Special Education » Special Education

How To Get Certified As A Substitute Teacher

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:42:37 +0000

If you are looking to make a career switch to substitute teaching, there are several steps you will need to take to make that dream a reality. Certification is one important step in reaching the goal of becoming a substitute teacher.

You will need to first decide what age range of student you wish to teach. Knowing this information will help you select the correct college classes that will give you the preparation you need to teach the age level you wish. If you are not sure, you will be given opportunities in the college class setting to gain a bit of experience teaching different age levels, and this will help clarify which you prefer.

You will also need to think about what you wish to teach. Some teachers are generalists while others are specialists. You can specialize in special education, physical education, driver’s education, the arts or music. Typically, elementary teachers are generalists, because they teach every subject to their young students. The more areas in which you receive enough education means a greater number of endorsed areas on your certificate, which will be a boon to the substitute teacher, who can be asked to teach any subject as needed by a school district.

All teachers must have at minimum a four-year college degree in some subject. In addition, you will receive specialized training in education to learn how to teach. You will spend time observing certified teachers in the classroom. This also includes a certain amount of time spent as a student teacher. Your master teacher will help you gain experience in the classroom actually teaching students. You’ll start by observing the teacher at work, and discussing the procedures and topics. Over time you will get worked into the teacher’s schedule, until eventually you will fully take over one or more of the teacher’s regular classes.

Your master teacher will observe you and give you valuable feedback so that you will improve your skills. You will also be able to ask questions and get any clarification you need. You might also be asked to attend usual meetings that the teacher attends, to get a feel for what happens behind the scenes after the students are gone. You might also get asked to help out with after-school activities, practices or rehearsals, especially if your teacher’s teaching area is performance related, such as a PE teacher or a drama or choir teacher. All of these experiences will help give you the training you need to step into an educational setting successfully.

By: Susan Slobac

School Psychologists Career Profile

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:42:39 +0000

The job of a school psychologist involves working with students, teachers and parents. These psychologists work towards promoting academic, emotional and behavioral accomplishments. Besides being a fulfilling career option for those interested in the field of education, the job market is also quite strong for school psychologists. These professionals are specially trained to address a wide range of issues concerning students. While working as school psychologists, candidates are not necessary required to teach students. They use the skills to evaluate students’ psychology so as to promote the latter’s academic and learning capabilities.

Job Description
Professionals trained in school psychology can either work with students individually or in groups. They also work in close contact with the school personnel and parents. While working at schools, professionals provide training to school teachers in areas like behavioral management, referral processes, ADHD etc. Being highly skilled in special education, these psychologists also provide interventions (both individual and group) and counseling. One major job responsibility of these professionals is to assess and evaluate the special education eligibility process. In addition, they examine the effectiveness of academic programs, treatment interventions and classroom agendas among others.

Whether it is clinical psychology or educational psychology, school psychologists are quite well versed in both. Using these expert skills, professionals make personality assessment of students to collect data concerning the students’ emotional and behavioral functioning. Collaboration with teachers and students’ parents is an essential part of the whole assessment process. In order to completely comprehend a student’s functioning, teachers’ and parents’ perspectives play a vital role. Many times, it may happen that a student’s disability interferes with their ability to learn. School psychologists, therefore, develop a multidisciplinary team to determine the same.

Education & Degrees Required to Become School Psychologists
Candidates aspiring to become school psychologists need to obtain a three year post bachelor’s degree (typical a specialist degree in school psychology). If you want to acquire higher ranking job positions, supervisory jobs or superior academic positions, a doctoral degree is required. In addition to obtaining the education degree, candidates also require licensing/ certification by the state where they are willing to work. Before getting enrolled in a degree program, students should make sure that the program or training has necessary accreditations and approvals.

Employment Opportunities
Most of the school psychology jobs are obtained at public schools. However, career opportunities for professionals are immense. They can also land jobs at private school systems, universities, clinics, hospitals etc. The occupation also provides professionals the flexibility of getting involved in private practice. For private practice, a doctoral degree is essential.

Professional Organization for School Psychologists
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
American Psychological Association (APA)

Smart Specialty
If you are able to land Director of Programs jobs, you will definitely have one of the most rewarding careers. The job position is one of the most satisfying and highly paid jobs in the field of education and training.

Annual Salary
School psychologists earn an annual salary ranging between $53,700 and $80,100. Salary will depend on where you join and what job position you land. The median annual salary for those who have eight years of experience in this education field or more is $60,700.

By: James Tomerson

Cooperative Learning Activities – 3 Things to Remember When Using Cooperative Group Learning

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:57:24 +0000

Most students learn better with one-to-one interactions or in small groups where they can follow the conversation better and indicate when they don’t understand. This is one of the big advantages of cooperative group learning.

The peer interaction that takes place during cooperative learning activities is especially helpful because peer language is generally less complex than the teacher’s.

These interactions also give all students a chance to actively participate and try out their own ideas in a small group setting.

These cooperative learning activities work especially well with your ESOL students (second language learners) because cooperative group learning allows them to develop their second language proficiency skills by allowing them to interact with native speakers in a low-anxiety environment.

And the fact of the matter is…interaction with native speakers helps promote second language acquisition.

Unfortunately, as many teachers know, cooperative learning activities are not necessarily easy to pull off.

Here are three things to remember when using cooperative group learning:

1. Vary Grouping Strategies ~ Groups should be arranged based on the purpose of the activity. Usually you will want to form mixed groups of general education students, special education, and ESOL students (non-native speakers). However, sometimes you will want to group ESOL students together so you or an aide can better individualize instruction.

2. Model Activities First ~ Teachers must explicitly show students how to work together. From how to get into groups to what to do for the activity…don’t assume anything!

3. Recognize Effective Group Work ~ Have successful groups share with the whole class why they were effective. You may want to give special recognition or points for successful or improved groups.

By: Adam Waxler

Support Diverse Learners in Mathematics

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:37:00 +0000

“Supporting Diverse Learners: Teacher Collaboration in an Inclusive Classroom,” by Wendy S. Bray, copyrighted in 2005 by The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, focuses on the need of collaboration between general education teachers and special education teachers to facilitate fair and successful learning for each individual student. This article speaks mainly to general education teachers about reform based mathematics and how general classroom teachers can implement this new style of learning in a way that will benefit all students, even special education students. Furthermore, the article searches for ways to help special needs students learn in their own special way, in order to keep up with the other students in their regular classroom.

The article begins by discussing the challenges learning disabled students face when integrated in a classroom that uses the reform-based, constructivist mathematical approach, which focuses on whole group discussions, small group discussions, and problem solving. Some of these problems include: LD students not participating and/or “focusing on nonmathematical aspects of tasks (Bray).” Next, the article discusses how a group of teachers manage this type of classroom. One tactic they implemented is “small, teacher-led groups (Bray)” where the teachers played games and did other activities, encouraging the students to talk about their mathematical thinking.

Another tactic the teachers used is breaking students up into groups according to their ability and what they needed to work on. In these groups teachers did not just tell the students what to do to solve a problem, but instead they asked the students questions to help them figure out on their own what they needed to do. These teachers also gave their students “opportunities for choice (Bray),” which allowed students to choose what they wanted to work on, individually, with a group, or with the teacher. This gave the teachers the opportunities to work with students individually. The end of the article discussed how the three teachers collaborated to discuss the progress of individual students, and what should be done to help them continue to grow.

This article was written by Wendy S. Bray, “a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Bray).” She is a “former elementary classroom teacher,” and “her research interests include mathematics education and teaching strategies that facilitate learning for students with special needs (Bray).” Her information came from her research, and her information was supported by excerpts from various books and journals of education professionals including: “Effects of Reform-Based Mathematics Instruction on Low Achievers in Five Third-Grade Classrooms” by Baster, Woodward, and Olson; “Mathematical Problem-Solving Process of Primary-Grade Students Identified as LD” by Behrend; “Four Variables for Success” by Coleman; “How Effective Is Inquiry Learning for Students with Mild Disabilities?” by Mastropieri; and “Mathematical Instruction for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities” by Thornton. She also ascerts that her information supports the Equity Principle, which she also cites from the “National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.”

We have students achieve success in reading and writing through individualized instruction, where they learn at their own pace, so why don’t we do this in math? I feel that the idea that this article circles is a great one. To learn math students need to participate in discovery learning. They need to understand the “why” of mathematics before they are really going to begin to understand and learn the concepts. Students also need to learn at their own pace. Everything is connected in mathematics and if students do not understand one concept before the class moves on to the next, pretty soon that student is going to fall way behind.

This is unfortunately what happens to most learning disabled students that are integrated into the regular classroom. So, in my own classroom I will try to implement the constructivist approach for learning mathematics and simultaneously create an atmosphere where every student can succeed, no matter what pace they learn at. I will do this by creating learning centers around my classroom. The subject of these learning centers will be based on the mini-lesson that is taught the first day. Students will pair up and move around the learning centers at their own pace. The beginning stations will focus on the “why” of the concept, helping students deepen their understanding, so that when they work their way around to the other stations they will be ready to try a variety of ways to solve the problem, with the collaborative help from their partner.

Before each pair moves to the next station I will check their answers to make sure they are progressing in their understanding correctly. We will do this the entire week, giving those students with learning disabilities plenty of time with their partners to understand the concept. Some pairs will finish before the end of the week. These pairs will continue to work on the concept, but at a higher level. At the end of the week the class will discuss what problem-solving techniques they tried and what they have learned.

This article was very useful. I had never thought of grouping students according to ability in math. I have heard the effects of this grouping in other subjects as a valuable way to individualize teaching, and I was surprised that I have yet to see this technique implemented in mathematics. I wholly agreed with all the approaches these teachers took in this article, except for the approach took in the “Opportunities for Choice” section. It seems that the students would just pick something that they were good at if given a choice to work on anything.

I know I wouldn’t choose something that I had trouble with. I am skeptical that this approach would help students very much. Otherwise, this article gave me much insight as how to help students with learning disabilities grow in the classroom with regular classroom students. This approach allowed more opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and deepen their understanding, while providing them with the help they needed to understand concepts that would be integral for their understanding in future lessons.

By: Jamie Burchfield

Opening Mental Doors

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:26:23 +0000

When I first met Jose as a junior in high school, he had spent his first two years in resource (special education) classes where the teachers are specialized in addressing different types of learning disabilities (LD). LD is a very inclusive term that characterizes thousands of challenged students whose main difficulty lies in reading comprehension and/or math calculations. Jose was a very slow reader who had trouble understanding the concepts described in his textbooks. Needless to say, his self-esteem was very low and he often experienced severe mood swings from elation to total despair. He was sure that he could never graduate.

Acquiring Concepts

Teens usually acquire second degree conceptualization during puberty, building on the first degree concepts obtained at a very early age that we can call conceptualization of concrete objects. Piaget, the famous Swiss biologist whose research on the development of intelligence established a cornerstone upon which the whole cognitive theory is built, named the ability to remember objects the “Internal Representation System” which occurs according to the scientist between the ages of 18 and 24 months. In other words, a child that age begins to remember the toy even when it has been hidden under the rug for example. The baby doesn’t need to see the object to “know” that it exists. What seems to be so obvious for adults is actually a tremendous feat that will eventually culminate in our higher order of thinking or second degree conceptualization. As an example, if we ask the question ‘What is life?’, a child 8 or 9 years-old will usually respond in very concrete terms, such as ‘The opposite of death’ or he may actually be stumped for a answer. Now ask a teen between 15 and 18 and you will get a much more sophisticated answer.

Closed Door

Unfortunately, for some teens, that second degree of conceptualization never opens. For some reason, and that it the case for Jose, some adolescents remain at the childhood level of concrete concepts or ‘Internal Representation System’. Some argue that low levels of intelligence prevent some people from passing to the higher level; others claim that these youngsters were never exposed to adequate stimuli as children and that too much television did not allow for the practice of concept forming offered by the written text. Thus, whatever the reason, the door to higher order of thinking remained closed. Schools struggle to tailor instruction to such students, even though the curriculum is the same. Resource classes are smaller, usually between 6 and 10 students, and the teaching strategies must take into account the learning disabilities. There is however a trend to eliminate special education classes and mainstream challenged students into regular classrooms. This would eliminate the stigma of being separated from regular students, an emotional problem that led Jose to an ‘I don’t care’ attitude.

Opening Other Doors

As I started working with Jose in his junior year (he had been promoted to a regular class), I noticed that the transition was extremely difficult for him. My role as an inclusion teacher consists mainly in working with special education teens as a support for the regular teacher. This requires a close cooperation between the two instructors so as to make sure that students like Jose are not left behind. Both teachers must employ special strategies acquired in training courses throughout the year. But in order to motivate students like Jose who feel totally inadequate, teachers have to open some emotional doors that have been closed as defense mechanisms: “If I say I can’t do it, maybe the teacher will leave me alone.”

We have to find the key that will open these doors and that requires the establishment of trust with the youngster. One tactic that has worked well for me is humor, the kind type. Once I had managed to make him laugh, often at my own expense, I had broken through his resistance. Another one is sharing a passion, for example a sports team, a famous athlete or some kind of non-academic activity. In Jose’s case, we both discovered that we loved soccer: He favored Chivas (a Mexican team) and I favored America (a classic rival). We spent hours outside of class (of course) discussing the merits of each team and thus a bond was formed that transcended the considerable difference in age and culture.

Graduation At Last

Even though Jose will not go to college, he is quite capable of taking a 2-year technical course which will offer him a chance to be productive and successful. He finally graduated this year and had trouble believing that he was walking on the dais to receive his diploma. This success will do more to boost his self-esteem than any word of encouragement I may have provided over the last 2 years. He knows that he can achieve his goals because he has learned to plan according to his skills and potential. There are many Jose’s out there who need special attention and that is the main role of special education teachers.

By: Jacques Sprenger

How Parents Can Find Answers to a Child’s Mathematics Problems

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:44:16 +0000

According to some research reports, few students are referred to special education testing for mathematical disabilities. In fact, mathematical disabilities do not exist as a structured whole in testing situations but rather as a group of abilities, usually distilled into the arithmetic or computational disability. Children and even adults who cannot remember multiplication tables or add a set of numbers are often thought of as disabled or un-abled while those who are said to have spatial talents are often viewed as talented. Many separate mathematical abilities and disabilities may exist side-by-side and either may be neglected based on the teacher’s or the school’s approach to teaching math.

What is viewed as mathematical ability cannot just depend on the computational, but should also take into account the spatial reasoning, symbolic reasoning, logic and broad problem-solving ability.

Many have heard of the child known as the autistic savant who can tell someone the day of the week on which they were born within seconds when given only the date of birth. There are many people who are blessed with a high degree of intelligence and ability in a very narrow area, such as calculations of calendar dates, but who lack broader abilities in more conventionally accepted areas.

While many students have difficulties remembering multiplication tables and formulas, these same students may have talent in problem-solving or in computer programming. Mathematical reasoning is not monolithic and it is not a simple quality to define.

If a parent feels one’s child is experiencing difficulty in math class, this may not mean the child needs remediation in all areas of mathematical reasoning. Various techniques, such as drill or mnemonic devices, may help to alleviate specific difficulties with a trained and sensitive teacher or tutor.

If a parent’s child is failing in math, it is important to ask some questions: What specific skills is my child deficient is? Computation? Reasoning? Logic? Verbal problems? Spatial relationships?

If the teacher cannot specify areas which need improvement, ask for a review of the child’s anecdotals to pinpoint areas of weakness. Is the math syllabus geared to specific areas of competency? If so, what are those areas?

Does the child seem to have specific problems with language in math? If so, has the teacher given the students an extensive and detailed list of definitions of terms used in the course? Are mimeographed sheets being used instead of modeled lessons with reinforcement by homework? Is the child given time and opportunity to use manipulatives in the classroom if it appears the difficulty is related to understanding word problems?

It’s important to remember that no one is born mathematically challenged and that many are born with great capacities in a very narrow area. To expand a child’s math abilities, work with the teacher to determine whether the child’s difficulties lie in the area of language or perception of quantity or space.

If, after talking to the teacher, a parent still has questions about pronounced deficiencies, the questions should be further pursued to the department chair or to the principal.

Parents are often a child’s best advocate for ensuring optimum education.

By: Ann R Knapp

Illinois Schools Celebrate Funding

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:40:48 +0000

It’s a rare occurrence when both of the state’s teachers’ unions and the governor come to an agreement on funding. That’s exactly what Illinois Schools experienced in March of this year when Governor Rod R. Blagojevich received the endorsements of the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association. The praise was given for the Helping Kids Learn plan, which provides $10 billion to Illinois Schools over the next four years.

Illinois Schools were given further reasons to celebrate when the State Board of Education announced an increase of over $700 per pupil in minimum state and local funding. This will increase those foundation funding amounts to $6,058 per pupil annually.

These investments will increase fiscal year 2008 monies by $1.5 billion. This amount is unprecedented in Illinois Schools. The plan is three times larger than any increase in the history of Illinois Schools.

Why so much and why now? Gov. Blagojevich says that the Illinois Schools…”have been chronically underfunded for decades. Our Helping Kids Learn plan is not just an investment in schools, it’s an investment in our future, in our children.” Much of the pressure for Illinois Schools to improve comes from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, which set Adequate Yearly Progress markers for all schools in the nation. Teachers and administrators in Illinois Schools have been challenged by meeting the demands of lower classroom ratios, testing special needs students, and working in old and inadequate buildings.

Part of the plan will provide $200 million to help districts afford special education teachers. This is the first increase for special needs Illinois Schools have seen since 1985. Funds will also provide for special programs and transportation for special needs students.

Other components of Helping Kids Learn include funds for the Preschool for all Program in Illinois Schools. The $69 million dedicated to this initiative will help provide the support and materials to implement all day kindergarten throughout the state. Finally the plan includes a $1.5 billion investment in construction, improvement and renovations for deteriorating Illinois Schools.

Educators in both teachers’ unions are emphatic that the opportunities Illinois Schools will gain from the increase in funding will go a long way to address the achievement gap and help all students succeed. According to James Dougherty, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, “By increasing the Foundation Level by more than $700 per student, we’re starting to level the playing field between the educational haves and the educational have nots.” Parents in Illinois Schools are also excited about the increased funds. While the NCLB act still sparks debate in Illinois Schools, it seems to have put a spotlight on education that is resulting in positive changes for children.

By: Patricia Hawke

Steps in Getting Physical Therapy Continuing Education

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:53:42 +0000

Physical therapists work every day with people suffering from everything from a bruised hip to combat trauma. As a result, physical therapy continuing education is critical in keeping up to date on the latest therapies.

Selecting a Speciality

As with many things today, the term PT encompasses a broad range of disciplines. So, in looking at physical therapy continuing education, you really have to focus or one or two areas. You can take classes in athletic training, massage therapy, occupational therapy, special education, and then speech and language therapy. Under occupational, you can further specialize in helping people recover from severe trauma. This can include vehicular accidents and military injuries. There are also geriatric and paediatric specialities; the former helps the aged, and the latter deals with children.

Checking Your State’s Requirements

Every state has varying degrees of requirements as to physical therapy continuing education. As a physical therapist, you’ll be licensed by the state, and can check with their department of professional regulation to see what those rules are. In some cases, classes are required to be taken yearly, others every two years; some classes can be taken online, and with others you have to appear in person. Also, the state’s website can give you a list of approved continuing education providers.

The Four Forms of Physical Therapy Continuing Education

As of 2000, a bachelor’s degree was declared to not be enough to practice in this field; a master’s or doctorate is required, and there are four ways to earn either. With the master’s degree, you can either get a direct entry or a transitional. The former is if you have a bachelor’s degree in another subject and you want to switch to PT, and it generally lasts two years. The latter is if your bachelor’s is in PT, and is often completed in a year. The doctorate is the same way – direct and transitional – and it applies in the same manner.

Online Classes

With physical therapy continuing education, it’s hard to believe that some classes could be offered online – as it is a hands-on profession. However, there are classes related to the non-physical therapy aspects of the profession that you can take this way. You can learn about reimbursement policies, dealing with managed care (HMO’s), professional ethics, and fraud and abuse. Then there are some physical courses that also don’t require you to practice on a live patient. You can study the anatomy of various areas of the body, and learn about skin lesions and their treatment. Depending on the requirements of your state, these forms of physical therapy continuing education may be enough.

Check with the Association

The American Physical Therapy Association can be helpful in dealing with physical therapy continuing education. Their website – apta.org – has a plethora of information about the various educational programs available – both online and at colleges near you. They can also advise you as to dealing with state regulators to insure they accept the classes you take.

By: Gust Lenglet

How Do I Know If My Child Has A Learning Disability?

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:37:55 +0000

Are you the parent of a child that is struggling with reading, writing, or math? Have you been told by special education personnel that your child does not need to be tested for a learning disability? This article will discuss signs and symptoms of learning disabilities.

The National Center on Learning Disabilities has a checklist that is available to help you determine if your child has a learning disability. The checklist is separated into 8 categories: Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Language, Reading, Written Language, Social/Emotional, Attention, and a category called other.

Below are some of the things that are on the checklist:

1. Has trouble with buttons, hooks, snaps, zippers and trouble learning to tie shoes.

2. Demonstrates poor ability to color or write within the lines.

3. Grasps pencil awkwardly.

4. Demonstrates early delays in learning to speak.

5. Mis- nounces words frequently.

6. Confuses similar looking letters and numbers.

7. Has difficulty recognizing and remembering sight words.

8. Has trouble naming letters.

9. Avoids writing and copying.

10. Uses uneven spacing between letters and symbols.

11. Spells poorly.

NCLD states that the more characteristics that you check the more likely that your child is at risk of having a learning disability.

Susan Barton of Bright Solutions also has Warning Signs of Dyslexia. These signs, are a lot of the same signs, mentioned previously from the National Center on Learning Disabilities. Delayed speech, difficulty with hand writing and shoe tying, slow inaccurate reading, difficulty with spelling, poor pencil grasp, guesses letters based on shape and context.

Susan Barton also includes these warning signs for Dyslexia, which is a specific type of learning disability:

1. Left Right Confusion

2. Difficulty Learning Confusion

3.Auditory Processing Delays

4. Letter or number reversals

5. Difficulty telling time with hand clock

6. Trouble with Math

7. Messy bedroom, backpack, desk

8. Poor Written Expression

9. Limited Vocabulary.

If your child has a lot of these characteristics you might want to go the NCLD web site and down load the Learning Disabilities Checklist. Fill it out for your child, and send a copy to school personnel. Ask for your child to receive psychological testing to determine if they have a learning disability.

By: JoAnn Collins

Too Much Early Education May Cause Autism

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:10:42 +0000

In South Korea, it was popular that parents take babies born for only weeks to learn english. Recently, it’s fashionable to make babies learn yoga, philosophy, even walking. These inappropriate early education are not healthy for infants, after having too much lessons, many babies display autistic tendencies. Doctor Sun from Institute of Cognitive emotional and Psychiatric in Seoul said:” 30-40 percent of mental patients in Korea are infants. The main cause of this situation is too much early education imposed by family.”

Many parents are afriad of their children being left behind, so they force young kids to learn all kind of things. In fact, studying memory, language and other skills too early could inhibit the normal development of other cognitive ability, such as color, hehavior, feelings and so on. Children between 18 and 36 months old should learn necessary skills in the process of playing, like climbing, grasping, and other acts of cognition.

Too much early education may lead to excessive development of the child. For example, letting children learn sports too early allows excessive development of the child’s bones and causes bone deformation. Experts suggest that children shouldn’t memory before 3 years old, shouldn’t learn writting words before 5 years old, shouldn’t learn another language before 9 years old. Many children also shows autism behaviors because of excessive early education in our country.

According to researshes in this area, 70-80 percent of children are normal and should accept regular education. Other kids, like genius and those on autism spectum should be given special education and trainings.

http://www.autism-world.com/index.php/2008/04/07/too-much-early-education-may-cause-autism-tendencies/

http://www.autism-world.com/

By: Echo Armman