Class+8+Feb.1+(Richard+Wiebe)

Friday, Feb.1/08

Four group presentations: 1)Gifted Children 2)English as an additional language (EAL) 3)Down Syndrome 4)Learning Disabilities

GIFTED CHILDREN Sternberg's triarchic theory of intelligence:


 * Compotential- consists of mechanisms for processing information
 * Experiential- involves dealing with new tasks or situations and the ability to use mental processes automatically.
 * Contextual- refers to the ability to adapt to, select and shape the environment.

Historially children who scored more than 130 on an IQ test were considered "gifted." The areas that are most valued by schools are usually math and language areas. This method of measuring academic giftedness has allowed many student's talents and gifts to go unnoticed. The existence of musical savants clearly demonstrates how a high IQ is not a necessary component of musical giftedness. Athletically inclined individuals also often tend to be less academically inclined.

Gardener's 8 different types of intelligences:
 * mathematical
 * lingustic
 * visual-spatial
 * body-kinesthetic
 * musical
 * interpersonal
 * intrapersonal
 * naturalistic

NOTE: GIfted students still display behaviour problems. They can be disruptive, and generate off topic discussions.


 * Incidence:**

The definition of intelligence is evolving, making it increasingly difficult to estimate the number of "gifted" children in a particular group. In addition to this, there are not alot of studies dedicated to why to do well in certain areas, instead the studies mostly deal with why some students do poorly in a given area. How many gifted children can be found in a particular group? (You can’t determine how many gifted kids there are in a class).


 * Characteristics of some gifted students**

> > NOTE: It’s interesting that there is more of left handedness and amidexteriosnuss in gifted children > Distinction between “talented” and “gifted”.......there is no difference if you’re good at math then you’re good at math. > > - When students aren’t presented with learning experiences that are appropriate for their abilites they lose interest and motivation. Students can lose their giftedness..... **use it or lose it.**
 * Long attention span
 * High activity leve
 * Recognizing caretakers early
 * Fascination with books
 * Excellent sense of humour


 * Issues teaching gifted children:**
 * Appropriate challenges needed
 * Classroom placement important
 * “Rage to master” parents can squash the giftedness by trying to make them well rounded.
 * Issues with girls- some girls may actually try and hide their giftedness to try and fit in. Teachers need to be aware of this and encourage it in their students (girls)
 * Lack of positive female role models


 * Behaviour Changes, and more characteristics**
 * Learning- different learning styles
 * Classroom bhvr. Restless, question classroom rules, disruptive
 * Teach themselves to read very quickly, out loud, to themselves, etc. (Foundation for a good learning experience is to have a safe environment and acceptance felt by the students.
 * Encourage independent study
 * Vary groups, allow them to work with other gifted students once in a while
 * Perfectionism, sensitivity, intensity (3) traits associated with gifted students
 * Developmental Schedule – faster for gifted children
 * Enhanced moral sensitivity and justice and morality
 * Strong emotions
 * Judgemental of those around them
 * FEAR can stop them from even tyring certain things
 * Social dev. advanced (around adults very noticeable)
 * Gifted children view themselves as “different” at a very early age
 * They express emotional intensity, responsibility, self examination, etc
 * Overexcitability of five areas 1)psychomotor 2) sensual 3) imaginational 4)intellectual 5) emotional

- Pre-assess students before beginning a unit. This will allow you to know where the students are to begin with. - Use parents as a resource and be flexible to other curriculum options - Pursue distance learning opportunities - The topic of acceleration may be explored by teachers and it doesn’t necessarily mean skipping grades but diving into the topic in more depth can be important. - There are mixed reports regarding the benefits of skipping a grade. - Use gifted students as a resource to the other students ie. Don’t always have the gifted student helping others because it makes others feel dumb....be smart about it.
 * Strategies for teachers** :- Familiarize yourself with student's characteristics. Allow students to improve from “where they are” and let them go in depth if necessary.

Services and Supports on Wiki


 * The key to raising gifted children is RESPECT respect their gifts their unique talents respect all students really.**

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL students) English as an additional language- EAL (used to be known as ESL, English as a second language but that has recently changed)


 * Assessment:**
 * Initial Assessment Language Portfolios (reading, writing, audio recordings to see if they’re losing their accent, etc.)
 * Assessment for learning (teacher conference discussing what they can do to help them benefit from classes)
 * Assessment of Learning (test to see what level of English the student is at)
 * Portfolio - an array of the student's work that shows the learners improvement in English.


 * Incidence and Trends:** the numbers are going up

Characteristics: > A second category of EAL students are the native-born ones. These students were born in Canada but speak a first language other than English. Consequently, they encounter English for the first time once they enter school. Some examples here in Canada of native-born EAL students would be some Mennonites, Aboriginals, French speaking communities, etc. > The diversity in backgrounds, circumstances, and levels of English proficiency mean EAL students need different kinds of English-as-a-second-language support.
 * Diverse Backgrounds/English language proficiency- EAL students have a variety of different backgrounds and circumstances. Here in Canada, many of our immigrants come from places of war or civil conflict, political or religious oppression and other human rights abuses. Also, they may come from places of where there were poor social or economic conditions, lack of educational or career opportunities. Some EAL students may have arrived last week, last year or even longer ago. The majority intend on staying, though those who arrive as international or visa students will probably leave once their education is completed.
 * Silent Period- This is a phase that is seen most often in younger EAL students. It can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months or even longer. During this phase students say very little, and what they do say usually consists of memorized phrases, not original statements or expressions. Though if this phase lasts unusually long, there could be a deeper issue such as a learning disability and the child should be assessed.
 * Adjustment period-For many EAL students and their families, this period of becoming familiar with a new land and a new school system is difficult. Those who come to a new school from a different country may be coping with feelings of loneliness, homesickness, displacement, and worry. Even if a family has been planning a move for a long time, once they arrive in a new country it is often a shock for adults and children.
 * Good Receptive Competence-Most EAL students will initially have better RC (receptive competence, understanding oral and written) than PC (productive competence,their speaking and writing). For example, they can understand a phrase if they hear it but if asked to write down what they just heard they may misspell it and miss words.
 * First Language as a Component of Identity-Some students may reject their first language and culture. As they enter an English language school, development may stop in their in their first language. Many children start to use English at home, and with time become less and less able to discuss ideas and experiences with their family members. This can cause negative effects on students' relationships with relatives and other members of their cultural community.
 * Well developed first language vs. non well developed first language

NOTE: If people learn a language after puberty often an accent will be present. However if an individual before puberty no accent.

Beginners drop out at a rate of almost 95% Intermediate drop out at a rate of 70% Advanced students drop out at a rate of 50%
 * Drop out rates Drop Out Rates**

Classroom culture- a main form of culture shock
 * Culture Shock.**

There are many theories on language learning. Some studies have shown that there is a ‘critical moment’ to learn a second language, other studies have shown this to be false. It is believed that children’s brains are more flexible and adults’ brains have lost the ability to ‘fully’ learn a language. This has promoted the belief that children learn languages easily. Because many people including teachers think children learn languages quickly they often expect outstanding results. They should be under the belief that it is as difficult for a child to learn a language as an adult. Any adult that has ever tried to learn a language knows that it is a frustrating endeavor. Children also do not have the memory techniques and strategies to acquire language and grammar rules. Teachers must be sensitive to the fact that children are just as embarrassed as adults when making mistakes when using a foreign language.

EAL students from war affected countries are growing in Manitoba, and teachers must take this into consideration when developing lessons. Teachers should teach lessons that fits student's experiences and backgrounds.
 * Issues:**

EAL Development and Learning Critical period for acquisition Most students can speak well before read and write well (don’t assume otherwise) EAL strategies Cooperative learning (ex. KWL chart) Providing comprehensible instruction – be aware of figurative and idiomatic lang. “kick the bucket” Provide lots of visual supports EAL services and Supports Family services and supports Student Services and supports-diff lang. Games (english .zone.com good website with games, diff. Teacher aids friends support such as pen pals just for example Teacher services and supports- TEAL Manitoba, EAL cafe


 * Strategies** : cooperative learning groups allow EAL students to practice their language and get some feedback. Evidence shows that students from different backgrounds may be more comfortable in a class that has more group activity as opposed to competitive individual tasks. Collaborative groups focus on the process as well as the product.

Some additional helpful strategies:
 * teach key words before the lesson
 * repeat and rehearse new words
 * recover new words
 * provide plenty of concrete and visual support
 * Use key visuals to present key concepts
 * Simplify sentence structure
 * Give clear instructions
 * Be aware of figurative and idiomatic language (ex. "take a stab at it") this type of language can confuse students and cause the learning process to be more difficult.
 * reduce anxiety levels
 * check often for comprehension


 * Services and Supports:** available from the wiki 'research project' section

DOWN SYNDROME - Chromosomal disorder caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an addtional third chromosome 21 or ‘trisomy 21’ - All ethnic groups - Direct cause unknown, not inherited, genetic explanation, Trisomy 21

Assessment and Diagnosis

- Prescreening blood test-shows increases probability for down syndrome - Three invasive procedures for further testing: Amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, percutaneous umbilical blood sampling - Post natal diagnosis – physical characteristics, newborn something? - Characteristics-slightly slanted eyes with small skin folds at the inner corner of the eye  - Spots on iris of the eye, called brushfield  - Short in general, shorter neck

Trends

- As women age, probability for down syndrome increases 75% of all pregnancies are from women less than 35 years old. - Impact on Learning- Hypotonia-low muscle tone –delay in developmental of fine and gross motor skills - Many are born with congenital heart abnormalities -Temporary or even permanent hearing loss (prone to ear infections) -Sinusitis and upper respiratory infections - Atlantoaxial Instability (AAI) - Dental factors - Lip and tongue - Small oral cavity - Can causejaw misalignment, malpositioned or even missing teeth -obstructive sleep apnea -struggle with short term and working memory (adding subtracting learning new tasks) -Struggle with processing oral information

Stategies: Hands on learning, relate to life, ensure success at the beginning, break down instructions and tasks into small steps, allow alternate response methods in assessments, establish a teaching routine and teach that routine, make lesson in tune with their interests, minimize motor demands and modify equipment.

Physical Activity Impact: -Slow development of motor skill proficiency -show a lack of finesse known as clumsy -frustration due to akward movements -jerky and hesitant movements

DANCE PROGRAM TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND IMPROVE MOTOR BEHAVIOUR - Progression from simple to more complex movements and skills - Different opportunity for movement and physical activity - Effective way to improve movement quality and form - Creative expression - Four main concepts and goals to a physical activity program all achieved through a dance program. - Dev. Of a movement language improves overall communication and oral skills. - Services and Supports: - You can get a math textbook for example from organizations to help kids with down syndrome learn and enjoy math more easily.

NOTE: For fuller notes on this refer to the 'research projects' page about down syndrome.

LEARNING DISABILITIES - Learning Disabilities-refers to a number of disorders which may affect the acquisition, organization, retention, etc. - those with leaning disabilities often have an avg. or above avg. IQ - affects everyone, adults, kids, girls, boys

Causes of Learning Disabilities: Genetic makeup, accidents, environment, - From 77 to 89 there has been a 150% increase (most common disability in children) - Dyslexia, dysgraphia (writing), discalcuia (math), dev. Articultion, dev. Expresseive lang., auditory processing disorder, visual processing disorder, etc.

ASSESSMENT-IQ test school psychologist, subsequent testing of the problem area(s)

STRATEGIES- Metacognitive instruction – teach child to use inner language

- learning strategy instruction –using acronyms with metacognition to learn processes ex. COPS (capitalization, overall appearance, punctuation, spelling)

Discalcuia – break assignments into smaller chunks, allow manipulatives, use acronyms, diagrams, mini lessons,

Speech language and auditory disorders- Diagnosed and treated by a speech language pathologist - model slow easy speech, retell passages in their own words,

Auditory Processing disorder – problems following directions, problems

Dysgraphia- A type of disorder involving writing, computers help, spell check, freedom of paper pens crayons etc.,

Dyslexia- can be hereditary, more prevalent in boys  - May mix up letters, spaced incorrectly, spelled as they sound, problems can be with numbers and letters, problems with right and left hand (knowing which is which)

Dyspraxia- clumsy gait, slow getting dressed, short concentration, they clap when they’re excited, sleeping problems, complain of migraines

Strategies: slow instruction, Ask parents for advice, build on their strengths and self confidence.

NOTE: For more extensive notes on learning disabilities refer to the 'learning disability' research project.

AT THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION WE HAD TO HAND IN HALF A PIECE OF PAPER WITH THE TITLE OF THE PRESENTATION ON IT, OUR NAMES AND STUDENT NUMBERS, 2 STARS, (COMPLIMENTS) AND ONE SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT.

FOR NEXT CLASS WE ARE TO READ CHAPTER 8................