STUDY NOTES

EEX 3226 * STŬDI Note Template for Monograph Article Reading: Ecological Assessment and Planning, Linda McCormick, Ph.D., Mary Jo Noonan, Ph.D. Name: Your name goes here

*STŬDI is an acronym for Synthesized To Understand and Digest Information. These STUDI notes are to be completed and used as a tool to increase your engagement in course activities and preparation for assignments and assessments. The structure of these notes are adapted from Cornell Notes (Walker,

1962/2010). Page 1 of 2

Instructions: 1. Read the assigned article; 2. Think about how you might succinctly summarize the article; 3. Complete the table below by typing in your responses. Save the document to your computer, then submit.

A. Conceptual link [Please do not delete these instructions]: Provide a very brief summary of the article’s content, then describe two to three ways the information in this article explicitly links to the foundational information for this course. In other words, how does the article’s content link to specific ideas in a corresponding textbook chapter, session’s PowerPoint lecture/class activities, types of assessment instrument, procedures, or recommendations, etc. McCormick and Noonan’s article discusses ecological assessment and planning. Ecological assessment uses the activities and what is expected of the child to make decision about the child’s level of functioning and to make plans for how deficits can be addressed. (1) The information that was included in this article reminded me of the different ways of observing as was discussed in class and as we read in chapter 5 of our text (Wortham). To conduct an ecological assessment the teacher must observe. (2) Before a child can have a plan put in place to help with behaviors, we need to know what exactly is the behavior as well as its function. In this same class lecture, we discussed the ABC analysis, so I see ecological assessment as another way to determine ecological factors (antecedents) what behaviors a child (target behavior) is showing and what function it may be serving (consequent event). (3) The article also described a practical way that recording of data may take place. I particularly liked the fact that it reminds us that each piece of the process needs to be assigned to individuals so that no one is thinking someone else is doing it and so no one does it. Chapter 6 of our text discusses checklists and rating scales as data collection methods. Based on both the article’s information and this chapter, I know that as teachers we should get used to collecting and using data to make decisions about children.

EEX 3226 * STŬDI Note Template for Monograph Article Reading: Ecological Assessment and Planning, Linda McCormick, Ph.D., Mary Jo Noonan, Ph.D. Name: Your name goes here

*STŬDI is an acronym for Synthesized To Understand and Digest Information. These STUDI notes are to be completed and used as a tool to increase your engagement in course activities and preparation for assignments and assessments. The structure of these notes are adapted from Cornell Notes (Walker,

1962/2010). Page 2 of 2

B. (Original) Generalized example [Please do not delete these instructions]: Generate one to two original, not otherwise discussed in class, example(s) which are intended to describe a real or hypothetical situation where the concepts from the article applies. In other words, think about and use your own or hypothetical or real experience working with young children explain the contents of the reading. Response should be presented using complete sentences. Many times as teachers we “have a feeling” that a child’s development may not be progressing as it should. If a child is exhibiting behaviors that you the teacher would like to see changed, an ecological assessment could be conducted to learn more about these behaviors, their purpose and function. For example, I have a 3-year-old student who is new to the class and I noticed as being very “distant” and non-verbal, but there is nothing in his record to indicate a diagnosis relating to these behaviors. When I contacted parents, they reported that he is the same at home and that he points when he wants to communicate with them. At that point, I began an ecological assessment, using observation to learn more about him. Based on this observation in his learning environment and activities, I could made a plan for him. This process is in essence an ecological assessment and planning. Another example where ecological assessment was helpful what when my student JC’s IFSP was coming up for review and I (his teacher) wanted to include information about how he interacts with his peers in his classroom. I set aside a short period each day to complete the checklist given to me by the school psychologist, but I wad specific notes about his interaction with peers.