Sylvia a case study

Christina Bachman, Tom Kim & Kim Garley Presentation by: Christina Bachman, Tom Kim & Kim Garley For: SPED 305 4 December 2003

Collaboration Using the special education teacher, specifically the inclusion coordinator, to guide teaching practices and curriculum will be one of many effective teaching practices. Responsibilities of an inclusion coordinator include assessing Sylvia’s background knowledge to determine where Sylvia is in her native language. Expert Advice “The inclusion coordinator at a district level should give support for testing to find a baseline for where the student is in their native language. Other resources include: principal, other teachers with Spanish speaking students, local universities, outreach programs, and Spanish groups.”

Collaboration It is important to keep with the practice of constant communication in co-teaching situations. As a general educator it is important to ask questions. For example: How should Sylvia be taught to interact with other students when there is a language barrier? What types of instruction is best based on the special educations modifications for assessment? If the general education teacher does not know Spanish, ask about key phrases from Sylvia’s native language that can be used in class.

Collaboration Using the co-teaching method is highly effective in building an inclusive classroom. Having both Sylvia and the special educator in the room for group instruction is socially beneficial for all students. Implementation of co-teaching might also include small groups of students learning together, at the same pace. Example: Leal Elementary School

Instructional Modifications While Sylvia’s receptive language is on-target, she has trouble in expressive language. In English, she is developing in both these areas. Instructional focus for Sylvia lays in two main areas: Pronunciation English acquisition Some might add a third focus: Spanish language maintenance

Instructional Modifications Emphasis on building Sylvia’s vocabulary of sight words and simple words is critical toward her success in the classroom. Ways to achieve this might be: Labeling objects around the room in both English and Spanish. Over time, Spanish labels can be removed. Develop a Word Wall with both English and Spanish words. Have bilingual books available. Additionally, developing Sylvia’s phonemic awareness is critical toward helping her overcome her difficulty with expressive language, especially as it relates to pronunciation. Activities should include: Sound-isolation, Sound-blending, Sound-addition/substitution, Sound-segmentation Expert Advice “As Sylvia gains a larger vocabulary she will be ready to learn phonics. The Lindamood Phonemic Awareness program is the approach that Leal takes to teach phonics and it is a well-researched program.”

Instructional Modifications Activities should be oral. For example: object and picture cards are used before word cards. Weight on reading and writing comes later; the emphasis first, is on spoken language.* Avoid drill and rote memorization. Singing songs and playing word games will allow Sylvia to experiment with language and construct meaning. It can also be more inviting.* Plan Group Activities. Language is a social activity and all children must experience this in the classroom. For Sylvia, group activities are doubly important because of her limited interaction among her peers. Make Connections to Reading and Writing. Research shows that phonemic awareness is linked to reading and writing. As Sylvia shows improved phonemic awareness, transition to reading (Big Books, for example) and encourage inventive spelling.* Use theme teaching. Many bilingual educators advocate theme teaching because it provides consistency, repetition, and clearer conceptual connections. *Taken from: Literacy for the 21st Century by Gail Tompkins Expert Advice “Start with word recognition. Start simple. Some examples are tapes, simple stories, student tutors to help her, a set of vocabulary cards (objects, not words) to practice at home.”

Instructional Modifications Ideally, native language support should be provided for Sylvia. At the minimum, the intent must be for helping Sylvia transition to English. Also, English as a Second Language services might be a consideration depending on her progress.

Related Resources http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/index.htm National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instructional Education Programs http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/index.htm A great web resource for assisting both general and special educators about collaboration as well as English acquisition.

Social Skills & Interactions An important first step as a general educator is to facilitate a discussion to allow students to be aware of Sylvia’s need for acceptance. Creating an atmosphere where students are willing to help Sylvia at all times will allow her to perhaps have less anxiety. Allow opportunities for Sylvia to speak Spanish. Including Spanish vocabulary and sayings as part of the day-to-day instruction benefits all, not just Sylvia. Expert Advice “It is the teacher’s responsibility to help bilingual students blend in. More, teachers need to affirm bilingual students’ existence. An idea is to have Sylvia share artifacts and stories from her native country. The teacher should also read stories about being from a different country.”

Social Skills & Interactions Assigning a “buddy” to sit next to Sylvia can help Sylvia open up. A buddy can provide reassurance for Sylvia because she can turn to someone her own age to help her along. Because Sylvia has a hard time initiating conversation, a buddy that is good at conversing could be very beneficial, both socially and academically. A buddy can help initiate Sylvia’s sense of belonging.

Social Skills & Interactions As a general guideline, Sylvia needs a sufficient amount of support and encouragement at the start. It is important to provide structure and set a strong foundation. Over time, support should be gradually released. The intent is to help Sylvia become a more independent learner.

Behavior Management Reinforcing appropriate behavior includes finding out what kind of team player Sylvia is and then support her strengths. Based on what we know about Sylvia she would most likely fall into the contributor category. Therefore, to encourage appropriate behavior teachers must reinforce: dependability, responsibility, organization, efficiency, and work towards proficiency.

Behavior Management Because Sylvia rarely demonstrates inappropriate behavior in class, the consequences must be the same as for other students. In the same respect, Sylvia must also understand that the discipline plan doesn’t differ because of her special conditions.* Additional strategies include frequent evaluation of the plan’s effectiveness.* *Taken from: Teaching Strategies For Inclusive Classrooms by Mary Schmidt and Nancy Harriman

Behavior Management It seems that biting is due to anxiety and the school social worker can find out why she’s doing it. Other people to ask are the school psychologist and the school nurse. Expert Advice “Biting is often due to anxiety. The school social worker can help the classroom teacher with this problem. Other people to turn to are the school psychologist and the school nurse.”

Related Resources Kentucky Department of Education and Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/homepage.html The purpose of this site is to provide a format that allows school personnel, parents, and other professionals to gain access to information, to share effective practices, and to receive ongoing consultation and technical assistance concerning the full range of behavior problems and challenges displayed by children and youth in school and community settings, as well as other behavioral issues that may affect their success in school. The Voucher System http://www.happy-kids.com/ This is a website for parents to use to support effective behavior management techniques outside of school. UIUC School of Social Work http://www.social.uiuc.edu/HTM/rpscbsp.htm Due to the fact that Sylvia also has a problem with biting it is important to collaborate with the school social worker. A social worker will be able to figure out the reasons for this complex, while helping her to stop such a self-destructive behavior. The UIUC School of Social Work Community-provides many links for social work in a general education classroom.

Assessment Sylvia is below average in reading and writing mainly due to the language barrier and her communication disorder. A mix of both formal and informal assessments allows teachers to determine her developmental stage in reading and writing. For example: Informally observe how Sylvia asks questions or makes requests. Formally assess Sylvia’s pronunciation, vocabulary and phonemic awareness. It is critical to assess Sylvia in her native language. Expert Advice “Assessment requires collaboration with the aide, bilingual coordinator and inclusion coordinator. It is best to have help from a native (Spanish) speaker for designing assessments for Sylvia.”

Assessment Sylvia also has difficulty communicating and opening up. Informal assessments should be used to determine her level of interaction with peers. As in all other areas, assessment in this area should be on-going.

Assessment One final point about assessment… Effort should be made to access documentation of the various services Sylvia received while in Mexico. These documents could provide important insight to Sylvia’s previous experiences as well as specifics related to her diagnosis. Translation of documentation should not be perceived as a barrier as there are many resources that can provide this service.

Acknowledgements Many thanks to Mrs. Broom, a first grade teacher at Leal Elementary, for her input and “expert” advice.

Questions?

Thanks for your time and attention. …The End… Thanks for your time and attention.