before about what is happening in the class and what we can do to help the children before the class starts and then after the class we talk about what went well and what could be improved. I think that this has really helped the team improve their teaching and be able to help the children more and have a purpose about it.

Visual Impairments

I started with the mask that makes you almost completely blind and I started it right away to get that experience while I was walking down the hill back to the Clarke building. Well while I was walking through the Hinckley building the classes just got out so there were a lot of students walking around. It was really hard to be able to see them and I had to walk down the stairs. I was going really slow because I couldn't see the people around me I could just see the stairs right in front of me. I knocked into a couple of people while I did this. Then when I got down to the Clarke someone came around the corner but I didn't see them at first so it really scared me. I did get frustrated a lot while I was wearing this mask because I just had to directly look at someone to talk and I couldn't really try to work on homework while I talked and I can usually do that so I didn't get much done. Then after the hour I switched to the next mask and it just covered the right eye but it was still really weird and it was hard to look at the computer screen for to long or my other eye that I could see with would get blurry so everything was blurry and then if someone was on my right side I had to turn my head to talk to them and then after the hour I switched to the one where it blocks the left eye and once again it was just frustrating because I had to turn my head to look at people to be able to talk to them. This experience has been eye opening to me because I never stopped to think about how it would be to not be able to see around me and be able to see everything.

Wheelchair experience

This experience was very eye opening to me. I knew that it was hard to be in a wheelchair but I didn't realize how hard it is. Going down hill was so scary for me and luckily there was a girl that was walking down the hill so I asked her for help. She brought me most of the way down the hill and then I tried the last little part of the hill and it was so hard to keep control of the wheelchair. Then I went through the door without using the button and that was so hard I really struggled and pinched my hands a couple of times it took me like 5 minutes just to get through the door. It was a lot easier to go through with the button but it wasn't fast enough and I really had a hard time going fast through the door. When I went to the bathroom it was impossible for me I honestly could not do it at all. I couldn't figure out how to maneuver my body over to the toilet it was a little easier to get off the toilet to the wheelchair but I had the hardest time with that. I also had a hard time getting in the bathroom because there was a little ledge that was in the doorway I had to have someone help me through that spot. I think I got lucky a lot because there always seemed to be someone around when I needed help. I also sprayed my face when I got a drink from the drinking fountain because I was so much shorter then the drinking fountain I used. Then I attempted to go up the hill I lasted about 20 seconds and my arms were dying and I just couldn't get up the hill anymore! This experience really made me think about people in wheelchairs and how much they go through everyday with only being able to use their arms. They are very strong people emotionally and physically because I had the hardest time trying to control the wheelchair and going through doors. I am very thankful for my legs and what I am able to do. I really appreciate those that have to harder things then I do.

Pull-out VS Push-in

 In all honestly, I doubt that I would be happy doing only one job or another. I believe there is a time for everything whether is it removing the student to do some one-on-one instruction or being in the classroom and taking an extra minute to explain things in a different way. However, that is not possible so I think I would have to choose the push-in program because of the social interaction that the children with learning disabilities would be able to receive if they were in the classroom rather than out of it. Children with learning disabilities deserve to have as much normalcy as possible because if offers an opportunity for the other students to interact and get to know the students who have learning disabilities.

"pull in" or "pull out" classrooms

I would want a "pull in" classroom because I think that peer involvement can make a huge difference in the child. Sometimes if they are being too disruptive they can be pulled out to calm down but there is a paraprofessional there to help. As a teacher my job is to make every lesson developmentally appropriate for EVERYONE! It will be a bigger challenge and a lot harder to have a pull in classroom but it would benefit the child so much more to be around there peers and to be in a regular classroom all the time. In the real world when they aren't in school they won't be in one "special" room the whole time so I just think that it is really important for children with disabilities to get the full experience of school and I also think that it is good for the other children to have the experience with the children that have disabilities.

Special Ed Teacher

One school uses a "pull-out" program where students with learning disabilities leave the regular classroom to receive instruction in the resource room.  The other school uses a "push-in" program where the students stay in the regular classroom and the special education teacher or paraprofessional works with them there. I would choose the "pull-out" program. I believe there is quality resources and training in this program that can be very valuable to those in it. I believe that the time in the regular classroom is valuable as well, but I wouldn't want to get rid of that time in the resource room, either. 

Special Education Teacher

If I were offered a job at two different schools, one with a "pull out" program and one with a "push in" program, I would choose the "pull out" program. I think this system allows more for the student to be involved with their fellow peers. While they are pulled out to be in the resource room, it isn't for a long period of time. The "push in" system means there would be a special education teacher, or paraprofessional with the student at all times. In my opinion, this would keep the students cut off from their peers because they would consistently have someone by their side, and instead of getting to know their peers, they become dependent on the paraprofessional. I would rather have them with the other students most of the day, so they learn how to interact in social situations, instead of having someone attached to their hip all day long.

Functional Behavior Assessments

My favorite part of lesson six was learning about functional behavior assessments. I really like learning about behaviorism – I think it’s really interesting. I enjoyed seeing how you can break down a child’s behavior (setting events, antecedent, consequences, etc.) and its function. I didn’t realize that the goal is to ultimately give the child what they want, or reinforce more positive behavior by allowing them to experience the desired function of their negative behavior, but in more appropriate ways. It is counterintuitive, but it makes sense that this would be the most effective way to motivate the child to behave more appropriately. I also thought it was good to learn about the importance of a gradual process. We should set smaller goals first, and then help children work towards the ultimate goal little by little.