Journal Drop #5

Oct. 25,

Last week I was contacted by one of the special education directors asking if would be interested in taking a new job this year.  My new position would be in the Career Transition Program. This program is for students 18-21 to learn job skills and independent living skills. All of the students come from special education programs in the district. My questions are not an action research questions, but I have found myself at an interesting crossroads. Where will I go with my career? Will I stay with what I know? or do I want to try something new that is both interesting to me and a new challenge? Stepping out of my comfort zone and into a new challenge is appealing but this will also be my first year as a case manager and teacher of record.

Oct. 28

As I move towards the completion of the action research project I am noticing related questions rising up in my mind. We are looking at partially filled notes for SPED students but I could see research in this area being interesting for general ed students as well. I am also wondering how students will behave in the classroom when they are able to follow along, stay engaged and learn the material. I suspect that behavior will improve. Most behavioral researchers will say that behaviors have one of two functions, to get something or get away from something. Since I have taken on this mindset I have begun to look for the function of the behaviors  that I see. My suspicion is that if a student can access the information and engage that their behaviors will decrease. This is an action research question that interests me.

They Say, I Say Ch 1 & 2

They Say, I Say Ch 1 & 2

Chapter 1 highlights the importance of stating a clear thesis. Again the authors urge us to start with their basic framework and master it before departing from it. I feel like this is good advice and follows the way that I generally learn new skills. Specifically the goal outlined in this chapter is to start a conversation that will be clear to the reader what has been said on a given topic and then introduce what we think, see or have researched on the same or similar topic. Recently I heard about an argumentative tactic called “steel manning” which is the reverse of the common fallacy of “Straw manning” someone's argument. To Steel Man, one restates the strongest points of another person's position on an issue and then attacks it at its strongest. I understand that in research we are not always disagreeing with other researchers but I do see how using the strongest and clearest positions will improve the introduction of my own paper.  

The sentence framework examples given will be very helpful to forming a conversation in my papers. I appreciate the variety given by the authors. I am however having a little bit of trouble understanding the concept of the return sentences. On the face of it I can see why it is important to link back to past research and the thoughts of others on the topic in introducing the ideas. The authors urge us to make a genuine response to others views (this makes sense) but I feel like we are trying to find our own viewpoints, or own research, for our context…. Perhaps I am reading too much into this last portion of the chapter…

Chapter 2 urges an economy of words when summarizing the arguments that others have made. This summary should still be true and accurate to the original author while at the same time highlighting where their research meets our own. I really appreciate the idea of “temporary suspension of disbelief” when summarizing the arguments of others. This is a difficult yet important skill when getting into any conversation whether it be on education research, politics or religion, temporarily taking the other side and inhabiting their way of thinking is as the book suggests, “the hallmark of good actors.”

The authors urge us to find a balance between giving an accurate yet concise portrayal of the others work while at the same time “spinning” their arguments or work in the direction of our own. I initially found the “spin” suggestion and the satirical summary to be slightly disingenuous ways of “conversing” but I think I get the author's points here. I do not see myself using these tactics in any kind of formal research paper however. Finally, as someone who does not consider himself to be a good writer, I really appreciate all of the example sentence frames and word banks given throughout this book. I know I will refer back to them often.

Journal Drop #4

10-10-16

Classroom Management

I am currently working on a Functional Behavior Assessment assignment for one of my SPED classes. This project makes  me wonder about how we can teach students with such a variety of behaviors in the same room and in the same way. I am lucky enough to work with a variety of teachers and I get to observe their strategies for addressing students with difficult behaviors. Often I wonder how I will manage my classroom. Seeing the “tricks of the trade” employed by my coworkers is highly informative. I wonder about research in the area of classroom management? What works best? How do we know? In what context? Regular Ed vs. Self Contained vs. Inclusion? This is an area that I have a variety practical experience in however I do not know what expert teachers do.

10-12-16

Common Core Alignment

In the push for inclusion I feel like we are forcing common core goals and standards onto our special education students who may not be ready for grade level work. This makes for particularly difficult situations that can result in students shutting down, refusing to work, getting frustrated, sad and or acting out with undesirable behaviors. General ed teachers are attempting to do their jobs and they are teaching to the majority in the classroom but in inclusion classes there can be as many as 10 or 12 students who are significantly below grade level. How do we expect students to complete 7th grade level math when they have 4th grade abilities? How do we expect them to sit and not become frustrated, confused or upset when nearly everything they are being told and asked to do is over their heads?

BTAR Chapter 2 Questions & They Say, I Say

BTAR Chapter 2 Questions

1. “We research our own issues, meaningful in our current life and practice. We pursue critical questions that resonate with our professional community and have potential to improve teaching, learning, and Life.” Rewrite this sentence demonstrating the concept and your personal meaning-making of it.
1. How can I positively affect the lives of my students in the near future and further into their lives? What do I see as important tools to give to my students? How will these tools help the individual? How will I know?  
2. What does it mean to “problematize” and why is this important to action research?
1. To problematize is to understand (in the educational context) the goals of all involved in the education process. What does the student want? What does the teacher want? And to look for barriers to achieving these goals. What biases do those involved have, what problems pop up, what is the source of these problems etc. And how do individuals view their own biases and problems?
3. How and why does context matter when conducting action research?
1. Understanding the context of where we are conducting research is crucial to gathering accurate and meaningful data. Conducting research on students with special needs in inclusion classes would not be very effective in a school that did not have an inclusion model or did not have student with special needs. The social, political, and philosophical context of the school and its teachers needs to be understood. Getting a sense of how teachers feel about the inclusion model and their role in supporting students with special needs is critical.  
4. What are characteristics of workable critical question? Why do critical questions change during action research?
1. Critical question needs to be rooted in an understanding of the school setting, classrooms setting, the students needs and who the teacher-researcher is themselves. Understanding these spheres of influence help to refine and focus a critical question over time.

Process Questions

1. What do you know about your school community where you will be conducting your action research project? How does context matter to your action research study?
1. I have full access to demographic data of our school. I am mostly concerned with students who receive IEP services and who are in inclusion classes. Understanding how many of our students fit this profile is vital to conducting accurate research. I also want to understand teacher thoughts and philosophy on the nw inclusion model. This information will have to be gathered in order to get a feel for the context in which our students work from period to period.
2. What have you discovered about your research topic from distant colleagues? How will their expertise guide your study? In what areas do you still need to find more information? Where will you look for this information?
1. Thus far I have discovered that just mere inclusion of Sped and regular ed students does not seem to show any improvement on individuals classroom behavior as many had thought it might in the past. My action research is now focusing in on making the lessons more understandable and note taking more accessible to students in the hope that this access to learning will improve both academic and behavioral outcomes. I am using a variety of web based resources and search engines to find more information in this specific area.
3. What does your choice of topic, draft question, and choice of distant colleagues say about your own values and beliefs about teaching?
1. I think that my current choices and focus of my action research shows that I am deeply concerned with the possible flaws in the inclusion model. I am looking to find and test academic strategies to allow students with learning disabilities, executive function disorders and behavior management issues to access the same or similar levels of education as their peers.

Introduction to They Say, I Say

Immediately the book's introduction creates an analogy that I can understand. As a basketball coach I often forget that not everyone knows that standard “moves” and I assume they will be able to figure them out. The reverse is also true for me and writing. I THINK that I will be able to just figure it (academic writing) out but deep down I know this isn't the case and I will need guidance.

For a long time I have enjoyed debating people about sports, politics and especially religion. Those debates usually do not go anywhere. However conversations that involve give and take can often lead to better understanding. The Socratic strategy of restating your opponent's position is very important to having a meaningful and clear conversation, the same appears to be true of quality academic writing.

Returning to the basketball analogy, I appreciate the authors responding to the concern that writers will become robots. Often basketball players can feel the same way when initially learning the “moves” but once the basics and mastered they eventually develop their own style for each move.

Journal Drop #3

10-3-16

Making an Impact

Where can I make the most impact in special education? Where will I feel fulfilled, challenged, and at the same time avoid the burnout that I have seen in many special education case managers? This last point has been on my mind lately. In conversation with other members of the Pacific Cohort, many of us have noticed that sped teachers (especially those in self contained classrooms) take on a tremendous amount of stress which often leads to burnout. I have seen it many times myself with teachers that I have worked with.

How will I avoid the stress and feelings of burnout?

• Staying Organized
• Using my staff efficiently to assist me in data collection, behavior tracking, etc.
• Using district resources to assist my needs (Autism and behavior specialists, program assistants, etc. )
• Leaving my work at work
• Making time for myself

This semester I am taking a class on Transition Services. I am enjoying the class very much and could see myself working with older students. Helping these students transition into adult life and teaching them job skills, life skills and to be independent members of society has me really inspired right now.

10-4-16

Special Education and Action Research

There are so many interesting areas of action research that are coming to me as I reflect on my current classroom (Learning Resource Center) and my former classrooms (Life Skills). Self contained classrooms seem to lend themselves to the action research philosophy. By having a small group of students who you work with nearly every period, every day, you basically have a laboratory and a study group. Data collection duties can be divided among instructional assistants. Specific behaviors or academic skills can be zeroed in on and explored. I am primarily interested in problem behaviors, how to identify them, how to identify why they occur, and how to teach replacement behaviors, all in the goal of helping students to better access their education. Since I began working in the district I have been interested in behavior. Special educators have a variety of forms that they fill out to address behavior but these plans do not seem to have any ability to change behaviors. These BSPs (Behavior support plans) and FBAs (Functional Behavior Assessment) have become legal documents that only serve to meet the requirements of IEP legality. Often they serve little to no functional support. These students need real instruction and practice at using replacement behaviors.