wk 6 d
ESE634: EDUCATION-BASED COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Instructor Guidance
Week 6
Welcome to Week 6 of ESE634: Education-Based Collaborative Relationships! Please be sure to review the Week 6 homepage for this course to see:
· The specific learning outcomes for the week.
· The schedule overview.
· The required and recommended resources.
· The introduction to the week.
· A listing of the assessments.
It is important to note that the Instructor Guidance has been developed to directly compliment the learning outcomes in each week of this course. Supplemental resources are also included in the Instructor Guidance. You are encouraged to consider using these resources to support your completion of the weekly assessments beyond using the required and recommended resources provided on the weekly unit homepages and in the consolidated list of resources on the Course Materials page. Thus, you are strongly encouraged to review the Instructor Guidance each week as part of your study plan. Not only does the Instructor Guidance offer you insights and assistance with the weekly topics and activities, it models effective academic writing, which is expected of you in all of your coursework in this graduate-level course.
Overview
Over the last five weeks, we explored communication and collaboration within the special education profession. We discussed conflict, problem-solving strategies, and ways in which to effectively and efficiently work with a diverse group of individuals and conflict. We explored different settings for special education teachers and identified strengths and weaknesses of different service delivery models. We concluded with information about transition for special education students of all ages. This week we will bring together all your learning with a reflection about your experiences and the final project.
Intellectual Elaboration
Case Manager For your final project, you will be asked to assume the role of a case manager or a case carrier. This role is typically taken on by the special education teacher, but can also be handled by an assistant principal or administrator, resource specialist, or another specialist. The case manager is “the main point of contact between parents, specialists, and teachers who work with a student on an IEP” (NWRESD, n.d., para. 1). Other responsibilities typically include:
· Maintaining records
· Updating and monitoring progress towards Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals
· Presenting information at meetings
· Leading IEP and other meetings related to the student
· Coordinating paperwork
(NWRESD, n.d., para. 2)
A case manager is responsible for all matters concerning a student and their IEP. It is important to note that the case manager may not be the student’s actual teacher and therefore is not necessarily in charge of the student’s classroom education. However, the case manager will be knowledgeable about the student’s current levels of performance, IEP goals, accommodations, modifications, and all other education related information that takes place in the classroom regardless of whether he/she is the classroom teacher and case manager or just the case manager. Many school districts and/or state departments of education have lists of case manager’s responsibilities. You can conduct a search online for your local district and state. You can also view this supplemental checklist from Coweta County, Georgia. It is very comprehensive and provides a timeline so that you can visualize when these responsibilities take place. Parental Involvement Throughout our course, we have discussed communicating and collaborating with parents. Last week, you may have assumed the role of Kara’s mother within the discussion post. Within your final project, there are numerous components that will require you to include Manual’s parents. Please remember that Manual and his parents are the “customers”. It is your job to ensure that parents feel welcome, are able to voice their opinions freely, and are a valued member of the team. The parents are the ones who have known the student the longest and they want what is best for their children. Parents have a very difficult role; they have to be both care givers and advocates. This means that sometimes parents’ emotions may be expressed in ways that may not be appropriate, but it is part of the process and as a Case Manager, one needs to ensure to keep the whole IEP team on track. Please consider the words of Bollaro (2013), a lawyer and parent to a special needs child:
Advocacy is by its nature, a cerebral activity and involves great thought and creativity. Parenting is by nature a visceral activity that involves great emotions and heavy decisions. I know first hand how the feelings that come with children, especially disabled children, overwhelm and confuse us. No words can adequately explain the dread and anxiety that accompany us everywhere we go. We belong to a select club, an elite group of people, who speak a foreign language ("IEP", "OT", "PT") other parents do not know. We emit sensitive radar that only those of our own kind can detect, often with one look. For the sakes of our children, we must strive to be patient with those whose experiences have not given them access to our perspective. It is our duty to lead these people to a fuller understanding of the beauty and ability within our children. To do this, we must become effective advocates. (para. 7-9).
Every person on the IEP team needs to be recognized as an advocate for the student. While opinions will vary and conflict may arise, it is the job of the case manager to ensure that the IEP meeting is grounded in collaboration and open communication. Student Voice A cornerstone of transition planning is the inclusion of student voice through self-determination, self-advocacy, and person-centered planning (Cohen & Spenciner, 2009). Please recall that person-centered language was introduced in ESE601 and self-determination will be revisited again in ESE645. These topics will be included in your final project. Within transition services, self-determination means that students “have direction and control over their own lives, they, rather than service providers, are central to planning for, implementing, and evaluating transition activities,” (Cohen & Spenciner, 2009, p. 480). Students need to be able to speak their own opinions and have them hold value, as they are ultimately the people who will be affected by the outcomes. They also need to be taught self-advocacy, which means making informed decisions and taking responsibilities for their decisions (Cohen & Spenciner, 2009). Person-centered planning brings together student voice, self-determination, and self-advocacy as well as the “student’s hopes, dreams, and desires” by involving “natural supports (the individual’s own supports that the general population uses rather than specialized services). Natural support includes neighbors, employers, clergy, and other community members” (Cohen & Spenciner, 2009, p. 483). All of these elements place the student and their interests at the center with all other members acting as a support mechanism to work towards successful transition. Technology For your final project, you are to use technology to create a multimedia presentation. The incorporation of technology is a program-wide goal for the University of Arizona Global Campus and an essential component of your practical knowledge base within the special education profession. The following information describes why your need to be technology savvy. The American education system is focusing on preparing students for a more global economy—one in which communication with others across borders is increasingly a part of regular, daily life. We therefore must equip students with the 21st-century skills as outlined in the framework of the Partnership for 21st-Century Learning. Included as a part of the framework are information, media, and technology skills (Links to an external site.) as well as life and career skills (Links to an external site.) . If students are to be held accountable for utilization of information, media, and communications & technology literacy skills, then teachers had better be able to model their use and integrate some use of technology in their instruction. The Partnership for 21st-Century Learning offers ways to incorporate such instructional opportunities such as use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Maps (Links to an external site.) . These maps illustrate the intersection between ICT and core academic subjects such as English, mathematics, science, and social studies. The maps provide educators with concrete examples of how ICT Literacy can effectively be integrated into core subjects, making learning more relevant to the demands of the 21st century (P21.org). Technology Standards The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) developed standards for educator technology instruction. They divide teacher technology use into five broad practices: (1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, (2) Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments, (3) Model digital-age work and learning, (4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and (5) Engage in professional growth and leadership. In response to these practices, it may be more prudent to focus on high-quality teaching practices and how technology can enhance and strengthen those practices. Since effective technology practices are not completely a part of the educational culture, teachers and teacher evaluators may not wholly understand what constitutes effective technology use and thus, should start with effective teaching as a focus instead. Johnson suggests that by incorporating Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, specifically, the four domains of planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities, guidelines as to how technology can be integrated successfully into instruction can be followed. Planning and Preparation In this domain, the teacher
1. Creates assignments appropriate to the technology abilities of his or her students.
2. Uses digital resources provided by the district, including online productivity tools, content management systems, e-textbooks, online reference sources, video-streaming sites, and learning systems in reading and math.
3. Designs learning activities that use available technology, including laptops, tablets, computer labs, and interactive whiteboards.
4. Uses digital resources to differentiate instruction, including using devices for students with special needs, such as computer activities and online materials suited to different reading abilities or learning preferences.
5. Assesses technology production in student work when applicable.
The Classroom Environment In this domain, the teacher
1. Demonstrates a positive attitude toward educational technology during class.
2. Uses technology to help students "publish" their work online for other students, parents, and the public to view, following district safety and privacy rules.
3. Uses technology to facilitate collaborative creation and peer editing of student work.
4. Creates rules for technology use in the classroom, including rules regarding the use of personally owned technology devices, such as cell phones.
5. Monitors student technology use and responds to misuse if it occurs.
Instruction In this domain, the teacher
1. Uses the classroom sound amplification system, if available.
2. Uses technology to create and project visual images and video that help explain content and concepts.
3. Uses the interactive whiteboard in ways that engage students. These include student use of the board, gaming applications, actions based on student responses, and polling.
4. Encourages students to use online resources to answer questions and explore concepts during class and teaches search and information evaluation strategies.
5. Uses technology to help students produce their own work (writing, designing, creating) and meet the instructional goals of the lesson.
Professional Responsibilities In this domain, the teacher
1. Uses an online grading and reporting system to maintain information on student completion rates and shares this information through student and parent portals in a consistent and timely manner.
2. Uses an online grading system portal to inform students and parents of upcoming assignments, projects, and assessments well ahead of the date due.
3. Provides current classroom information to students and parents on the district website.
4. Keeps students and parents informed using online communication tools such as e-mail, blogs, and social networks on a regular basis.
5. Uses collaborative online tools to communicate and work with colleagues.
All in all, these examples are practical strategies that do not require an extensive or expensive amount of technology to implement instructionally. As with a great deal of what is required as an educator, there will always be limited resources including funding, to support the most ideal instructional opportunities. However, with creativity, collaboration, planning and professional development opportunities, and other support from school and district leaders, every teacher in every grade can find ways to effectively use technology and promote 21st-century learning for their students.
Assessment Guidance
This section includes additional specific assistance for excelling in the assessments for Week 6 beyond what is given with the instructions for the week. If you have questions about what is expected on any assessment for Week 6, contact your instructor before the due date. Discussion: Your discussion for the week is a reflection about your learning in this course as well as the MASE program in general. You will connect the learning from this course to your professional goals and career plans. You will also be sharing your greatest learning and the areas that you would like to know more about. Take time to reflect on this before crafting your response as it will not only help you and your peers, it will influence the ways in which your instructor presents the course information in future classes. Assignment:
Your final project is comprised of elements from your coursework. You can take selected material from your work to build your final, however, be sure to take into account any feedback you received from your peers and instructor. The only truly new content is related to the importance of self-determination, self-advocacy, and person-centered planning in transition services. Cohen and Spenciner (2009) provide thorough descriptions of these topics within chapter 16 of the course text. Please see the Student Voice heading within the intellectual elaboration section above. As mentioned in the directions for this final project, you are to reference the goals previously identified for our fictional character, Manual, for his Individualized Education Program (IEP). If you have not taken ESE 610, don't worry! You have access to this information here download.
For the final assignment you are to create a multimedia presentation. The presentation could be composed as a slideshow using Microsoft’s PowerPoint, which could be narrated using Jing, or created as a webcam video by using YouTube. If you use the YouTube option, you may wish to keep your video as “unlisted” if you do not want it publicly available in search results on the YouTube website. The privacy policies for Jing and YouTube are provided in the annotated list of resources below. If you have questions about the use of these media options, contact the instructor in the Ask Your Instructor discussion.
Recommendation
The MASE program provides the opportunity for you to create an online portfolio that can be used in your career development and professional practice. Throughout the program you will have various assessments that can be included in this e-portfolio and these will be finalized in the last course of the MASE program, Capstone course, ESE699. You may select this assignment and subsequent coursework to include as artifacts. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged you save your coursework on a flash-drive (e.g., a USB removable drive) or store in a cloud-based option such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or other similar applications.
References
Bollaro, J. (2013, May 15). 8 steps to a better IEP meeting: Play hearts, not poker (Links to an external site.) . [blog post] Retrieved from http://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/iep.bollero.hearts.htm
Bushaw, W. J., & Lopez, S. J. (2012). Public education in the United States: A nation divided. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(1), 9.
Cohen, L. G., & Spenciner, L. J. (2009). Teaching students with mild and moderate disabilities: Research-based practices. Pearson Education.
Merickel, M. (1998). Reflective Practice: The reflective practitioner (Links to an external site.) . Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/pte/module2/rp.htm
NWRESD (n.d.). Understanding my role in the IEP team and at IEP meetings (Links to an external site.) . Retrieved from http://www.nwresd.k12.or.us/autism /UnderstandingMyRoleintheIEPTeamandMeetings.html
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Framework for 21st century learning (Links to an external site.) . Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). ICT Literacy (Links to an external site.) . Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework/350