Standard A. Making Subject Matter Comprehensible to Students

Making subject matter comprehensible to students means knowing how to teach the state-adopted academic content standards in a way that will be understandable to each student. Teachers must be able to use the appropriate instructional strategies, materials, resources and technologies effectively as well as understand each student’s development in order to meet each student’s needs and ensure student success.

Although we, as teachers, are given clearly defined standards and possess knowledge of many different instructional strategies, the art of teaching is in applying what we know to different situations. An “experienced” teacher is one who has tried different approaches, reflected on what worked and what didn’t, and has a good sense of how to effectively adapt his/her teaching style to different students and classroom situations.

References:

Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners—SIOP Model Sheltered Instruction—for Academic Achievement

The "Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol" (SIOP) model is an approach that, more than anything else, consists of 'good teaching' practices although it is developed to facilitate high quality instruction for English language learners in content area teaching.

This document pinpoints many different ways of "making texts assessable to all students without watering down text." Fundamentals include preparing/adapting lessons with concept maps, graphic organizers, summaries, alternative approaches to note taking, auditory input, task assignments within student groups.

As always, scaffolding throughout the lesson and linking the material to student's educational background and experience are essential components.

Student engagement can be increased by finding opportunities for interaction, and forming different kinds of student groups. Other standard strategies include making abstract concepts concrete, using manipulatives, making content personally relevant, and conducting frequent assessments.

Organizing Curriculum to Support Student Understanding of Subject Matter

In the video-taped lesson, the teacher questions the group at key places to verify whether or not they understand the concept/idea being taught.  There's lots of scaffolding.  She also has students reefer frequently to the rubric. Students also work independently, then discuss the learning with a partner. At one point toward the process, the teacher differentiates students according to student needs by separating out higher performers to be responsible for certain tasks.

 

 

Standard F. Professional

If behavior can be taught and learned, this goes for the teacher's behavior as well as students'. one thing I am considering is Brandman professor, Scott Brady’s, statement that “75% of the problems in a classroom are due to the teachers and aides. We teach them a lot that we don’t intend to.” This is a daunting thought.

References:

Lesson Plans for Students with Disabilities 

Adapted physical education
Art activities and students with disabilities
Foreign language instruction for students with learning disabilities
Life skills for students with mental retardation
Music for students with disabilities
Sex education for students who are mentally retarded
Science for students with disabilities
Social studies for students with learning disabilities
Writing skills for students with disabilities

The Arc's--- Information for Educators

This site gives information and perspectives from points of view of parents, the person with disabilities, siblings, friends, advocates, medical persons, and lawmakers, as well as the educators.

The Culver City Unified School District distributes a comprehensive document with many ideas entitled  Developing as a Professional Educator:

• Reflecting on teaching practice and planning professional development
• Establishing professional goals and pursuing opportunities to grow professionally
• Working with communities to improve professional practice
• Working with families to improve professional practice
• Working with colleagues to improve professional practice

Standard E. Effective Environments

Harry Wong says that classroom management is the most important thing in running a successful classroom. Nothing else matters without classroom management. You could have the best lesson plans and everything else, but without good classroom management you have nothing. he also says that and teacher's classroom management plan sets the tone and establishes the atmosphere for my classroom and includes description of the physical environment—room arrangement, decor, etc. and classroom activities—routines and values, standards for student behavior, policies, rules, teacher expectations, student responsibilities. Positive reinforcement sets the tone of a learning environment for all. 

References:

Prince George's County Public Schools has a web site that gives seven very organized outlines beginning with Establishing a Positive Climate

Game plan modules on:

• Establishing a positive climate by communicating and reinforcing high expectations, and celebrating success.
• Organizing your classroom by managing traffic flow and access to room materials
• Developing rules, routines and procedures that are limited in number, clear and stated positively
• Assigning a managing work and wait that promotes student responsibility and accountability to learning
• Preparing for long-and short-range Instruction
• Proactive inconsistent behavior management
• Maintaining momentum while expecting the unexpected

Ten Core Principles for Designing Effective Learning Environments:
Insights from Brain Research and Pedagogical Theory


Core Learning Principls:
#1: Every Structured Learning Experience Has Four Elements with the Learner at the Center
#2: Every Learning Experience Includes the Environment in which the Learner Interacts
#3: We Shape Our Tools and Our Tools Shape Us
#4: Faculty are the Directors of the Learning Experience
#5: Learners Bring Their Own Personalized Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes to the Learning Experience
#6: Every Learner Has a Zone of Proximal Development That Defines the Space That a Learner is Ready to Develop into Useful Knowledge
#7: Concepts are Not Words; Concepts are Organized and Intricate Knowledge Clusters
#8: All Learners Do Not Need to Learn All Course Content; All Learners Do Need to Learn the Core Concepts
#9: Different Instruction is Required for Different Learning Outcomes
#10: Everything Else Being Equal, More Time-on-Task Equals More Learning

Standard D Planning Instruction

Ever since I learned about Gagne's Nine Events of Learning I have relied on it in designing and evaluating lesson plans. It has often puzzled me when someone with a high level of expertise in a particular field could not answer simply-stated questions about their subject. Instead of a thoughtful, intentional approach to addressing the question, one gets details given in a way that assumes the listener has background knowledge that he/she doesn't have.

References:

Dr. Michael J. Malachowski's web page, The ADDIE Based Five-Step Method Towards Instructional Design  lists Gagne's  Nine Events under "Events of Instruction." 

They are:

1. Gain attention
2. Inform learner of objectives
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
4. Present stimuli with distinctive features
5. Guide learning
6. Elicit performance
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention and learning transfer

A second one of Dr. Michael J. Malachowski's web pages, is ADDIE Based Five-Step Method Towards Instructional Design

The ADDIE approach to planning instruction:  (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Development, (4) Implementation, and (5) Evaluation. This is a very straightforward and comprehensive instructional design method.

Standard C.Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning

Adult education has the advantage of students coming in knowing exactly, why they are in class, what they are there fore, and more often than not, they have a willingness to 'go the extra mile' to get what they want. Not so with children. I think very few children have a natural value for understanding, for instance, eye anatomy.  As teachers, we need to find out what our students are naturally interested in and connects curriculum to those interests. For the topic of eye anatomy, one student may be interested in art and visual perspective, another may be interested in telescopes and lenses, while another may find interest in the eye's receiving light waves. interesting subject is often dependent upon its presentation.

References:
Although not instructive, MobileMe gives a comprehensive checklist for Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning.

Connecting students prior knowledge, life experience and interests with learning goals by:

• Using a variety of instructional strategies and resources to respond to student's diverse needs
• Facilitating learning experiences that promote autonomy, interaction and choice
• Engaging students in problem solving, critical thinking and other activities that make subject matter meaningful
• Promoting self-directed learning for all students

For each of these standards they also give information on: a) What the classroom looks like, and b) the

Teacher's Instructional Methods.

The Visalia Unified School District's web site gives a  Standard for Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning

Also in the standards form, this web site defines what it means to engage all students in learning by:  creating physical environments that engage all students and purpose for learning activities, having a strong working knowledge of subject matter and student development subject matter, planning instruction that draws on and I use students backgrounds, prior knowledge, and interests, establishing a clearly communicating learning goals for all students, actively  planning their professional development

Standard B. Assessment

One of the most critical responsibilities that teachers have is assuring that each student is properly assessing for his/her strengths, weaknesses and preferences. These assessments are critical if a teacher is to create the proper classroom conditions and instruction to maximize student learning. The purpose for assessment is to make decisions about instruction.

As an instructor of severely handicapped children, assessments are extremely critical.

References:

The web site  Designing Effective and Innovative Courses explorers different types and strategies for assessment.

The article claims that "For most learning disabled students, last on the list should be a pencil/paper tests," and the authors suggest alternative assessment methods:

Presentation: A presentation taking the form of discussion, debate, or question/response.

Conference: An informal teacher/student conference to determine a student's level of understanding and knowledge. Especially for formative assessments.

Interview: helps the teacher clarifying the level of understanding for a specific purpose, activity or learning concept.

Observation: Observing a student in the learning environment is especially useful for the teacher to change or enhance a specific teaching strategy.

Performance task: is a learning task that the child will do while the teacher assesses his/her performance.

Self-assessment:  This is having students be able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses.

The web site by the Connecticut State Department of Education shows assessing student learning as the key to understanding student progress and how assessment drives instruction.

The site gives a purpose for assessment, which is to monitor student progress, assess student strengths and weaknesses, determine a teacher’s instructional effectiveness and especially to drive instruction. The article gives an expanded repertoire for student assessment. 



The subject of assessment is not as simple as one may think. Some assessment types are more preferable for measuring different kinds of skills and abilities than others. Teachers must also take into consideration that abilities such as problem solving and creativity are neither well-defined or consistently defined. Teaching bias can be a problem.  Also, there is the question of whether your assessment is testing the skills that he intends to test.

 

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Gary Hayes 551 ePortfolio

I am currently taking my last class at Brandman University in Sandiego, CA , for my teaching credential in Special Education (Moderate/Severe) before starting my student teaching in March, 2011.

I have an M.A. in Instructional Technologies from San Francisco State University,
and a B.A. in Humanities from Sonoma State University. I also have an Adult Education teaching credential and have taught GED classes for six years.

I am interested in teaching severely handicapped children in middle school.  My interest is in assistive technologies.