Brooks,+Ashley+Intellectual+Disabilities

My name is Ashley Brooks. I graduated from Oregon State in 2010 with a BA in History (after changing my major multiple times, including a foray into science, not the best choice). Corvallis is the largest “city” I have ever lived in.

I have many, many educational and career goals. In short, by this summer I have every intention of becoming a licensed secondary teacher. I am open to teaching either middle or high school, I think that all kids are great, no matter what age. I wouldn't mind getting a degree in physical anthropology and spending my summer breaks playing archaeologist. I also have a strange desire to earn a doctorate and become a professor, sometime in the distant future.

What brings me joy? That is a lengthy list: the look on a someone's face when they finally understand something, endlessly talking about history and politics, traveling to fascinating places, reading in the sunshine, attempting to play my ukulele, hot chocolate, giving people unexpected gifts, running (this is a semi-recent addition), a well-placed semi-colon, my ridiculously adorable nephew...I could go on and on, but I won't.

It is kind of funny, but when faced with the question, “What is your greatest fear about being a teacher?” I cannot think of anything, when any other time I could easily come up with a hefty list. I suppose I worry that I will totally draw a blank whilst standing before the class, and just stare blankly and the faces staring back at me, none of us knowing what to do or say.

Fractions terrified me as a child. I still have trouble with them, preferring to convert them to decimals before doing anything (imagine the problem this poses while cooking and needing to modify a recipe). I remember my mom taping note card with math problems above my bed in hopes that by looking at them before I fell asleep, I would remember. It did not help. I hated math class, I always felt so embarrassed that I had such a hard time and none of my friends seemed to and my teachers were so intimidating. My goal is to never be intimidating. I never want a student to be afraid to ask for help. I will do my very, very best to be open and ready to help students who are struggling.

I hope that from this course I will gain a better understanding of my students. From this understanding, I want to be a better teacher to all students. Every student is different and has unique educational needs. I hope to be able to give each student the best learning experience that I can.

I became interested in intellectual disabilities last year when assistant coaching a Special Olympics basketball team. My team was made up of men and women in their 20s and 30s with intellectual disabilities. As a team, they were all very diverse. Two of my team members are married to each other, one is the son of the head coach, another fresh out of high school. Together they made a very well-rounded, fun-loving team (who went on to win their regional championship, might I add).

While researching this topic I learned many things. Most importantly, I have learned that there are many, many ways that I can adapt my classroom to make it inclusive for all students. I also learned that for many students with intellectual disabilities, seemingly ordinary occurrences at school, such as an assembly, can cause serious anxiety. I have also learned that often students with these disabilities do not have many friends, and it is very important to create a classroom and school-wide climate conducive to including all students in all activities. This will help students of average intellectual ability understand that their classmates with intellectual disabilities have the same aspirations for the future and are interested in many of the same things as them - hopefully bridging the gap and giving students the opportunity to become friends. Another thing that I learned during this research process is that students with intellectual disabilities often have difficulty understanding complex information and teachers need to be sure to present information in the most concrete way possible. Unfortunately, I have also learned that the attitudes regarding people with intellectual disabilities have not changed as much as one would have hoped in the past few decades.

[|http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/intellectual#story]

I give this website **5 out of 5 stars,** it is the best website I have found so far. It contains information about diagnosis of intellectual disabilities, causes, signs, how to get help for children with intellectual disabilities, educational considerations, tips for both teachers and parents, as well as a few links to different resources for people with intellectual disabilities. This website also includes the IDEA definition of intellectual disabilities. This page also contains a short vignette about a student named Matthew, and how he was able to make decisions about what to do after high school - if he wanted more school, a job, or something else.

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Project IDEAL has many resources on this website (**4 out of 5 stars**). The website is aimed at teachers and preservice teachers to help build more inclusive classrooms for our students. The website includes videos, classroom activities, PowerPoint presentations, a lengthy list of classroom management and adaptation strategies, assessment, and much, much more.

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This is the website of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), **5 out of 5 stars**. The AAIDD "promotes progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities." The website offers information about support systems for people with these disabilities, webinars, as well as many publications in an online "reading room." The website also has information about policy regarding disabilities, news, and podcasts.

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Here I have included information about how to best teach students with intellectual disabilities (**3 out of 5 stars**). This site gives a lot of strategies for teaching students with intellectual disabilities, such as putting skills in context and being very explicit as well as involving family members in classroom activities.

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At this site, there is a podcast and transcript on NPR's //Talk of the Nation,// discussing changing attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities (**3 out of 5 stars**). This 30 minute radio show discusses many topics related to ID including use of the "r word" and how schools might better include all students.

media type="youtube" key="_A96XVR9peg" height="315" width="560" I give this video **4 out of 5 stars**. This video is Robert's story. Robert is a man living with an intellectual disability, but it does not stop him from enjoying life to the fullest. He enjoys playing music with a friend. Robert also has a job working in an office, where his coworkers all care deeply about him.It is important to know that there are resources for our students after they grow up and leave high school.

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I give this article **4 out of 5 stars** because it highlights many things we may not think about every day. It discusses how students with intellectual disabilities may find themselves very, very overwhelmed by things that may not even register on the radar of an average teenager. The article specifically mentions substitute teachers and assemblies as being possibly "traumatic" for students with intellectual disabilities. We need to remember that some of these things that may not seem like a big deal, might be a big deal for some of our students, and make sure that they are prepared for anything that may be out of the ordinary.

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This website earns **4 out of 5 stars.** It discusses the characteristics of students with intellectual disabilities such as their academic performance, cognitive performance (attention, memory, and generalization), and social skills performance. The article notes that in order to help students with ID, it may be necessary to directly teach social skills. This may help students from being alienated from their classmates.

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This is a resource page from the British Columbia government. **3 out of 5 stars.** This website gives many examples of how teachers can make adaptations for students with intellectual disabilities. There are strategies for environmental adaptation, such as different types of desks, placement of desks in the classroom, and ways to organize materials. There are also strategies for adapting presentation of material, such as using auditory and visual aids, speaking clearly, and positioning yourself near the student. The page also includes ways to adapt materials, such as built-up pencils and pencil grips, electronic spell checkers, and highlighting or color-coding information. The page includes ways that other students in the classroom can help their classmates with disabilities.

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I have included this video, despite it being about a student with a learning disability, rather than an intellectual disability. The reason I have included it as an extra resource is because the young filmmaker describes a day in his life as a student with a learning disability. He describes what he feels like in class when he cannot keep up with his classmates, how it feels to be bullied, as well as the importance of having a good friend. We need to remember that all of our students are individuals with feeling and emotions and we need to be sure to adapt to their needs in the classroom.


 * CBL Project: Lesson for a student with an IEP **

Lesson Title: Manifest Destiny: An Introduction Through Imagery
 * Part I: Rationale:**
 * a. Focus & Purpose**: The purpose of this activity is to introduce students to the idea of Manifest Destiny by examining a painting. It is important that students learn about westward migration, as it is a catalyst for many other important events in US history.


 * b. Objectives**:

Given the image “American Progress”, students will be able to recognize a theme through image analysis.

Given class discussion of westward expansion, students will be able to apply prior knowledge to interpret the image.

Given a class discussion, students will be able to write a reflection about what they think the painting means.


 * c**. **Oregon Content Standards**:

SS.08.GE.05.02 //Recognize and identify patterns of migration streams in U.S. history.//

SS.08.GE.06.02 //Predict the effect of a given economic, cultural, or environmental change on a population.//

SS.08.HS.06.03 //Understand the effects of 19th century westward migration, the idea of Manifest Destiny, European immigration, and rural to urban migration on indigenous populations and newcomers in the United States.//


 * d. Instructional Strategy:** Through the Seminar process, students will be able to discuss different ideas about Manifest Destiny.


 * e. Teaching to Diverse Learners**:


 * 1) By examining a painting, students with visual intelligence will benefit. Students with interpersonal intelligence will benefit from class discussion.
 * 2) By asking students to explain what they see in the picture, they will start at the Knowledge level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. As the questions gradually become more complex, they will hit many levels of the taxonomy.
 * 3) Questions of varying difficulty will be asked so that students of all skill level can participate. There is writing integrated into the assignment so that students who need to work on these skills can practice.


 * Part II: Procedure:**


 * 1) **Anticipatory Set:** Students will be asked what they know about Westward Expansion. Spend some time answering any questions students have about this time period. Tell students that we will be examining and interpreting a painting from this time period. Students will need to pay close attention to the images and take notes on what they find to be the most important or interesting ideas discussed.
 * 2) **Discussion:**
 * 3) __Factual Questions__:

What images do you see in the painting?

Does anything stick out to you from the painting?

What is the woman in the middle holding in her arms?

Which direction are the people in the painting headed?

-**Check for Understanding**: Ask students what they have written, take notes on the whiteboard.


 * 1) __Interpretive Question__:

Why do you think the woman in the center of the painting is there?

Why is the woman so much larger than everything else?

Is she just a woman, or does she stand for something?

Why do you think they are all moving in the same direction?

What kinds of jobs do you think these people have?

-**Check for Understanding**: Ask students what they have written, take notes on the whiteboard.


 * 1) __Evaluative Questions__:

Why might the painter have made the left side of the painting so dark?

What is another name we might call the woman in the center? Why would we call her that?

What do you think this painting means?

-**Check for Understanding**: Ask students what they have written, take notes on the whiteboard.


 * 1) **Closure:** Ask students what they think the term “Manifest Destiny” means. Give students the definition if necessary. Have students write a one page reflection (one to two paragraphs for J.R.) about the painting and the topics discussed during the lesson using the notes they have taken.

J.R. is a eighth grade boy with an IEP. He has learning disabilities that affect his reading fluency and comprehension and his written expression. This lesson is designed to target his writing goals. In his IEP it is written that he should be given visuals to aid his understanding. The pace of the activity should give ample time for all students, including J.R. to take adequate notes for the writing assignment.
 * Reflection:**

By asking questions that slowly become more difficult, J.R. will be able to be an active participant in the discussion. Throughout the lesson the students will be taking notes. After each set of questions, going back over them and taking notes on the board will help J.R. write his notes. The notes on the board will be written in complete sentences so that J.R. can see the proper writing conventions. J.R.'s IEP calls for modified length of assignment, so I have shortened his minimum and he will be allowed extra time to complete the assignment.

The note-taking activity and the writing assignment at the end of the lesson will help J.R. achieve his goal of attaining a 3.6 writing level. His notes will help him write a few organized paragraphs and work on his sentence fluency and conventions (his writing goals). J.R. has a lot of determination and works hard to do well.
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