In Days
1 and
2 of my Disability Awareness Unit, students
learned about multiple intelligences and discussed classroom strategies that
could help them to apply their Brain Smarts in the classroom.
As I often tell my students, there is a method to my
madness! I purposefully begin my unit with these topics first, as I feel they
must successfully “warm students up” and transition them into the incredibly
challenging topic of discussing:
IEP’s
As I mentioned before, my students will attend their Annual Review meetings at year’s end, so it is imperative that they understand
what a CSE Meeting is, and more importantly, what we are discussing in regards
to their program and transition into the following year. If I want the students
to become stronger, independent self-advocates, then they need to know and understand what their
IEP is formally putting into place for them.
Day 3: Teaching IEP’s
Objectives (Students will be able to):
·
Identify and discuss the adults in the building
who assist them in being academically successful
·
Understand what an IEP is: how it is created,
who creates it, and what it represents
·
View a mock IEP
·
Review their own classroom modifications and
testing accommodations
·
Confidentially ask any questions regarding the
topic
Anticipatory Set:
For today’s
Quick Work, students are given
this worksheet
to begin thinking about the adults in the school who assist them in learning
and in being successful academically. Students record the adult’s name, and
what that adult does for them. I model an example first by using my own name, as
well as my classroom aide’s, since it’s easiest for the students to brainstorm
in the context of our own class. I prompt students to think beyond teachers,
such as the counseling center, or special reading teachers. We share and
discuss student responses.
There are a few reasons why I choose to do this for Quick
Work:
1.
It gives students the chance to step back and
think about all the adults who provide them with services; including what these
adults do and why the students are working with them.
2.
It exposes students to the people who help to
create their program and also makes more sense to the kids when they see the names of
these adults on their actual IEP’s.
3. It shows students how unique they all are from
each other. While some students have services in common, everyone’s program is
different and each student receives different support from different adults in
the building for different reasons.
Activities:
1.
I always begin by reviewing the word, confidentiality
(private and to yourself)
2.
I remind students from our previous lessons that
everyone in the class learns differently and in a different way, and that
sometimes it can be challenging to learn. Because of this, every student in the
class has something called an Individualized Education Program or IEP
3.
I write Individualized Education Program (IEP) on
the board and define it like this:
·
It is a document or paper that has information
all about you on it
·
This includes:
o
How you learn
o
What helps you learn
o
Your strengths
o
Your weaknesses
o
What teachers can do to help you be successful
o
What you can do to help yourself be successful
4.
I then display for students a mock IEP that I
have created in our online IEP Program. I only fill out parts of the IEP
to show them; the same parts that I will eventually show them on their own
IEP’s.
This includes:
·
Special Alerts
·
Related Services
·
Program
·
Modifications
·
Testing Accommodations
·
Goals
This can be a lengthy discussion
with kids. Some years kids are more inquisitive then others. While I do allow
students to ask questions during this, I tell them they will have time at the
end to ask personal questions about their own IEP’s so these questions should
be asked in private.
5.
We then discuss the creation of an IEP. I explain
that everyone involved in your education (parents, teachers, counselors, etc.)
sit down together in a meeting called a CSE Meeting (which I also write on the
board), to discuss how you are doing in school, what your strengths and
weaknesses are, and what you need to ensure you are successful. I explain that they create this IEP so that next year's teachers know what you can do and how to help you.
6.
Group Work
After our discussion, I break
students into 2 different groups: The Testing Accommodations Group, and the
Program Modifications group. (I will run one group and my aide will run the
other, as an adult needs to be present in each). When students are in the
designated group, they will receive an index card that they are to keep
“confidential” that lists their actual accommodations or program modifications. My aide and I will have a master copy of all of the
accommodations and modifications the students may have on their cards, and we
go down the list and explain what they each mean. This actually will take less time
than you would think, as most students have the same general support, such as Extended Time or Tests Read. I allow students to ask questions as necessary.
7.
I close the lesson by having students return to
their seats and confidentially write down any questions they have regarding the
day’s topic to address the next class. This part of the lesson is crucial, as
it gives you a way to assess what the students understood, while giving them a
chance to speak up and ask more questions for further clarification.
You’ll notice that in this unit so far, and particularly in
today’s lesson, I never say the words Special Education or Special Ed. The
reason is there is often a negative connotation associated with these words,
and the students are aware of this and often insecure about it. If any
questions or comments are made, am I honest that their program is referred to
as Special Education, but that it only means they receive a unique education
program that is designed for them. I want students to know that they learn
differently, and not “wrong,” and that their program is in place to
make sure they are learning in a way that works best for them.
Check back for my final lesson in my Disability Awareness
Unit: Advocacy!
