Adaptations Portfolio By: Danielle Lichtenstein

1. Adaptations Portfolio By: Danielle Lichtenstein Danforth Middle School SED 409: Adapting Instruction for Diverse Student Needs Professor Meghan Cosier

2. t ABLEof C O N T E N T S • Personal Philosophy • Adaptations: • Curricular • The learning cycle • Gradual release of responsibility • Instructional • Material • Routine/Structure • DINs • Success Criteria • Assessment • Active Discussion • Participation • Assistive Technology • PHeT Sims • Doc Cam • Inclusive Lesson Plan • Personal Reflection • Works Cited

3. My Personal Teaching Philosophy In order to allow for all learners to be and feel included into general education classrooms it needs to be understood that all people are much more than constructed societal categories or labels, they are a mosaic of personality,experience, and humanity. My personal philosophy of inclusion is laid out in the following manner: • Equal opportunity • The responsibility of educators My personal philosophy of science education is laid out in the following manner: • Scientific literacy • Authentic science A link to mypersonal and professional goals. Table of Contents

4. Personal Philosophy of Inclusion *ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION Every learner is different and every learner has an asset(s) he can offer to his community, or society. If I can show students that I hold this expectation of them, then they will have the motivation and the support to build confidence in their learning and in recognizing their own abilities. *EVERY EDUCATOR HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ADAPT INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENTS TO MEET DIVERSE STUDENT NEEDS Learning is a dynamic process that encompasses the increased capacity of an individual to obtain, synthesize and productively apply new knowledge, skills, behaviors, or values to real life situations. Learning is characteristically complex because it differs among individuals and differs throughout peoples’ lifetimes. Understanding and appreciating the complexity of how people learn is essential to making content accessible to all students because it shows teachers why they need to stop “being realistic” and start engaging in creative instructional practices. Personal Philosophy of Science Education

5. PersonalPhilosophyofScience Education *ALL LEARNERS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO SCIENTIFIC LITERACY Scientific literacy is understanding the scientific concepts and processes required for participation in cultural and public affairs, personal decision making, and economic productivity. It is essential that learners become scientifically literate citizens, as we live in a world where advancements in science, math and technology form as the backbone to our society. To become scientifically literate a student must not only be able to read with understanding about science, but they must also be able to identify scientific issues that underlie local and national decisions. This skill would help learners make informed positions on issues (Bybee et al. 2008). *SCIENCE NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN AN AUTHENTIC, INQUIRY-BASED MANNER Research has found that students with disabilities retain and understand scientific knowledge in a more meaningful and memorable way when they can engage in science the way that scientists do (in inquiry-centered classrooms)formulating hypotheses, designing their own framework to solve a problem, and engaging in research to discover what it is like to solve real-world issues (Lynch et al. 2007). However, students must still be provided with the tools to construct accurate conceptions of new information. Personal Goals of Science Education

6. Personal and Professional Science Education Goals *INCREASING STUDENTS’ SCIENCE LITERACY NEEDS TO BE DONE USING AUTHENTIC AND INQUIRY METHODS, CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING AND INCLUSIVE STRATEGIES Students with disabilities may have cognitive processing or memory problems that lead to difficulties associated with reading in terms of word knowledge and/or comprehension and with mathematical reasoning (the ability to connect ideas in logical order) (Lynch et al. 2007). Thus, a student who has problems decoding words might have little difficulty with understanding seemingly abstract science content once it is made available in a means other than through reading textbooks (Lynch et al. 2007). Studies have found that students identified with learning disabilities demonstrate greater conceptual change in inquiry-based classrooms than in traditional classrooms (teacher-centered and relies heavily on the textbook) (Lynch et al. 2007). Having the students engage in the construction of their own knowledge, a primary aspect of constructivism, is a key aspect of scientific inquiry and authentic science. Both of these goals make learning inclusive, but I will also have to make creative adaptations to not only accommodate the needs of learners with disabilities, but to help all learners (Flores 2008). Implementation of Goals

7. Implementation of My Goals I made many adaptations during my student teaching placement at Danforth Middle school to try to meet my primary goal of increasing student science literacy through inquiry, constructivism, authentic science and most importantly, inclusive, universal design principles. I lay my adaptations out in the following format: Challenge: This section shows any challenges I faced, or observed my teacher facing in terms of eliciting student participation from all students, and meeting the academic and social needs of all learners. Solution: In this portion I explain what adaptation I chose to use. Rationale: In this section I provide the reasoning behind my adaptation. Outcome: In this portion I reflect on how I implemented the adaptation and how well it worked in terms of increasing student participation and engagement. AdaptationsTable of Contents

8. The learning Cycle Gradual Release of Responsibility Curricular Adaptations The Learning Cycle Challenge:I observed that most of the students were not engaged during lessons that did not have a hook at the beginning or an engaging activity. Also, many of the students with and without IEPs had a difficult time maintaining their focus on the content when there was little variation in a lesson. Solution:I made use of the learning cycle by implementing an engagement phase at the beginning of lessons, followed by an exploration activity(ies), introduction to the content, and an application phase. Rationale:A hook at the beginning of the class (the engagement phase) immediately engages the students. Moving into an exploration activity nurtures the learners’ natural curiosity, which helps most of the students remain engaged and attentive (Udvari-Solnar 1996). The sequence of the cycle is critical to assisting the learners’ ability to draw a relationship between verbal abstractions to more meaningful, concrete experiences (Colburn & Clough 1997). Implementation and Outcome

9. Implementation of the Learning Cycle: Lesson on States of Matter • Engagement phase: The beginning of the lesson started with a hook—a humorous cartoon about the states of matter—and a pre-assessment question. • Exploration phase: The students were provided with various materials that they needed to classify based on their prior knowledge of the states of matter. This phase provided the students with relevant and concrete experiences with the content that followed (Colburn & Clough 1997). 3. Content introduction phase:PowerPoint introduced students more explicitly to the properties of each state of matter. Providing the students with an exploration activity first gave them a direct experience with the concept before verbal and spatial instruction about the content was provided (Colburn & Clough 1997). Application Phase and Outcome

10. 4. Application phase: This phase included having the students try to classify an unknown substance, which exhibited properties of two states of matter, a concept that can be challenging for many of the students. The students applied what they learned from the exploration and content phases of the lesson to a new situation (Colburn & Clough 1997). Outcome:The learning cycle helped me gain the students’ trust and focus for most of the unit. The cycle gave the students a way to enjoy science, in that they were able to apply science concepts to authentic situations and inadvertently gave the learners much more autonomy than they were accustomed to. This autonomy helped me differentiate my instruction and focus on individual students. Both of these aspects of the cycle made science much less threatening for learners with and without disabilities by reducing the abstractedness of concepts (Lynch et al. 2007). The autonomous nature of the exploration and application phases of the cycle made the content more meaningful for the learners;, which helped me reach all of the learners needs and various styles of learning. The Gradual Release of Responsibility Table of Contents

11. Gradual Release of Responsibility Challenge:Many of the students have difficulties with reading comprehension, word knowledge, decoding sentences, and so on. Also, prior to this year some of the students with IEPs were kept in a self-contained class and did not learn certain skills needed in the science classroom, such as taking measurements. For example, during an Ice Melt lab, many of these students revealed that they did not know how to read a thermometer. Solution:Hunter’s gradual release of responsibility includes modeling, checking for understanding, guided practice and independent practice. This sequence helps facilitate the students’ proficiency with reading and with measurement skills (Chandler-Olcott & Hinchman 2005). Rationale:Sometimes students who have certain disabilities and even students who do not, need structure in order to help them maintain their focus and concentration. I noticed that some of the learners needed to be shown how to perform certain activities and tasks they were asked to do, so that they were not confused and so that they were gaining a more meaningful experience from the lessons. Implementation

12. Implementation of the Gradual Release of Responsibility:Lesson on States of Matter • Modeling: I demonstrated how to fillout the classification worksheet by using the Doc Cam to write down my observations of a banana. I wrote down that I thought it was a solid and one reason why I thought that. • Guided Practice: For the second reason (the students had to provide two for each object/substance) I had the students help me with guided questioning. • Checks for Understanding: I had the students give me other examples of solids and what they had in common with the banana. • Independent Practice: The students worked on classifying the objects on their own, but I would use guided questioning when needed to help facilitate student learning.Outcome

13. M I P Link to page 2

14. Link to page 3

15. I P Outcome Implementation of Gradual Release

16. Outcome:Using the gradual release of responsibility reduced student confusion during activities and labs. By modeling how to perform certain tasks (like using a thermometer) students were able to apply that visual to their own situation. The main benefit I saw from the gradual release of responsibility was when the students were able to perform the task of reading a thermometer or filling out a classification worksheet on their own. I could see it in their faces when they had the “oh I get it” moment. These moments were important for all of the students because they made the content more memorable and they improved the learners’ confidence in engaging in scientific activities. If learners do not have confidence in their learning then they will lack motivation, which further hinders their ability to comprehend scientific concepts. Table of Contents Instructional Adaptations

17. PowerPoint Parallel Teaching Instructional Adaptations Challenge: How do you engage students who exhibit reluctance, even during hands-on activities? Many of the students would lay their heads on their desks, or stare off into space during my host teacher’s lessons. Solution: Incorporate technology, like PowerPoint, that can help reach multiple learning styles , provide cultural relevance, and that changes up the lesson (Udvari-Solnar 1996). Rationale: When PowerPoint is used effectively it can provide visuals, sound, textual information, reinforcement of expectations, culturally relevant examples, quick access to YouTube and other internet resources, and so on. It can also be used to facilitate active learning games, review activities, and assessment activities. I used it to adhere to Multiple Intelligence Theory: Linguistic: provided written text and facilitation of class discussions about key topics Mathematical: provided the agenda for the day along with expectations for the class, which gave the students a logical rationale behind performing certain activities, labs and discussions. Spatial: visuals accompanied almost every topic, concept and vocabulary word presented Musical: sound bites and YouTube clips went along with class discussions and notes. Implementation and Outcome

18. PowerPoint Implementation During a Potential and Kinetic Energy Lesson The primary objective of this lesson was to have the students be able to classify energy as either potential or kinetic, so I made use of PowerPoint to reinforce an energy workstation exploration activity I had the students perform and to define potential and kinetic energy. Each slide is a depiction of a different type of energy. As I moved through each slide the students had to raise up either a red card to represent potential energy, or a green card if they thought it was kinetic. Kinetic and Potential Energy PowerPoint I then had students explain why they rose their card making sure to call on students who raisedred cardsand students who raisedgreen cards, so that I could address specific misconceptions related to the two types of energy. Outcome: The PowerPoint helped me make use of culturally relevant examples, which made the content more engaging, and meaningful for the learners. The students recognition of Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno along the cartoons Wiley Coyote and the Road Runner grabbed their attentions. Making use of multiple forms of media within PowerPoint helped me reach a variety of learning styles. This engagement of different learning styles could be seen by how engaged students were in lessons that used PowerPoint, even when it was used to provide the students with notes. Parallel Teaching

19. Parallel Teaching Challenge:It was difficult to reach the diverse needs of every student in my 3 classes due to their large sizes (about 22 to 28 students). Solution:Break the class up into two smaller groups, where one half engages in a group active learning activity with one teacher (me) and the other half quietly works on computers with another teacher (my host teacher). Rationale: This parallel teaching methodopens the door for co-teachers to meet a greater range of learner needs since having two teacher in the room helps with proximity control and classroom management (Dieker & Murawski 2003). Outcome:I thought my half of the class would be too loud for the students who were on the computers, but the physical arrangement of the room allowed the students and I to engage in the review game in a fun manner without distracting the other half of the class. My host teacher and I rearranged the desks prior to the lesson, so that the computers were on desks that were facing away from where I would be eliciting the review game. This arrangement prevented the computer students from clearly hearing my questions for the College Bowl, or student answers. With a smaller group of students I was able to better assess and observe individual students and I was able to spend more time on the curriculum (Udvari-Solnar 1996).

20. College Bowl PowerPoint and score board Physical Arrangement of the Classroom Me Host Teacher =computers =student desks Direction students were facing Table of Contents Material Adaptations

21. Cornell Notes Adapted Notes Material Adaptations Cornell Notes Challenge: I haddifficulties associated with encouraging students to refer back to their notes for reinforcement of concepts. Solution: Cornell notes were provided to each student. Rationale: These sheets give the students a large space to write notes, a smaller space to jot down key points, and a space at the bottom of the page to summarize the main ideas of the lesson. Outcome: The students expressed that they appreciated the autonomy these sheets provided them. I observed many of the students using the Cornell notes to refer to during labs, and review for the test at the end of the unit. Many of the students took the time to summarize their notes on the summary portion of the sheet.

22. Adapted Copy of Class Notes Challenge:Students were not taking notes during class activities and were not answering questions on home works. Solution:During an energy hunt activity where the students had to find three examples of energy in the classroom, each student was provided with an Energy Hunt sheet that gave them explicit directions to the activity. This sheet also provided the students with lines to write their discoveries, along with boxes to draw them. The sheet also served as a note-taking sheet in that it had spaces for the students to write down definitions of energy and types of energy. Rationale:Students were drawing their own lines for written responses, and many students seemed to express their thoughts better visually. Also, students were more apt to participate in activities when they had some guidelines and spaces to make mental notes. Outcome:The adapted noteshelped give the students natural reinforcement of the directions in written form and they provided them with multiple ways of expressing their answers, which adhered to multiple learning styles (Udvari-Solnar 1996). An example of a students’ energy hunt can be found at this link:Energy Hunt.

23. Table of Contents Routine Adaptations

24. DINs Success Criteria Routine Adaptations DINs Challenge:Since my teaching style varied from my host teacher’s (inquiry and activity oriented versus traditional) the students were not accustomed to it. Solution:Keeping the routine DINs (Do-It-Now) at the beginning of each lesson, but modifying them to include engagement and pre-assessment questions that utilized culturally relevant examples (such as SU basketball, the JD hot air balloon festival, etc.) (Udvari-Solnar 1996). I would prefer to call them engagement questions, as DIN sounds authoritarian. Rationale:The students had to experience many different changes when I came to student teach, so maintaining the practice of DINs helped provide the students with something familiar to them. Outcome:Making DINs culturally relevant helped the students draw connections between the content and their prior knowledge and experiences making the beginning of the lesson more meaningful. Thus, it hooked them into the rest of the lesson. It also made my teaching less threatening to the students who needed routine. DIN: Types of Energy

25. Success Criteria

26. Challenge:How do I get the students’ attentions when they are disruptive and reluctant to listen? Solution:For every lesson I listed the students’ learning objectives for the day and what the criteria was in order for the students to successfully meet those objectives.The success criteria are expectations that are written as if they are from the students’ points of view. These criteria include: I will respect others when they are giving answers by not interrupting I will participate in classroom discussions in a meaningful way I will ask for help if I need it from the teacher, or from my peers. Criteria forSUCCESS! Rationale: These criteria are meant to be a positive support system for the students to regain focus. A positive environment is much more productive than one where the students and the teacher are butting heads. Outcome

27. Outcome: The success criteria were a successful classroom management strategy for me, as it was a tool that I referred back to during the lessons when my classes started to become disengaged and it was a positive way to give the students support when they began to lose focus. Table of Contents Assessment Adaptations

28. Adaptations assess learning during a lesson that pate? Solution: Participation elicitation Toss and Share Popsicle Stick Pick Outcome: During some lessons I wrote each student’s name on a Popsicle stick and I would pick those names out of a jar randomly during classroom discussions. It elicited participation from many of the reluctant learners because it was random and different. Rationale: I made sure that I would place the stick aside once I had picked it to ensure that every student had the opportunity to be prompted to participate, which also allowed me to assess participation. Assessment Challenge: How do I meaningfully learners are reluctant to partici Solution:Active discussions • Red card/Green card • T-P-S with accompanying Response Boards • Active learning College Bowl review Rationale: Reviewing helps learners rethink and reconsider the information they learned previously. Outcome: This active learning activity facilitated review in a manner that engaged the students and relieved their stress about the exam. This active learning review also served to reinforce, summarize and clarify key points that were made during the Heat and Energy Unit (Silberman 1996).

29. T o s s & share I designated a Koosh ball as the symbol for whose turn it was to participate in class discussion. The students were always reminded of the ground rules to ensure the object was not being thrown around the room in an unsafe, or distracting manner. The rules were: i.Only use underhand throws. ii.Make eye contact with the person who wants to answer next before you throw the ball to that person. iii.Do not talk, while the person who has the ball is providing an answer. Trainerswarehouse.com Toss and Share Outcome

30. Toss and Share Outcome My host teacher was hesitant about this strategy at first because she thought the students would, in her words, “become unruly”, but interestingly enough, it caused all of the students to quiet down, when the student who had the Koosh ball was answering a question. This strategy also elicited participation from learners who are typically reluctant to engage in class discussions. Tactile and spatial management strategies like this one made classroom discussions more productive, more positive and more fun for the learners than the traditional disciplinary management strategies of yelling at and punishing the learners who are talking, or “misbehaving”. This strategy especially benefited learners who learn better kinesthetically. Think-Pair-Share Assessment Adaptations

31. Assessment Adaptations Think- Pair- Share with Accompanying Response Boards This strategy encouraged students to work individually and then with a partner to figure out a question that I gave them (Salend 2007). For example, during a Potential and Kinetic Energy lesson I asked the students to provide a claim about what they thought potential energy was and to support that claim with evidence. The students were given time to think about this question individually and were then told they had about a minute to work with their partners to write on their response boards. This activity was meant to help the students who are interpersonal feel more confident about their answers because it allowed them to draw pictures along with written explanations without having to verbally express themselves. This formative assessment activity also made learning fun, as some of the students informed me, and engaged multiple learning styles, an important aspect of universal design (Flores 2008).Handraising

32. All of the active discussion and participation elicitation assessment strategies limited the practice of hand-raising. Hand-raising can be effective during certain types of class discussions, but sometimes it can cause some students to feel overwhelmed by others who always raise their hands, or who typically shout out answers (Feldman & Denti 2004). Table of Contents

33. AssistiveTechnology Doc Cam Challenge:How do I? • model directions to give students support and to reinforce directions • elaborate student responses • engage multiple learning styles: linguistic, intrapersonal, spatial, mathematical Solution PHeT Simulations Challenge: How do I illustrate abstract concepts at a molecular level? Solution-->

34. PHeT States of Matter Simulation This simulation presented a concept that can seem abstract and difficult to understand in a much clearer way than I could have by lecturing about it because the simulation showed how each state of matter looks at a microscopic level. This aspect of the simulation is something that would have been difficult for me to show the students due to the minimal access my teacher has to microscopes and other scientific supplies. The simulation also helped address any confusion the students may have had regarding why ice floats (it is less dense than water, which can be seen by the spaces between its molecules) and what happens to molecules when heat energy is increased and decreased. The students were also able to see what happens to molecules in a substance when it changes states. Example of a Simulation Observation Sheet

35. Doc Cam

36. Doc Cam: I utilized the Doc Cam for the DINs, to display student work for individuals who volunteered to do so, to display directions to labs, to write down student responses, and to model how to perform certain activities, or fill out worksheets. Outcome: The Doc Cam provided me a way to give the students more of a leadership role in the class by allowing them to write notes on it, or to display examples of their work. It also helped me present topics in visual and written form to reach multiple learning styles. The rationale for using various technologies

37. Rationale:From my observations at various schools I have noticed that many students enjoy writing on the Doc Cams, and they seem engaged when they use them. Also, making use of the wide array of technological tools that are available today is important for students, as they are constantly bombarded with different technologies everyday (Kundu & Bain 2006). Encouraging the learners to use technology within the classroom in an effective way can enable active inquiry and make learning more meaningful for them (Kundu & Bain 2006). Inclusive Lesson Table of Contents

38. Inclusive Lesson Plan States of Matter Lesson Personal Reflection Table of Contents http://europeandcis.undp.org/uploads/public1/images/inclusion_image.jpg

39. Personal Reflection *ADAPTING THE NEEDS OF A FEW STUDENTS BENEFITED ALL OF THE STUDENTS From my student teaching experience I learned that including all learners means more than just those with IEPs, but also learners from different backgrounds, families, cultures, locations around the world, of varying abilities, and so on. Most of the adaptations I made to my teaching practice were from observing a few students who were labeled as learning disabled, or who were reluctant to participate in class. For example, RJ*, a boy with an IEP, showed me the importance of using kinesthetic and active strategies (like toss and share and the response boards) to elicit participation. From creating this adaptation to meet RJ’s needs, I saw an increase in engagement of all my learners, which showed me the true effectiveness of universal design. Of all my goals as an educator, implementing principles from universal design is the most important because if I am not meeting the needs of all learners, then my other goals pertaining to increasing students’ scientific literacy,and engaging learners in in real authentic science become meaningless. The most important thing I learned from SED 409 and from my teaching experience is that “being realistic” is just an excuse from making imaginative use of resources to reach the diverse needs of all students. Forget realism, let’s be Creative! Table of Contents

40. be the change you wish to see in the w o r l d . . . -Mahatma Ghandi

41. Works Cited Bybee, R., Powell, J. & Throwbridge, L. (2008). Teaching Secondary School Science: Strategies for Developing Scientific Literacy. Merril Prenetice Hall: Upper Saddle Chandler-Olcott, K., & Hinchman, K. A. (2005). Tutoring Adolescent Literacy Learners: A Guide for Volunteers (Solving Problems in Teaching of Literacy). New York: The Guilford Press. Colburn, A., & Clough, M. P. (1997). Implementing the Learning Cycle. The Science Teacher, 64(5), 30-33. Feldman, K., & Denti, L. (2004). High-Access Instruction: Practical Strategies to Increase Active Learning in Diverse Classrooms. Focus on Exceptional Children, 36, 1-12. Flores, M. (2008). Universal Design in Elementary and Middle School. Childhood Education, 84(4), 224-228. Kundu, R., & Bain, C. (2006). Webquests: Utilizing technology in a constructivist manner to facilitate meaningful preservice learning. Art Education, 59 (2), 6-11. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. Lynch, S., Taymans, J., Watson, W., Ochsendorf, R., Pyke, C. & Szesze, M. (2007). Exceptional Children, (73)2: 202-223. Salend, S. J. (2007). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. Silberman, M. (1996). Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject (1 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Udvari-Solnar, A. (1996). Examining Teacher Thinking: Constructing a Process to Design Curricular Adaptations. Remedial and Special Education, (17)4: 245-254.