As we finish these last weeks of SPED 310, a bittersweet feeling comes to me. I enjoy learning new things. I may not like all the work that comes with it, but I do find learning new things interesting. I learned so much this past semester in this class and I have developed a deeper love and understanding for not only the children with disabilities, but for all the adults who work together to help the child get the best education they possibly can. 
 This week we read chapter 12 which discussed Responding to Student Behavior. And I think that it is very important that we not only respond to bad behavior, but that it is essential to respond to good behavior. I also find it crucial to have expectations in your classroom so that every student understands what the rules are and what happens if you choose not to follow them. Consistency is key!

This week I participated in the stuttering simulation. I was preparing all week for this and practicing with my roommates. I felt bad and like I was making fun of people who have this, but I was able to experience some of the emotions that are felt when trying to talk to people. I used the stutter while calling FatCats about movie times and again when I went to pick up my ticket. Both encounters, the people were respectful, but tried to put words in my mouth and weren’t as patient as I hoped. I could’ve stopped the act whenever, but I wanted to get my sentence out so I kept up with it and thanked them afterwards for helping me out. 

I also watched the study guide video for the test and learned a lot more about each of the disabilities. I didn't do as well as I hope on the test. But my grade, doesn't reflect the amount of information that I learned from this video. 

I also worked with my group to finish our last group project on visual impairments and learned how to accommodate for children with this disability.

This week I was able to complete the Learning Disability stimulation. This was so difficult because I didn’t realize how many words that we use while speaking include the letters “l” and “n.” Some people had patience for me to think about what to say, and some were a little frustrated and tried to answer or speak for me. Other than that I liked reading about different teaching strategies for different subjects. These strategies would be very helpful to all children, even students without disabilities.

This week I did some of the simulations and these were my experiences: This stimulation gave me a headache. I used the loss of an eye mask. So my right eye was covered throughout the stimulation. It was very tricky to type and do assignments and I had to change the way I turned my head to do things. I also kept running into walls in my apartment because our halls were narrow and I didn’t realize how close I was to the wall. When I took the mask off, I was so thankful for having my right eye back. I don’t have perfect sight, and contacts help me get throughout the day, but this assignment has helped me realize how truly grateful I am for my vision. This stimulation was very difficult. I never realized how much upper body strength it requires to wheel yourself around. I had my roommate come help me and I was able to ask for assistance when going uphill or holding the door open. Getting in and out of the car was very tricky I have no upper body strength, so attempting to use the bathroom was super hard as well. Another thing that I noticed while participating in this stimulation, was that people were hardcore staring at me. I didn’t like all the attention that I was getting. Some people smiled, but most people just stared at me, watching me struggle.

This week I learned a lot by working on this exam with my group. The exam gave us three different areas we can teach in. Working through the exam made me realize that as teachers we will not only teach in the classroom but we can be given opportunities to teach anywhere. We are all children of God and it’s important that we be there the children in our lives, even if it’s outside of the classroom. 

I also enjoyed reading the case study. I loved how Ms. Whitworth managed her classroom. It must’ve been extremely difficult to have a class full of different children from different backgrounds with different issues. I love how Ms. Whitworth held class meetings and how the children got to be involved. I enjoyed learning about children who may have special needs, but don’t necessarily have any disabilities. These children may need the same amount of attention and help as some children with disabilities. 

This week I learned about classroom management and different strategies that I can implement to best suit all my students. I learned about the INCLUDE strategy, which stands for Identify, Note, Check, Look, Use, Differentiate, and Evaluate. While working on the case study for Mark this week, I was able to clearly understand how hard it can be for teachers to accommodate all their students. Everyone learns in different ways and having children with special needs in your class can make it harder to strategize. However, the INCLUDE strategy can help you narrow down what the child knows already and how you can help them learn even more! With Mark, I was also reminded that some children love learning but just simply can’t grasp certain concepts like others. One on one time might be all Mark needs to help him pay attention and catch up with his peers. This week’s learning was very helpful and insightful. I know I will be able to apply the INCLUDE strategy in my classroom someday.

This week I read about student’s needs. First, there are many assessments that take place These include:
• Screening
• Diagnosis
• Program Placement
• Curriculum Placement
• Instructional Evaluation
• Program Evaluation
There are also many sources for the child. These include:
• High-stakes Achievement Test
• Standardized Achievement Test
• Psychological Tests
• Alternate Assessments
• Curriculum-Based Assessments

I really liked the reading this week and it is super important to learn about all these sources and assessments because part of IEP is discussing standardized testing or alternate assessments.
I also read about hearing loss and all the resources that are available to help children with this disability to succeed in the classroom.

This week I learned all about collaboration, which is how people work together, not what they do. Some important characteristics of collaboration:

• ·         Voluntary
• ·         Parity
• ·         A shared goal
• ·         Shared responsibility
• ·         Shared accountability for outcomes
• ·         Shared resources
• ·         Emergent

There are some prerequisites that should occur before collaboration. You must reflect on your personal belief, refining your interaction skills, and contributing a supportive environment.

It’s also wise to work effectively with parents. This can be done by understanding the family perspective, utilize family centered practices, and collaborate with the parents by:

• ·         Home school communication
• ·         Parent-teacher conferences
• ·         High level of parent involvements. 

This week I learned about the many Special Education Laws. The 3 types of laws that impact Special Education are statutory, regulatory, and case.  I learned the principles of IDEA, which are:
• Zero reject
• Non-discriminatory evaluation
• Free and appropriate education (FAPE)
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
• Procedural due process
• Parent and student involvement (IEP meetings)
The components of IEP are:
• Present level of performance
• Annual goals and short-term objectives
• Extent of participation in general education
• Behavior intervention plan
• Date of initiation and frequency and duration of service and anticipated modifications
• Strategies for evaluation
• Transition plan
I learned that if there is an issue that occurs in IEP there will be mediation. From there the case can go to a formal hearing, trial court, court of appeals, and eventually the supreme court. 
The 3 prong test for eligibility consists of:
• Having a disability, meeting criteria
• Condition affects performance
• Needs Special Education

It's important to learn and know all of the laws of special education and to know your rights as a teacher or as a parent of a child with disabilities. Special Education has come a long way, but there will always be ways to improve the system. 

This week we learned all about IEP. Individualized Education Program, IEP, is a written document that’s developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education. Every year IEP meetings are held. The people that attend these meetings work closely together to find out the best way to help the child. These adults include:

• ·   SPED teacher
•      General ED teacher
• ·   School OT
• ·   RN Student
• ·   School psychologist
• ·   Administrators
• ·   Parents of the child

In this meeting it is important for staff to remember that the family is the corner stone of the meeting. The most important principle is to value the student and their family. These adults work together to help the child avoid feeling left out. They discuss standardized testing or alternative assessments for the child. They also discuss how to teach the child in the following subjects:

• ·         Reading
• ·         Writing
• ·         Mathematics
• ·         Social emotional health

There is also discussion on accommodations and modifications. Accommodations include change in how the child is learning, therefore not changing the curriculum. Examples include digital text and extended time on assignments and tests. Modifications include changes to WHAT the child is learning.

There’s a lot that goes on during an IEP meeting, but the end result is to find the best approaches to best suit the child so he/she can get the most out of their education.

Thanks for reading!

Karly B.

Howdy folks! 

Another amazing week full of learning. As I read through the first chapter of our book for this class, I was a little overwhelmed with how many things I didn't know regarding special education. But I think after studying hard and making cognitive maps, I was able to learn a lot in a short time period. 

One of the most important concepts from this lesson is the concept of inclusiveness. It is important to remember that all children are from our Heavenly Father and it's important to love and respect every child, regardless of their disabilities. 

There are three main dimensions of inclusion: 

1. Physical 
2. Social
3. Instructional

Physical: Placing students in the same classroom as non-disabled peers.

Social: Relationships should be nurtured between students with disabilities and their classmates, other peers, and adults.

Instructional: Most students should be taught in the same curriculum used for students without disabilities and helped to succeed by adjusting how teaching and learning are designed and measured.

We also had the opportunity to watch a video about how children with disabilities are treated in Serbia. This video kind of disgusted me. It was heart breaking to see children being treated this way, for something they can't control and something that isn't their fault. I am so thankful to live in this country where children with disabilities have rights. Of course there is room for improvement, but to say the least, I'm grateful for this country and how far along our government has come with the improvement of special education.

I did it. The first complete week of school is checked off my list. Has it only been a week? Because I feel like I’ve learned so much for only a week to have passed by. The assignments this week included reading the following four talks:

• Doctrine of Inclusion, Elder M. Russell Ballard
• The Moving of the Water, Elder Boyd K. Packer
• Concern for the One, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
• Drenched in Gratitude: Protection Against the Spirit of Entitlement, President Kim B. Clark

I enjoyed these readings because they reminded me of a very important truth, and that is, we are all God’s children and He loves ALL of us.  One of my favorite quotes came from Elder Packer’s talk. He tells us that “afflictions come to the innocent.” He also tells us that “physical means temporal and temporal means temporary.” I love that so much because even though some of us are born with these disabilities, we can be perfected through Christ and everyone will be in their perfect form after the 2nd coming. Earlier in the week, we were asked to create a philosophy statement. To help us begin this assignment our professor provided us with this quote,

"There are times when we have to step into the darkness in faith, confident that God will place solid ground beneath our feet once we do. And so I accepted gladly, knowing that God would provide."  - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, (The Why of Priesthood Service, General Conference, April 2012).

 God will provide a way for all children to be taught whether it be in this life or in the next. All children with any type of disability will be perfected through Christ after the 2nd coming. I believe that their spirits are perfect and that Heavenly Father has a special love for them. I also believe that they were spiritually stronger than most in the premortal life. They were perfect in Heaven and accepted to come down to Earth knowing that they would be different and that their life would be more difficult than most. I have a special respect for the disabled and I hope to learn from them more than they learn from me.

Hello everyone!

This blog is going to be used for my SPED310 class. My name is Karly Buchanan and this is my 4th semester at BYU-I. I am looking froward to learning a lot this semester and especially this class. This blog will be somewhat like an online journal for me and I'll be sharing my thoughts and insights from what I am learning in this class. I hope you feel inspired by what I discuss here and feel free to make any comments but please be respectful to others opinions/ beliefs. 
Happy reading and have a great weekend! :)

-Karlyshay