EAGLES LEAD

SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH DYSLEXIA

2011-08-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

May I dedicate this post to the proactive Eduactors in SK Chung San , Miri.

Your desire to learn will surely inspire others.

The parent - professional collaboration you are building will help us to move forward.

Myths of Dyslexia

Myth 1: Dyslexia is a sort of retardation.

The facts: Dyslexia is a difficulty in learning to read, write and spell, despite traditional teaching, average intelligence, and an adequate opportunity to learn. It is an impairment in the brain's ability to translate information received from the eyes or ears into understandable language. It does not result from vision or hearing problems. It is not due to mental retardation, brain damage, or a lack of intelligence.

Myth 2: There is no 'cure' for dyslexia.

The facts: Dyslexia is not a disease. Given the appropriate specialist teaching, dyslexics can learn to read (and even to spell) just as well as anyone else.

Myth 3: Dyslexia is rare in Singapore.

The facts: The incidence of dyslexia in Singapore is within the international range of 3% to 10% of the population. There are about 20,000 primary and secondary school students who are dyslexic. An average of 1 to 2 students could be dyslexic in a class of 40. Dyslexia can range from mild to moderate to severe.

Myth 4: My child can’t be dyslexic. No one else in the family has it.

The facts: Beware. In some families, one, or both parents, are obviously dyslexic and all, or most, of their children, have the difficulties. In other families, dyslexia is not apparent in either parent and the other children are unaffected.

Myth 5: Dyslexics are gifted/”stupid”.

The facts: Repeated studies have shown that there is very little relationship between dyslexia and intelligence in young children. Dyslexia occurs across a whole spectrum of intelligence and is as likely to be found in the gifted and talented population as it is to be present in the low-ability, and most of them fall in the middle. However, if dyslexics don't learn to read, their IQs tend to fall behind as they get older.

Myth 6: Reversing letters is a good indication of dyslexia.

The facts: In fact, backwards writing and reversals of letters and words are common among young children learning to write whether or not they are dyslexic. Only about 10% of dyslexics reverse letters. In general, letter-reversals become an area of concern if it persists beyond Primary 2 or 8 years old.

Myth 7: Dyslexics can't read.

The facts: People with mild to moderate dyslexia have usually learnt to read well enough to 'get by' and to avoid being noticed. Despite this, their reading usually remains slower than normal and a spelling skills check will often reveal their true difficulties.

Myth 8: He can’t have dyslexia because he can read.

The facts: All children with dyslexia can read—up to a point. But the problem they have with processing speech sounds, prevent them from hearing all the individual sounds in a word. So they generally don’t read by sounding out. With poor ability to detect and manipulate speech sounds, dyslexics tend to have inadequate knowledge and application of how sounds are linked with their written form. This weak letter-sounds link affects their ability to read to some extent. Instead, they often use alternative strategies such as memorising familiar stories, recognizing words by their shapes or guessing based on the first letter or two. But their memories can hold only a limited number of words. So these strategies will fail them by third or fourth grade. Without the right type of help, they cannot progress any further—no matter how smart they are and how hard they try.

Myth 9: He can read okay. He just can’t spell. That’s not dyslexia, is it?

The facts: A child with severe dyslexia will struggle with reading from the very first day. But intelligent children with mild-to-moderate dyslexia can get away during the first few years in school. They can read. You just don’t know HOW they are reading. But their unusual reading strategies will force them into a brick wall by primary three or four. Their difficulties with spelling, however, are obvious very early. If they spend hours each night working on a spelling list, they may be able to pass the test. But they won’t be able to spell those very same words when they’re writing sentences or compositions. Poor spelling is highly related to poor reading, and poor spelling shows up first. But it may take until primary three or four for the reading struggles to become equally obvious. Reading and spelling are closely related skills.

Myth 10: Reading difficulties disappear with age.

The facts: Not if it's dyslexia. Dyslexia is a lifelong condition. Dyslexic children become dyslexic adults. If they are identified and given the right kind of help early, dyslexics can learn to compensate for their learning difficulty and read accurately. Even so, they may continue to read slowly and not automatically.

Myth 11: Repeating a school grade can remove dyslexia

The facts: Dyslexics learn in a different way. Specialist teaching is necessary to learn to overcome dyslexia and cope in mainstream school.

Myth 12: The way to help a dyslexic child to read is to force him or her to read at least 20 mins a day.
The facts:It is necessary to make reading easy and fun so the dyslexic child learns. The DAS uses multi-sensory techniques like the Orton-Gillingham approach, spelling method to help the child read and write better.

Myth 13: Dyslexia only affects children who speak English.

The facts: In fact, dyslexia has been shown to affect native Dutch, Israeli and Portuguese speakers as well as speakers of other languages. Dyslexia primarily affects the processing of speech sounds, otherwise known as phonological awareness. Dyslexia is also known to affect languages that are orthographically-based like Chinese.

Myth 14: Dyslexia cannot be identified until a child is 8 to 11 years old.

The facts: Research suggests children at risk of developing reading, spelling and writing difficulties can be identified at 5 to 6 years of age. In fact, there are validated instruments which allow us to do so. It is also important to identify them early so that appropriate help can be given before they start failing in school.

Myth 15: There is no way to truly diagnose dyslexia.

The facts: There are highly sophisticated and well-recognized techniques to diagnose dyslexia. A qualified educational psychologist will be able to diagnose dyslexia through a series of assessments with the child.

Myth 16: Dyslexia will prevent your child from succeeding.

The facts: Your child should succeed not despite dyslexia but because of it.

Myth 17: Dyslexics will not succeed in life.

The facts: A great majority of dyslexics have succeeded in life in their own respect. Some famous and accomplished dyslexics include Albert Einstein, MM Lee Kuan Yew, Richard Branson and Tom Cruise to name a few.

TEACHERS DAY MESSAGE

2011-05-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!

TEACHERS TRANSFORM.

DON"T BE HELD BACK BY THE PAST!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE SPECIALIST TEACHERS WHO ARE SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES ON THIS BLOG.

IF YOU ARE NOT ON OUR BLOG LIST JUST EMAIL ME AT

mikailchristiano@gmail.com

or txt me at 013837 0568

I am Mary Anne Vaz

From Miri

I enjoy teaching .

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONEMENT

2011-04-28T17:10:00.002-07:00

Placement in the Least Restrictive Environment

The placement of students with disabilities ages three through 21 in appropriate settings has been an integral part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) since its enactment. Three basic principles are included in the federal mandates. These are:
Placement is based on the student 's individualized education program;
Placement is in the least restrictive environment; and
A continuum of alternative placement options is available to all students with
disabilities.

Of these principles, the requirement to place students in the least restrictive environment has raised the most questions and generated the most discussion. Although this requirement has been included in Part B of the IDEA since 1975, consistent understanding and direction have emerged more recently through federal court decisions, the amendments of IDEA '97 and the final federal regulations that were published on March 12, 1999. In the Oberti decision of May 1993, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit established a three prong test for determining placement in the regular classroom. Because New Jersey is part of the Third Circuit, the Oberti decision with its three prong test is the standard for the state. The special education code was amended by the State Board of Education on April 5, 1995 to incorporate fully the three prong test of the Oberti decision. On July 6, 1998, the special education code was readopted as N.J.A.C. 6A:14. The section on least restrictive environment at N.J.A.C. 6:28-2.10 was amended to conform to the requirements of IDEA '97 and was recodified at N.J.A.C. 6A:14-4.2.

In light of the new federal and state requirements and in response to questions from the field, this memorandum is an effort to provide guidance on the issue of placement in the least restrictive environment. This memo will inform you of the current placement requirements, outline a decision-making process to assist in the determination of least restrictive environment and clarify the school district's responsibility in the placement process.
The IDEA requirement for placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment has three components:

To the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are educated with students who are nondisabled;

Special classes, separate schooling or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular classroom occurs only when the nature or severity of the educational disability is such that education in the regular class cannot be achieved satisfactorily with the use of supplementary aids and services; and

To the maximum extent appropriate, each child with a disability participates with nondisabled children in nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities.

These requirements demonstrate clearly the preference for educating students with disabilities in the regular classroom. However, the IDEA also requires that a full continuum of services be available to meet the needs of students with disabilities who cannot be educated in the regular classroom for part or all of the school day. Additional rules regarding placement require that each student with disabilities be educated as close to home as possible, and that each student be educated in the same school he or she would attend if not disabled, unless the individualized education program (IEP) specifies some other arrangement.

Lastly, placement must be based on the IEP.

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONEMENT

2011-04-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

UNITY OF PERSONALITY BY A PEACEFUL PHLEGMATIC

2011-02-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Unity of Personality by A Peaceful Phlegmatic

God created Peaceful Phlegmatics as special people to be the buffers for the emotions of the Popular Sanguine, Powerful Choleric, and Perfect Melancholy. It is the perfect leveler for the other emotions.
Peaceful Phlegmatics are best because they are good in positions of mediation and unity. Why? This is because Peaceful Phlegmatic tries to keep peace in the ranks. As men struggle on choppy waters, Peaceful Phlegmatic lifts his head and calms the rough seas. They can unite opposing forces.
Moreover, Peaceful Phlegmatics are best in storms that need a calming hand. This is because Peaceful Phlegmatic backs up and waits a minute, then moves quietly in the right direction. Emotion doesn’t overwhelm them . “It’s not worth getting upset over...” they muse.
Besides that, Peaceful Phlegmatics are good listeners. Due to this, they have many friends. They would rather listen than talk. A peaceful Phlegmatic can keep quiet and doesn’t have to say a word. Because of this, other temperaments love to have people they can spout off to in time of need.
A Peaceful Phlegmatic is good. This is because gentle words enhance life and health . Griping only brings about discouragement. That is the specialty of Peaceful Phlegmatic.

By Frederick Bantin

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

2011-02-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Alice was a student that was easily overlooked by other students. The other students thought that she was a weird person, because her attitude and study methods were not same as them.
Alice was annoyed that her friend’s were also talking about her, behind her back. She realized that she needed stop the attitude of picking her nose and stop sitting impolitely while studying.
She was determined that she would not be easily overlooked by others. While surfing the internet, she came across a Japanese philosophy. It is called ‘Kaizen’. The philosophy stated that we have to improve 1% each day. Alice was inspired by the philosophy and, and started to change 1% each day.
After the 100th day of working hard, her efforts paid off. People were not easily overlooking her as a weird person anymore. Alice was not picking her nose regularly again and not sitting impolitely. Many teachers also realized her potential was rapidly developing. She always got ‘A’s in her exam.
One day, Alice was asked to deliver her speech about her success. She quickly knew what t say during the speech. After talking about herself and her success, she ended her speech by saying “no one can predict what heights you can soar, even you will not know until you spread your wings”.
All the people were touched when she said the words. It made people realize about their capabilities. Alice was truly an inspirational figure for them.

By Frederick Bantin

GUEST WRITER

2010-11-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Do I Believe ?

The first time I came across this powerful word "God" was in early primary school. Then in secondary school when I was a bit naughty and daring I started to ask myself if He, who created us, and is almighty, surely He can foresee all our weaknesses and yet I was taught that hell would be waiting for some or most of us, after we kick the bucket because of this very weakness.

A few years ago I noticed some unfamiliar statues of god or something in the office of a business associate of mine. I asked him what it was. He looked at me blankly and said " you have to believe in something, don't you ? "

I guess he was right. Even if one believes in nothing he/she is still believing in something and that something is " nothing " Maybe that is what he was trying to say.

Again, about 4 years back, a consultant engineer related to me that God has "no beginning and no end". It sounds logical to me in the sense that it is impossible for an ant to comprehend human's nature.

The word "create" is a human's perception. Therefore if we refer God as a creator then maybe that will limit our thoughts.

Now there is this Big Bang theory. And astrologists can tell that the universe is about 13.7 billion years old ( or maybe older ) and still expanding. A few weeks ago I read they have discovered a galaxy out there beyond our Milky Way that has more than 800 trillion stars ! This is really mind-boggling as compared to those symbolic stories in the bible.

Have I believed in God ?

By William Wong

Kuching

CALLING YOUNG WRITERS

2010-10-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Now you may be wondering if you are a young writer. I bet you are if you are reading this.

I have decided to be with you as you walk and explore. Or perhaps as you float in the virtual world.

The world if full of magical things you can write about.

What is in you mind. What you dream about.

Just get started!

You can email me at mikailchristiano@gmail.com

And if you are interested in fantasy with a deeper meaning,

try reading my blog http://maryannesstories.blogspot.com

Don't lose all those ideas!

Start right now!!!!

ASSISTANCE FOR ASSIGNMENTS

2010-10-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have decided to assist adults who are having difficulty in writing assignments. I feel that it is a situation that creates unreasonable obstacles for adults to pursue their dreams for furthering their education. Due to economic reasons and lost opportunities, many people work before entering universities. When they do, they are distance learners and study while working and managing a family. To make matters worst, there is the multi lingual context. All this leaves the adult learner flabergasted. Many do not know how to write an assignment well and cannot find any good models to give them some idea of the style of writing that is expected. Thus, I would like to invite anyone who finds themselves in this stormy sea to contact me and I will assist you.

Call me at 013 837 0568 Malaysia. E mail mikailchristiano@gmail.com

2010-06-10T01:55:00.005-07:00

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2010-06-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

THE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN

2010-01-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Nowadays schools emphasize too much on examinations. The problem with such an attitude is that it does not promote morality and social balance.

RECOVERY STRATEGIES

2010-01-25T17:05:00.001-08:00

All decisions made in the rehabilitation of education related to information gathered through the assessment process.

We need to assess because we need:

Information needed to identify the problems faced by a student.

To assess the effectiveness of planning and teaching.

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?

Assessment in the context of a special rehabilitation can be defined as a process of gathering information to make decisions.

Assessment and evaluation of the Special Rehabilitation

In a special recovery there are many decisions to be made by teachers and other professionals involved in services to students who have trouble learning.

The decision should be made carefully so that teaching and service provided is appropriate and in line with the problems they face in learning.

Among the decisions to be made include:

Who among students in your school who may have difficulties in learning and be provided with remedial education?

What kind of problems faced by students and the weakness of the recovery and the strength of the students?

Performance in the areas affected by the problems faced?

What type of placement appropriate remedial education for students and what skills should be taught to the students?

What specific services to be provided to help achieve the skills taught at the optimum level?

Does the teaching program that has been prepared to be continued or replaced with a new program or the student is placed back into the mainstream?

All the results mentioned above can be made wisely and accurately with the help of the information collected through the assessment and evaluation.

THE ORTON-GILLINGHAM MULTISENSORY METHOD

2010-01-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Method was developed in the early 1930's by Anna Gillingham and a group of master teachers.

Dr. Samuel Orton assigned Anna's group the task of designing a whole new way of teaching the phonemic structure of our written language to people with dyslexia.

The goal was to create a sequential system that builds on itself in an almost 3-dimensional way. It must show how sounds and letters are related and how they act in words; it must also show how to attack a word and break it into smaller pieces.

And it must be a multi-sensory approach, as dyslexic people learn best by involving all of their senses: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic.

The Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Method is different from other reading methods in two ways: what is taught, and how it is taught.

What is taught:

Phonemic Awareness is the first step. You must teach someone how to listen to a single word or syllable and break it into individual phonemes.

They also have to be able to take individual sounds and blend them into a word, change sounds, delete sounds, and compare sounds -- all in their head. These skills are easiest to learn before someone brings in printed letters.

WHAT DOES RESEARCH TELL US ABOUT DYSLEXIA?

2010-01-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

If your child has an I.E.P., this description of a reading program should be on the I.E.P.:

"Independent scientific, replicated research supports the use of a reading and spelling system that is simultaneously multisensory, systematic, and cumulative with direct and explicit instruction in both synthetic and analytic phonics with intense practice."
Yes, you can get methodology onto an I.E.P. Click here to learn how.

Here are links to some of that research:

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6023&page=R1

National Reading Panel Report
www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/smallbook.cfm

Summary of NIH Reading Research by G. Reid Lyon Director of Research Programs in Reading Development and Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Language Development and Disorders, and Cognitive Neuroscience. Also Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
www.schwablearning.org select Reading from the Topic list, click on Lyon: Developing Reading Skills

Why Reading is not a Natural Process by G. Reid Lyon
http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/why_reading.php?type=recent&id=Yes

NIH Research Results
www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/jeffords.htm and www.ncld.org/research/keys99_nichd.cfm

Article on Brain Differences
www.schwablearning.org, select Reading from the Topic list, click on Brain Research and Reading

National Center on Learning Disabilities Research Links
www.ncld.org/research/links.cfm

Catch Them Before They Fall, Identification and Assessment to Prevent Reading Failure in Young Children by Joseph Torgeson
www.ldonline.org/article/225

California Reading Initiative
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/documents/readnit.pdf

Texas Reading Initiative
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/reading/
Children of the Code A Social Education Project A Public Television, DVD & Web Documentary Series

A BASIC NEED : LEARNING TO READ

2010-01-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

American children suffer more long-term life-harm from failing to learn to read than from parental abuse, accidents, and all other childhood diseases and disorders combined.

In purely economic terms, reading related difficulties cost our nation more than the war on terrorism, crime, and drugs combined. More than any other subject or skill, our children's futures are determined by by how well they learn to read.

So begins this fascinating website that contains amazing statistics, quotes, and over 100 interviews with leading neuroscientists, reading researchers, educators, and policy leaders. To watch a 5-minute on-line video called Part 1: We Have A Problem, which contains statements from many of these famous professionals, go to: www.childrenofthecode.org/genpreview/index.htm

To read the interviews and other fascinating information on this website, go to: www.ChildrenoftheCode.org

NO QUICK FIX FOR DYSLEXIA

2010-01-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

There is no magic bullet to quickly fix or cure dyslexia. Your child was born with dyslexia and will die with dyslexia. Orton-Gillingham-based training methods can avoid the reading, writing, and spelling failure so often associated with dyslexia. But these methods take time; anywhere from one to three years.

Watch out for any method or product that costs lots of money and promises 4 to 8 week "cures."
A method is considered a "controversial therapy" if:

There is no research to prove that it works.

The research has not been independently replicated.

The claims of the method or product far exceed the research results.

Before signing any contract or purchasing any product that sounds too good to be true, ask to see the independent research papers that support their claims. Also ask for local references. Talk to professionals in the field about the method. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Click here to see a list of what won't work.

TECHNOLOGY AND DYSLEXIA

2010-01-25T16:47:00.000-08:00

Computer technology makes the lives of dyslexic students much less difficult while they are acquiring their basic reading, writing, and spelling skills.

Here are some of the most useful technology tools I've found:

Naturally SpeakingContinuous speech recognition software that runs on Windows-based PCs. Software comes with a headset. You just talk, and the software types in what you said, spelled correctly. The hardest part is training the software to recognize your voice. Training requires reading a long passage displayed on the computer screen. (I sit beside my students and whisper the hard words into their ear.) Once trained, the person with dyslexia just talks to the computer in his/her normal voice at a normal speed, and the software types in the words, correctly spelled. It will even read the passage back to you when you're through. Available in most major computer stores. It can also be purchased from the publisher, Scansoft, in Newton, Massachusetts (800-443-7077 or 978-977-2000).

Franklin Spelling Ace This portable electronic dictionary runs on batteries and is a wonderful tool. You can enter the phonetic approximation of a word, and the closest choices will be displayed, along with a brief definition. Franklin web site. Available at many office supply stores. Suggested retail: $ 29.95.

AlphaSmart ProThis less-than-two-pound portable, battery-operated, virtually indestructible keyboard with a small display provides an ideal way to take notes in class or at meetings IF you know how to touch type. At home (or back in your office), start your personal computer (Macintosh or Windows-based PC), open your favorite word processor, plug in the AlphaSmart Pro, and watch your typed-in words fly into in the document. This is a lifesaver for people with dysgraphia. For more information, check out the AlphaSmart Pro web site.

Books on Tape . Virtually every textbook used in the United States is available on 4-track audio tape through Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic. Books for pleasure and books for literature classes, read by professional actors, can be rented through Recorded Books Rentals.

And most states also sponsor a state-funded Books Aloud program through their public libraries. Contact your closest library for details.Even after a dyslexic person has learned to read, recorded books are useful, especially in high school and college, where it may prove impossible to read fast enough to keep up with the demands of many different teachers.

Type to Learn

This is an excellent program that teaches both children and adults how to type by touch. It is available from Sunburst Software for both Macintosh and Windows-based PCs.

Any Word Processor

It goes without saying that once you can type, your most important technology tool will be any word processor that has a good spell checker.

HELPING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA IN A REGULAR CLASSROOM

2010-01-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

While your child is acquiring his/her basic reading, writing, and spelling skills through an Orton-Gillingham Multisensory method, classroom accommodations will be needed.

To learn which ones, why they are fair, and how to get them, watch our one-hour webcast on classroom accommodation, free, by going to:www.webcastgroup.com/client/start.asp?wid=0671129062946&auto=true

Here are the most commonly requested classroom accommodations that will allow your child to demonstrate his/her knowledge even though the child is not yet reading, writing, or spelling at grade level:

Oral testing

Tests are read to the student (or provided pre-recorded on audio tape), and student are allowed to give answers orally (or tape record their answers).

Untimed tests

Dyslexic students do not perform well under time pressure. It also takes them longer to read the questions, compose the answer in their head, and get it down on paper.
Eliminate or reduce spelling testsClassroom teachers rarely teach spelling rules in the same way or same order as a dyslexia tutor. Many teachers will accept a spelling test given in a tutoring session as a replacement for the classroom test, or only grade a classroom spelling test on a small number of pre-determined words.

Don't force oral reading

Teachers should never force students with dyslexia to read out loud in front of the class. If for some reason this is absolutely necessary, warn the student in advance and show them exactly which passage they will have to read so that they can practice ahead of time.

Accept dictated homework

Dyslexic students can dictate answers much more easily and quickly than they can write them down. Allow parents to act as a scribe.

Reduce homework load

Many teachers create homework assignments by estimating how long it would take a "normal" student to complete it. They may not realize it takes a dyslexic student 3 to 4 times longer to complete the same assignment. Teachers should agree to a maximum time to spend on homework. Parents should sign the end of the homework page showing the amount of time spent on the assignment.

Grade on content, not spelling nor handwritingSome teachers take spelling and handwriting into consideration when assigning a grade. For dyslexic children, this is not appropriate. Teachers should be asked to grade only on the content of an assignment.

Reduce copying tasks

It takes dyslexic students longer to copy information from the board, and if they have dysgraphia, they may not be able to read their notes. So provide lecture notes, or discretely assign a fellow student to act as a scribe using NCR paper.

Quick print shops can create NCR sets of binder paper.

(NCR paper is sometimes called carbonless copy paper.) The top sheet of binder paper has a coating applied to the back of it that is pressure sensitive. When someone writes on the top sheet, the coating automatically makes a copy appear on the lower sheet of binder paper. So when class is over, the scribe just tears off the lower sheet and gives it to our student.

Alternate assignments

Teachers should offer alternative ways to show mastery of material other than a long written paper. Alternatives could include oral or video presentations, dioramas, collages, or debates.
Avoid or reduce essay testsUse match up, fill-in-the-blank, or short answer formats for tests. List vocabulary words for fill-in-the-blank sections at the top of the exam.

Multiple-choice questions are also difficult for dyslexic students due to the volume of reading required to answer them correctly.

Conduct a class review session before the test

Also, provide a study guide with key terms and concepts to the students.

Ask the student how he/she learns best

Often, dyslexic students can explain strategies and techniques that help them learn to teachers. These are usually easy to incorporate into a classroom.

ADAPTING TO THE ENVIRONMENT

2010-01-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Adaptive attributes

A study has found that entrepreneurs are five times more likely to be dyslexic than average citizens

Evidence based on randomly selected populations of children indicate that dyslexia affects boys and girls equally; that dyslexia is diagnosed more frequently in boys appears to be the result of sampling bias in school-identified sample populations.

In the United States, researchers estimate the prevalence of dyslexia to range from three to ten percent of school-aged children though some have put the figure as high as 17 percent. Recent studies indicate that dyslexia is particularly prevalent among small business owners, with roughly 20 to 35 percent of U. S. and British entrepreneurs being affected.

MATHS ABILITIES IN DYSLEXICS

2010-01-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

Mathematical abilities

Dyslexia and dyscalculia two learning disorders with different cognitive profiles. Dyslexia and dyscalculia have separable cognitive profiles, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficient number module in the case of dyscalculia.

Individuals with dyslexia can be gifted in mathematics while having poor reading skills. They might have difficulty with word processing problems. (i.e., descriptive mathematics, engineering, or physics problems that rely on written text rather than numbers or formulas).

LITERACY PROBLEMS

2010-01-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

Writing and motor skills

Because of literacy problems, an individual with dyslexia may have difficulty with handwriting. This can involve slower writing speed than average, poor handwriting characterised by irregularly formed letters, or inability to write straight on a blank paper with no guideline.

Some studies have also reported gross motor difficulties in dyslexia, including motor skills disorder. This difficulty is indicated by clumsiness and poor coordination. The relationship between motor skills and reading difficulties is poorly understood but could be linked to the role of the cerebellum and inner ear in the development of reading and motor abilities

HOPE FOR DYSLEXICS

2010-01-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

Reading and spelling

Spelling errors — Because of difficulty learning letter-sound correspondences, individuals with dyslexia might tend to misspell words, or leave vowels out of words.
Letter order - People with dyslexia may also reverse the order of two letters especially when the final, incorrect, word looks similar to the intended word (e.g., spelling "dose" instead of "does").

Letter addition/subtraction - People with dyslexia may perceive a word with letters added, subtracted, or repeated. This can lead to confusion between two words containing most of the same letters.

Highly phoneticized spelling - People with dyslexia also commonly spell words inconsistently, but in a highly phonetic form such as writing "shud" for "should". Dyslexic individuals also typically have difficulty distinguishing among homophones such as "their" and "there".
Vocabulary - Having a small written vocabulary, even if they have a large spoken vocabulary.
Writing and motor skills

Because of literacy problems, an individual with dyslexia may have difficulty with handwriting. This can involve slower writing speed than average, poor handwriting characterised by irregularly formed letters, or inability to write straight on a blank paper with no guideline.
Some studies have also reported gross motor difficulties in dyslexia, including motor skills disorder. This difficulty is indicated by clumsiness and poor coordination. The relationship between motor skills and reading difficulties is poorly understood but could be linked to the role of the cerebellum and inner ear in the development of reading and motor abilities. [5]
[edit] Mathematical abilities

Dyslexia and dyscalculia two learning disorders with different cognitive profiles. Dyslexia and dyscalculia have separable cognitive profiles, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficient number module in the case of dyscalculia.

Individuals with dyslexia can be gifted in mathematics while having poor reading skills. They might have difficulty with word processing problems. (i.e., descriptive mathematics, engineering, or physics problems that rely on written text rather than numbers or formulas).
Adaptive attributes

A study has found that entrepreneurs are five times more likely to be dyslexic than average citizens

Evidence based on randomly selected populations of children indicate that dyslexia affects boys and girls equally; that dyslexia is diagnosed more frequently in boys appears to be the result of sampling bias in school-identified sample populations.

In the United States, researchers estimate the prevalence of dyslexia to range from three to ten percent of school-aged children though some have put the figure as high as 17 percent. Recent studies indicate that dyslexia is particularly prevalent among small business owners, with roughly 20 to 35 percent of U. S. and British entrepreneurs being affected.

WAYS OF LOOKING AT DYSLEXIA

2010-01-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

There are many definitions of the disorder called dyslexia but no consensus. The World Federation of Neurology defined dyslexia as follows:

Specific developmental dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and adequate sociocultural opportunity. It is dependent upon fundamental cognitive disabilities that are frequently of constitutional origin.

Some of the other published definitions are purely descriptive, while still others embody causal theories. From the varying definitions used by dyslexia researchers and organizations around the world, it appears that dyslexia is not one thing but many, insofar as it serves as a conceptual clearing-house for a number of reading skills deficits and difficulties, with a number of causes.

Castles and Coltheart, 1993, described phonological and surface types of developmental dyslexia by analogy to classical subtypes of acquired dyslexia (alexia) which are classified according to the rate of errors in reading non-words.

However the distinction between surface and phonological dyslexia has not replaced the old empirical terminology of dysphonetic versus dyseidetic types of dyslexia.

The surface/phonological distinction is only descriptive, and devoid of any aetiological assumption as to the underlying brain mechanisms, in contrast the dysphonetic/dyseidetic distinction refers to two different mechanisms:— one relates to a speech discrimination deficit, and the other to a visual perception impairment.

Most people with dyslexia who have Boder's Dysiedetic type, have attentional and spatial difficulties which interfere with the reading acquisition process.

WHAT IS DYSLEXIA?

2010-01-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that manifests itself as a difficulty with reading, spelling and in some cases mathematics. It is separate and distinct from reading difficulties resulting from other causes, such as a non-neurological deficiency with vision or hearing, or from poor or inadequate reading instruction.It is estimated that dyslexia affects between 5% and 17% of the U.S. population.

Dyslexia is thought to be the result of a neurological defect, and though not an intellectual disability, it is variously considered a learning disability, a language disability, and a reading disability, among others. Dyslexia is diagnosed in people of all levels of intelligence.

SO YOU ARE WONDERING ABOUT DYSLEXIA?

2010-01-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hils Learning is led by Hilary Craig, specialist teacher for persons who learn differently or have learning difficulties.

She is internationally recognised as an innovative educator and therapist and an enthusiastic and dynamic workshop presenter. Based with her team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from where she runs her private practice, Hilary also travels throughout Asia training teachers and educating parents.

Together with her team she specialises in developing strategies for helping individual learners meet their own unique challenges.

5 Dimensions Of Thinking

2009-10-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

FIVE DIMENSIONS OF THINKING
METACOGNITION

Awareness and control of thinking, including attitudes toward thinking

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING

Critical Thinking

Dispositions (For example, seeking reasons, seeking precision, being open-minded)
Analyzing and assessing claims, evidence, support, reasoning

Creative Thinking
Forming "new combinations of ideas to fulfill a need" (Halpern)
Applying strategies for discovery and resourcefulness

THINKING PROCESSES (Larger, multi-step uses of thinking skills)
Forming concepts and principles

Comprehending

Problem solving

Decision making

Research

CORE THINKING SKILLS

Micro skills (21) such as inferring, analyzing, classifying, evaluating, comparing, summarizing, formulating questions, identifying errors, verifying

CONNECTING THINKING TO CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Applying the previous four dimensions to specific courses and curricula; assessing

Source: Robert J. Marzano and Others. Dimensions of Thinking: A Framework for Curriculum and Instruction. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1988

16 Habits Of Mind

2009-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

A Habit of Mind is knowing how to behave intelligently when you DON'T know the answer.

A Habit of Mind means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems, the answers to which are not immediately known: dichotomies, dilemmas, enigmas and uncertainties.

Our focus is on performance under challenging conditions that demand strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity, and craftsmanship. The critical attribute of intelligent human beings is not only having information, but also knowing how to act on it.

Employing Habits of Mind requires drawing forth certain patterns of intellectual behavior that produce powerful results. They are a composite of many skills, attitudes and proclivities including:

Value: Choosing to employ a pattern of intellectual behaviors rather than other, less productive patterns.

Inclination: Feeling the tendency toward employing a pattern of intellectual behaviors.

Sensitivity: Perceiving opportunities for, and appropriateness of employing the pattern of behavior.

Capability: Possessing the basic skills and capacities to carry through with the behaviors.

Commitment: Constantly striving to reflect on and improve performance of the pattern of intellectual behavior.

The 16 Habits of Mind identified by Costa and Kallick include:

Persisting

Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision

Managing impulsivity

Gathering data through all senses

Listening with understanding and empathy

Creating, imagining, innovating

Thinking flexibly

Responding with wonderment and awe

Thinking about thinking (metacognition)

Taking responsible risks

Striving for accuracy

Finding humor

Questioning and posing problems

Thinking interdependently

Applying past knowledge to new situations

Remaining open to continuous learning

NO BOUNDARIES

2009-09-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

SUSAN BOYLE : DREAM

2009-09-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

This made me think how important it is to believe and never give up.

ON MY WAY HERE

2009-09-16T18:47:00.001-07:00

STRESS RELIEF WITH LOCUS OF CONTROL

2009-09-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Those who feel that their circumstances are in their control

( internal locus of control ) experience less stress.

The term ‘locus of control’ refers to whether you feel your life is controlled by you or by forces outside yourself. Those with an internal locus of control feel that they have choice in their lives and control over their circumstances; conversely, those with an external locus of control feel more at the mercy of external events. As you may have guessed, those with a more internal locus of control tend to feel happier, more free, and less stress. They also enjoy better health (likely because they experience less of the damaging chronic stress that can come from feeling powerless), and are more satisfied with life in general. Perhaps not surprisingly, those with an external locus of control are more susceptible to depression as well as other health problems, and tend to keep themselves in situations where they will experience additional stress, feeling powerless to change their own circumstances, which just adds to their stress load.

Your locus of control can be shaped by events in your childhood or adulthood (whether you were able to have a strong impact on your environment can lead to a sense of empowerment or of learned helplessness) and perpetuated by habitual thinking patterns. If you feel your locus of control could use a shift, start today!

BEING A CREATIVE TEACHER

2009-09-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

For my students a game is the best way to learn.

In this game I create a chance to have my students recognize numbers ,.

I use attractive colours.

TING HUNG LING

( I am a beginning teacher just having fun... and learning a lot. Do you have any ideas to share?)

MAKING MISTAKES

2009-09-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

HELPING THE WILD BOY OF AVERON

2009-09-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

HANDLING ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION

What was done to help the “ Wild Boy”?

Itard identified five primary goals for his pupil:1. To interest him in social life 2. To improve his awareness of environmental stimuli3. To extend the range of his ideas (e.g. introduce him to games, culture, etc.)4. To teach him to speak5. To teach him to communicate by using symbol systems, such as pictures and written words

Itard had been influenced by the empiricist philosophers John Locke and Etienne Condillac, both of whom advanced the idea that all knowledge comes through the senses. Victor's eyesight and hearing were normal, but his responses to sensory input were often sluggish or nonexistent. For example, he would perk up at the slightest sound of a nutshell cracking, but would not startle at the sound of a gunshot. Itard reasoned that Victor could not learn effectively until he became more attuned to his environment. Therefore, his educational approach relied heavily on sensory-training and stimulation. (Humphrey, 1962; Itard, 1801/1962).Victor improved, but he never approached normalcy. After five years he could read and speak a few words, demonstrated affection for his caretakers, and could carry out simple commands. Itard was disappointed in this lack of progress, but he maintained his environmentalist position, stating that would have been successful if Victor had been a few years younger. (Pinchot, 1948). As it turns out, Philippe Pinel and the other physicians were probably right; modern readers of Itard's personal account usually come to the conclusion that Victor was indeed mentally retarded or autistic (French, 2000; Humphrey, 1962; Pinchot, 1948).

The fact that Itard failed to make Victor "normal" is relatively unimportant to this story. The important thing is that he tried. He was the first physician to declare that an enriched environment could compensate for developmental delays caused by heredity or previous deprivation (French, 2000). Up to this time, it had been assumed that mentally retarded people were uneducable (Humphrey, 1962). As one writer put it, Itard's work with Victor "did away with the paralyzing sense of hopelessness and inertia that had kept the medical profession and everybody else from trying to do anything constructive for mental defectives" (Kanner, 1967).

FIND OUT ABOUT THE CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESIS

AND POST WHAT YOU DISCOVER

ON LINE ABUSE - ARE YOU A VICTIM?

2009-09-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cyber Bullying Statistics

2009-09-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

EXPLORE THIS LINK AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS NEW DEMON

http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Cyber_Bullying_Statistics

POST INFORMATION ON CYBER BULLYING

TO TAKE A STAND AND BE A CHANGE AGENT.

CYBER BULLY ....ARE YOU ONE?

2009-09-07T14:02:00.001-07:00

Why do kids cyberbully each other?

( EXCUSE ME...WHAT ABOUT ADULTS? )

Who knows why kids do anything? When it comes to cyberbullying, they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Sometimes they do it for entertainment or because they are bored and have too much time on their hands and too many tech toys available to them. Many do it for laughs or to get a reaction. Some do it by accident, and either send a message to the wrong recipient or didn't think before they did something. The Power-hungry do it to torment others and for their ego. Revenge of the Nerd may start out defending themselves from traditional bullying only to find that they enjoy being the tough guy or gal. Mean girls do it to help bolster or remind people of their own social standing. And some think they are righting wrong and standing up for others.

Because their motives differ, the solutions and responses to each type of cyberbullying incident has to differ too. Unfortunately, there is no "one size fits all" when cyberbullying is concerned. Only two of the types of cyberbullies have something in common with the traditional schoolyard bully. Experts who understand schoolyard bullying often misunderstand cyberbullying, thinking it is just another method of bullying. But the motives and the nature of cybercommunications, as well as the demographic and profile of a cyberbully differ from their offline counterpart.
Follow this link to learn about how you should deal with the different kinds of cyberbullies
Follow this link to learn about cyberbullying awareness and why kids should take a stand against cyberbullying

WELL LET US CONSIDER THIS CAREFULLY.

CAN ADULTS BE CYBER BULLIES?

IF SOMEONE IS POWER SENDS EMAILS TO SATISFY

HIS NEED TO CONTROL AND HURT....

AND THE VICTIM IS A YOUNG PERSON.

WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THAT.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO AS A COUNSELLOR?

GIVE ME YOUR VIEWS

COUNSELLING SKILLS

2009-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

COUNSELLING WITH EMPATHY

2009-09-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

WHAT DO WE DO TO EMPATHISE WITH OUR CLIENTS?

LET US BE AWARE OF OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATION.

1. BEING JUDEGEMENTAL SWITCHES OFF THE CLIENT
2. SEE THE SITUATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE CLIENT.
3. ENTER THE WORLD OF THE CLIENT.

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF OBSTACLES TO COMMUNICATION

1. PHYSICAL

A. IS THE ROOM CONDICIVE?
B. DOES THE LIGHTING AND SEATING HELP YOUR CLINET TO RELAX?

3. PSYCHOLOGICAL

A. DO NOT CRITICISE AND LABEL
B. GIVE THE CLIENT THE CHANCE TO EXPRESS NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.
C. DO NOT BLAME THE CLIENT FOR THE NEGATIVE EVENTS.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL OBSTACLES

A. CREATE A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT. DO NOT SHOW THAT YOU CANNOT SOLVE

THE PROBLEM.

B. DO NOT INTERROGATE

C. DO NOT MORALIZE. ( SAY WHAT THE CLIENT SHOULD DO. )

5. SOCIAL

A. ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO CONFLICT OF IDEAS

B. MUTUAL RESPECT AND SUPPORT IN GROUP COUNSELLING

BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION AND DIGNITY

2009-08-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

WOULD YOU USE PUNISHMENT TO CONTROL BEHAVIOUR?

WHAT ABOUT THE IMPACT ON SELF ESTEEM?

WHAT ABOUT THE EFFECT ON THE SENSE OF DIGNITY?

THESE ARE ISSUES WE NEED TO CONSIDER.

YOU DO NOT HAVE A SECOND CHANCE TO MEND A BROKEN HEART

Read the extract below and explore this issue of behaviour modification which is related to motivation.

I would love to read your comments and posts in your blogs.

If you are visiting this blog , I would love to visit your blog too...just let me know your blog address. You can e mail it to mikailchristiano@gmail.com.

For more personal encounters may I invite you to visit me and my blogger friends in http://heavenlymystery.blogspot.com

Behaviour modification typically consists of changing the consequences of an action or applying new consequences to guide behaviour. In the past, most parents chose to control the behaviour of their children by using negative reinforcement, that is, misbehaviour or disregarding house rules resulted in punishments. Today, many parents (and even school systems and other childhood authorities) are inclined to provide positive reinforcement to encourage good behaviour, reserving negative reinforcement techniques only as a last resort. While the results are not usually as immediate, they are typically seen as healthier, providing children with appropriate behavioural guidelines while allowing them their dignity.

SKINNER"S BEHAVIOURAL THEORY

2009-08-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

I am no fan of Behaviourism.

Now that you have read about Maslow's theory of Motivation, let us consider Skinner's Behavioural Theory.

Ponder on this extract..

One of the aspects important to human behaviour, though, is the feelings associated with behaviour that is controlled by conditioning. When previous behaviours have been rewarded, children are likely to repeat those behaviours happily and willingly, feeling that they are doing what they 'want' to be doing. If, on the other hand, children choose behaviours in order to avoid a repeat of negative reinforcement, they may behave appropriately, but will be inclined to feel that their freedoms are being squelched. In reality, the actual freedom still exists, of course. Children, like the rest of us, are free to behave in any manner that we choose, as long as we are willing to accept the consequences of our actions.

Then click on the link to explore the article.

http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/BFSkinnersBehaviouralTheory.html

MASLOWS THEORY

2009-08-16T17:48:00.001-07:00

The basis of Maslow's motivation theory is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower factors need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied.

According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, survival, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs."

As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization.

Satisfying needs is healthy, while preventing gratification makes us sick or act evilly.

JOSEPH RENZULLI

2009-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM)

(Renzulli, 1977; Renzulli & Reis, 1985, 1997)

is widely implemented as an enrichment program used with academically gifted and talented students and a magnet theme/enrichment approach for all schools interested in high-end learning and developing the strengths and talents of all students.

The major goal of the SEM is the application of gifted education pedagogy to total school improvement.

The SEM provides enriched learning experiences and higher learning standards for all children through three goals;

developing talents in all children,

providing a broad range of advanced-level enrichment experiences for all students,

and providing advanced follow-up opportunities
for young people based on their strengths and interests.

The SEM focuses on enrichment for all students
through high levels of engagement
and the use of enjoyable and challenging learning experiences

that are constructed around students' interests,
learning styles,
and preferred modes of expression.

FRIENDSHIP SKILLS FOR ALL

2009-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

I am posting the lyrics of a song that touched me many years ago:

BEN

by Micheal Jackson.

Can I invite you to ponder on the lyrics and create an activity or series of activities to develop friendship skills for any age group.

People with special needs or are different in any way are particularly in need of friends.

We need to develop activities to promote social interaction among all.

I don't mean the lonely one needs to learn to make friends ( that's true too )

But the ones who already have freidns need to NOTICE and be concerned about students and othere people who are being left out, isolated, rejected or ignored.

Please post your idease in the comments section.

You can also share your personal stories any other reflections.

The PUPPY PHOTO SHOWS MY ONE MONTH OLD PUPPIES

They have inspired me to wrote a series of reflections called PUPPY THOUGHTS

You can read this in http://heavenlymystery.blogspot.com

Here are the lyrics

BEN

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)
Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's one thing you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again If they had a friend like Ben
(a friend) Like Ben (like Ben) Like Ben

(can you embed this song in your blog and share it with us?)

REAL MAN IN BORNEO

2009-07-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU THE PERSON

YOU WERE CREATED TO BE?

The system cannot never be

Better than who you are INSIDE

If you trully listen to your still voice

Just consider who Micheal Jackson was

Are you really sure he was everything

He expressed in his songs?

Or was he actually MORE

Distractions

Are way too many.

Making you less human

And even less divine

A paradox

That is what life is.

The more you get

The less you become.

So think about

What you can do

When you are trully

The real YOU

In BORNEO.

FOR EAGLES WHEREVER YOU ARE

2009-05-19T03:16:00.001-07:00

MIGHTY EAGLE

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

EAGLE MOUNTAIN IS WAITING FOR YOU

THE SPIRIT CALLS YOU..THE SKY BECKONS

YOUR HEART IS BEATING FASTER THAN YOU EVER KNEW...

MIGHTY EAGLE

WHY DO YOU FEEL THE ACHE

OF SKIES THAT CALL YOU

OF CLOUDS THAT HIDE

WHAT YOU CANNOT SEE

WHAT YOU CANNOT TOUCH

MIGHTY EAGLE YOU FIND IN YOU

YES YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CAN MAKE IT

OVER THE ROCKS THAT BLOCK THE ONES WHO DO NOT DARE

MIGHTY EAGLE I BELIEVE IN YOU

AND NOW I SEE YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN BE

THE ONE CHANCE TO BE A TRUE EAGLE FOR ALL

PLAN YOUR TIME

2009-05-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

You are sitting for your paper today.

Remember to plan your time to finish all the questions.

You can do it eagles!

LABELLING AND SELF ESTEEM

2009-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Let us be careful about using labels which can affect the self esteem of students.

No matter what situation you find yourself in...be brave and undo the wrong that has been done to students who are given labels like “students with learning problems”, “mat rempit” (bike racers) and “students with problems”and “slow” .

Originating in sociology and criminology, labeling theory (also known as social reaction theory) was developed by sociologist Howard Becker.

It focuses on the linguistic tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities or those seen as deviant from norms.

The theory is concerned with how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be determined or influenced by the terms used to describe or classify them, and is associated with the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy and stereotyping.

The theory was prominent in the 1960s and 1970s, and some modified versions of the theory have developed.

Unwanted descriptors or categorizations (including terms related to deviance, disability or a diagnosis of mental illness) may be rejected on the basis that they are merely "labels", often with attempts to adopt a more constructive language in its place.

If deviance is a failure to conform to the rules observed by most of the group, the reaction of the group is to label the person as having offend against their social or moral norms of behavior.

This is the power of the group: to designate breaches of their rules as deviant and to treat the person differently depending on the seriousness of the breach.

The more differential the treatment, the more the individual's self-image is affected.

EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF GIFTED STUDENTS

2009-05-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

We need to be sensitive to the complex emotional needs of students who are gifted.

While giftedness is seen as an academic advantage, psychologically it can pose other challenges for the gifted individual. A person who is intellectually advanced may or may not be advanced in other areas. Each individual student needs to be evaluated for physical, social, and emotional skills without the traditional prejudices which either prescribe either "compensatory" weaknesses or "matching" advancement in these areas.

.
Social pressures can cause children to "play down" their intelligence in an effort to blend in with other students. "Playing down" is a strategy often used by students with clinical depression and is seen somewhat more frequently in socially acute adolescents. This behavior is usually discouraged by educators when they recognize it. Unfortunately, the very educators who want these children to challenge themselves and to embrace their gifts and talents are often the same people who are forced to discourage them in a mixed-ability classroom, through mechanisms like refusing to call on the talented student in class so that typical students have an opportunity to participate.

Students who are young, enthusiastic or aggressive are more likely to attract attention and to disrupt the class by working ahead, giving the correct answers all the time, asking for new assignments, or finding creative ways to entertain themselves while the rest of the class finishes an assignment. This behavior can be mistaken for ADHD.

Academically talented students can also be the inadvertent victims of well-meaning adults who overestimate an individual student's non-intellectual talents. The adults they admire may confuse the students' obvious academic talents with general wisdom and experience. Such students may be given inappropriate liberties (such as the unsupervised use of a credit card or permission to attend parties which the same parent might refuse to a typical student), or not given normal advice on important subjects like sexual behaviors and illicit drugsز

Finally, G&T students are statistically somewhat more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disability such as bipolar disorder and to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

These additional issues can require special attention in school.

APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGY IN EDUCATION

2009-05-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

How do we apply psychology in developping the potential of students?

This is a question that has been posed to me.

Would you like to respond?

FORMING A NETWORK

2009-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

I am happy that we have readers from all over the world.

May I invite you to post comments.

I have always learned a lot from comments to my postings.

Let us form a network of support.

HELPING STUDENTS WITH AUTISM

2009-05-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Autism can be effectively managed if a few simple concepts are used on a regular basis in the classroom.

How do we increase positive behavior in children with autism based on how autistic children respond to outside influences?

If you have a child in your classroom that has any type of disorder, it would be of great benefit to you to educate yourself on what the disorder involves.

In this way you can better manage your classroom and limit the amount of awkwardness felt by you and the child.

So, to begin with, read a few things about autism.

It is well known that most children thrive in a stable environment. I cannot stress enough how true this is for autistic children. They are at their best functioning level when things are going as they expect them to go.

You the care giver and educator, should be prepared to provide the most comfortable environment as is possible. Naturally, as whenever you deal with human beings, this could take some adjustments.

Below are some tips that can help you promote the best behavior and therefore the most conducive environment for education in your autistic student.

Make a schedule and stick to it.

If you normally take the children to bathroom break at 9:00, then expect resistance when you change that plan.

An autistic child is likely to be looking at the clock as their anxiety increases.

Explain expectations in a clear and precise manner.

Let the child know what kind of behavior you expect from them and what the results of that behavior will be.

Communicate on their level. Autistic children often have difficulty communicating. Keep this in mind and give them ample time to communicate in whatever way they can.

Rushing them or expressing your own anxiety can easily create discomfort in the child and lessen the already hampered communication.

If the child does become upset, remove them from the situation.

For more information, see my article on creating the perfect time out space.

Use colored cards to define behavior. If the child behaves in an inappropriate manner, give them a red card. Three red cards result in the loss of privileges. Give them a blue card for positive behavior. Three blue cards result in a reward.
These are some simple tips that can help an educator tremendously.

These tips can be used with any child, but the specifics of autism warrant a more organized method of communication that is available by using these tips.

USING TOKEN ECONOMY TO MANAGE BEHAVIOUR

2009-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

One of the most commonly used behavior management interventions, especially in settings for students who have learning or behavioral challenges, is the token economy system.

A token economy involves awarding ("reinforcing" a student with) tokens, chips, stickers, check marks , points, or other items/markings to students who demonstrate desired behaviors identified by the teacher.

Students may periodically exchange the tokens for rewards, which are items or activities desirable to them.

A token program is often compared to a national economic system in which we work for money, which has no value in and of itself ("secondary reinforcer"), and later exchange it for items and activities that are valuable to us.

Token economies are often quite effective for students who are resistant to other types of motivational or behavior management techniques. Other benefits of this system are ease of administration, the use of immediate or frequent reinforcement (tokens) while teaching delayed gratification (holding tokens until trade-in time), lack of boredom or satiation for the student due to the availability of a variety of back-up reinforcers, and lack of competition between students as they compete only against themselves.

When a token economy is used for one or a few students only, it is often arranged through the development of a contract.

Over time, the tokens are periodically devalued so that students must perform at a higher level to earn the same value in back-up reinforcers.

This stiffening of requirements promotes continual improvement in behavior or performance by the students.

Token economies have great flexibility and utility; they have been shown in research studies to be effective with students with various kinds and severities of disabling conditions.

Perhaps the reason for the effectiveness is that a token or check mark is visible evidence of success and progress. It also reminds the student to display proper behavior, and assures that the teacher will notice appropriate behavior and interact with the student in a positive manner.

How to Use Token Economies

1. Select the behaviors to be rewarded. The behaviors to be reinforced should be in concert with classroom rules and guidelines.

2. State the desired behaviors in specific and observable terms. If at all possible, phrase them in a positive manner.

Be sure to tell the student what to do (the desired action), rather than what not to do (e.g., "Raise hand before talking" rather than "No speaking out").

Promote a replacement behavior for the inappropriate action. That replacement behavior should serve the same internal need and serve the same purpose as the present incorrect behavior.

3. Decide how you will measure the behaviors (e.g., percentage correct, number of minutes engaged in proper behavior, number of times student displays appropriate behavior).

4. Decide where to monitor the behaviors (e.g., only in the classroom or also in the lunchroom and on the bus).

5. Select the initial reinforcer. Use a reinforcer that is easy to administer and convenient to store. Devise a token/item/marking that will inhibit theft or counterfeiting.

6. Select your back-up reinforcers.

Involve your students in the selection to insure that the reinforcers will be perceived as being valuable. (For instance, have the students list things that they would work to obtain, or complete one of the many published reinforcement inventories, or set out possible reinforcers and observe which ones are selected most often.)

Be sure that the reinforcers are appropriate. Consider educational value, cost, possible misuse, or danger involved.

7. Place a price (in tokens) on your back-up reinforcers. Record the actual price of any purchased items. Higher priced items will demand more tokens for trade-in. Place a value on back-up reinforcers (the rewards) that are activity-oriented such as free time, listening to music, or painting.

Develop a wall chart that lists the number of tokens needed to purchase each back-up reinforcer.

8. Place a value on the tokens. Give the tokens a value that is worth more now than in the future.

As students begin to function more appropriately, tokens will have to be devalued to motivate the kids to improve continually.

Next, develop a wall chart that lists the number of tokens to be given for each desired behavior, and decide whether inappropriate behavior will result only in a withholding of tokens or whether you will place a fine ("response cost") and take away tokens for that misconduct.

If the latter is the case, make a wall chart that indicates the amount to be fined for each misbehavior.

Before deciding on fines for a youngster who fails to demonstrate the required behavior, consider whether it seems fair to do so, and whether you are able to handle protests by students.

Is if fair to not only withhold a token from a student, but also take away a token that was earned earlier?

Finalize the details by developing your own monitoring sheet to keep track of awards
and fines, and deciding how often and when tokens can be exchanged for back-up reinforcers (e.g., at the end of each day, at the end of each week).10. Start your program.

Have the materials ready to show to students as you explain the program in language that they can understand. Make your presentation very positive and upbeat.

Post the wall charts or desk cards and review them periodically. Implement the program, providing the tokens as soon as they are earned.

USING CONTRACTS TO MANAGE BEHAVIOUR

2009-05-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Behavior Contract

A behavior contract is an agreement between the child and teacher and often includes the student's parent(s).

The behavior contract is a written agreement about how the individual will behave.

It will indicate the appropriate consequence should the student neglect to behave according to the contract and it also states the reinforcer to be used for successful compliance.

The behavior contract provides the student with structure and self-management.

The behavior contract is often an effective form of behavior modification.

Developing the Contract

The contract should be written with the student and teacher - collaboration. It would be wise to involve the parent under certain circumstances.

The contract should include the following:
· The goal. (Will not speak out, will keep hands to him/herself, will remain on
task, etc.)

· How will the student receive the reward? (Become the teacher's monitor after
completing 5 assignments on time etc.)

· What is the consequence should the child not adhere to the behavior
described in the contract?

· Time should be clearly stated in the contract. You may choose a half day, a full
day, a week etc.

· Define who and how the behavior will be monitored. (teacher initials, stickers,
check mark system etc.)

· Set a date for reviewing the contract

It is important to involve the student in the writing of the contract. Ask the student to make suggestions for reinforcement and consequence for failure to comply.

Contracts should name specific behaviors to be changed.

Focus on 1 or 2 behaviors at a time.

Consequences and reinforcers need to be thought out clearly. You can include tangible reinforcers, social or activity based reinforcers, curtailment of an activity, tokens that can be cashed in for a specific activity etc.

NOTE: A minor problem with behavior contracts is that the focus is on controlling a student's behavior rather than helping the child make wise choices.

Keep this in mind when developing behavior contracts. Behavior contracts don't often work right away, be patient and consistent, you should see results. Know when it's time to review and revise. When the contract is not working well, be sure to include the student when making revisions.

What reinforcers would you use?

Try these:

· Caring for Class Pet

· 5-10 Minute Free Choice Activity

· Happy Note to Mom

· Tell the Class a Joke or Read a Text Selection

· Read with a Buddy
·
· Leading the Group

· Time to surf the net

It is critical for the student to know that you like them and that you're only disappointed in their behavior.

HELPING HIGH RISK STUDENTS: THE PAIN MODEL

2009-05-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

How Do We Help High Risk Students?

Let us consider this model developed in Queensland, Australia.

THE PAIN MODEL FOR BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

The pain model is a behaviour management model developed for teachers who work with students who have extremely challenging behaviours, social problems and a lack of social skills.

The model's strategies may also be used by teachers to prevent the development of challenging behaviours in the classroom.

The model was developed in Queensland, Australia early this decade by a team of behaviour support teachers led by Patrick Connor, an applied psychologist working as a guidance officer within this team. The teachers, who work within a Behaviour Management Unit work with children who can no longer attend school due to exclusions or suspension from school.

The pain model is grounded in the work they have done with these students identified as high-risk; students whose behaviour has resulted in a referral to the Behaviour Management Unit – a service supplied to schools by some states in Australia.

Basis of the Pain Model

Connor drew on the work of Eric Berne and Harris[ who researched the influences of past experiences on later behaviour, and O’Reilly (1994) and accepted the proposition of the neuro-physiological link between the brain and behaviour.

Connor recognised, as far as learning was concerned, that there was little difference between the effect of physical pain and psychological pain. Both types of pain were debilitating and inhibited learning.

The pain model recognises that social problems such as homelessness, Skill-lessness, meaninglessness, domestic violence, abuse, addiction or chemical or organic problems such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD) cause psychological pain. When high-risk students (students that are experiencing one or more of these problems) are fearful, stressed and experiencing psychological pain teachers need to calm the student and relieve the pain before participation within the school environment can begin.

The model also allows the teacher to understand that the student’s behaviour is due to the pain they are experiencing making a less stressful classroom environment and allowing teachers to be more patient with students.

Assumptions

If students ‘feel good’ they will ‘act good’; if students ‘feel bad’ they will ‘act bad’.

Behaviour is a type of communication and, because it is a type of communication schools may misinterpret the intended meaning of the message the student is sending through ‘bad’ behaviour.

Students who act ‘bad’ may be unhappy and experiencing pain; inflicting punishment will only make this worse.

Listening to students is more appropriate than punishing them.

When young people are abused they cannot build primary relationships and often do not have the skills to participate in the class environment.

They need to be taught these skills prior to gradual reintegration to the school.

Traditional models of discipline are not effective with high-risk students.

Some students ‘act bad’ in order to be punished and noticed. As a result, they are noticed for their behaviour not for who they are.

Principles of the Pain Model

Acknowledge the pain

Value the person

Preventative Strategies

Develop relationships

Give clear instructions

Care for teachers – support provided to teachers with ‘high-risk’ students.

Corrective Strategies

Relieve the pain and calm the student – teach relaxation techniques, assess and address physical needs

Re-skill the student – teach personal skills, interpersonal skills, academic skills and problem solving skills

Reconstruct self-esteem – use slogans; set up for success; encourage

Use related strategies - agreements; self-managing log; collaboration with parents

School-wide Strategies

Make school a welcoming place

Create a welfare centre

Advantages

Less stress for teachers

Better outcomes for high-risk students

Long-term advantages for teachers and society

Actively involves parents in process

Disadvantages

Resource intensive

Change to whole school culture needed

It is difficult for some teachers to relinquish power

Some teachers expect naughty students to be punished

Some aspects of the model are not suitable for use as general behaviour management for the majority of classes

Relies upon all aspects of the child’s life supporting the basis of this model in order for it to be successful

Chaining In Behaviour Management

2009-05-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Chaining is an instructional procedure used in Behavioral psychology, experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis.

It involves reinforcing individual responses occurring in a sequence to form a complex behavior. It is frequently used for training behavioral sequences (or "chains") that are beyond the current repertoire of the learner.

The term is often credited to the work of B.F. Skinner, an American Psychologist working at Harvard University in the 1930s. Skinner based most of his work on the research done by Edward Lee Thorndike at Harvard University in the 1890s

How Do We Use Chaining?

The chain of responses is broken down into small steps using task analysis.

Parts of a chain are referred to as links. The learner's skill level is assessed by an appropriate professional and is then either taught one step at a time while being assisted through the other steps forward or backwards or if the learner already can complete a certain percentage of the steps independently, the remaining steps are all worked on during each trial total task.

A verbal stimulus or prompt is used at the beginning of the teaching trial.

The stimulus change that occurs between each response becomes the reinforcer for that response as well as the prompt/stimulus for the next response without requiring assistance from the teacher.

As small chains become mastered, i.e. are performed consistently following the initial discriminative stimulus prompt, they may be used as links in larger chains. [Ex. teach hand washing, tooth brushing, and showering until mastered and then teach morning hygiene routine which includes the mastered skills].

Chaining requires that the teachers present the training skill in the same order each time and is most effective when teachers are delivering the same prompts to the learner. The most common forms of chaining are backward chaining, forward chaining, and total task presentation.

Behaviour Modification

2009-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

The first use of the term behavior modification appears to have been by Edward Thorndike in 1911.

His article "Provisional laws of acquired behavior or learning" makes frequent use of the term "modifying behavior".

It has come to refer mainly to techniques for increasing adaptive behavior through reinforcement and decreasing maladaptive behavior through punishment (with emphasis on the former).

Since techniques derived from behavioral psychology tend to be the most effective in altering behavior, most practitioners consider behavior modification along with behavior therapy and applied behavior analysis to be founded in behaviorism.

While behavior modification encompasses applied behavior analysis and typically uses interventions based on the same behavioral principles, many behavior modifiers who are not applied behavior analysts tend to use packages of interventions and do not conduct functional assessments before intervening.

In recent years, the concept of punishment has had many critics, though these critiques tend not to apply to negative punishment (time-outs) and usually apply to the addition of some aversive event.

The use of positive punishment by board-certified behavior analysts is restricted to extreme circumstances when all other forms of treatment have failed and when the behavior to be modified is a danger to the person or to others .

In clinical settings positive punishment is usually restricted using a spray bottle filled with water as an aversive event.

When mis-used, extreme punishment can lead to affective (emotional) disorders, as well as to the target of the punishment eventually focusing only on avoiding punishment (i.e., "not getting caught") rather than improving behavior.

People have consequences for their actions both positive and negative.

This should be taught early as it carries through adulthood.

Overexcitabilities In Gifted Students

2009-05-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski identified five of these intensities, which he called "overexcitabilities" or "supersensitivities":

Psychomotor, Sensual, Emotional, Intellectual, and Imaginational.

Gifted children tend to have more than one of these intensities, although one is usually dominant.

Psychomotor

The primary sign of this intensity is a surplus of energy. Children with a dominant psychomotor overexcitability are often misdiagnosed with ADHD since characteristics are similar.

Rapid speech
Impulsive behavior
Competitiveness
Compulsive talking
Compulsive organizing
Nervous habits and tics
Preference for fast action and sports
Physical expression of emotions

Sleeplessness

Sensual

The primary sign of this intensity is a heightened awareness of all five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

Children with a dominant sensual overexcitability can get sick from the smell of certain foods or as toddlers will hate to walk on grass in their bare feet.

The pleasure they get from the tastes and textures of some foods may cause them to overeat.

Appreciation of beauty, whether in writing, music, art or nature.

Includes love of objects like jewelry

Sensitive to smells, tastes, or textures of foods

Sensitivity to pollution

Tactile sensitivity (Bothered by feel of some materials on the skin, clothing tags)

Craving for pleasure

Need or desire for comfort

Intellectual

This intensity is the one most recognized in gifted children.

It is characterized by activities of the mind, thought and thinking about thinking.

Children who lead with this intensity seem to be thinking all the time and want answers to deep thoughts.

Sometimes their need for answers will get them in trouble in school when their questioning of the teacher can look like disrespectful challenging.

Deep curiosity
Love of knowledge and learning
Love of problem solving
Avid reading
Asking of probing questions
Theoretical thinking
Analytical thinking
Independent thinking

Concentration, ability to maintain intellectual effort

Imaginational

The primary sign of this intensity is the free play of the imagination.

Their vivid imaginations can cause them to visualize the worst possibility in any situation.

It can keep them from taking chances or getting involved in new situations.

Vivid dreams
Fear of the unknown
Good sense of humor
Magical thinking

Love of poetry, music and drama

Love of fantasy

Daydreaming
Imaginary friends
Detailed visualization

Emotional

The primary sign of this intensity is exceptional emotional sensitivity.

Children with a strong emotional overexcitability are sometimes mistakenly believed to have bipolar disorder or other emotional problems and disorders.

They are often the children about whom people will say, "He's too sensitive for his own good."

Extremes of emotion

Anxiety

Feelings of guilt and sense of responsibility

Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority

Timidity and shyness

Loneliness

Concern for others

Heightened sense right and wrong, of injustice and hypocrisy

Strong memory for feelings

Problems adjusting to change

Depression

Need for security

Physical response to emotions (stomach aches caused by anxiety, for example)

Parents can get a better understanding of their gifted children by matching their child's behavior with the characteristics of each of these intensities.

Telling an emotionally intense child to ignore teasing or not let the teasing bother him is impossible advice for the child to follow.

Understanding what lies behind a gifted child's behavior will help parents better respond to that behavior.

Challenges In Managing The Behaviour Of Gifted Students

2009-05-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

The behavior of a gifted child is sometimes confused with attention disorders such as ADD and ADHD.

Children with either disorder generally show an inability to concentrate for long periods of time, regardless of the task. In contrast, gifted children become immersed in a task when interested, focusing for long periods of time; however, they may become bored while waiting for other students to grasp concepts that they already understand.

When not engaged, gifted children often develop negative patterns such as daydreaming, doodling, excessive talking, and failing grades.

Many school systems are developing assessment tools and special programs to address the needs of gifted students because research has shown that these students thrive when placed with students of similar ability.

When given an opportunity to engage in challenging learning environments, many gifted children not only perform at a high level, but also feel more accepted and confident.

Teachers trained to deal with the needs of gifted students can help avoid power struggles and provide adequate stimulation in their classroom.

In the wrong setting giftedness can be as paralyzing as a learning handicap.

Many gifted students become chronically frustrated by the constraints of ordinary classrooms and their abilities go unnoticed, masked by indifference and hostility toward the system of education.

As a result, gifted students are not necessarily those who bring home the best report cards, but may well be the students at the back of the classroom who are not standing up to claim their gift.

PIAGET"S THEORY ON COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

2009-05-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

We need to understand the concrete operational stage in Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development.

How is it different from the formal operations stage characterized by abstract thinking, logical reasoning and adolescent attention getting behaviour?

Read the following and consider the implications for you as a teacher.
Concrete operational stage

The Concrete operational stage is the third of four stages of cognitive development in Piaget's theory. This stage, which follows the Preoperational stage, occurs between the ages of 7 and 11 years and is characterized by the appropriate use of logic. Important processes during this stage are:

Seriation—the ability to sort objects in an order according to size, shape, or any other characteristic. For example, if given different-shaded objects they may make a color gradient.

Transitivity- The ability to recognize logical relationships among elements in a serial order (for example, If A is taller than B, and B is taller than C, then A must be taller than C).

Classification—the ability to name and identify sets of objects according to appearance, size or other characteristic, including the idea that one set of objects can include another.

Decentering—where the child takes into account multiple aspects of a problem to solve it. For example, the child will no longer perceive an exceptionally wide but short cup to contain less than a normally-wide, taller cup.

Reversibility—the child understands that numbers or objects can be changed, then returned to their original state. For this reason, a child will be able to rapidly determine that if 4+4 equals t, 8−4 will equal 4, the original quantity.

Conservation—understanding that quantity, length or number of items is unrelated to the arrangement or appearance of the object or items.

Elimination of Egocentrism—the ability to view things from another's perspective (even if they think incorrectly). For instance, show a child a comic in which Jane puts a doll under a box, leaves the room, and then Melissa moves the doll to a drawer, and Jane comes back. A child in the concrete operations stage will say that Jane will still think it's under the box even though the child knows it is in the drawer. (See also False-belief task).

Children in this stage can, however, only solve problems that apply to actual (concrete) objects or events, and not abstract concepts or hypothetical tasks.

Formal operational stage

The formal operational period is the fourth and final of the periods of cognitive development in Piaget's theory.

This stage, which follows the Concrete Operational stage, commences at around 11-15 years of age (puberty) and continues into adulthood. In this stage, individuals move beyond concrete experiences and begin to think abstractly, reason logically and draw conclusions from the information available, as well as apply all these processes to hypothetical situations.The abstract quality of the adolescent's thought at the formal operational level is evident in the adolescent's verbal problem solving ability. The logical quality of the adolescent's thought is when children are more likely to solve problems in a trial-and-error fashion. Adolescents begin to think more as a scientist thinks, devising plans to solve problems and systematically testing solutions.They use hypothetical-deductive reasoning, which means that they develop hypotheses or best guesses, and systematically deduce, or conclude, which is the best path to follow in solving the problem.

During this stage the young adult is able to understand such things as love, "shades of gray", logical proofs and values. During this stage the young adult begins to entertain possibilities for the future and are fascinated with what they can be. Adolescents are changing cognitively also by the way that they think about social matters.

Adolescent Egocentrism governs the way that adolescents think about social matters and is the heightened self-consciousness in them as they are which is reflected in their sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility. Adolescent egocentrism can be dissected into two types of social thinking, imaginary audience that involves attention getting behavior, and personal fable which involves an adolescent's sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility.

HANDLING HYPERACTIVE STUDENTS

2009-04-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

The challenge in working with hyperactive children is to balance their needs with the needs of your other students. You want to create an optimal learning environment for the hyperactive student, mindful of the issues of peer rejection and low self-esteem. At the same time, you want to minimize the disruption to your other students. That requires considerable structure, support, and consistency. It also demands patience and restraint in the face of often difficult and frustrating behavior.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Identify the source of the student's high activity level. Although hyperactivity might stem from an attention deficit disorder that has a physiological basis, it also might result from other causes. It might be, for example, that the work is too hard for the student, causing her to feel frustrated, or too easy, causing her to become bored.

Also, you need to determine whether the student is confused about the directions or lacks the materials needed to complete the task.

In addition, consider whether her high activity level reflects agitation or distress.

Adjust your classroom standards. You might have to rethink your assumption that all students must be seated at their desks, facing forward, feet on the floor, and backs straight.

For example, you might allow a hyperactive student to stand up near her desk, walk around with a clipboard, or read while standing as long as she doesn't disrupt other students.

Some teachers even allow their more active students to work in the hall (under a watchful eye), so they can walk around when they're feeling antsy.

Give the student a break. A hyperactive student tends to get restless sooner than other students. If so, give her a breather. For example, you might have her work for 20 minutes on a math assignment, then take a break for five minutes, and then begin work on a reading task.

Have the student engage in some movement during the break, going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water, for example.

Provide opportunities for the student to release excess energy.

Allow her to redirect her seemingly boundless energy by engaging in constructive activities rather than moving around aimlessly. In that way, she learns to be responsible and contribute to the class while releasing energy that might otherwise disturb other students.

Feeling a sense of belonging is especially important to the hyperactive student. The following are some examples of activities you might ask her to do: decorate a bulletin board, collect or distribute papers, feed the classroom pets, or deliver a message to another teacher.

Allow the student to manipulate objects at her desk. Some hyperactive students are able to play with small items and still stay on task and remain in their seats. Indeed, doing so might help them pay attention. Consider letting an active student play with such items as a paper clip or a pipe cleaner as long as she can remain on task. Or you might let her squeeze a stress ball to release tension while sitting in her seat.

Establish a signal to cue a student that she is out of her seat. Just as you might with a student with an attention problem, arrange a subtle signal with a hyperactive student to alert her that she needs to return to her seat. That might be a wink of your eye, a touch on your shoulder, or a pull on your ear.

You might need to quietly say her name to get her attention. If necessary, follow up the signal with a verbal reminder to the student to return to her seat.

Ticket, please. If the student gets out of her seat often to do such things as sharpen her pencil or ask a question, you might give her a limited number of tickets and require that she give you one when she wants to leave her seat. When she runs out of tickets, she is not allowed to leave her seat. If she does, take away three minutes of her recess. That will help teach her self-control while lessening her out-of-seat behavior.

INTERVENTIONS FOR DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS

2009-04-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Chronic Disruptive students. What can we do to help?

Classroom management and teaching strategiesPunishing, threatening, blaming, and criticizing students as a way of influencing their behavior only works in the short term.

What research shows is that effective teachers tend to rely instead on proactive strategies for preventing behavior problems. They reinforce appropriate behavior and teach social problem solving.

For students with chronically disruptive behavior, teachers use point or token systems, time-out, contingent reinforcement, and response cost.

For an excellent review of these strategies, see Walker, Colvin, and Ramsey (1995).Adapting instruction and curriculumInstruction and curriculum need to be adapted to meet the individual needs of students. When they are not, disruptive behavior can result. Therefore, any investigation of the student's behavior needs to look closely at what adaptations may need to be made. See Deschenes, Ebeling, and Sprague (1994) and Waldron (1997) for more information about possible adaptations.

Teaching social problem solving The direct teaching of social problem solving is now a common feature of programs for preventing and resolving discipline problems (Bear, 1998), as well as for treating students with the most serious antisocial behavior (Kazdin, 1994). Although these interventions vary in the strategies emphasized, they share a common focus on teaching thinking skills that students can use to avoid and resolve interpersonal conflicts, resist peer pressure, and cope with emotions and stress. The most effective are those that include "a range of social competency skills...and that are delivered over a long period of time to continually reinforce skills" (Gottfredson, 1997, p. 55). For reviews, see: Consortium on the School-based Promotion of Social Competence (1991, 1994) and Gottfredson (1997). Schoolwide and districtwide programsTo build a climate that views appropriate behavior as an essential precondition for learning, some programs have been implemented throughout the school or district. School rules are established, communicated clearly to staff and students, and consistently enforced. Staff are trained to teach students alternatives to vandalism and disruptive behavior. These programs have yielded promising results. See Mayer, Butterworth, Nafpaktitis, and Sulzer-Azaroff (1983), Olweus (1992), and Cotton and Wikelund (1990).

Parent involvement Overall, research indicates that successful intervention programs almost always include a home-school component. Parent management training and family therapy are two approaches that show considerable promise for affecting student behavior (Kazdin, 1994). In parent management training, parents are taught such techniques as strategic use of praise, rewards, time out, response cost, and contingency contracting. They have opportunities to discuss, practice, and review these techniques. Ongoing consultation with the parent is also provided. See Bank, Marlowe, Reid, Patterson, and Weinrott (1991); Webster-Stratton, Hollinsworth, and Kolpacoff (1989).

Family therapy seeks to address family conflict. A primary goal is to empower parents with skills and resources necessary to solve their own family problems. This approach has been shown to be effective in reducing a range of delinquent behaviors.Although parent management training and/or family therapy may be a necessary component of programs for students with a chronic history of antisocial behavior, less intensive interventions involving parents would be sufficient for most children. See Christenson, Rounds, and Franklin (1992) for an excellent review of home-school collaboration strategies and programs.Alternative education programs and schoolsAlternative education programs and schools are designed to create a more positive learning environment through low teacher-to-student ratios, less structured classrooms, and individualized and self-paced instruction.

The strongest and most consistent improvement for students enrolled in such a program or school was their attitude toward school (Cox, Davidson, & Bynum, 1995). Research results regarding their effectiveness, however, have been inconsistent and difficult to interpret, primarily because such programs tend to vary greatly in their interventions, students served, structure, and program goals (Gottfredson, 1997).

Individual counselingThere are hundreds of different techniques used by counselors and therapists, the majority of which have not been evaluated through research (Kazdin, 1988). This makes it difficult to assess the impact of individual counseling as an intervention for chronic behavior problems. It would appear that, when used alone (i.e., when not coupled with other interventions or strategies), programs that provide students with individual counseling tend to be ineffective in decreasing antisocial behavior, especially when such behavior is chronic (Gottfredson, 1997). The same is generally true of programs in which adults lead discussions with students about their behavior, attitudes, and values.

Peer involvement There is no denying that peers can have a profound influence on a student's behavior. Peer-oriented interventions are designed to capitalize on the potentially positive influence of peers in bringing about improvements in behavior. However, two such approaches (peer counseling and peer-led information groups) may actually be counterproductive in that the least disruptive students in the group may be negatively influenced (Gottfredson, 1997). Hughes and Cavell (1995) caution that peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and peer collaboration tasks may be too demanding for many antisocial children.Recreation and community activitiesMany schools and communities offer recreational, enrichment, or leisure activities such as after school sports or midnight basketball as alternatives to more dangerous activities. Evaluation results show that acts of delinquency and substance abuse decrease only while students are directly supervised. These programs are more likely to be effective in reducing such behaviors if they are secondary components to programs that directly teach social competency skill (Gottfredson, 1997).Fear arousal, moral appeal, and affective educationPrograms that are designed to reduce substance abuse or improve behavior by disseminating information, arousing students' fears, appealing to their concepts of right and wrong, or improving self-esteem generally have not been found to be effective (Bear, Minke, Griffin, & Deemer, 1997; Gottfredson, 1997). Approaches that include resistance-skills training (where students learn about the social influences that can lead to substance use, as well as specific skills for resisting these pressures) have been shown to reduce substance use in the short-term. However, without continued instruction, positive effects of these programs are short-lived (Gottfredson, 1997). What Does All This Mean? A SummaryClearly, there are a lot of approaches schools can use to prevent challenging behavior and to address it when it does occur. It's important to know that best practice indicates the following:Assessment of the student's behavior must be linked with interventions that follow the student through whatever placements the student has. Multiple interventions are necessary for improving the behavior of most students. Any positive effect of a single strategy, especially when the intervention is short-term, is likely to be temporary. Just as behavior problems and risk factors come in packages, so too should interventions. To produce lasting effects, interventions must address not only the behavior that led to disciplinary action but a constellation of related behaviors and contributing factors. Interventions must be sustained and include specific plans for promoting maintenance over time and generalization across settings. Focusing on the student's behavior while placed in any short-term setting, such as an interim alternative educational setting, is not sufficient. Interventions need to follow the student to his or her next placement (and elsewhere). A combination of proactive, corrective, and instructive classroom management strategies are needed. Interventions must target specific prosocial and antisocial behaviors and the "thinking skills" that mediate such behaviors. Such a combination provides an atmosphere of warmth, care, support, and necessary structure. Interventions must be developmentally appropriate and address strengths and weaknesses of the individual student and his or her environment. Parent education and family therapy are critical components of effective programs for antisocial children and youth. Interventions are most effective when provided early in life. Devoting resources to prevention reduces the later need for more expensive treatment. Interventions should be guided by schoolwide and districtwide policies that emphasize positive interventions over punitive ones. Interventions should be fair, consistent, culturally and racially nondiscriminatory, and sensitive to cultural diversity. Interventions should be evaluated as to their short-term and long-term effectiveness in improving student behavior. Both the process and outcome of each intervention should be evaluated. Teachers and support staff need to be well trained with respect to assessment and intervention. Staff working with students who have behavior problems will require on-going staff development and support services. Effective behavioral interventions require collaborative efforts from the school, home, and community agencies. Helping children and youth must be a shared responsibility.

HYPERACTIVE STUDENTS

2009-04-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

First of all we should not think of high levels of energy as a negative trait.

When a hyperactive student disrupts your class you need to take action.

State 4 types of behaviour you would see in a hyperactice student.

Explain how you would help the student to complete tasks and be an achiever.

TIME MANAGEMENT

2009-04-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

The bell has gone and you are waiting outside a class. The teacher is still giving her students homework.

What can you do to ensure that this does not take time away from your own lesson?

Explain three steps you would take to handle this situation.

CANTER AND ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR

2009-04-08T08:07:00.007-07:00

Behaviour management in classroom discipline requires assertive strategies.

What 4 assertive skills would you develop in yourself to enable you to manage classroom discipline?

EXAM STRATEGIES

2009-04-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

You can out smart the system. Give the examinor what he wants. And you will get what you want...A!

Ah well...the A is ofcourse no indication that you would be an EFFECTIVE TEACHER.

So here we go...

Effective teachers have attractive personal qualities, proffesional qualities ( teaching and learning competencies)

And finally, ..values

SPECIALIZED SKILLS

2009-03-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Studying cases involving students with behaviour disorders makes me realize where I need to improve...

I sure need to learn more about anger management...listening to suicidal students and thinking ahead before jumping down on a freaked out students with some inappropriate punishment.

Congratulations to NOT SURE YET for your excellent posting on depression.

You have analysed our needs very well. I think you are going to be outstanding teachers who can provide the specialized support...

LETS KEEP GOING WITH OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO TRAIN OURSELVES.

LISTENING SKILLS IN BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

2009-03-26T01:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Eagles! You are flying higher.

I can't help but feel that when we study the cases like " What You Don't Know Can Hurt You." we see teachers using traditional behaviour modification and it does not seem to work. How many times will John rerefer Richard?

What did the game go wrong? Is it because the groups were racially polarised. How does similar ability grouping affect interaction? Will it lead to a power struggle?

Read up on how blacks feel about injustice.

How do you thin Richard feels about being retained while others get promoted? How does it affect his frustration?

What can John do when Richard wants to get him into a fight. Read up on how to handle violent behaviour.

What was it that John regreted doing?

I suggest you look more closely at counselling, pastoral care and explore more resources. look up Gary Chapman.. Five Languages of Love For Teanangers.

Don't forget. You need to have references and do use the APA system.

SCHOOL BASED EXPERIENCE

2009-03-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

In preparation for your observation in school I invite you to read and respond to the issues and concepts I have posted in my new blog Inclusive English which is in the blog list.

In managing behaviour and learning in a scenario where you need to know wpecial needs, you have to have a broad understanding of inclusive education.

ACTIVE BLOGS IN THE BLOG LIST

2009-03-04T03:03:00.000-08:00

Did you notice that if your blog is the latest to post it will be featured at the top of the list?

That means that the one at the bottom is the one that has not posted for a long long time...mm...activate your thinking on line!

SIGN POSTS FOR YOU ASSINGMENT

2009-03-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

Read the posts on these models and try and decide which you prefer to apply to the cases you are analysing. Make a simple posting and I will give you my views on your justifications.

DREIKER'S MODEL

2009-03-04T02:48:00.000-08:00

THE DREIKURS MODEL

Confronting Mistaken Goals

DREIKURS' KEY IDEAS

1. Discipline is not punishment. It is teaching students to impose limits on themselves.

2. Democratic teachers provide firm guidance and leadership. They allow students to have a say in establishing rules and consequences.

3. All students want to belong. They want status and recognition. All of their behaviors indicate efforts to belong.

4. Misbehavior reflects the mistaken belief that it will gain students the recognition they want.

5. Misbehavior is associated with four mistaken goals: attention getting, power seeking, revenge, and displaying inadequacy.

6. Teachers should identify mistaken goals and then act in ways that do not reinforce them.

7. Teachers should strive to encourage student's efforts, but avoid praising their work or character.

8. Teachers should teach students that unpleasant consequences will always follow inappropriate behavior.

GLASSERS MODEL

2009-03-04T02:40:00.000-08:00

THE GLASSER MODEL

Good Behavior Comes from Good Choices

GLASSER'S KEY IDEAS

1. Students are rational beings. They can control their
behavior.

2. Good choices produce good behavior. Bad choices produce
bad behavior.

3. Teachers must forever try to help students make good
choices.

4. Teachers who truly care about their students accept no
excuses for bad behavior.

5. Reasonable consequences should always follow student
behavior, good or bad.

6. Class rules are essential, and they must be enforced.

7. Classroom meetings are effective vehicles for attending to
matters of class rules, behavior, and discipline.

STOP AND THINK

2009-03-04T02:35:00.000-08:00

We were horrified by the real cases of bullies. Now let's stop and think...How could we teachers be part of the problem? Or could the rules be part of the problem?

One way to prevent bullying is to consider where bullying occurs and monitor these places. What about helping students to have a way to reach out for help... how do you think we can do this?

NEO_SKINNERIAN MODEL

2009-03-04T02:25:00.000-08:00

THE NEO-SKINNERIAN MODEL

Shaping Desired Behavior

Skinners Key Ideas

This model is called Neo-Skinnerian to indicate that it is made up of newer applications of Skinners basic ideas. Skinner himself never proposed a model of school discipline.

1. Behavior is shaped by its consequences, by what happens to the individual after performing the act.

2. Behavior is strengthened if followed immediately by reinforces. Technically, a reinforcer is a stimulus that increases the likelihood that the individual will repeat the act. We commonly think of reinforces as rewards.

3. Strengthened behaviors are those that have become more likely to be repeated.

4. Behavior is weakened if it is not followed by reinforcement.

5. Weakened behaviors are those that become less likely than before to be repeated.

6. Behavior is also weakened if followed by punishment. Punishment is not the same thing as negative reinforcement.

7. Systematic use of reinforcement (rewards) can shape individuals behavior in desired directions.

8. In the early stages of learning, constant reinforcement produces the best results. Constant means that the behavior is reinforced every time it occurs.

9. Once learning has reached the desired level, it is best maintained through intermittent reinforcement, reinforcement that is provided only occasionally, on an unpredictable schedule.

10. When applied to classroom learning and discipline, this process of behavior shaping through reinforcement is called behavior modification.

11. Behavior modification is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers for strengthening desired classroom learning and behavior.

12. Behavior modification is applied in these two ways:
a. The teacher observes the student perform an desired act; the teacher rewards
the student; the student tends to repeat the act.
b. The teacher observes the student perform an undesired act; the teacher either
ignores the act or punishes the student, then praises a student who is behaving
correctly; the misbehaving student becomes less likely than before to repeat the
act.
13. Behavior modification successfully uses various kinds of reinforces. They include social reinforces, such as verbal comments, facial expressions, and gestures; graphic reinforces, such as marks and stars; activity reinforces, such as free time, free reading, and collaborating with a friend; and tangible reinforces, such as food, prizes, and printed awards.

THE KOUNIN MODEL

2009-03-04T02:12:00.000-08:00

THE KOUNIN MODEL

Withitness, Alerting, and Group Management

Kounin : 5 Key Ideas

1. When teachers correct misbehavior in one student, it often influences the
behavior of nearby students. This is known as the ripple effect.

2. Teachers should know what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times.
Kounin calls this awareness, withitness.

3. The ability to provide smooth transitions between activities and to maintain
consistent momentum within activities is crucial to effective group management.

4. Teachers should strive to maintain group alertness and to hold every group member accountable got the content of a lesson, which allows optimal learning to take place.

5. Student satiation (boredom) can be avoided by providing a feeling of progress and by adding variety to curriculum and classroom environment.

SEVEN MODELS OF DISCIPLINE

2009-03-04T02:08:00.000-08:00

SEVEN MODELS OF DISCIPLINE

1. The Kounin Model: Wittiness, Alerting, and Group Management
2. The Neo-Skinnerian Model: Shaping Desired Behavior
3. The Ginott Model: Addressing the Situation with Sane Measures
4. The Glasser Model: Good Behavior Comes from Good Choices
5. The Driekrs Model: Confronting Mistaken Goals
6. The Jones Model: Body Language, Incentive Systems, and Providing Efficient
Help
7. The Canter Model: Assertively Taking Charge

Which do you prefer?

SYNERGOGY

2009-02-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to 18mathematicians for the birth of your new blog. I am impressed!

What can we learn on this evolution of learning? Looking at the most basic style : pedagogy is more an expository style where teacehr delivers and learners recieve. Then we go on to andrgogy where learners and the teacher shares experiences. that is what happened when we made our first blog network eagleslead. Then we moved on to synergogy where you took the lead. Learners use their own experienec and materials to teach other learners. The teacher is a facilitator who observes and monitors.

So now you have been very successful and did it quite fast. That shows your competence in intergrating ICT in teaching and learning.

So you are now able to be a model for others. You can expect people from the virtual world which is borderless to visit your blog.

So eagles.. you are flying!

THANK YOU FATHER

2008-11-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you Father,

For making it possible for Barack Obama to be elected President Of United States.

I commit myself to the changes for the world that will eminate.

Our plans come from you and are blessed by you

O Heavenly Father.

In you palm we lie protected

O Great God

Your majesty is amazing

We often forget who we are

Only your humble servants

May we walk always with you

Towards the Light

Thank you our Heavenly Father

God of all nations

God of all people

God of the Universe

And much more

I Believe In Every Drop Of Rain That Falls

2008-10-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

No Matter What

2008-10-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks Siti and Moi Yen for helping me embed this

Remember This As A Leader

2008-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

2008-10-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

2008-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

2008-10-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lQugtmf44sQ&feature=related

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE SKATING

2008-10-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Skating to a meaningful song...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpwsSsKHBDI

HERO BY ENRIGUE INGLESIAS

2008-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Dashing and daring...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CHU6YRq9CZg

HERO BY MICHEAL ISRAEL

2008-10-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Unusual artist who paints amazingly on stage...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QZFkZiwMLZ4

WHERE IS LOVE

2008-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is a scene from the Classic Oliver Twist...ponder on this...conflict and pain and hope...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=K6B2K3dPvlo

NO MATTER WHAT...Boys Zone again

2008-10-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well this is such a fabulous song I just couldnt get enough... enjoy... and wont someone embed this...I cant seem to get it right....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-TejcZJSIy4&feature=related

No Matter What by Boys Zone

2008-10-25T15:34:00.001-07:00

Wont someone help me embed this beautiful clip....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ogjFSW7PqRY

REMEMBER THIS AS A LEADER

2008-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sQVPR71QdHA&feature=related

Check out this link when you see new paths before you...

As an Eagle you will see farther because you look from above

As a leader you will find a way

And others will follow...

I Believe In Every Drop Of Rain That Falls

2008-10-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

A flower grows.....

Check out this link when you feel there is a mountain to climb...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ribBjBUi3c4

Some Day At Christmas

2008-10-21T09:50:00.001-07:00

Someday at Christmas men won't be boys
Playing with bombs like kids play with toys
One warm December all hearts will see
A world where men are free

Someday at Christmas there'll be no wars
When we have learned what Christmas is for
When we have found what life's really worth
There'll be peace on earth

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas we'll see a land
With no hungry children, no empty hand
One happy morning people will share
A world where people care

Someday at Christmas there'll be no tears
All men are equal and no men have fears
One shinning moment,one prayer away
From our world today

Someday all our dreams will come to be
Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas man will not fail
Hate will be gone and love will prevail
Someday a new world that we can start
With hope in every heart Someday all our dreams will come to be

Someday in a world where men are free
Maybe not in time for you and me
But someday at Christmastime
Someday at Christmastime