Group Differences Post (12-4)

   My overall thoughts of the discussion were enlightening. Many points, about all topics, challenged my thinking and even my biases that I had come into the class with, making me rethink my own stance of what I believed, or more importantly, what stance I should have for the bettering of my students. I felt that all topics had such factual backgrounds that it was hard to disagree with many, if any of them. 

   The points that were made in the ableism discussion (obviously) were the ones that I agreed with most, simply because I was the most educated in that field. It was my goal to not talk a lot in that discussion because I wanted to hear what everyone else had to say, and I stuck with my goal. My thoughts were really challenged with my own topic of poverty and the rural population topic. Not being from an area where either one of these issues were prevalent, opened my eyes to the fact that these problems exist. I was surprised to know that biases and prejudice against rural areas was still in existence. I'm sure that I will continue to be more surprised about what I find in the classroom as I gain more experience.

   I would love to use a group difference forum in my classrooms. I feel that it is a great opportunity for students to become 'experts' in a field, gives them an opportunity to practice summarization of facts, and become leaders in discussion. It helps with critical thinking skills and communication skills. 

PLE 3 (9-10)

Although I am technically a Special Education major, I have had little experience with students who have disabilities other than deafness. Because of my lack of experience, I was really in shock for the majority of Barb Rentenbach’s presentation. It was nice to finally put some of my ‘textbook knowledge’ to reality. Books can only teach you so much and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to see her!

I was astounded at her communication method! At first, I almost pitied her because of how long it took her to get one sentence out, and after a little while it hit me that she may not want to be pitied. Hearing about her accolades and accomplishments doesn't make me want to pity her at all, it makes me admire her so much! I was so inspired by her sense of humor. I suppose in a situation like that, humor can be your lifeline.

I was very humbled, as well, to see her stance in her outlook on education. I feel that it’s vital for her to travel and speak not only to people who are without disabilities, but for people who do have disabilities. I feel strongly that she is an example of a strong woman who has the story ‘if I can do it, anyone can do it.’ I will be on the lookout for her books because I’m highly interested in reading them. 

PLE 6 (10-8)

(b)

From a behaviorist perspective, the behaviors of Cherie can be worked through using reinforcement, whether that is positive or negative, or punishment. Cherie clearly needs explicit instruction. While she may be aware of the general rules of the classroom, it might could be assumed that she has no rules at home, so she needs to be told exactly how to act and how not to act in the classroom. When she acts up after having been told the expectations, I would move to negative reinforcement, such as removing her from her friends to sit alone, taking away points from her participation grade, etc. At the same time, I would start positive reinforcement, such as praising her for doing what she's supposed to be doing, letting her sit back with her friends, etc.

I feel that Cherie either has very high or very low self-efficacy because of her actions. She is either acting up out of low self-efficacy to have students pay attention to her and possibly like her or she's acting up because she knows that her actions are what makes her a 'cool' kid. By removing her from her friends in class, she no longer has an audience, possibly helping her act out less in front of them. At the same time, self-regulation could be used for her to keep track of when she's doing well and when she's not. It gives her a sense of responsibility for herself and her actions. If she catches herself behaving well and the teacher notices, hopefully her self-efficacy will be high, but not to the point where she still feels the needs to seek attention from the students.

PLE 5 (9-24)

Creating a productive learning environment is essential for any and every classroom. Without a safe and inviting atmosphere, students will not be productive socially, emotionally, or educationally.

I frequently think about my first day of classes with my new students. I can see myself giving them the once-over on what they can expect in the class, my expectations of them as far as education and behavior, and explaining the classroom setup. Skipping these procedures within the first few days is a vital error because it can lead to ignorance, misunderstandings, and laziness from the students.

I've never pictured myself as the type of teacher who insisted that the classroom be a place of lecture where students are to be seen and not heard. I feel that I will encourage a healthy amount of sharing one's opinions and ideas with the class, encourage questions from all (after all, there are no dumb questions), and will not be stuck on the idea of raising hands before speaking as long as respect towards others is shown in conversation.

My perfect classroom includes:
A large room with 1 window
Chairs and desks in a semi-circular pattern around the whiteboard/smartboard
Sound eliminating/minimizing materials (curtains, carpeted floors, etc)
A 'technology corner' with computers and ipads
A 'chill pill corner' with magazines, flowers, small aquarium with fish, and a bean bag
A 'book corner' with a bookcase full of books of all genres and reading levels, complete with a reading mat and pillows

PLE 4 (9-12)

For me, I was always motivated extrinsically. I wanted a prize, recognition, and to feel special for the work that I had done. Though I've tried to change into a person who is intrinsically motivated, it's not quite worked. Even now in college, I'm not necessarily motivated by the degree itself I will get in December, but rather I'm motivated because I don't want to fail or do poorly and end up wasting my money. In my opinion, this mind frame I have seems to be the Behaviorist theory.

However, my family has a huge impact on my success. I'm not necessarily motivated by them reminding me every week that I should get a Ph.d, but over the last few years I've started to see for myself that I probably should strive to do that. This fits perfectly into the Sociocultural theory.

Because everyone is different, as a teacher, it's smart to implement motivation that is beneficial for those who are extrinsically and intrinsically motivated. That means reminding students how important x is, tell them what a great job they're doing, have a supportive environment for all successes and failures, as well as having rewards for doing good, and incentives to not do poorly. I feel that these concepts put into action should be able to cover many of the students that would be motivated this way.

In my classroom, I would like to use the cognitive theory by letting the students feel that they have control and choice in their activities, because this is the point where they figure out the causes of their successes and failures, which in turn influence their behaviors. For example, my students can have a set list of projects to do, and may choose which to do, having seen what each consist of and the requirements that go into it. They choose how much input they do, knowing what the rubric says is required of them, putting them in control of their grade. Being specific in detail while grading helps them understand what they missed and why, giving them an understanding of how to improve for the next project, motivating them further.

PLE 2 (9-3)

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Performance assessment: I would use these in my classroom frequently, simply asking each student to share one example, of fill-in-the-blank topic, with the class. These assessments are great for my deaf students since most struggle with writing in English.

Teacher-developed assessment: I would prefer to use these with my students, rather than the standardized tests. My deaf students are already behind grade level on most content areas. Though time consuming, I'd gladly make exams that will show me that they know the content area of what was covered without having material they can't understand or that is over their head. These would not necessarily be written tests because I would give them options of different ways they could convey what they have learned.

Criterion-referenced assessment: Each of my students is on a different learning level and language level, highly dependent on his/her background. With that in consideration, I don't find it necessary to reference them to each other. I would rather focus on whether or not my students understand the content and have mastered it. Instead of a written assignment, I can always have them "talk" me through the process of content area topic, to show mastery or non mastery.

Authentic assessment: Because the majority of my students live on campus and rarely leave, it is vital for my students to have as much access to skills needed in the 'real world' as possible. Setting up stations and doing role play would be great assessment for my students because it is authentic.

Informal assessment/Formal assessment: I'm torn between these two. The majority of students, whether special Ed or not, dislike tests, but they must complete them, regardless, at the end of the year (TCAP/PARCC/EOC) and possibly later, when planning for their futures (SAT/ACT). I would do occasional formal tests because they need to know how to handle that kind of situation and the pressures that come with it. I would prefer, however to do more frequent informal assessments, such as writing a short essay, group work activities, power-points, etc.

PLE 1 (8-26)

Our first class session was surprising to me. Not only did I expect many more students to be in the class, but the layout of the class, according to what we talked about and what is noted in the syllabus is different than what I expected. The previous ED Psyche class I took (which was about 2 years ago) relied heavily on loads of classwork and homework, and, thankfully, I feel that this class will be much lighter and laid back. I remember being interested in Piaget and his different methods, studies, and theories. As a whole, I'd love to soak in all the information to help me be a better educator and leader in my future student's lives. I feel that in Deaf Education, so much negativity is brought about because teachers look at all the things their students can't do, and I'd like to use the information in this class to better me and my students.