The Role of an educator is beyond important for the learning benefit of a child. It is extremely important that the teacher is doing their best to make every child feel comfortable and welcome in the classroom. While it is both the responsibility of the child to describe what they need and the parent to help advocate for the child, it is also the responsibility of the teacher to make every effort to ease the minds of those children and parents. The button above, "The Classroom", will bring you to the educators page on the Down Syndrome Association of greater Cincinnati site. Here there is a list of recent actions done to inform classes and schools about Down Syndrome. There is also upcoming events, ways to contact to obtain a speaker for the classroom, a teacher e-mail network for teachers to communicate, and a lending library where teachers can get educational books. This "Educators" page is within the "Programs" link. You can also navigate to the "Events" link were there are lists of conferences, fundraising events, third party fundraising, and family events. On the site there is the links "Resources", "Calendar", "How You Can Help", "Photo Gallery", and "Recursors en Espanol" which is the resources page offered in Spanish. This may be a resource that you can offer to your child's educator if they are looking for more help or if you are looking for what other outlets teachers are pursuing elsewhere. This site might also be useful to compare what each state is doing. The next resource that appears below is the Down Syndrome Associate of West Michigan.
Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan
By clicking the title above, another browser will open up to the home page of the Down Syndrome Associate of West Michigan. As the home page will state, it is "non-profit organization whose mission is to be a resource and advocacy organization, promoting public awareness and supporting lifelong opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. We are a group of parents who have children with Down syndrome. We have banded together to share knowledge with other families, and help and support new parents." The site itself can be very informative for parents by offering information on variety of topics that are labeled by their websites tabs. These tabs are the following: "About Down Syndrome", "Our Organization", "Events", "Winners Cup Benefit", "Programs & Services", "Advocacy & Awareness", "Resources", "How to Help", "Calendar", "Discussion Forums", and "Merchandise". While each of these tabs may be self explanatory, as a parent looking for information on resources for understanding their child's classroom, the "Programs & Services" tab is a great resources. This tab will give more information specifically on a "Teacher Information Packet", a "Lending Library", "Workshops and Conferences", "Speaker's Bureau", "Universal Design for Learning", "Everyone Counts Program- Teaching Acceptance and Inclusion", and "The Learning Program". The "Universal Design for Learning" section is particularly informative for a parent. The site offers links for examples or practical suggestions as well as a link to learn more about Universal Design for Learning. The site specifically states that " In today’s dynamic, diverse classrooms, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers all educators and students an exciting opportunity to use strategies and technologies that bridge the gap in learner skills, interests, and needs". Another plus to this site is the article resources that are available on the right-hand side of each page. One article that may be extremely beneficial for students is found in the next section.
Kids in the classroom have questions!
One of a parent's biggest nightmares can be how adults answer the inevitable questions that kids have about Down syndrome. This does not exclude teachers! Teachers should be able to answer the questions with the right language and in a way that children can understand. So when you enter the classroom you should look to see if the language and the answers themselves are appropriate. The pamphlet, SIMPLE ANSWERS TO KIDS’ (not so simple) QUESTIONS ABOUT DOWN SYNDROME, provides some questions and language appropriate answers for kids. The questions addressed consist of the following: What is Down Syndrome?, Why is it called Down Syndrome?, Why do people have Down Syndrome?, Will Down Syndrome go away?, Why can't my friend with Down Syndrome talk very well?, Can people with Down Syndrome learn?, Do people with Down Syndrome grow up?, Do people with Down Syndrome have feelings?, Why does my friend with Down Syndrome act differently than other kids?, and Can I help my friend?. While you as a parent might already know how to answer these questions, your child's teacher may not. This pamphlet may be a resource you can give to them to help the rest of the students in the class, the other parents, or it may help to see if your child's teacher is doing the students questions justice.
The Curriculum....
Picture found:
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-curriculum.htm
The goal and hope of ever parent is to have their child learn along side all of their peers. With all of today's technologies, advances in research, and actual implementation in the classroom, we may not be to far off. For students with Down Syndrome, just like every other student, their intellectual ability and functioning play as a large factor in approaching their education. However, taking that aside, students with Down Syndrome can learn along side their peers. Down Syndrome Education Online, offers a specific informational module on how to approach the curriculum for your child with Down Syndrome. It begins with a brief introduction to the module as a whole. Then it goes on to describe differentiation and the role it plays in the curriculum. Basically, differentiation is stated as "the modification and matching of curriculum objectives, teaching and assessment methods, learning activities and resources to pupils' individual abilities, educational needs and learning styles in a social learning context". The module then goes into more depth of what differentiation would look like and shows very similar aspects of UDL. The module also gives a list or checklist of adaptations that can be made based on the specific needs of the child. Some areas include fine motor skills, physical needs, and speech, language, and communication. This can be very beneficial to compare with what is happening in your child's classroom and what is recommended. The module then goes into different teaching styles, classroom management, and finally developing a "team system". This last aspect can be most helpful to see if your child's school and teacher are working towards an ongoing relationship with you in order to better the education of your child. Building this relationship is extremely important in regards to making sure you feel your child's needs are being met within the school and the classroom.
Questions about Assistive Technology?
Here you can find an article that addresses many frequently asked questions about assistive technology and "its potential role in the classroom". There is information on what it is, what it is not, and how to find out more information about assistive technology and how it might benefit you and your child. The article is written by the National Down Syndrome Congress. Specifically the article states that assistive technology is "intended to improve functional capability of a student with a disability. It has been defined as anything that makes it easier for a student to: Turn things on, Get dressed, Eat, Bathe, Read, Write, Get around or move, Communicate, Play. Assistive technology devices can range from low tech devices such as a Velcro pencil grip to highly computerized communication systems. It can also include such items as electronic note takers, cassettes, special or adapted computer software and hardware." The article goes on to explain the difference between AT, assistive technology, and UDL, Universal Design for learning. The article also addresses a website to locate the AT Project in your state. This article will be very informative on assistive technology and allow for a basic understanding. For more information specifically on AT or AT and the IEP, visit the Assitive Technology or Assistive Technology and the IEP pages found on this site.
Here you can find an article that addresses many frequently asked questions about assistive technology and "its potential role in the classroom". There is information on what it is, what it is not, and how to find out more information about assistive technology and how it might benefit you and your child. The article is written by the National Down Syndrome Congress. Specifically the article states that assistive technology is "intended to improve functional capability of a student with a disability. It has been defined as anything that makes it easier for a student to: Turn things on, Get dressed, Eat, Bathe, Read, Write, Get around or move, Communicate, Play. Assistive technology devices can range from low tech devices such as a Velcro pencil grip to highly computerized communication systems. It can also include such items as electronic note takers, cassettes, special or adapted computer software and hardware." The article goes on to explain the difference between AT, assistive technology, and UDL, Universal Design for learning. The article also addresses a website to locate the AT Project in your state. This article will be very informative on assistive technology and allow for a basic understanding. For more information specifically on AT or AT and the IEP, visit the Assitive Technology or Assistive Technology and the IEP pages found on this site.
Particular Assistive Technologies in the Classroom: Co:Writer & Clicker 5
Two assistive technology programs that are gaining popularity in the classroom are Clicker 5 and Co:Writer. By clicking on each of these assistive technologies, another browser will open up that offer you a bit more information on the programs themselves. The Clicker 5 site offers a variety of information. However what can be most beneficial for your research would be the guide, information on the clicker in the classroom, and information on the clicker and special needs. These tabs are found on the left hand side of the page. As for clicking Co:Writer, another browser will open up a site that will give you more information on Co:Writer on how to understand the product, used the product, and extras and support. Hopefully both of these sites will give you more background information on the programs themselves. However, it seems practical for you to wonder what the effectiveness of these programs actually are. A masters student at the University of British Columbia, Joanne McCartney, did a thesis project to "examine the effectiveness of word prediction and symbol-supported writing technologies for supporting literacy education in students with Down Syndrome". This research can be extremely beneficial for parents who have children using these programs. A presentation of this research is found on the site, Special Education Technology British Columbia, under "Down Syndrome Students: Effectiveness of Assistive Technology (2009)". The site itself can be found by clicking on "Special Education Technology British Columbia" and the presentation can be found by clicking on "Down Syndrome Students: Effectiveness of Assistive Technology (2009)". A quick insight to the presentation would be the following. The research focused on the two programs, Clicker 5 and Co:Writer. The results of the effectiveness of these two programs were based on two years. Clicker 5 was reported by 20-80% of the teachers to be moderately affective on academic participation of the students with Down Syndrome. It also had a positive result on communication and participation for students. As for Co:Writer, the word prediction software did not result in improved writing rates or improvement in writing content. However, the spelling accuracy of the students increased. The students also wrote more correctly and had more grammatically correct writing samples. For more information of the effectiveness of these two programs, the presentation by Joanne McCartney is extremely detailed and accessible to parents.