An Interview with CoTeachers

Last week, our local chapter of Council for Exceptional Children had a meeting online. Our speakers were Amanda Walkup and Ronda Duncan who talked about their CoTeaching Experience. Amanda is a special education teacher and Ronda is an English teacher and they teach English I together. I loved hearing about their experience from two different perspectives. They are also writing a blog about their experience and you can read it here: CoTeaching for Beginners.

Here is the video of our meeting. Amanda also wrote some notes about our meeting after watching the video so here are her notes.

Tech Tools that Are Free are Just Perfect for Me!

Tech Tools That are Free are Perfect for Me! from Successful Teaching

Email me for a list of the links in a word document: sucessfulteaching@gmail.com

A Recipe for Blogging

Teaching Exceptional Children is published by Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and comes out 6 times a year. It is an excellent magazine with great ideas and strategies to use in the classroom. You must be a member of CEC to get this magazine but it is worth the cost of the membership to get such quality publications. If you are not a member, you might ask someone in your special education department if they are a member and see if you can borrow this magazine or you might check with the local library or local university library.

In the November/December 2012 issue, there is an article on “Digital Access - Using Blogs to Support Adolescent Writers with Learning Disabilities” by Sarah R. Jones.

I really liked this article because it was written by a teacher for other teachers. This is a strategy that she has used in the classroom and it was successful. Why reinvent the wheel? If there are teachers out there sharing ideas with others, why not use it! Of course I would tweak this to fit the needs of my classroom but the concepts would definitely work.

Here are some notes that I’ve taken from this article.
1. The author explains blogs and why to use them in the classroom for teachers who don’t understand the concept.
2. The author gives a procedure to follow; a step by step recipe for success.
3. This article is well written and easy to understand.
4. The author doesn’t just stop at the end of the writing process. She explains how commenting is an essential part of blogging.
5. There is also the factor of maintaining a blog.
If you are considering having your class start blogging, this is an excellent article to start with.

Tech Tools for the Classroom

CEC 877’s online meeting is scheduled for:

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 7pm Eastern Time.

Topic: Tech Tools for the Classroom

We will be trying out a new platform for the meeting. No microphones or webcams needed. Only an internet connection required.

Please register for the meeting here: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E950DB83834C3B

Everyone is welcome! Please invite any one that you think might be interested. You do not need to be a CEC member to attend!

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Yes I Can! Award Winner

This year we were excited to learn that one of the Yes I Can! Award winners was from our own area. His name is Alex Staarman from Simpsonville, SC. He won the award in the area of Academics.

According to the Council for Exceptional Children website, “The Yes I Can! Awards honor children and youth with disabilities who excel. Thousands of children and youth have been recognized since the program’s inception in 1982.”

Also according to the website:

“Alex, 18, conquers the social and academic hurdles of his disabilities and flourishes as a model employee at his local grocery store job. His work ethic and determination have been a great driver of his success while taking honors and advanced placement courses, as well as working part time at the store.”

You can read more about Alex from the press release.

We are so proud of you Alex!

(Thanks to his mom, Debbie Staarman, for sharing these pictures with me!)

Original photos courtesy of Debbie Staarman

CEC 877 Meeting Recap

We had a wonderful Council for Exceptional Children 877 meeting the other night. It was held online and we had about 9 people there at one point. Cheryl Johnson was our guest speaker and she shared wonderful information about Compliance Issues and How to Avoid IEP complaints. Participants were able to ask questions and we had a lively discussion. I did notice that the volume on our side was rather loud (so I apologize ahead of time) and we could not hear a person’s question at the time but during the replay you can hear the question. It lasts almost an hour and I think there is a lot of useful information. I hope you take time to check it out at http://flashmeeting.e2bn.net/fm/317468-14801

Compliance Issues and How to Avoid IEP Complaints

The Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 877 Online Meeting is scheduled for:

Tuesday 01/24/12 from 7:00-8:00pm Eastern Time!

(disregard the time on the meeting page because the server is 5 hours ahead of Eastern time)

Topic: Compliance Issues and How to Avoid IEP Complaints

Guest Speaker: Cheryl Johnson, Greenville County School District

Go to the following address for full details and to access the event:

http://flashmeeting.e2bn.net/fm/fbd7a6-12219

You do not need to be a member to attend. Please join us!

The Real Person

Did you ever meet one that disappointed you because the way they were in real life is much different than what you expected? Have you ever met a celebrity in person that you really liked the way they were in real life?

One year at our Council for Exceptional Children national conference, Patch Adams was our keynote speaker. I remember watching the movie starring Robin Williams. I thought it was a great movie and was impressed with the character. But to think that I was going to finally meet this person in real life was so exciting. Imagine my surprise when I found out that he was an arrogant, belligerent man. He was not friendly and had no intention of being friendly. Our teacher of the year told him that her kids admired him and read his book and asked if he would take a picture with her. He told her no but if she wanted to pay for it, he might be willing. He was not joking and we were all in shock at his behavior. He asked the group why anyone thought they could take a picture of him without paying him for it. I was flabbergasted! Needless to say, I left the room, and was not impressed with him at all. In fact, his keynote address left me cold.

A few years later at another national conference, I met Henry Winkler (the Fonz on Happy Days) and he was awesome! He was the keynote speaker at my conference and suddenly got bit by the shy bug and couldn’t go up to meet him. He honed in on me, walked to me, and said that I looked like I needed a hug so he hugged me! We also saw him at the hotel bar and he acted just like an ordinary person talking to different people like you and I would. I liked him even more because of this. When he gave his speech, you could tell that it was heartfelt and real. He was a sincere person who seemed to truly care about what he was saying and how people received it.

This made such a big impression on me. It made me realize that my students see me in the same light. If I come across like Patch Adams, they will write me off and not care about anything I have to say. If I am like Henry Winkler, and show how much I truly care and that I am a real person like them, the students will be more receptive and willing to hear what I have to say.

Have you had an experience like one of these? If so, please share!

Image: 'The Fonz'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49968232@N00/5380148999

Classroom Accommodations

Another session I attended at the SCCEC conference was Choosing Accommodations through a Collaborative Partnership by Katie Stapleton from Berkeley County. She did an awesome job and gave lots of useful information. When choosing accommodations, teachers should not just use a laundry list of accommodations and instead they should be carefully chosen to meet the student’s needs. Choosing the appropriate accommodation should also be backed up with evidence and data to support the need for this accommodation.

From the presentation:

There are 4 types of Accommodations:

Presentation (how material is presented); Response (how the student responds to the material); Setting (the environment in which the material is presented); and Timing & Scheduling (when the material is presented.

Examples:

· Presentation: Large print, sign language, Braille, oral administration, visual cues, notes, outlines

· Response: Mark answers in book, use reference aids, use of computer, oral response

· Setting: seating, separate rooms, study carrel, special lighting

· Timing & Scheduling: daily schedule, extended time, frequent breaks

Below are the guided questions that Berkeley County uses in selecting instructional accommodations.

“Guiding Questions for Selecting Instructional Accommodations:

SETTING

Preferential Seating:

· Is there evidence the student performs differently when not seated near the instructor or away from distractions?

· Is there history of the student running from the assigned area?

· Are there documented vision and/or hearing concern/disability?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) while seated in different areas of the room

o Compare data while seated with class and by adult

· Physical accessibility

Small Group:

· Is there evidence the student performs differently when taken in a whole group versus a small group?

· Is small group needed to support another accommodation? (i.e. oral administration)

*A student who receives services in a small group does not automatically warrant the accommodation of small group.

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) with whole group and small group

o Compare data in whole group and small group

Individual Assistance:

· Is there evidence the student requires the support of one-on-one assistance from a peer or adult?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) with whole group, small group, and one on one

o Compare data in whole group, small group, and one on one

Separate Location:

· Is there evidence the student performs differently when separated from peers?

· Is there evidence the student’s behavior would impact the progress of other students?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) with general education class, special education class, and different location

o Compare data in each setting

SCHEDULING

Frequent/Extended Breaks:

· Is there evidence that supports success with instruction being broken in smaller segments following a break time? (i.e. within the same day or multiple sessions)

· Is there evidence that supports success with behavior, by being reinforced with designated break times during instruction?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) with a break and without a break

o Compare data with and without break

PRESENTATION

Prompts/Cues:

· Is there evidence the student requires prompts/cues to stay on task or as part of behavior plan?

*Need to specify the level of intensity for prompts/cues (i.e. physical, verbal, gestural).

Evidence would include:

• Data on student performance (completion and accuracy) on assignments attempted independently versus with various levels of prompts (gestural, verbal, and physical).

Assignments:

· Is there evidence the student requires assignments to be reduced in number to support behavior and fatigue needs?

*Need to ensure reduced assignment allows for mastery.

· Is there evidence the student requires directions to be paraphrased or simplified in order to complete assignment?

· Is there evidence the student requires highlighting of key vocabulary in directions or content?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (completion, accuracy, behavior) on assignments when given in various modes (entire assignment, assignment with reduced number of items, and entire assignment broken into smaller sections presented in chunks).

· Data on student performance (completion, accuracy, behavior) when a given assignment is attempted independently versus when directions are simplified or paraphrased.

· Data on student performance (completion, accuracy, behavior) when a given assignment is attempted with and without highlighted key vocabulary.

Oral Administration:

· Is there evidence in the present level of performance indicating the student is reading below grade level?

· Is there evidence to support the student comprehends the content when read aloud?

· Is there evidence from curriculum based assessment and measurement for reading fluency?

· Is the student participating in direct instruction for targeted skills?

*Need to specify if for directions, reading of context, tests, and/or key words. Need to specify if via a person, audio book/CD, or computer software.

Evidence would include:

· Documented reading level from achievement test.

· Data on student performance (completion, accuracy, behavior) when an assignment is attempted independently versus when read aloud by (adult, audio, or technology).

· CBM data from AIMSweb progress monitoring.

RESPONSE

Note-Taking:

· Is there evidence that the student can not complete note-taking requirements on their own (i.e. behavioral, visual, motor difficulties)?

*Need to specify if notes will be provided via teacher, peer, or template.

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) in general education class and/or special education class improves with guided notes, template, copies, etc.

o Compare data before and after note-taking addition

Student Responses:

· Is there evidence that the student requires an alternative mode of response for assignments and tests (i.e. dictated to peer/adult/device, write in workbook, computer, alternative response options)

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) in general education class and/or special education class improves with alternative mode

o Compare data before and after alternative mode (may be multiple trials with different modes)

Calculator:

· Is there evidence the student requires the use of a calculator during math instruction on a routine basis?

· Is there evidence in present level describing fluency deficit in math calculations?

· Is there evidence of student work showing mastery with a calculator?

Evidence would include:

· Data on student performance (time on task, grades, behavior) before and after the use of a calculator

· Data on CBM probes with math fluency deficit”

Data collection is important to choosing the appropriate accommodations. Berkeley County uses a web based accommodation checklist summary. This would make it easier for student’s teachers to share their observations.

I believe that if I used this to guide what accommodations my students would get, they would be even more successful in the classroom.

How do you chose what accommodations your students get? If you are not in special ed, how are these chosen for the students you do teach?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'What To Watch, What To Tape'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/1441194460 by: Bart

Advocating for Success Through Technology

At the SCCEC conference, I attended the session Advocating for Success Through Technology by Sandy Hanebrink and Linda McCuen. They provided low tech and high tech solutions to challenges that students with disabilities face each day.

First we were introduced to Touch the Future, Inc. which “is dedicated to providing affordable computer and AT access to individuals with disabilities, disadvantaged communities, and healthy seniors. Touch the Future’s expertise and services are as affordable as they are vital to successful independence within the community.” This is a nonprofit organization that offers a variety of services.

From the Presentation:

Discussion of the following federal policies:

· Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973

· Section 504

· Section 508

· Teachnology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 198

· The Improving Access to Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004

· Assistive Technology Act Project (ATAP)

· Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

· Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act Amendments of 1998

· Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

· ADA as amended in 2010

· Telecommunications Act of 1996

· 21^st Century Communication and Video Accessibility Act of 2010

Resources:

· ATIA

· Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)

· NICHCY

· National Public Website on Assistive Technology

· The Family Center on Technology and Disability

· Standards.gov

· Pass It On Center

· SC Assistive Technology Program

· SC AT Loan Program

Easy AT Solutions (from Judith Sweeney)

· “Never teach a task requiring more than 20 minutes to learn.

· Never expect someone first learning how to do something independently to spend more than 20 minutes on it.

· Try to choose tasks that can be completed in 20 minutes or less.”

Finding the Funding:

Finding the Money

Assistive Technology Funding Strategy

Assistive Technology Public Funding Source Guide

Assistive Technology Funding Search Tips

This was a lot of good information and resources. I hope that if you are looking at AT, you will look at some of the resources that were given. I liked that the presenters gave links to sites concerning funding. During these economic times, it is hard to convince powers to be that funding AT is important to student’s success in the classroom.

Do you have any other resources you would like to share? Please do!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Feeling Pinched'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66606673@N00/5000880334 by: cobalt

Providing Auditory Access to Textual Materials

Another session at the SCCEC conference was “Providing Auditory Access to Textual Materials Through State-of­-the-Art Digital Recordings by Mike Skinner and Beth Thornburg. They share their website: The RFB&D® Learning Through Listening® Support Center (“Supported by a private grant, the RFB&D® Learning Through Listening® Support Center at the College of Charleston provides information and training to local schools and agencies that help individuals with visual, learning or physical disabilities.”) Applications and Links to needed sites are all located in this one place.

I remember years ago getting this for my student with a learning disability. There was a big green machine and the tapes were big and green. Was I surprised to see how portable and normal these materials have become. It is possible for the students to look like they are carrying a CD player now, depending on which tool they get. Please consider getting this for your students who qualify for this.

From the Presentation:

Disability categories that qualify for RFB&D (Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic) – blindness, visual impairment, physical impairment which affect the ability to manipulate a book. Learning Disability that impairs reading, traumatic brain injury.

RFB&D has over 61,000 recorded titles. It is easy to search for a book by title, author or both.

Hardware and Software info:

DAISY formatting (Daisy Accessible Information System Y (to make it a word)

Assistive Technology Tools: Cross Media Players, software, portable player, desktop player.

For Teacher Support: Learning Through Listening – gives lesson plans, graphic organizers and tips for managing RFB&D in your classroom

Supporting Research (from John Hopkins University, Rutgers University, Tufts University, and Baltimore City Public Schools System):

When students with print and learning disabilities use audio textbooks, they

· Improve reading comprehension (76%)

· Improve reading accuracy (52%)

· Increase reading rate (41%)

· Increase self confidence (61%)

Steps to Take to Utilize RFB&D:

1. Register your school

2. Encourage parents to sign up their qualified students with free, at home RFB&D memberships.

3. Identify students eligible to receive audio or electronic text accessible content.

4. Identify AIM titles and format required by your students

5. Search RFB&D’s online library of accessible content.

6. Order books

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic

Contact Member service for membership info and general customer service questions:

800-221-4792

custserv@rfbd.org

Do you use these materials in your classroom? If so, please share your stories.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: '10 June'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8365241@N02/2569205162 by: Carolyn Williams

Children with Autism in the Classroom

At the SCCEC Conference, another session I attended was “Help! I’m an LD Teacher and I have a Student with Autism!” The presenters were Denise Webster (Autism Specialist) and Thomas DePeal (LD resource teacher). They talked about the characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorders and also gave classroom strategies for working with these students.

From the presentation:

• In 1980, the autism rates were 1 in 10,000. In January 2010 - 1 in 110. 1 in 315 girls. 1 in 70 boys

• Communication issues: Very “direct” individuals, Trouble following directions, Trouble with jokes, sarcasm, and figurative language, Written and oral responses may not reflect true knowledge, May not know how to ask for help, Takes long time to process verbal instructions (getting started)

• Social issues: Prefers solitary activities, Problems with group work and interactive lessons, Trouble making friends, Easy targets for bullying and teasing

• Behavior issues: Strong and inflexible adherence to rules, Rituals and preoccupation with preferred topics/objects, Easily overwhelmed by minimal change, Unstructured times are the worst because they are unpredictable (socially, transition), Recess, lunch, PE, bus, changing classes, etc.

• Academic Issues: Variable abilities across areas, Concrete/Literal thinkers, May develop expertise in area of interest, Difficulty making connections, Difficulty shifting attention, May respond atypically to sensory input, Lights, sounds, touch, etc.

Reduce Anxiety by:

1. Carefully consider classroom seating assignments
2. Be aware of sensory concerns and provide sensory stimuli as needed. Build sensory breaks into daily schedule if needed,
3. Vigorously but respectfully maintain class rules and boundaries
4. Provide a predictable structure and prepare the children in advance for transitions or changes in schedules.
5. Use “priming” for social situations, changes, and test taking.
6. Use of “red” cue to teach self-monitoring through stoplight or thermometer
7. Provide “safe haven” or quiet area
8. Monitor your own nonverbal and paraverbal communication.
9. Don’t argue – redirect
10. Don’t assume they can read body language, facial expressions…Be direct! Explain feelings.
11. Visuals (Visuals are processed better than words because they don’t go away immediately!)
12. Provide weekly/monthly agendas
13. Clearly organize information on your board.
14. Provide question cards (color coded).
15. Provide instruction cards (cue cards).
16. Provide “turn cards” for answering questions.
17. Consistent system to signal an activity change.
18. Collect assignments in a routine way.
19. Post daily schedule (visual schedule).
20. Avoid jokes and sarcasm.

Social Skills Strategies

1. Use social stories for providing direction and to teach social skills
2. Use the “peer buddy” system (with caution)
3. Offer opportunities for “structured play” during recess and “free time”
4. Practice “appropriate” interactions (asking for help, initiating and facilitating interactions with peers). One strategy – video modeling
5. Training on feelings, emotions, and body language
6. Class environment conducive to risk taking.

Academic Strategies:

1. Adjust order of instruction.
2. Use guided notes and advance organizers.
3. Vary group/independent work arrangements.
4. Schedule benchmarks for long assignments.
5. Color coded assignment folders.
6. Use notebook to organize
7. Minimize “self-selection” of work
8. May need to modify assignments for students who MUST finish before going on.
1. “Finish Later” file / folder / box

Do you have any other strategies to add to the list? If so, please share!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Dubai Autism Center'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21244417@N00/184250628 by: Arturo de Albornoz

Educator Self Advocacy

At the recent SCCEC conference I attended a session on Educator self advocacy. We talked about the negative impression that many people have about the education system. How can we advocate for ourselves? How can we get those in power to understand what we do and why we need to do it this way? How do we show the general public also? There are no teacher unions in South Carolina so we have to advocate for ourselves. One important way is to back up our actions with research.

I also feel it is important to not reinvent the wheel. By having a personal learning network (PLN), when I need to find information or a link to specific research, I am able to put the question out on my network for help. Many times, I know that what I do is a good thing but I don’t always know how to get our hands on the research that backs it up. Maybe I heard about this strategy or read about this from somewhere. Now I am actually trying to keep a database of the strategy and the resource where I found it. This way I can refer to it again and again if necessary.

Our state organization now has a facebook page and I recommended that we use this platform as a way to bring us all together. I think first of all we need to inform our members that we have this platform available and we need to start using it. It doesn’t do us any good if we have something available but people won’t use it.

I understand that we need to rant and support each other rationally but people will take us more serious if we can discuss problems more rationally. Then it is time to look for those people who can help find the research that can document the rationale for the decisions we make. If we can’t find a good reason for doing what we do, maybe we need to look at what we are doing and make changes.

Each year, our Child Action Network coordinator goes to Washington, DC to talk to legislators to advocate for our children. These are also opportunities to advocate for teachers. We also need to talk to our state legislators and present a positive picture of teachers. We need to get legislators and the public on our side so we can work together. We need to stop being adversaries and become advocates.

How do you advocate for your profession? Please share.

(Tomorrow I will talk about the session: Help! I'm an LD Teacher and I have a Student with Autism!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: '3d puppets protesting with posters on demonstration'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40780016@N02/3915512726

South Carolina Council For Exceptional Children Conference

This past weekend I attended the South Carolina Council For Exceptional Children Conference. There were about 350 participant and 60 sessions to choose from (2 were cancelled). Due to the low participation, they kept the early registration fee for the whole time ($85). The conference started with the awards breakfast which was well attended.

I did not stay at the Sheraton Hotel attached to the convention center. I felt they were way overpriced at $129 when hotels along the beach were starting at $25, free parking, and free wifi. The Sheraton charged for parking each day (even if you were staying there) and $12 per day for the internet.

I thought most of the sessions were good and informative. I’m always disappointed though that wireless is not available at these conferences. Since the walls were so thick, it was also impossible to use my Smartphone to tell others about the sessions.

The sessions that I attended were:

1. Educator Self Advocacy

2. Help! I'm an LD Teacher and I have a Student with Autism!

3. Providing Auditory Access to Textual Materials

4. Advocating for Success

5. Realities of the Law: Paper vs.. Practice

6. Choosing Accommodations through a Collaborative Partnership

7. Effective Assessment for Transition Planning

In the next couple of days, I will be blogging about the sessions I attended. There was lots of information given and I’m still trying to process all that I learned. I think you will find the information useful. It is amazing how brain draining it is to attend conferences. I think it is the adrenaline rush from the excitement of attending and seeing colleagues not seen in awhile as well as the information overload.

Please come back over the next few days and see what I took away from the session!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image from the SCCEC web page

Yes I Can Awards 2009

Every year at the Council for Exceptional Children conference, we have the Yes I Can Awards. It is one of my favorite events of the conference because it is a chance to honor the students who, despite their challenges, have made a difference in their lives and others. They are awarded in the categories of Academics, Arts, Athletics, Community Service, Employment, Extracurricular Activities, Independent Living Skills, Self Advocacy, and Technology. What a thrill it was to see these students on stage being recognized for good things in their lives! Their parents/guardians were also there to share in this fantastic moment of their lives and many of them probably didn’t ever expect of this to happen for their child. The audience was packed with people who wanted to share this celebration with the students and every year I bring along the tissues because I know I’m going to cry. Danny O'Flaherty, the Celtic Balladeer was there to sing for us again and he is one of my favorite singers. He sang the Yes I Can song that really says it all for not just these students but I think it applies to all students. One young lady with autism was given the award but the applause was too much for her so she threw her hands over her ears. Immediately the crowd stopped and put their hands over their heads and wiggled their fingers instead. Her hands came down from her ears and her face broadened with a huge smile as she walked back to her seat. What an awesome day for these amazing young people! You can go to the website to see the names of the winners.

Interview with Susan Fowler, President of Council for Exceptional Children

Recently I asked Susan Fowler, President of Council for Exceptional Children for an interview. Her term will be completed at the end of December 2008 so I thought it would be fun to ask her some questions. I really appreciate Susan taking the time to do this since I know how busy she is and after reading this, I realize she is even busier than I thought. I hope you enjoy the interview!

1. What is your official job title outside of CEC?
Professor, Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois

2. How long have you been a member of CEC?
I joined in 1975 s a first year doctoral student at the University of Kansas—gee 33 years ago!

3. How did you first get involved in CEC?
One of my advisors told me I needed to join to be part of the profession. Fortunately, she also invited me to present at the national CEC conferences in 1976, 1977, 1978 as a member of her panel where we talked about early childhood special education services and I discussed the transition from preschool to kindergarten. That experience started me on a line of research and got me involved in DEC. I soon published articles in the early Journal of DEC and eventually in Exceptional Children. Then my state chapter asked me to run for President of Kansas DEC in the 1980’s and that got me involved in local advocacy and governance with CEC

4. Why do you think teachers should join CEC?
It provides them with a larger context about their profession and who they are and represent. It expands their focus and knowledge to the whole range of special education issues, birth through young adults. As new knowledge emerges and practices are developed, clarified or even changed over time, they learn about it and stay current with their profession. This opportunity ensures that they have informal ongoing professional development (through journals, TEC, website) and formal professional development opportunities through state, provincial, division or national conferences. Membership also provides a community for them to belong with and to share values and a sense of mission for the incredible work that they do with children and youth, who not so long ago, could not be guaranteed an education. It’s a precious and demanding commitment and belonging to a community helps to support this dedication and mission.

5. If you could give 3 words describing your term as President of CEC, what would they be?
exhilarating, challenging and humbling

6. What has been the best thing about being President of CEC?
Seeing how a group of committed Board members, Committee Chairs and the Staff of CEC can have a visible impact on the field of special education through advocacy at the federal, provincial and state level around issues of legislation, funding, rule making that impact our daily services to children and families. Also seeing how we can influence the future by identifying through a consensus process the most critical and timely issues on which to focus in our strategic planning such as increasing our knowledge of evidence based practices. Finally, seeing how responsive CEC can be to important issues that need a policy or position statement, such as Response to Intervention, Safe Schools and the fact that CEC members are ready and able to work on expert panels to draft these statements.

7. Do you have any advice for people who might think of running for office in CEC?
First, have a passion for your profession and a desire to make a difference in our field by thinking carefully about current and critical issues. Second, prepare to be part of a very active community of leaders who tackle these pressing issues, discuss them, argue about them and finally reach consensus on them. This takes time, but the satisfaction from doing so is enormous.

So what kind of time are we talking about? If you are running for the Board, make sure that you can set aside 3-5 hours every week to participate in e-community discussions, read CEC Smart Briefs, CEC Today, CEC Policy Insider and other electronic information. Try to take time to read one or two articles from each issue of our journals to stay on top of trends and findings in our field. Be ready to serve on a work group on a specific topic related to issues of governance. Finally, make sure that you can arrange time off to attend a Friday-Sunday board meeting in Arlington VA in Oct. and Jan. and of course 5 days for our convention in March or April. If you run for office as president-elect, double the time commitment and add more visits to CEC to your schedule!

8. What do you think the biggest challenge CEC faces in the future?
Growing our membership and convincing our new teachers that they will benefit from belonging to their professional organization. The second challenge, is just as critical, and that is maintaining our specialization as special educators within the general education curriculum.

9. What are your plans when your term is over?
Professionally, I’ll have more time to think, relax, read my journals, attend more sessions at CEC and division conferences and enjoy being a member. Personally, I’ll have less travel and more time with my family and I think the teenagers will be happy that I am home more often! I know my husband will be happy!

10. (One teacher wanted me to ask you this): Placement for special needs students is straining the budget in the small rural district where I teach. Any suggestions?
Does she mean placement out of the district? Or does she mean identification of students who are eligible for special education services in the district? I’ll try to answer if you have a bit more information……

(Thank you Susan for a wonderful interview! I have enjoyed serving on the board under your leadership!)

Inclusion Discussion

We had a great Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 877 online meeting last week which ended up being a discussion about Inclusion. The original topic was homework and other subjects that pop up and I feel it ended up being a great discussion about inclusion. Amanda, one of our members is a resource teacher on the middle school level, Faye is technology teacher, and Lisa is a 5th grade teacher. It just so happens that Lisa’s class is also an inclusion class so I had lots of questions for her. I really appreciate Lisa coming into the discussion and letting me throw lots of questions about her program out to her. Lisa and Christine are coteachers in an inclusion class which I feel is what inclusion should really look like in an elementary school class. I’m not sure how inclusion could work on the high school level with so many different subjects and so many different students but this is a good way to start looking at the possibilities. If you are interested in hearing the discussion, please click this link to hear the replay.

If you look to the right of the picture, you can click on the tab labeled “chat” to see more of the conversation. Participants could have a webcam, a microphone or just type in to chat. In this meeting, we had all 3.

Since our state conference is at the end of January, our next meeting will take place in February. I will announce the date and details on the CEC 877 wiki. Our tentative topics are talking about the conference and I’d like to get someone to come on and talk about the Universal Design for Learning. So please watch this blog or the wiki for more details.

Council for Exceptional Children Chapter 877 Meeting

I am going to try something new this year and use Flash Meeting for our CEC 877 online meetings. I have been meeting on Sunday mornings with teachers from New Zealand and Australia using Flash Meeting. At first I just typed in my messages in the chat windows while everyone talked using their microphones and had webcams showing their faces. After a few weeks I got brave and started using my microphone to talk. For the past few weeks I have been using my web cam so I feel I’m part of the face to face meeting. I have spent enough time to see how much this type of meeting can really be effective.

We have all had trouble in our busy schedules to fit one more meeting into our day so I love the thought of being able to access a meeting from wherever I can connect to the internet. I also like the flexibility of using the webcam or not using it (depending on how bad I feel I look at the time). With the struggling economy and higher gas prices, I think this is a great option for people to have and still stay connected professionally with colleagues. I foresee more and more meetings being held online for this reason. I am also impressed with Flash Meeting because it is so easy to join the meeting and there isn’t a lot of fuss with scheduling.

If you are interested in finding out more about our meetings, please go to our CEC 877 wiki and I will be listing meeting dates, times, and topics here. Our first meeting will be tonight at 7:30pm Eastern Time. You do not have to be a member of CEC to attend our meeting. Feel free to drop by and see how we are doing!

Yes I Can! Awards

Every year at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Convention, we have an awards ceremony that is inspirational, motivational, and can move you like nothing else can. This is something you don’t want to miss if you ever attend this event. Click on this link to see a video Senator Kennedy speaks at CEC's 2008 Yes I Can! Awards. Please read the message below and consider nominating a student for this award. You can be a teacher, administrator, or a parent. Please help recognize students who deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments!

From CEC:
“Through the Yes I Can! Awards, students with disabilities -- some for the first time in their lives -- are recognized for their accomplishments. The Yes I Can! Awards honor students with disabilities who have excelled in one of nine categories:

• Arts• Academics• Athletics
• Community Service• Employment• Extracurricular Activities
• Independant Living Skills• Self Advocacy• Technology

Each Yes I Can! winner has a special moment in the spotlight as he or she is presented with a statue and the audience learns of the student’s accomplishments at the Yes I Can! Awards Ceremony, held at CEC’s Annual Convention & Expo. The winners and their families are also treated to a special field trip. Plus, each student who is nominated receives a Certificate of Accomplishment.

Nominate a student(s) who deserves recognition for his or her achievements.

Also, please let your colleagues know about the Yes I Can! Awards. Click here for a flyer you can distribute to educators and parents.

Nominations must be postmarked by Oct. 14, 2008.

For more information and a nomination form for the Yes I Can! Awards, go to http://www.cec.sped.org/. Click on About CEC, then Yes I Can! Awards.”

2008 Multicultural Summit - CEC conference

2008 Multicultural Summit – Culturally Diverse Exceptional Students: Remembering the Past, Looking Toward the Future
Boston, MA
April 5, 2008

The panel addresses disproportionate representation among culturally diverse exceptional students. They focused on research and best practices in assessment, public policy, research, curriculum and instruction, and teacher preparation for culturally and linguistically diverse students with exceptionalities.

Please email me if you would like to see my detailed notes.

1. Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges
Russ Skiba - The Equity Project at Indiana University

2. Elizabeth Harry
University of Miami, FL

3. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Gifted Ed
Recruitment and retention Issues

Donna Y. Ford (Vanderbilt)
Tarek C. Grantham (
Gilman W. Whiting (Vanderbilt)

4. Beyond Research On Cultural Minorities: Challenges and Implications of Research as Situated Cultural Practice

Kathleen King - Arizona State Univ.

(There were more but I had to leave early to go to the Teacher of they Year luncheon).