Page Comparison

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• Conceptual work: Discussing inclusion / adaptation & accommodation for diverse learners
  • I am by no means an expert on this, but this is a HUGE topic for social studies, for at least two reasons
    • Practicality: Given that social studies isn't a high stakes-assessed area in Pennsylvania, it's the content area in which LEAs are most eager to show inclusive practice.
    • Ideology: If social studies is about preparing citizens...we need to have an inclusive classroom. In fact, an inclusive social studies classroom in which adaptation & accommodation need to take place is a SUPERIOR environment for social studies ed, rather than a more homogeneous classroom. 
  • Here's what I have for you: Four different approaches to the topic. I'll have you explore one of these as part of a group. Discuss within your group: What about this is familiar? What about it is new? Think back to the microteaching lessons your group members have done – how would / should you change it to include this approach? 
    • Teacher behaviors / changing the way you teach, right down to the microbehaviors: Lots of possibilities, but I'll focus on sheltered instruction (if you had me for SpEd/TLT 404, this is a strategy that I enacted...badly)
      
      • Experience it
        • Go to https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_activities/independent/IA_Understanding_Sheltered_Instruction.pdf
        • One partner watch video #1 while the other one watches video #2. 
        • After you watch: Write down what you think the teacher's lesson was about, then compare. The viewer of video #2 should have a MUCH clearer idea of what happened – why?
        • Watch video #3. Again, this should be easier for you. Why? 
      • Think through the implications for your instruction – what did these experiences teach you?
      • Background info
        • Note how this used to be something that only ESL teachers did: http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9210/english.htm
        • ...but now it's part of inclusive practices in mainstream classrooms, too: http://ritell.org/Resources/Documents/General%20Education%20Resources/Sheltered_Instruction_for_Mainstream%5B1%5D.pdf
      • Now you think it through in terms of your own instruction – re-visit one or both of your microteaching lessons – how would / should you change it to include the techniques of sheltered instruction?
      • (And if you liked what you saw in the videos from Vanderbilt, see their whole module on working with English Language Learners: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ell/
    • Modifying materials / changing the media with which you teach
      
      • Modifying documents: Read http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/teaching-guides/23560 – be sure to follow the links to the sample documents 
      • Modifying assessments: Go to http://www.lakewoodcityschools.org/userfiles/2191/Classes/8975/Hurleys-ESL-Modifications.pdf and read the "Assessment Modifications" on pp. 2-3.
      • Finally, go to http://www.pdesas.org/module/Assessment/questions/search/ and retrieve some PDE-recommended assessment items. (I recommend "History", "5th grade"– to see less textually-driven questions, also add "constructed response".) Try your hand at adapting these items (both text-only and visually-driven) for ELLs. If this isn't giving you access, try this DBQ (document-based question) from a different source; try not to laugh at the grammatical mangling in the Task instructions.
      • Think back to your microteaching lessons – how might you modify those materials? 
    • Differentiation of student assignments / change what you ask of students – many possibilities here, but we're going with RAFT (Role-Audience-Format-Topic)
      
      • Go to CourseSite and find the 'Inclusion materials' folder. Review the materials on RAFTs.
      • Discuss: What merit does this approach have? In ways can a RAFT be inclusive?
      • Think back to your microteaching. What work did you anticipate students doing at the end of the lesson or the end of the unit? Might you use the RAFT strategy?
    • Graphic organizers (and some heuristics) – in general, you want to be multi-sensory; within that advice, I recommend being as visual & spatial as possible – graphic organizers let you do both!
      
      • Lots of pages provide information about graphic organizers; here is a sampling of sites w/graphic organizers specific to social studies
        • https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/graphic-organizer/
        • https://doingsocialstudies.com/2017/10/17/5-graphic-organizers-youre-probably-not-using-but-should-be/
        • http://minds-in-bloom.com/5-graphic-organizers-for-social-studies/
        • http://www.readingquest.org/graphic.html
        • (And that last site has lots of additional info filed under 'Strategies for Reading Comprehension' which, come to think of it, is one of the primary uses for graphic organizers: http://www.readingquest.org/a-z-strategies.html)
        • And to reach back to an earlier resource: The National Archives has lots of teaching materials: selected digital resources for the classroom plus a plethora of analysis worksheets: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets– different ones for photos vs. cartoons vs. written documents, etc.
      • Think back to the instruction in your microteaching lesson. Did you use a graphic organizer? Could you have used one?

After class

• Review links & documents from this week's discussion!
• Skim through the readings provided in CourseSite – they put some of the ideas discussed tonight into greater depth
• WTL: Share one idea you have for accommodating one of the diverse learners in your unit
• Complete and turn in any remaining assignments!
• We're going to do an economics activity next week...and it will require Play-Doh (or something equivalent). Please have some handy for while we're on Zoom!
• Bring in something to share from your instructional unit – think of it as the show-and-tell portion of the 'original instructional materials' assignments that started the semester