3/3/2011: Class Update

Today in SPED 200, group two gave their class presentation on chapter five from the text, Introduction to Teaching. Chapter five's topic is student diversity, development, ability and exceptionalities. They talked about the term, student with exceptionalities, and that it means learners who need special help to reach their full potential.  I thought group five did an excellent job of informing us what parents or professionals should look for when trying to identify a child with exceptionalities, such as not developing certain skills within the normal range of time. Group 5 also talked a lot about IEP's, which stands for individualized education program. They explained that a regular education teacher, special education teachers, parents, and various professionals get together to collaborate an individual instructional plan for the child. Group 5 had a visual printed of an actual IEP to show us what an IEP looks like, and explained that it is a legally binding contract, one that the special education teacher has to make sure is followed. I really liked this part of the presentation, because as a future Special Education teacher, IEP's are going to be a very big part of my life, and it was great that they brought this to our attention. Overall, I enjoyed the presentation. It was informative and fun.

We finished watching, Speaking in Tongues, a documentary on foreign language immersion programs. The film explores four students who are enrolled in public school immersion programs in San Francisco. This documentary is based on the importance for students to speak more than one language in the 21st Century. I thought it was very interesting, and a great opportunity to become bilingual, an asset that will be very valuable to these children in the future.

Mrs. Johnson also introduced us to a new website she would like us to explore called, National Center on Universal Design for Learning. Therefore, I think I will check it out...