Assignment #4: Module 2 Case Study 2

Case study of David Jackson

            David Jackson is a high school mathematics and science teacher who is having difficulty teaching two new students in his class. John and Ben Alexander are twin brothers who were transferred to his classroom in January, both having been diagnosed with a mild learning disability.  After observing and assessing the Alexander brothers, David understands that his teaching methods are not helping the twins learn. This is a new experience for David, and he realizes that he will need new strategies in order to support John’s and Ben’s learning in his class. His dilemma is specifically that his instructional techniques to engage these two students are ineffective in helping John and Ben learn, and that he will need to learn strategies to help the two brothers.

            Since the twins’ learning disability has been described as mild, I don’t think it’s reasonable for David to ask that they be removed from his class. Allowing such a decision without considering the motives involved is precisely what agreements like the Salamanca statement are opposed to. Whenever possible, teachers should be encouraged to include and support all learners in the classroom. David’s particular dilemma is that despite having eleven years of teaching experience, he is now faced with a challenge for which he doesn’t have an effective answer.  He likely has help in his school, such as special education teachers and more experienced colleagues from whom he can learn. I don’t think that his realization of his own ineffectiveness is in and of itself enough justification to remove John and Ben from the class.

            David should seek out information on John and Ben’s particular learning disability(s) from the support staff that he has in his school, and find strategies he can use to benefit the design of his lessons. What changes can he make regarding use of technology in his class that might benefit John and Ben? Is there something about the classroom environment itself that David could use to support the students? Do they focus better in a certain environment, and is there something David can alter in his current classroom? Do his lessons emphasize a particular learning style or strength, while underutilizing or ignoring other options?

            I think that David could take advice from special education specialists in his teaching community and begin looking for ways to use this advice in the delivery or design of his lessons. Additionally, David may need to adjust the resources he typically uses to engage students. If there are materials and resources that might facilitate John and Ben’s learning that David is not currently using in his class, this may mean a new difficulty for David. After teaching for eleven years, David may be pushed into an uncomfortable space of having to learn these new approaches and resources. But if was a justification for removing John and Ben from David’s class, wouldn’t many new teachers like myself teach to empty or near empty rooms?

Assignment #3: Module 2 Case Study 1

Assignment #3: Module 2 Case Study 1

Case study of Joan Martinez

The facts of this case are that Joan has been teaching fulltime for three years at the elementary level. She has taught the same grade – grade three – for these three years, and has developed a sense of comfort from working in the same school. She is now being asked to move to a grade 8 class at the Atlas middle school. Joan is feeling anxiety as part of this transition, and her fears of teaching at Atlas middle school are made worse given the fact that several of her students have behavioural exceptionalities, and have IEPs. She realizes the importance of starting the new school year in a positive and supportive manner, and she wants to implement a positive classroom management strategy.

In preparing to create a positive experience for herself and her students, I think that it’s possible to understand classroom management as having both proactive and reactive aspects. Joan will likely have control over the layout of her classroom, and can therefore create a classroom environment that supports the students most effectively.  This would be a proactive strategy. For example, a student with Tourettes, may need frequent breaks from classroom activity to release TICs. Arranging the classroom environment and seating plan to allow for this student’s easy entry to/ exit from the classroom would send a thoughtful message, and help lessen Joan’s overall anxiety.

Classroom rules and expectations at the beginning of the year might start out as an example of a proactive strategy, and then again, they may develop reactively as the year progresses. The middle school students in this case study are new to Joan, so she is likely not to know much if anything about them. Her anxiety and discomfort at teaching in a new school is only heightened by the fact that some of her students have behavioural exceptionalities. Therefore, it is likely that some of what Joan will use as classroom management throughout the year will have to develop as she learns more about the individuals she is working with.

I think that some strategies and planning that might start out as a good idea may need tweaking and adjustment, and that exceptions should be made at appropriate times for students with exceptional behaviour. (I mean exceptional here in any quality.) Rules and procedures for a class might need specific explanation in the case of allowing one student – with TICS, for example – the right to excuse him or herself from class at any time. I think I understand the difference between equal treatment and fair treatment in this way; Joan’s goal is likely to support her students to succeed academically and socially in school. Fair treatment and fair classroom management might then likely include exceptions for students with behavioural exceptionalities, rather than simply expecting them to adhere to static rules and procedures.

To alleviate as much anxiety as possible before the first day of class, I think that Joan should learn about her students’ behavioural exceptionalities, and begin arranging her classroom to benefit her students – and herself – as much as possible on day 1.

Hello 6A!! Here is my travel journal so far! ^^

 I have been in Tokyo for one week now, and I really like the school I'm at. Tokyo greater metropolitan area has a combined population of over 30 million people. In approximate numbers, that's about the same number of people that live in all of Canada! Inside Tokyo, there are several large cities that have their own names and areas. I live in a city called Saitama, which is in the northwestern portion of the greater Tokyo area. It's not a dense as downtown Tokyo, and it feels to me a little more like a suburb than a super busy city. The first picture is one I took from the classroom where I teach. Because I'm outside the downtown area with skyscrapers and tall apartment buildings, i can get a great view of this mountain. It's the most famous mountain in Japan, and it's actually a volcano.

Student artwork on perspective drawing

The school I volunteer at is very similar to schools in Canada. Each classroom has a group of students who are about the same age, and are all in the same grade. Every morning, the teacher in my class, Mr. D, puts the day's schedule on the whiteboard just like Mr. Hansen, telling the students the order of the classes, including recess breaks and Phys. Ed. Just like in Canada, I think that these two times are the most popular events each day! hahahhahah My class is a grade six class, so they are studying topics that are the same or similar to what 6A has been studying in Calgary. In math, we're working on geometric shapes and in language arts, students are reading individually, in groups and with buddies from another lower grade. Mr. D is also reading a book aloud to the class everyday. I was surprised to see that it was a book some of you were reading, "The Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen!

The job wheel!

And just like the students of Hawkwood, the students here at my school really care about their school environment. This last picture is a 'job wheel' that the class made to ensure that their school environment is taken care of. Each day, certain students are resposible for different tasks in the school. Because they are the oldest students in the school, they get many responsibilities that are unique to grade six. For example (it's difficult to read the writing in this picture), some students are responsible for organizing and cleaning up  the sports equipment everyday. Another job, the blue wedge, assigns certain students to turning off all the electronics at the end of the day, so no elecricity is wasted overnight at the school. Because students in Japan eat their lunch together at school - and it's cooked by the school - there is even a wedge for who gets to help serve the food everyday at noon! It's really amazing to see everyone working together to almost run the school by themselves. It reminded me of the leadership groups at Hawkwood, and I told my partner teacher here in Saitama all about the different groups that you have. He was surprised to hear about the differences, like the fact that they don't have patrollers at this school, but they do have lunchtime helpers.

That's all for now 6A! I'll write some more soon, once I get to travel into the big city and take pictures of what I get up to. Hopefully, this blog helps you understand a little more about what I'm doing here, and gets you excited to travel overseas one day!

またね

Assignment #2: Module 1 Case 1 (due Jan. 25)                                              

Case Study of Christopher Melrose

The facts of this case study are that Christopher is having difficulties meeting the curricular demands of the grade he is currently in. He is currently underperforming academically when compared to his classmates, particular in math and language arts. Chris’ mother is opposed to having Chris leave the classroom to study independently with a special education teacher.  Finally, there is someone or some group of people (school representatives) who came to the conclusion that Chris would benefit from being excluded from working in the general ‘mainstream’ classroom.

The dilemma of this case is conflict between what Christopher’s mother wants for her son – for him to NOT be separated from his classmates – and what the school likely thinks is the most beneficial or effective way for Christopher to meet the curricular expectations in math and language arts. Stepping back from this one case study, the dilemma could also be described more broadly as the conflict between historical education practices of special needs education and the more current model and practice of inclusion. In which cases - or ever? - is it a good idea to take students out of the normal class environment and supply special education isntruction? How much support should be given within the class before reaching the limits of inclusive practice?

The school may want to place Christopher in a special supportive learning environment for a variety of reasons. His learning disability may have a negative effect on his classmates, or he may be aware of his learning disability and suffer a lack of confidence when working with his classmates. Maybe his struggles in the classroom lead to disagreements with classmates and even fights. Perhaps his disability requires support and expertise that the classroom teacher is unable or unwilling to give, or the school may have several other students who perform at a similar level, and is able to place Christopher in a classroom of students whose confidence and abilities wouldn’t constantly be in question. Fundamentally, the school’s motivation for placing Christopher in a different environment is to provide him more support in order for him to meet the curricular goals of his grade level. They are not considering other factors that are obviously of value to Christopher’s mother.

These other factors include Christopher’s social development and how he is viewed by his classmates. Being seen in a classroom as a student who struggles is different than being seen as a student who needs to leave the room to receive additional teacher support, and who is labelled as having a learning disability. Mary Melrose may be concerned that after being placed in a classroom for students with learning disabilities, her son may have difficulty socializing outside of class, at recess and outside of school. She may think he will be labelled by his former friends, and that he may even see himself as someone of less worth or ability.

Before a decision can be made regarding Christopher’s placement, school representatives and Chris’ mother should consider what is in the best interest of the whole student of Chris. Beyond simply his academic success, school officials should consider the social consequences of removing him from the classroom. This means considering the severity of his disability and the accommodations that could be made inside the class he is currently in. It would seem appropriate that only when Chris’ disability negatively affects the achievement and progress of his classmates or exceeds the supports that could be given in class by the teacher or by special education support teachers, that he should be considered for removal from his class. Additionally, since the school’s position is likely predicated on having special education teachers, we should also consider Chris’ particular learning disability and the school’s resources for supporting him. If the school is only likely to offer minimal benefit over and above his regular classroom, it may not counteract the negative consequences of labelling him a learning disabled individual.

In my understanding of inclusive practices, I think a student should only be removed from a regular classroom setting due to physical behaviours that clearly and significantly affect his or her classmates, and which the student is usually unable to control. In such a case, it is likely to be in the student’s best interest to be removed, since the stigma and labelling that accompanies a disability is likely to be less harmful than both the labels given to a student who hasn’t got control of the most basic social faculties, in addition to the unnecessary and likely significant obstructions to the progress of other students.

Arriving in Tokyo

I came to Tokyo three days ago, and am really glad I chose to take part in TAB. Coming back to Japan has totally rejuvenated my love of travel, and at the same time started to give me a great opportunity to reflect on my past teaching experiences. After a relatively short flight from Vancouver to Narita airport, I encountered all of the small individual things that I really love about Japan. First off, the flight arrived one hour early, and I was whisked through the 'foreigners only' lineup at the airport's immigration. (Boris, are you reading this? hahah) To get to Saitama, I booked a ticket on the airport limousine bus service. This is some sort of private bus company that runs direct buses from the airports of Japan to individual cities and busy suburbs. It's relatively cheap, extremely fast and convenient, since they load all your baggage, tag it for the correct destination, and unload it for you too! The money to pay for this trip came from an ATM literally 20 meters away from the ticket desk, meaning that after exiting customs, it took me about 5 minutes to arrange my trip to Higashi Tokorozawa, the area of Saitama where I now live and student teach. Japanese convenience and planning is really top shelf, and something I enjoy every time I come here.

I called the school from the airport, and Aki and Ryan were at the train station to meet me when I arrived. The school and my apartment are about 5 minutes away from the station, in a surprisingly rural neighbourhood. Oh, and I guess the picture lets you know that I must have brought the snow with me from Calgary! ^^ From what I've heard, it's unusual to get snow in this part of town, and we just got a big dump of it on Friday. A lot of teachers tried to blame me, but I reassured them that if I had brought snow, it would also likely be minus 30 degrees or so. Jaws hit the floor at this point. The second photo is the entry to the elementary school. The junior high/ high school are seperated from the elementary by a large gym, which the two schools share throughout the day. After getting the tour from Mr. Barrie McCliggott - the principal of both schools - I spent a few days with the various elementary teachers, getting to know the students and staff, and the school's routines.
Other than that, I'm just settling in and preparing for next week, when I'll start planning with my partner teacher exactly what I'll be doing here for the next few months. Already, there has been interest in having me teach music classes. In my classroom, there are a few students who will likely benefit from having my direct support. Seeing that the topic of my coursework this semester is inclusion, I think that I really found a great volunteer placement from which I will learn a great deal over the next three months!

One more Semester!

To finish my studies in education this coming term, I'll be student teaching overseas. This opportunity is part of the University of Calgary's TAB or Teaching Across Borders program. I am one of the last students in the final year of this program, and am very glad to have had the option of participating in TAB as it winds down. I'd like to thank all the professors over the years that have made TAB possible, starting with Gavin Peat and Jim Paul. It was through these two gentlemen that I first learned of TAB, and I was immediately committed to the idea of traveling abroad to volunteer as a teacher. I'd also like to thank Dean Sumara and Dr. Olive Chapman for their efforts to make sure that TAB placements were made available for me and several of my classmates.

I'll be heading to Tokyo next week to start my placement at a Canadian International School in Saitama. The school's name is the Columbia International School. Here is a link to their website, where you can get a great idea of what they're about. It follows the curriculum of Ontario, and employs teachers from Canada, as well as native English speakers from a variety of other countries. After several conversations with the principal there, I have been building a genuine sense of excitement to learn from the staff there, and to stretch my experience from general elementary education into the realms of my first degree, music! I hope to spend some of my time working on the school's music program, and have found a few local resources that will hopefully add to the school's current music repertoire.

The greater Tokyo area has a population which rivals Canada's - around 32 million people - Saitama being just one of the many cities that make up the Kanto plain. I last visited Tokyo over 5 years ago, and I'm looking forward to the beauty and busyness of Japanese culture. I also hope to visit some of the friends I have made there over the years.