I haven't had a lot of experience with people who have autism. I wasn't a peer leader in high school who worked with those kids, I see them at the grocery store sometimes, occasionally see someone with special needs at the restaurant where I work. A lot of people, myself included, don't think that people with autism have the capacity to communicate or understand what people are saying to them. Barb showed me that thoughts like that are really misguided. Barb wasn't able to talk to us, but she WAS able to type to us. A big part of her being able to communicate was just being given the chance to. She told us that autism is lonely, and I don't doubt that.
My friend's little boy was just diagnosed with autism earlier this year. He turns 3 this week. Looking at him when he was first born and through his first year of life, I would have never known that he was going to be autistic. Even now, though he can't speak very well, he's very active and from an outside perspective, probably looks like a normal 3 year old boy. The doctors told my friend that this little boy will not be high functioning as an adult. She has been telling people that she doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for her family, but they're going to, it's just a natural reaction.
I'm going to tell my friend about Barb, maybe she'll do some research. Maybe she'll read the book. Maybe she'll get in contact with this incredible person who just happens to have autism. I'm not doing this to "help" her because I feel "sorry" for her. I want her to understand (maybe she already does) that this doesn't mean that her little boy won't be able to do great things later on in life. I'm sure she already understands that. She's a mom after all.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Group Forum reflection
I wasn't sure what to expect with the group difference forum. I guess we all expected to be a little uncomfortable, but I didn't expect to get angry. The discussions about race especially made me angry. What's crazy is I felt bad for being mad, which is dumb because everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But since we live in a society where racial issues are taboo, where if you have an opinion about black people, you're "racist", I feel like I'm not allowed to think badly about some of these articles we talked about.
I'm not racist, in any way, shape, or form. But I just found it absolutely ridiculous that people think that children need to be aware of racial and minority issues. People are conducting research about children being mean to other kids because they are minorities. And I have to wonder what other factors were involved. I know that in daycare, I was the one who got left out a lot and it was because I was quiet, and I'm white, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed. There are so many other reasons that kids, even if they are a different race, are left out by other kids. It could be personality differences, language barriers, the fact that all of the other kids like Pokemon and the one other kid likes Digimon. Just because a kid is left out and they happen to be another race doesn't automatically mean that it is BECAUSE they are another race.
Another thing, I don't think that children need to be educated on racial issues. That is not a burden that we need to put on kids. They don't need to be worrying about the things that grown-ups argue about. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe to some people, but I am entitled to think what I want. I grew up color-blind. My first best friend was black. Brian pointed out that some of us grew up color blind, but black people don't. Honestly, that is up to the parents. Parents are a HUGE factor in whether or not you grew up color blind. I'm sure that there are plenty of minority families that don't point out racial differences. To sit a child down and tell them that they have to behave a certain way towards another child because of their race, even if it's positive behavior, is laying the foundation for creating a barrier between races later on in life. Who wants to grow up thinking, "I have to be nice to them because they're different." That is the exact same kind of thinking we teach kids about acting towards others with special needs. It's insane.
I'm sorry if this post offends anyone.
I'm not racist, in any way, shape, or form. But I just found it absolutely ridiculous that people think that children need to be aware of racial and minority issues. People are conducting research about children being mean to other kids because they are minorities. And I have to wonder what other factors were involved. I know that in daycare, I was the one who got left out a lot and it was because I was quiet, and I'm white, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed. There are so many other reasons that kids, even if they are a different race, are left out by other kids. It could be personality differences, language barriers, the fact that all of the other kids like Pokemon and the one other kid likes Digimon. Just because a kid is left out and they happen to be another race doesn't automatically mean that it is BECAUSE they are another race.
Another thing, I don't think that children need to be educated on racial issues. That is not a burden that we need to put on kids. They don't need to be worrying about the things that grown-ups argue about. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe to some people, but I am entitled to think what I want. I grew up color-blind. My first best friend was black. Brian pointed out that some of us grew up color blind, but black people don't. Honestly, that is up to the parents. Parents are a HUGE factor in whether or not you grew up color blind. I'm sure that there are plenty of minority families that don't point out racial differences. To sit a child down and tell them that they have to behave a certain way towards another child because of their race, even if it's positive behavior, is laying the foundation for creating a barrier between races later on in life. Who wants to grow up thinking, "I have to be nice to them because they're different." That is the exact same kind of thinking we teach kids about acting towards others with special needs. It's insane.
I'm sorry if this post offends anyone.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Post #7
Providing expert points of view:
An instance where I would provide expert points of view (for middle or high school band) would be by bringing in someone trained on a specific instrument to work a sectional with a group of students on that same instrument. The students' reactions would be to actively listen and participate in the sectional with the expert. Hopefully, they will take away new and better techniques for playing their instrument than I could provide them with, especially if it's an instrument I'm weak on. Sometimes I may not have the resources or time to give a section the one on one attention they may need.
Some obstacles with bringing in outside experts would be me trusting them to teach my students correctly. The students may not behave as well with the expert as they would with me, or even vice versa. Maybe the students could decide that they like their sectional person better than me, and as a result, wouldn't pay me the attention that they should.
An instance where I would provide expert points of view (for middle or high school band) would be by bringing in someone trained on a specific instrument to work a sectional with a group of students on that same instrument. The students' reactions would be to actively listen and participate in the sectional with the expert. Hopefully, they will take away new and better techniques for playing their instrument than I could provide them with, especially if it's an instrument I'm weak on. Sometimes I may not have the resources or time to give a section the one on one attention they may need.
Some obstacles with bringing in outside experts would be me trusting them to teach my students correctly. The students may not behave as well with the expert as they would with me, or even vice versa. Maybe the students could decide that they like their sectional person better than me, and as a result, wouldn't pay me the attention that they should.
Post #5
a) How would you define successful mastery of your lesson objectives from a behavioral view of learning? From a social cognitive view of learning?
Behavioral view:
I define successful mastery as when the learning has instilled a noticeable behavior change in the student, where he or she is able to learn more efficiently in the classroom. So when you ask a student if they understand, instead of a vague yes or headnod, they could actually elaborate on the subject and then you are actually able to observe that they know the material.
Social Cognitive view:
Social Cog is the theory I talk about in my paper. Mastery of this view would be when students have successfully internalized material so that they understand it in their own way. I could ask a student a question and they would answer me. Then I might ask how they remember it on their own. People learn and understand things in different ways, so each student is going to have their own way of remembering the stuff they learn in class.
Behavioral view:
I define successful mastery as when the learning has instilled a noticeable behavior change in the student, where he or she is able to learn more efficiently in the classroom. So when you ask a student if they understand, instead of a vague yes or headnod, they could actually elaborate on the subject and then you are actually able to observe that they know the material.
Social Cognitive view:
Social Cog is the theory I talk about in my paper. Mastery of this view would be when students have successfully internalized material so that they understand it in their own way. I could ask a student a question and they would answer me. Then I might ask how they remember it on their own. People learn and understand things in different ways, so each student is going to have their own way of remembering the stuff they learn in class.
Post #4
As far as classroom arrangement goes, I won't have many options to choose from for a band class for a conducive learning environment. Basically, all of the chairs go in arcs and rows, and like instruments sit together in sections. I do plan on putting up lots of theory and instrument posters, having a pass off chart on the wall, having a tuner available to the students who might not be able to get one of their own, and having an open door policy (if I have an office). I definitely want my students to feel like they can approach me with questions or concerns, without fear of consequences or judgement.
Looking at classroom management, everyone will receive the same band handbook at the beginning of the school year to read over with their parents. There will be a page in the back to sign and return to me. That way, I can know that everyone has read over my policies and rules for the classroom, which I will also go over in class just to make sure everyone is familiar with them. If there are any questions about the rules or if anyone says that they weren't aware of a rule, I can point out that they read over the handbook and signed a paper that said they WERE aware of the rules and would follow them. I am going to enforce my rules fairly and consistently, and avoid showing any kind of favoritism. I will also learn all of my students names.
I chose the case study with Cherie. Assuming that she has signed and returned the page from the band handbook, I know she is aware of the rules and that there are consequences for her actions. Keeping in mind that there might be different reasons as to why she is acting up, I am going to give her first offense a verbal warning, and attempt to help her with her misbehavior. In my paper, I discuss that I plan to help her avoid disruptions by placing her next to a well behaved student and having her work privately with an instructor (this removes her from class and possible distractions that would cause her to act up). Other ways to deal with her misbehavior would be to contact her parents if she keeps causing problems. Working with her would always be my first step, but sometimes it might be necessary to notify parents and see if there are any other reasons she is acting up in class. Another more drastic option would be to involve the administration (this would be my last option).
Looking at classroom management, everyone will receive the same band handbook at the beginning of the school year to read over with their parents. There will be a page in the back to sign and return to me. That way, I can know that everyone has read over my policies and rules for the classroom, which I will also go over in class just to make sure everyone is familiar with them. If there are any questions about the rules or if anyone says that they weren't aware of a rule, I can point out that they read over the handbook and signed a paper that said they WERE aware of the rules and would follow them. I am going to enforce my rules fairly and consistently, and avoid showing any kind of favoritism. I will also learn all of my students names.
I chose the case study with Cherie. Assuming that she has signed and returned the page from the band handbook, I know she is aware of the rules and that there are consequences for her actions. Keeping in mind that there might be different reasons as to why she is acting up, I am going to give her first offense a verbal warning, and attempt to help her with her misbehavior. In my paper, I discuss that I plan to help her avoid disruptions by placing her next to a well behaved student and having her work privately with an instructor (this removes her from class and possible distractions that would cause her to act up). Other ways to deal with her misbehavior would be to contact her parents if she keeps causing problems. Working with her would always be my first step, but sometimes it might be necessary to notify parents and see if there are any other reasons she is acting up in class. Another more drastic option would be to involve the administration (this would be my last option).
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