What are some ways you have used, observed, or researched for increasing family involvement and communication?

/in /by

Classroom Engagement Hacks

Each of the scenarios below contains a potential classroom management issue. After you read the scenario and identify the potential issue(s), write an engagement strategy (hack) to implement in the future when teaching this type of lesson (or one similar) to prevent the same issue.

Scenario 1

In your 4th-grade classroom, you are using base 10 blocks to demonstrate the base 10 system. You have the students divided into groups and give them some base 10 blocks to use to solve a set of ten problems. It does not go well. Some students throw the ones units at other groups. Two groups finish quickly, and three groups are painstakingly completing their problems. In addition, you do not get back all the base 10 blocks at the end of the lesson.

What is the potential classroom management issue(s)? What is an engagement strategy (hack) to use in the future?
   

 

Scenario 2

In your 2nd-grade classroom, you have a small group of students gathered at the science table watching you create a cloud in a bottle. Most of the rest of the students are in their seat. You can see children getting up and wandering aimlessly. You have a small line of children waiting to ask you a question. One student needs to use the restroom. The match you are using to make the cloud burns your finger. The students you have at your table are watching the rest of the class and miss seeing the cloud in the bottle.

What is the potential classroom management issue(s)? What is an engagement strategy (hack) to use in the future?
   

 

Scenario 3

You are teaching a 5th-grade integrated math and science lesson. You have given pairs of students a small ball and a meter stick. One student bounces the ball and the other uses the meter stick to measure the highest bounce of the ball. They must record measurements for six trials, rounding to the nearest centimeter. Then the partners switch jobs and they repeat the experiment. One student gets hit in the eye with the edge of the meter stick. One student goes to the nurse for a stomachache. As you circulate, three partnerships are arguing, two partnerships are not writing anything down, and one partnership broke the meter stick while arguing about who goes first.

What is the potential classroom management issue(s)? What is an engagement strategy (hack) to use in the future?
   

 

Scenario 4

In your 2nd-grade classroom, you have set up four math games and two science centers for your 30 students. You explained each game and center before you let the students choose where to go. You noticed that not all the students were paying attention when you were explaining the games. A big group of students begins to argue around one of the math games. You hear a big “UH OH!” and the crash of glass coming from the observation science center. The intercom beeps and you must send a student home with all her homework for the day.

What is the potential classroom management issue(s)? What is an engagement strategy (hack) to use in the future?
   

 

Short Answer Questions

Write a 50- to 75-word response to each of the following questions.

  1. What are some practices that you have used, observed, or researched for ensuring safety in a science teaching and learning environment?
  2. How might family involvement in the school or classroom promote positive behavior for students?
  3. What are some ways you have used, observed, or researched for increasing family involvement and communication?

Compare and contrast thesocial and personality development of the infant versus the psychosocial, social, and moral development of the preschool child.

/in /by

Compare and contrast the following populations using meaningful examples for each stage of development below. Describe how they are developmentally similar and different:

Part A: The social and personality development of the infant versus the psychosocial, social, and moral development of the preschool child.

Part B: The physical, intellectual development of the preschool child, the physical, intellectual/cognitive development of middle childhood, and the physical and cognitive development of the adolescent.

When providing your response, use at least two (2) evidence-based research resources in the last three years that support recent scientific findings, citing at least two (2) specific examples of new discoveries in each of the areas above.

Describe your methodology, including participants, materials, dependent and independent variables, and data collection.

/in /by

Mild-Moderate

It has been determined that one of your Mild-Moderate students, Jose, has a need for Assistive Technology to assist with his writing. Even though Jose is 13 years old, his handwriting is still at the beginning writing level. He can’t write on the lines, his letter formation is poor and difficult to read. Although Jose can read at a 5th grade level, he still struggles with spelling.

Design an Action Research project investigating the effectiveness of the Assistive Technology to meet the needs of this student.

  1. Determine your objective or research question.
  2. Describe low, medium and high AT options to meet these needs. Include your consideration of home use of the AT as well as school and how that will impact the family.
  3. Identify one AT option and provide a justification for why you chose this for your student.
  4. Describe your methodology, including participants, materials, dependent and independent variables, and data collection.
  5. Describe your plan for analyzing your data and presenting your data to the IEP team.

Introduction

  1. Objective/Research Questions:
    1. Is a Speech-to-Text an effective Assistive Technology (AT) tools for Jose to use in order to improve his spelling and writing?
  2. AT Options:
    1. Low: A low AT option is a technology that is intended to be as a straightforward as possible. For example, Graphic organizers are not technologically advanced but will keep Jose’s thoughts and work organized. This can also be done in a simple handout form for Jose. For example, thinking maps, teacher modified thinking maps, teacher pre-led activities paper, etc.) Jose will be able to take the graphic organizer home with him and get assistance from his parents.
    2. Medium: Moderate- or mid-tech assistive technologies are typically tools or devices that are battery operated; the technology is more sophisticated and requires more training than the low-tech assistive technologies (Blackhurst, 2005). For example, a calculator or a handheld device. Jose will have the opportunity to check his spelling using a dictionary or a handheld dictionary that is user friendly for Jose. Jose can transport the dictionary from school to home.
    3. High: Speech-to-text: A high tech assistive technologies are sophisticated devices or tools that are commonly associated with computer-based technology such as speech-to-text (Blackhurst, 2005). A high tech AT option is a technology that incorporates advanced features for Jose to use. The speech to text is a tool that Jose can easily use anywhere (e.g. home or school). The main benefit of the speech to text is that it will improve Jose’s quality of writing because it will allow Jose to be more independent in his writing. Speech-to-text will allow Jose to compose more fluently, and according to some studies, produce higher quality writings, especially Jose who has academic difficulties (MacArthur & Cavalier, 2004).
    4. Jose will be able to take the speech-to-text installed Chromebook home to complete work that he started at school. His parents can assist him with his assignments that have already been started.
  3. Identify one AT option and provide one justification for why it was chosen:
  4. Justification: Research indicates that speech-to-text for students with writing difficulties, may improve Jose’s writing skills, and according to some research it produces higher quality text (Quinlan, 2004).
    1. Reading- Because Jose is able to read well, he should be able to use the STT feature independently and once he has used it, he could go back and read his work to make sure it flows and that it has the correct spelling. Jose should make the corrections necessary to correct his spelling.
    2. Handwriting- students with Learning Disabilities (LD) experience handwriting difficulties, producing letters at a rate significantly below their classroom peers, and generate papers, that are considerably less legible and low quality (Adams, 2017).
    3. Research: When teachers understand the basic struggles with written expression, it empowers the educators to support de development of wiring in a manner that is least restrictive for students (Santangelo, 2014)
    4. MacArthur and Cavalier, (2004) indicated in their research that STT is valuable in providing a valid assessment of a student’s ability to generate and organize ideas, use coherent sentences, and gives them the opportunity to revise the content.
    5. Research also indicates that struggling writers who use STT technology were less focused on the mechanics of writing and therefore increased their quality of writing (Gardner, 2008).
  5. At home Jose will have access to the speech-to-text device to complete any assignments that he did not complete at school.
    1. The speech-to-text device will assist Jose at home as well. The speech-to-text will increase his independence of writing at home.
    2. The speech-to-text will increase Jose’s fluency and self-efficacy in writing (Adams, 2017).
    3. Under the related services therapies, handwriting difficulties continue to be one of the most difficult areas for individuals with learning disabilities and it is one of the main reason’s students are referred to OT (Case-Smith, Holland, & Bishop, 2011).
  6. Methodology:
    1. Participants
      1. Jose: Student with a learning disability who struggles with writing.
      2. Parents: Jose’s parents
  • General education Teacher: Service provider
  1. Special education teacher: Service Provider
  2. School administrator: district representative
  3. Occupational Therapy: Service Provider for Jose’s writing
  • School psychologists: IEP team member
  1. Materials:
    1. Chromebook that has the MS Word installed that Jose will use.
    2. Speech-to-text option (dictation) installed MS Word.
  • Jose’s writing samples with STT vs. without STT
  1. Home Survey
  1. Dependent/Independent Variable:

Independent Variable:

  1. The intervention (introduction of AT/STT) feature installed on Microsoft Word is used to assist Jose with his writing.

Dependent Variable:

  1. Percentage of words that Jose spelled correctly without the STT
  2. The percentage of words spelled correctly with the STT.

Data Collection:

  1. Collect data before the intervention
  2. Intervention
    1. Teach Jose how to use the SST on MS Words
  • Collect data with the use of STT
    1. Collect samples from Jose’s writing before and after the word processor from school and home
      1. The teacher will collect the data
        1. Data from home and schoolwork that Jose produces on the Word processor
        2. The teacher will effectively teach Jose how to use the STT feature in Microsoft Words.
          1. Observations of Jose using the STT feature and provide immediate feedback as needed.
        3. The data should be collected in a qualitative form.
          1. Observations in the classroom
          2. One on one interviews with Jose about his writing
  • Writing samples to monitor growth, areas of improvement, and weaknesses
  1. Data Analysis & Presentation to IEP team:
  2. Present the evidence of the intervention effects of Jose’s data
  3. the interpretation of the results on Jose’s data

-Data collected in bar graph form based on Jose’s speech-to-text (stt) percentage of correct words before and after the STT.

  1. Discussion on Jose’s data and what to do with it regarding his spelling.
  2. for 30 minutes periods based on the collected data.
  • Graphs will be bar graphs comparing his pretest to the intervention from the STT and teacher collected data,
  1. Conclusion

 

References

Adams, Jennifer.  (2017) The effectiveness of using speech-to-text technology to support writing of students with learning disabilities. Theses and Dissertations. 2481.

Blackhurst, A. E. (2005). Historical perspectives about technology applications for people with disabilities. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 3-31). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.

Case-Smith, J., Holland, T., & Bishop, B. (2011). Effectiveness of an integrated handwriting program for first-grade students: A pilot study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 670–678. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot. 2011.000984

Gardner, T.J. (2008). Speech Recognition for Students with Disabilities in Writing. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 26(2), 43-53.

MacArthur, C.A. (2009). Reflections on Research on Writing and Technology for Struggling Writers. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(2), 93-103.

MacArthur, C., & Cavalier, A. (2004). Dictation and Speech Recognition Technology as Test Accommodations. Exceptional Children, 71(1), 43–58.

Quinlan, Thomas (June 2004). Speech Recognition Technology and Students with Writing Difficulties: Improving Fluency. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 337-346.

Santangelo, Tanya. (2014). Why is Writing So Difficult for Students with Learning Disabilities? A Narrative Review to Inform the Design of Effective Instruction. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 12(1), 5-20.

Adams, Jennifer.  (2017) The effectiveness of using speech-to-text technology to support writing of students with learning disabilities. Theses and Dissertations. 2481.

 

 

Is the personal cost too high in terms of the dilemma of dealing with one’s own family issues while trying to meet the time and stress demands of leadership?

/in /by

Using the books –
Focus: Elevating the Essentials for School and District Improvement by Mike Schmoker.

and
District Leadership That Works: Striking the Right Balance

Write a paper giving your answers to the following school leader dilemma questions. The paper should be double spaced, 12 point font, Calibri, one inch margins. For each answer site at least one source with page number.

Dilemmas in Schools

1. Centralized v. Decentralized Decision-making

Is it best to centralize and ultimately control the process or is it best to decentralize and empower others to assume responsibility?

2. Personal Life v. Professional Life

Is the personal cost too high in terms of the dilemma of dealing with one’s own family issues while trying to meet the time and stress demands of leadership?

3. Truth v. Varnished Truth Is it sometimes better and more humane to tell a half- truth rather than the whole truth to protect faculty interests and school building leadership as well as well as the school district one represents?

4. Creativity v. Discipline of Thought

Is it possible to provide a greater latitude of freedom for some school building leaders yet maintain structure for others who need it within a climate of collegiality?

5. Trust v. Change Does implementing even the smallest of change frequently result in suspicion of your motives as a leader?

6. Leadership v. Management

Is it critical to understand the difference between leadership and management and be able to put into practice one or the other when necessary?

7. Long-term goals v. Short-term results

Is it critical for superintendent job security to focus on short-term improvements in areas like student achievement test scores rather than implementing comprehensive quality student-centered programs.

8. Motivation v. Manipulation

As superintendent are you authentically motivating your teams to accomplish district goals or are you really manipulating people to get the results you deem most appropriate for your own survival?

9. Independence v. Dependence

Do you readily, and too often accept, the role of district problem-solver and decision-maker or do you facilitate others to solve their own problems so as to foster less dependence on you as the district decider?

10. Conflict v. Consensus

Is it best for the superintendent to promote consensus decision-making on the part of district teams or is it best to support dynamic tension that results in conflict but more meaningful problem resolutions?

11. Commitment v. Compliance

Is it possible to achieve commitment during times of change that foster compliance given the bureaucratic nature and hierarchical chain of command of contemporary school systems.

12. Problems v. Predicaments

Is the public we serve able to understand that several contemporary educational problems are really systemic predicaments that are more universal in nature than easily solved at the local level.

Select an issue (Human Trafficking) facing the IC, and explain why you want to participate on this TF. Why is this the most pressing or interesting issue?

/in /by

Module 4 Scenario

As a TLO, you’ve been asked by the local JTTF Commander to provide a local perspective on current issues facing the IC. Some of the issues include border security, human trafficking, and narcotics trafficking, but there are others. You can participate on the task force of your choosing.

Select an issue (Human Trafficking) facing the IC, and explain why you want to participate on this TF. Why is this the most pressing or interesting issue?

For this issue, outline a strategy to effectively collect, evaluate, and disseminate intelligence information within the IC and with local LE. Include which INTs are most relevant, where there are gaps in collection and analysis, and approaches that might soon be available to fill the gaps. What will your role be as a TLO?

Explain 3 ethical issues that would need to be addressed in collecting and disseminating intelligence for this problem.

Explain whether there is a realistic counterintelligence threat to this effort, and where it might be targeted and who would be likely to benefit.

Provide quotation(s) to support your response.
You may prepare either a 3-5 page memo, or a 10-15 slide PowerPoint presentation with notes.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Assignments should be 3-5 pages double-spaced, not counting the cover or reference page or a 10-15 slide PowerPoint presentation (not including cover, intro, questions, references slides) with notes.
Paper format: (a) Cover page, (b) Header, (c) Body. Submit your assignment by the last day of this module.
Slide format: Cover slide, Introduction, Body slides, Conclusion and “Questions” slide, References slide. All slides (except cover, intro, questions, references, should have supporting notes)

Analyze the relationship between pharmacological agents and physiologic or pathologic responses.

/in /by

As a nurse practitioner, you will be confronted by many patients and families who will request treatment for numerous conditions, including requesting antibiotics for viral illnesses or antiparasitics for diarrhea.
Conclude the importance of providing an appropriate treatment plan based on the correct diagnosis.
Decide what would be the potential impact of prescribing a drug to treat the wrong class of infection.
Please keep in mind the following when composing your response:
Analyze the relationship between pharmacological agents and physiologic or pathologic responses.
Differentiate drug classes and their use in the management of patient care.
Differentiate medication prescribing methodologies in regard to regulatory, legal and ethical considerations in alignment with APRN scope of practice.
Evaluate and revise the pharmacological plan of care in response to patient outcomes.
Integrate knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics in the care of individuals across the lifespan.
Select patient centered pharmacologic agents in accordance with evidenced based practice guidelines for the management of the illness, injury, or the disease across the lifespan in respect to socio-cultural, socio-economic, ethical and legal considerations.

Does the introduction offer sufficient background information (not excessive summary) about the play being analyzed?

/in /by

Essay #1 Rubric
Essay Assignment #1: Swimming While Drowning Essay

INTRODUCTION:
Does the title/hook effectively grab the reader’s attention?
Does the introduction offer sufficient background information (not excessive summary) about the play being analyzed?
Does the introduction contain a clear, compelling thesis statement about one out of the five scenes the writer has decided to examine in Swimming While Drowning.
BODY PARAGRAPHS:
Does each body paragraph begin with a clear topic sentence that connects to the thesis?
Does each body paragraph include specific, carefully chosen textual evidence to support the claim?
Does each body paragraph use close reading to analyze the moods, patterns, and language of the text?
Does each body paragraph end with a careful, logical explanation of how the textual evidence supports the claim and overall thesis?
CONCLUSION:
Does the conclusion restate the thesis and emphasize the essay’s main ideas?
Does the conclusion end with a compelling final thought?
OVERALL STRUCTURE:
Is the essay well-organized and easy for the reader to follow?

Is the essay written clearly with relatively few sentence-level errors?
Does the essay use proper MLA format (including a works cited page if needed)?

Identify and discuss one high biometric and explain its application to criminal justice. How would it be used in the real world?

/in /by

Biometric Technologies and Verification Systems by John R. Vacca
ISBN-13: 978-0-7506-7967-1 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7506-7967-0

Biometrics is considered the science of life measurement. Biometrics are classified based upon degree of accuracy and separated into three categories: high biometrics, low biometrics, and esoteric biometrics.

Identify and discuss one high biometric and explain its application to criminal justice.
How would it be used in the real world?
Identify a low biometric and discuss how it could be used alone or in conjunction with the selected high biometric in the real world.
What are some limitations of the selected low biometric?

What do you need to know about the Macmillan/McGraw Hill reading program/series that Lois’s school uses for reading instruction? Be very specific.

/in /by

EDRG 5595—Spring Semester, 2020 Module Seven Week Seven

Week Seven: February 24—March 2 Objectives: IRA Element 3.3, 3.4 & 6.3 Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow:

Case Study: Lois
Lois is a 10-year-old Caucasian girl. She is in fifth grade and has not been retained. Lois’s fifth-grade teacher uses the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill reading program/series for 60 minutes each day for reading instruction. Between 16 and 20 students are in Lois’s general education reading group. The Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) and the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) are used to gather school-wide screening measures/benchmarks for reading. Lois’s scores on these assessments are below grade level on the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) and below basic proficiency on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT). Although Lois’s reading skills have improved, they have not improved at the rate necessary to bring her to near grade level, despite more than two years of direct and intense interventions.
1. What do you need to know about the Macmillan/McGraw Hill reading program/series that Lois’s school uses for reading instruction? Be very specific.
2. What do you need to understand about the IRI and ISAT tests? Be very specific.
3. What additional information about Lois do you need? Why?
4. What additional assessments would you recommend (at least 3). Why?

Describe one program in your organization that would be a good candidate for using Academic Return on Investment to determine whether the program should be continued or discontinued. Why?

/in /by

Academic Return on Investment
Describe one program in your organization that would be a good candidate for using Academic Return on Investment to determine whether the program should be continued or discontinued. Why?