speced - so how are all your portfolios going?
scrapin - not very well. i can not seem to pinpoint exactly what i am going to do. i do not like being indecisive.
speced - sometimes it's better to have several good ideas, than no good ideas!
speced - In the beginning, I worked on two ideas on the communications entry, before I chose one over the other
scrapin - maybe. but i am a banker. hold on the phone just rang
riley - for entry2-communications..do you think it is better to use small group or individual lesson?
speced - I'm not sure there's an easy answer to that question. Just go with the one that you feel more confident with, and one that shows all the things that you do to help the students..... Tough question!
riley - most of my kids ride a special bus...that leaves me with two students at the end of the day for about 30 minutes. perfect time to work individually with my profiled student.
speced - why don't you want to work with that student in a regular class, there's probably more to write about if you can describe how you help him communicate with adults and other students... especially in an authentic settting
riley - I teach in a self-contained TMD class
speced - riley- I suppose any situation will work, but the more you can show how you directly instruct the student, assist in the student's communication with others, making those referrals from what you write to your evidence, the stronger your entry will be....
riley - speced...maybe I'm not on the right track. I teach finctional math skills so i wasn't sure whether i should choose literacy or comm. but based on my students interests i chose communication
speced - I also taught functional math, and my entry showed my math class and how I promoted communication skills in my class of mod MR kids
riley - how did you do that?
Michelle in SC - I'm having trouble with my video. Ithink I have a good idea but my videos are not good. I teach mild EMD at a high school.
Bubba~Sue - riley! I teach in Cove City...
speced - think of the communication needs of your students, how do you help them communicate in your class? Unless your class is pure lecture and worksheets, there must be some way you encourage them to communicate!
riley - my student has very limited reading skills...she wants to be involved in high school activities and has trouble remembering when games are scheduled,dances appointments.etc I wanted to teach time management/scheduling/calendar skills..isn't this receptive communication ?
Bubba~Sue - HEEHEEHEE....Hey riley....have you talked to Wendy at my school?????????? she is great to talk to about sped......she certified too
Bubba~Sue - Riley....you used to work with her!
riley - Bubba ...I have been bugging Wendy She owes me big time!
ispy - i turst everyone had a nice holiday........
ispy - trust......even
Bubba~Sue - Riley...I know she does........she is good with the "gab" too.........can come up with many great ideas........
ispy - see ....get outta school for a day or two and cant spell.....
Bubba~Sue - sorry i cant help you with the SPED part..but i can help with entry four..........I am Early Childhood Gen.......
ispy - are you all killing yourselves...
riley - Wendy feels sorry for me and has agreed to lead me in the right direction
Bubba~Sue - Riley....i did very well with the Doc Accomplishments.and Communication with Parents(home to School)
Bubba~Sue - LOL.Riley....
ispy - bubba are you nbct?
Bubba~Sue - Yes.....I certified in 2000
Bubba~Sue - but not SPED....that is funny though.i feel like i teach SPED.....i am an inclusion teacher though.......
riley - Thank-you Bubba Sue I will need help with that soon
Lela - Bubba, please give tips on entry 4, I would love to hear them.
Bubba~Sue - Lela.just make sure you show that you REALLY have impacted your students learning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
speced - riley- read the communications standard again, is time management skills promoting communication- the ability to interact better with others?
Bubba~Sue - show that everything you do........IMPACTS their learning.....go into BIG detail about IMPACT!!!!!
ipsy - upset that santa did not try harder to get that new computer down the chimnney
stenz - and have reached out to the community and impacts parents toooo
Lela - I must confess that I have not been too community oriented ( other than being in charge of our fair display every year).
ipsy - i feel as tho i am going backwards in all of this.....i am trying hard to stay on track..........its trying to get all the pieces together at one time.....or is this only me?
Bubba~Sue - even if you do workshops to help other educators......discuss how that the teacher's learning impacts their students learning.which in return impacts the whole school
stenz - Bubba sue - What do you mean inclusion teacher without being sped are you reg ed.\
Bubba~Sue - that was just an example
Bubba~Sue - for two way communication........between parent and home......I sent home a daily report for the parents to sign and give comments..but just not about behavior......about academics too
stenz - what do you do for the kids that impacts the family and their learning
Michelle in SC - ipsy i feel the same way. two steps forward and one or two back??!!
Bubba~Sue - yes........I am regular ed.....but i have 6 students with sped needs
stenz - do you have to do all the modifying - or does the sped teach work with you?
Bubba~Sue - the sped teacher comes to me.......and we teach together
speced - For entry 4- make sure that your communication show consistent, sustained, and meaningful communication with parents- the one time newsletter may not cut it if it was a one time event...
Lela - i create videotapes of individual and group lessons. I send thenm home with each student once or twice a week.
Lela - sorry about the typos
stenz - Lela , that is fantastic!
speced - lela- describe how the videotapes fosters communication and collaboration to further that student's learning...
Bubba~Sue - i do a lot of the mods.......I have one autistic....one BED....three LD....one OHI....and an EMD child.......in a pear tree! LOL oh and i have a AG child too
speced - Key emphasis on collaboration....
stenz - are the tapes for the parents to learn about what their child is doing in school?
Bubba~Sue - lela...that is great! and a great idea too!!!!!!!!!
Lela - Some of my parents have learning disabilities. They can't help their kids with homework, so this is their homework.
Michelle in SC - This is my first go at NB but i have field days every year for my students, their parents and faculty and staff. We revolve all our activities around our area of study. Last year it was Native Americans. Thats something I put in 4, I don't know how it will go over??
stenz - so you teach the parents how to help them with their homework?
Lela - Yes, I will flash the vocabulary words, have students read orally, offer corrections. I tape all of this and send it home.
Bubba~Sue - lela...too true.you need to talk about that too....dont forget to tell WHY you do what you do.......dont just tell what you do
riley - speced..i guess it is more written communication and receptive comm...following directions,listening skills and a real life experience
Lela - Parents either work or can't read or do math. So, they watch with the kids and learn.
stenz - That's the ticket, Lela!1
Lela - Thanx, I feel better. I am so afraid of not communicating effectively on this entry.
speced - riley, again, really read the communication standard to see if what you are aiming for is what the standard describes
stenz - Lela, when reading the standards - so much is about how we are effective with our parents, community and the students for this entry.
riley - speced...maybe aquisition of calendar skills/scheduling is geared more toward literacy?
Lela - I haven't accomplished anything BIG. Like one of our teachers raises money to buy a heifer for a poor family in a third world country.
stenz - think about the benefits of workshops that you do for professional development and how that will make you better at........
Michelle in SC - I randomly pick from a jar, two students to send a "note home" with. if they were good i emphasize that if not I let parents know. My students get bonus tickets for bringing their notes back ( pizza drawing end of each month) It is effective.
Bubba~Sue - often times.when i wrote a statement I would ask myself....WHY 5x and then would write down why and work it into the question.......
stenz - I go a 3.0 on that entry and my accomplishments were not complicated - but it is how they effect parents, community and parents
Lela - Ok, I do go to workshops and participate in professional development.
stenz - Remember to read how the standards want you to reach out
speced - Lela- It doesn't have to be big, but it does have to benefit your students... This is a different kind of impact. For example, one NBCT I know was "Teacher of the Year" for her state, but did not include it since she could not relate this "achievement" to how her students would benefit.. So how does a cow in a 3rd world country benefit the students in the class? Can that be shown convincingly? (Just something to think about....)
stenz - Oh- and also why
Michelle in SC - five examples of how it is effective is a good goal, that's good
stenz - Lela- I do also mean the students I had a typo before.
scrapin - to speced... are you certified?
Lela - I see. My students must be affected by whatever I do. It's not necessary to do something big, just effective.
stenz - You got it
speced - yup - 2001
Bubba~Sue - lela.......yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just prove to them by stating how it IMPACTS them
speced - Exactly Lela, and hopefully affected in a good way
scrapin - has anyone struggled with entry one. i need to nail it for the pts. to pass. last year i had great activities but did not explain the why as well as i should have
Lela - Stenz, I bought the book that you told me about last week. It just came in the mail. It costs 32.50. It must be on sale.
stenz - Oh good - I'm glad that helped you!
Lela - Since it just came in, I haven't read it thoroughly. But it is a guide for the facilitators of teachers who are candidates.
stenz - How do you know that scrapin?
stenz - Did you use the scoring guide to help you figure it out?
stenz - Entry one is the question document?
Lela - Yes, Assessment informs Instruction
scrapin - i reread the entry several tin=mes and went back to the standards. i even had someone who is certified that the readers may not have believed i would go the extra mile to provide the instruction. going back over it i probably should have hit the why more than i did. it was clear to me but maybe not to them. this process is still pretty subjective but that is just my opinion.
stenz - Thanks Lela- I don't have my portfolio with me
Bubba~Sue - well my hubby is tellin' me to get off the puter!!!!!!!!!!! See y'all later!!!!!!!!! bye RILEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! talk to ya later!
scrapin - my portfolio is stillat school. i am basically reading over material here at home and thinking and thinking and thinking.. yup i think you get the point.
stenz - I got the passing score of 2.75 on that one - it was a toughie
riley - see ya Bubba-Sue
speced - scrapin- the "why's" are very important, and it is was helpful for me to assume that the assessor knew nothing about me, so I had to explain it ad naseaum to them.....
stenz - also - you might look at the questions and assessments - did they go well together?
scrapin - i rewrote the complete entry 3x and scored 2.4. i was stunned and this has paralyzed me. i can not seem to get beyond it mentally.
stenz - I hear ya scrapin- my mentor had me rewrite more than 3x on one of my entries
speced - exactly stenz- you must show how your assessment drives your instruction- how they are linked, and how they are affected by each other- based on specific needs of your students..
stenz - Was that your lowest score?
scrapin - this time i am using a young man who is 17. he writes like a first grader. he wants to learn how to write. i have completed an occupational referral because his hands shake sfter 1omin. of writing whether this is on paper, drawing, or using the board.
stenz - I need only 2 points and I did not finish one of the ac questions and that was my lowest by far - that's the one i'm doin over
speced - 2 points! geeez!
stenz - That
stenz - That's what did me in
scrapin - i was under the influence of prescription drugs the day of assessment. i am not sure how i got there. i am not going that route again. i ahve had surgery since that time. infact it was a month later. thank God it was not cancer.
stenz - You need to narrow down your question on your case study you're referring about, scrapin
stenz - You have a guardian angel watching over you scrapin - so you'll do it this time around
scrapin - i have i think covered the gammit from work sample to pictures of him holding pencils to parent letters and emails
scrapin - this students vocabulary is at the level of a second year college student
stenz - How can you use your colleagues to help you in the assessment?
riley - speced. how did use literacy or comm. in your functional math class with TMD students...I've been looking at communication standards.
speced - Think about how you encourage your students to talk to you or each other in your class, especially during activities such as math games...
scrapin - i hope so i have never felt so inadequate in all my life. i am used as a resource not just in my school bt in the county as well and i am still trying to regroup.
stenz - Reach out to other professionals to help you - I do it all the time - SLP , OT, PT Sw
scrapin - why did i pick one to redo????? i hated it the first time and i am not liking it any better this time around
speced - This can be a "tough one" since how you help your kids communicate can be soooo integrated in everything you do, that sometimes you do not think about it, and it happens naturally
Lela - Thank y'all for all the help. I appreciate it. Happy New Year and au revoir!
stenz - If it is not your lowest than why not do a different one?
scrapin - ot will complete evaluation in January. i have a list of accommodations and strategies that have been used in thepast.??????
scrapin - it was the lowest.....
stenz - Oh nuts1/2/3.
stenz - Maybe try a different case to use?
scrapin - i am debating using form that will need to be completed because of his age and the fact that this would be a functional skill.. what do ya think???
stenz - How to fill out a form?
stenz - That is very functional and must be purposeful
riley - speced ...i don't want to give up on this idea...if my student is sent a note by the librarian to return a book on a certain date...and she puts that date in her planner is that not a form of receptive communication?
scrapin - he wants to join the military. he excels in jrotc. has the intellect for a four year college. i am curious as to why he can not write any better
stenz - Can you be more explicit as to what or how he can not write?
stenz - Does he need to learn how to write a complete sentence or paragraphs?
scrapin - i have never had to teach handwriting at the high school level. i have read more journals and talked to more elementary teachers than i would like to admit
stenz - Basically it is handwriting you are referring too?
stenz - If he fills out forms - he only needs to print
scrapin - paragraphs lack of organization... back to the hand shaking... in the classroom it is handwriting and strategies to assist with notetaking, paragraphs, etc. if he does choose the college route these skills would help him be independent which he wants to be. this has become a self esteem issue
stenz - what about using technology to help this disability?
stenz - tape recorders and such
speced - riley, of course it is, but in the standard, it describes communication as "helping them acquire knowledge, and develop and maintain interpersonal relationships.." Think of the essence of communication as something more "active" and "reaching out" as opposed to listening and following directions... That's importnat, but ask if it's the essence....
scrapin - BINGO!!! trying the talking programs but he can only write his name in cursive and print is not legible
stenz - OH - I think you've got something now - That's good
speced - In the end, you know the student, his/her's most cricitical needs, and if "receptive communiction" is the most important need in terms of developing relationships, then.......
scrapin - i probably should scrap this and try someone else but i have had to delve too much to try to make my instruction meaningful
stenz - Then all your efforts should pay off
scrapin - i am learning quite a bit about systemic factors and environmental and trying tp discern what is going on. am i making any sense???
judy3ca - Hi, nan, how was your day after celebration?
stenz - Well- I think it's time to go now- the reading crew is here- Good luck to you scrapin - talk to you soon
speced - Good luck all! See ya later...
