Barb Rentenbach

After an introduction from her "smiling shrink", Barb Rentenbach began her presentation by typing "dear utk autism is my prism, not my prison." I thought these were such powerful words that really summed up Barb's overall message. After hearing her deep thoughts verbalized by friends on her video and students in the auditorium, it was so hard for me to grasp the idea of being trapped inside your own body.  Her ideas were so thought provoking and profound.  I can't even imagine the frustration of not being able to express herself freely without her technological aids.

Barb's presentation was an eye opening experience.  So often we assume that people who are handicapped are unintelligent.  Barb proved that wrong. After almost 20 years of being considered mentally retarded, Barb was able to reveal her intelligence.

Barb also enlightened me to the world of Autism.  I knew the basic facts from special ed, but hearing a first person account is an entirely different experience.  I love that she speaks out directly to children or 'friends' with autism in her book, giving guidance, encouragement, and support.  She turned Autism on its head- what most people think of as a negative thing, Barb expressed Autism as a special quality, a gift that some people were born with.

With Autism becoming more frequently diagnosed in children, I'm sure I will have students with Autism in my class.  Barb's story made me realize that I need to appreciate the skills and special abilities of these students, not see them as a burden or extra challenge.

group differences forum

Tuesday we had our group differences forum.  To be honest, I wasn't really sure what it would be like, or how much I would get out of it. However, once the conversations began I quickly changed my mind.  There are some topics that people just try to avoid- things that get people riled up and defensive.  This class discussion provided an opportunity to talk about these sensitive yet important topics in a conductive, positive way.  I think that a big part of this was that the conversation was focused on teaching instead of just personal experiences and beliefs. I was impressed by how well the discussion flowed.  No questions were left unanswered and people were willing to talk.  I also appreciated the courtesy our classmates showed each other.  People were nodding in agreement, asking questions for clarification, and being respectful if they happened to disagree.  

The fact that we were in school helped this professional, mature behavior, but I think we have also gained a lot of insight from conversations with each other over the semester.  I think that the group differences forum was a great way to wrap up our year because we all interacted and talked about serious aspects of our future career. We all share the common goal that we want to be great teachers, and I think that allowed us to really learn from each other in this conversation, as well as throughout the semester. 

10: language

Prompt: Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine table 2.2 (page 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching.  Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented with your own students.

I would love to work with first or second graders, so I will focus on that portion of Ormrod's table of linguistic characteristics and abilities.

• Strategy: read age-appropriate storybooks to enhance vocabulary
• This is something I will definitely do in my classroom!  Since reading is such an important skill in all subjects of school, I plan to devote lots of class time to literacy.  With younger students this will include guided reading, read-alouds, independent reading, and also cross-curricular reading. The more students read, the more words they know, and the deeper their understanding and comprehension can become. I really prefer this way of increasing vocabulary  to the old-school memorization methods.
• Strategy: work on listening skills
• At this age, Ormrod explains that many children consider a good listener as someone who simply sits quietly. It is important for me to teach my students that listening requires more than silence.  I will teach them about the other parts of being a good listener, like paying attention to who is speaking, asking questions when confused, and retaining information.  I will stress that the most important thing is that they are learning and understanding, not just being quiet.
• Strategy: ask students to construct narratives about recent events
• Ormrod explains that these young students are increasing their ability to tell a story.  To foster and encourage this skill, I will provide multiple opportunities for my students to practice story telling.  One way I can do this is by having students write a paragraph about what they did over the weekend, make an illustration of it, then share orally with the class. 
• Ask follow-up questions to check for accurate understanding
• This age group typically interprets things literally, so it will be important for me to ensure that my students have a clear understanding of class material.  Whether it is an idiom or expression I use or something more ambiguous they read, it will be imperative for me to correct any misunderstandings students have.  To know when this is necessary, I will use follow-up questions to gauge their understanding and comprehension. Even beyond misinterpretations, this will help students summarize information they have learned and let me know where they need more help.