Nick Guerrero December 6, 2012 SPED 405 Assignment C Section 1: Micha seems to have a learning disability, which results

from a traumatic event that he unfortunately experienced early on in her life. Given the amount of information presented about his learning disability, my educated opinion would state that he is currently suffering from a mental health condition that is the result of a severe and extraordinary stressor in the individuals life that may stems from a violent crime, or the witnessing of violent incident. Symptoms of this condition tend to include flashbacks, nightmares, and extreme anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts (QUOTE). Individuals with experiences such as the following have difficulty adjusting back to society after the event and coping with the situation as well. Often times, even if treatment is sought out immediately, an individual can last anywhere from a few months to sometimes years. Unfortunately, long-term effects are prevalent in many patients as well. Micha has began to have issues with the law and I believe conferences with the school counselor should be implemented immediately in order for the student to express their feelings, talk about issues at home, and give an opportunity for the counselor to begin having conversations about the childs future. He also has missed a significant amount of school which is hindering his education. A free period should be added to his course load in order to allow for the student to begin catching up on any missed assignments and material. During this free period, the student can also begin to map out what needs to be done in order to salvage the semester and finish on the highest note possible. Also, an after school session should be opened to the student to continue planning and add additional time to complete work. The fact that he feels comfortable enough to speak with me and joke around on a daily basis is extremely beneficial

and will inevitably help me reach the student since he sees me as someone he can confide in. I plan on using this to my advantage by using it as a segway to talk about issues such as work that needs to be completed, additional planning, and any other issues that I am qualified to speak with the students about. In doing so, I can also begin to discuss the prevalent issue of interaction between him and other students during group work and discussions. Micha repeatedly loses his temper and yells at his peers when they try to engage him during the following work. Ultimately, causing them to ignore him entirely to avoid his outbursts. In order for the student to be successful and engage the material, these temper tantrums and outbursts need to subside. Calm discussions, explanations of what is acceptable and unacceptable, and give and take sessions need to be addressed with the student in order to get to the bottom of the issue. One of the last and most prominent issues the student is currently experiencing are the cuts on his forearm that seem to be increasing as opposed to declining. Seeing as how I am not qualified for an issue like the following, it is my duty to immediately notify administration and the Department of Children and Family Services. If the child is inflicting pain on himself or being caused pain by another individual, the issue must be dealt immediately and properly in order to aid with the students success in and outside the classroom. Lizzy seems to be having a learning disability that stems from reading, decoding, and remembering important information. Given the amount of information presented about her learning disability, my educated opinion would assume that fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read is severely impaired. Often times, the disability can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, processing speed, and working memory. Lizzies case is specific to decoding which causes difficulty with understanding the link between letters and sounds. As a result, the learning disabled cannot decode words or use

phonics skills to sound out words. Reading and decoding disabilities are physically and psychologically draining for students and often times causes them to refrain from reading which in turn causes more problems for the student in the long run. Lizzie is currently the captain of her swim team and is involved with the school photography club which are beneficial her academics seeing as how there are strong correlations between extracurricular activities and success in academics. Unfortunately, many institutions will suspend a student from extracurricular activities if their grades begin to suffer. If the following is done to Lizzie, she may begin to lose interest in improving her reading and decoding disability which will drastically affect her engagement and progress in the classroom. Therefore, extra time should be allotted during her reading assignments and planning periods should be implemented in order to show the student that we not only want to prevent any so action from happening, but also help her succeed and surpass her disability. Seeing as how Lizzie has been receiving support since the 2nd grade and no improvement has been noted, I think a reassessment of the students supports and IEPs is in order as well. Many education plans for students tend to stay the same for three years until they are required by law to reevaluate the students plan. In this case, it may be wise for the parents and teacher to apply for a reevaluation if the initial supports and plans are ineffective. The students disability is specific to decoding which makes reading print text quite difficult for her. In order to assist her in this aspect, assistive technology should be implemented into her curriculum which contains, any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability (Rosenberg, 220). For example, personal computers can be used as programs to convert text to speech which would benefit the students needs and help her move forward in the class. Lizzie is

also having difficulty remembering material after shes read it which can be frustrating for the student since the are in fact putting in the effort, but not receiving any results. Therefore, the information processing model as well as the stages of learning should be explained to the student in order for her to grasp the concepts in which she is trying to comprehend. Once again the following student has confided in me that she is struggling with the material which is why she has refrained from participating in class discussions. The fact that the student is also comfortable enough to speak with me inevitably allows for me speak and reach out to the student in more than a teacher to student way. I plan on using this to my advantage by using it as a segway to talk about the following concerns that she has addressed. Lastly, Lizzies self esteem has began to decline as well seeing as how she is beginning to feel poorly about herself and her performance. I believe it would be an appropriate time to set up meeting with her and the school counselor in order for her to address these issues and make sure they do not amplify and affect other parts of the students life. Susan is obviously having difficult seeing within her classroom and has been diagnosed with a visual impairment. Visual impairment is visual loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through significant limitation of visual capability. In the United States, the terms, partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally blind are used by educational institutions to classify students with visual impairments (Rosenberg, 354). Technically, Susan is legally blind which indicates that she has less than 20/200 vision in the better eye after best correction, or a field vision of less than 20 degrees in the better eye. Unfortunately, this has altered a great deal of her school life and caused for appropriate accommodations to be implemented for her in order to ensure that she succeeds in the classroom. Susan is currently involved in the school newspaper and has aspirations in becoming a

journalist. In order to keep Susan engaged and have a positive outlook on her future, positive reinforcement as well as appropriate education support, accommodations, and assistive technology must be at her disposal. She is currently in general education for all of her subjects and receives special education support in the area of orientation and mobility which allows her to move freely and safely from destination to destination. Communication boards and devices that translate written words into tactile symbols for those who read braille are among a few examples where we can aid her with mobility for her visual impairment. Text and assignment accommodations as well as assistive technology are just other methods and devices which alleviate the difficulties Susan may face and are incorporated within her curriculum. In order for Susan to succeed in the classroom, braille must be at her disposal as well as personal computers with programs such as speech to text. By incorporating the following into Susans everyday curriculum, she will be able to learn just as equally and effectively as all the other students and access the content of all her classes since the appropriate technology and accommodations are being utilized and met. One of Susans main concerns is continuing her education and seeking higher education at the college level. However, she is quite concerned about being able to advocate for herself in making sure that she will receive the appropriate accommodations and the proper measure will be taken for her at that level. At this point, I plan on setting up meeting with both the guidance counselor as well as the college advisor. By speaking with the guidance counselor, Susan can voice her concerns and explain the difficult feelings she is having which will in turn help her deal with the stress of the situation. Also, by meeting with the college advisor, the advisor can give information on the potential universities or colleges that will accommodate her the most. She can begin to look ahead and plan for her future as well as feel confident about her future plans.

Section 2: The following was an original lesson that had been written up and performed during my observations previously this semester. The following was taught to an Honors English senior class and lasted the entire class period, 45 minutes. The lesson was part of a larger unit which dealt with the reading and instruction of George Orwells 1984. The following novel was written in 1948 and depicted a totalitarian style of government, which is what the author believed the future would resemble, had communism continued to soar. With the recent election passing and political views at a high, the instructor made it a priority to have his primary objective for the unit to identify and dissect the major themes as well as make correlations between them and society at present time. Throughout the unit various types of assessments were used to gauge the students learning. Of them were, exams, quizzes, socratic circle seminars or student led discussions, presentations, and essay prompts. My lesson deviated away from the following and incorporated the understanding and use of themes, individual work and collaboration, and mini presentations. The lesson I chose to construct for the end of the unit was similar to a class debate. Students split into two groups and given two topics which incorporated prevalent themes in the novel. Students were then responsible for attacking or defending the scenario individually and then collaboratively. For example, upon reading scenario one to themselves, all students were given two minutes, regardless of attacking or defending, to write out ways in which they would go about presenting their arguments while at the same time incorporating the themes to both their argument and society. Upon completing this phase, students would then be given an additional two minutes to work collaboratively and present their information with each other. In doing so, each group

would be responsible for incorporating all of their findings into one argument. Each group would then be given three minutes each to present their information. Once the debate portion of the lesson was complete, I had given my students an impromptu essay in order to prepare them for the end of the unit assessment which was going to be a final exam. The students were then

responsible for outlining their main ideas as well as constructing the essay in a total of 15 minutes. Once the allotted time had expired, notes on the main ideas and most important information would be presented to the students so to inform them on what is necessary and what could be left out upon grading the real essay on the final exam. Here is the following assignment:

Section 3: In order to address the Michas issues in the lesson, I think the first course of action would be to set up a schedule where he can meet with the school counselor which should have been implemented weeks before the commencement of the lesson. It is evident that he is having issues with anxiety and depression and by implementing this program, we will help his mood towards himself and his peers. The counselor will also be able to explain how his actions have consequences and begin to put things in perspective as far as the legal repercussions he could face depending on the severity of his actions. Taking Micha out of class each week will definitely affect his learning, however, combating the prevalent issue will in the long run help him control his anxiety and depression which will benefit him much more in the future. Micha continues to fall behind and dig a bigger hole for himself regarding assignments and coursework. In order to implement some sort of damage control, it may be beneficial to withdraw Micha from one of his electives and replace it with a study hall/ free period. In doing so, Micha can work on common core content and complete the material he has fallen behind within these courses. In particular with this lesson, Micha will probably not have enough time to complete the tasks due to his anxiety. Therefore, additional time accommodations will need to be implemented for Micha, especially during the essay portion of the assignment. Allowing for Micha to complete as much of the assignment in class and completing the remainder of the assignment at home will allow for the student to be much more relaxed and refrain from having any anxiety attacks due to time constraints. Upon completing the assignment, I can work with the student one on one in the free period to discuss his work. It is evident Micha has difficulty working with others and the following lesson has a large amount of group work. Due to his difficulty with collaboration, the option of working alone and presenting his findings and arguments to me while the rest of the class works in groups will be

sufficient. If he insists on working with a group, I can allow for him to choose what group he wants to be in since he will be able to choose students he feels more comfortable with. Like mentioned before, I think it is necessary to notify DCFS about the injuries to Michas forearms. His depression and anxiety are reasonable correlation to why these injuries are present. Speaking with the counselor and having professional help come in will help Micha deal with acting out and having unnecessary outbursts during class. In order to address Lizzies issues with the lesson, certain accommodations need to be implemented for her. For example, Lizzie has difficulty decoding text and seeing how the lesson requires a decent amount of reading in a short amount of time, reading the sections to the class, rather than them read it individually will be extremely beneficial. Lizzie does not have any listening or comprehending difficulties seeing as how she is at grade level, therefore, reading aloud the text would be the best route for her. Pairing he up with a student in her group would also be effective. The student will not only get practice since she is required to read the information, however, if she needs help understanding or sounding out words, her partner will be able to aid her in that process. I can also upload the material on a personal computer and allow for her to listen to the text using the assistive technology option text to speech. By allowing this, she will be able to work with individually since the initial portion of the assignment is intended for this. And for the essay portion of the assignment, I can either have the PC read aloud what she is responsible for or work with her myself. Either way, she will be able to hear the directions of the assignment and begin to construct her outline and impromptu essay. She is also having a difficult time remembering previous information that she has read and refrains from participating in class discussions. Due to the following, I can plan ahead and host a quick review session the day before, the morning of, or during one of her free periods, to

brush up on any material she is having difficulty with at the current time. I can also use this time to go over some of the themes, motifs, symbols, and ideas which will be dominant on the lesson. By preparing her for the lesson at hand, she will bee more inclined to participate since she is confident with the material and will not isolate herself as she has grown accustomed to doing. This will also boost her self-esteem and potentially transition her from this isolation phase and change her into the more attentive and engaging student she once was. Self-esteem and depression have seemed to get the better of this student. She has confided in me that she is feeling poorly about her performance in the classroom. Though this may seem like a step back for the student, it is actually some sort of a blessing. The fact that the student does feel some sort of remorse for her performance shows that she truly cares about her academics. To piggy back off the previous accommodation, I plan on holding office hours for the student and any other students who would like to go over any information that is still confusing or has not been comprehended to the best of their ability. Helping the student feel confident about the material prior to engaging it in front of their peers will change her mindset which will make her more inclined to try and work harder as far as grasping the information. In order to address Susans issues with the lesson, certain accommodations need to be implemented for her. Since the assignment is an original lesson, I will most likely have to pair up Susan with a classmate or with myself in order to ensure that she can listen to the material that must be read. The scenarios and topics will be able to be heard and understood which will allow for her to move forward with the assignment. I can also upload the material on a personal computer and allow for her to listen to the text using the assistive technology option text to speech. By allowing this, Susan will be able to work with individually since the initial portion of the assignment is intended for this. Upon listening to the information, I plan on allowing her to

use a personal computer in order to type out her ideas and arguments which she will incorporate into the group portion of the assignment. For the essay portion of the assignment, I can either have the PC read aloud what she is responsible for or work with her myself. Either way, she will be able to hear the directions of the assignment and begin to construct her outline and impromptu essay. Using the keyboard to express her ideas and construct her essay will benefit her seeing as how she is familiar with this assistive technology. Susan has also expressed concern about her future post high school. She feels as if she will not be able to advocate for herself once since she will be in a much larger environment soon. In order to combat this and make sure she continues to engage the material and follows this as well as the lessons to come, college advisor meetings can begin to be scheduled. Having her advisor give her information on schools which offer the most accommodations for her disability will boost her moral and inevitably put her at ease about her future plans. Section 4: Michas has quite a few adaptations which will cause for various assessments to be taken in order to ensure that they are affective. For example, in order to calm his anxiety and diminish his depression, one must ensure that he is regularly meeting with the guidance counselor and DCFS has been notified about his situation. If he continues to hold in all of these emotions inside of him, then he will continue to act out and have sudden outbursts in class which continue to hinder his work and collaborative skills within the class. If Micha is keeping the meetings regularly, then his mood will begin to change inside the classroom and these outbursts and feeling of anxiety will begin to suppress themselves. Through this assessment, I will basically use anecdotal records to document his behavior over extended periods of time in the class. I will

also allow for the student to self evaluate. If the ill mannered behavior continues, then he will in fact be required to work alone or with me to ensure that he does not cause harm to any other students and is still able to complete the assignments, comprehend the information, and receive credit. In Lizzies case, I will probably allow for her to work with a friend during scenario one of the debate. If she is able to grasp and comprehend the text and express her beliefs, arguments collaboratively with her group, then I will know the accommodation has been affective. She has trouble decoding and comprehending texts, however, allowing for her to read individually, but also call upon a partner when she is having trouble, will not only allow for her to practice her decoding skills, but also receive aid on her own terms. However, if I notice that she has not comprehended the information and is drawing back to old habits by isolating herself, then I will be forced to have her use the assistive technology which will read her the text aloud. After the completion of scenario two, I will allow for her to self evaluate and have her decide what has been more effective and what makes her more comfortable as far as contributing and presenting. If neither worked as effectively as I had intended, than I believe the issue stems deeper and will have to spend additional time with her helping her understand the material since she has brought it to my attention that she has difficulty comprehending what she has read. In Susans case, I will basically use the same assessment techniques which were used for Lizzie as far as gauging which technique is more effective and beneficial for her. For instance, I will allow her to work with a partner initially and then have her use assistive technology for the second scenario. Pending on her input and engagement during the group collaboration portion, I will be able to assess which method was more effective for the student. I will also begin to draw my attention to other issues Susan has brought to my attention. For example, she is quite

concerned about her future and her ability to attend college. This may be in fact a source of lack of involvement in the classroom since she may believe there is no longer ay hope for her to pursue higher learning. Therefore, setting up meetings with her college advisor and documenting correlations between her increased mood from the meeting and her engagement and coursework will be instances where I can assess improvement or lack there of in the classroom.

Works Cited "Accommodations & Modifications." LD OnLine: The World's Leading Website on Learning Disabilities and ADHD. National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2012. "ADHD School Help: Working with Teachers." ADDitude Magazine. New Hope Media, 2011. Web. 06 Dec. 2012 "Learning Disabilities and Visual Impairments Workshop." Learning Disabilities and Visual Impairments Workshop. School for Blind and Visually Impaired, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2012.