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.