Outline Notes

/in /by

Collaborating with Families

1 iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

120718

v Outline

The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Depart- ment of Education, #H325E170001. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

N ot

es

Use this outline to follow along with the module’s main features. The blank “Notes” panels below each section are interactive and can be filled in using Adobe Acrobat. Otherwise, print this document and record your notes by hand.

Module Home • Module Description: Designed to help teachers build positive relationships with families, this

module highlights the diversity of families as well as the factors that school personnel should understand about working with the families of children with disabilities (est. completion time: 1 hour).

• STAR Legacy Cycle • Related to This Module

◦ Link: Module Outline ◦ Video: Navigating an IRIS STAR Legacy Module ◦ Link: IRIS and Adult Learning Theory ◦ Wrap-Around Content Map

Challenge • Video: Claire Morgan is beginning her second year as the principal of M. T. Watkins Middle

School. She spent her first year as a new principal learning the ropes and getting to know the teachers and students. Now she wants to focus on developing more meaningful ways to connect with families and fostering active parental involvement.

Initial Thoughts • What do teachers need to understand about working with families who have children with

disabilities? • What are some ways to go about building positive relationships with families?

N ot

es N

ot es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

2iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

Perspectives & Resources ❖ Module Objectives • After completing the entire Perspectives & Resources section and reviewing the accompanying

activities, you should: ◦ Recognize the diversity of families and the importance of involving families in students’ education

◦ Understand the issues that most affect families who have children with disabilities ◦ Be familiar with a number of practical ideas for creating a positive partnership with parents of children with disabilities

• This IRIS Module aligns with the following licensure and program standards and topic areas…

❖ Page 1: Family Composition • Video: At the school’s weekly staff meeting, Principal Morgan uses a slide show to illustrate the

diversity of the families at M. T. Watkins Middle School • Key points about families [bullet points] • Audio: Anne Henderson talks about the various definitions of families

❖ Page 2: Emotional Reactions to Disability • Grief [bullet points]

◦ Link: Ways the stages of grief affect families ◦ Audio: Luz Hernandez describe the emotions she has felt over the years as the parent of a child with a disability

• Joy [bullet points] ◦ Audio: Shane Nurnberg talks about how parenting a young child with disabilities has had a positive effect on his life

• The Teacher’s Role [bullet points]

N ot

es N

ot es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

3iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

◦ Audio: Shane Nurnberg shares his thoughts about the importance of teachers understanding families’ emotions

• Activity: Imagine yourself as the parent in one of the three scenarios below

❖ Page 3: Additional Roles of Families • Type of Role/Example of Parent’s Involvement • Audio: Anne Henderson talks about the roles families who have children with disabilities play in

their child’s education • FYI • Audio: Shane Nurnberg talks about the additional roles involved in raising a child with a disability • Audio: Luz A. Hernandez talks about the additional roles involved in raising a child with a

disability

❖ Page 4: Stressors of Daily Living • High Divorce Rate

◦ Audio: Luz Hernandez talks about divorce among some of the parents she is involved with in her professional role

• Lack of Help ◦ Audio: Luz Hernandez talks about the people whom she considers her support system

• Financial Struggles • Healthcare Costs • Accessibility Issues • Activity: After reading the linked essay identify at least three issues that affect families of children

with disabilities or their siblings ◦ Link: “Where Are the Parents?”

N ot

es N

ot es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

4iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

❖ Page 5: Building Positive Relationships • The staff members at M. T. Watkins plan to build positive relationships by… [bullet points] • FYI

◦ Link: The South Carolina Red Carpet Initiative

❖ Page 6: Encouraging Involvement • Keep in Mind [bullet points] • Six types of parental involvement [bullet points]

◦ Link: Examples of parental involvement [pdf] • Audio: Anne Henderson discusses the importance of welcoming families • Keep in Mind • Audio: Shane Nurnberg talks about some of the ways his son’s school involves families

❖ Page 7: Respecting Families • Recognize Parents as Ultimate Decision-Makers

◦ Link: Parental Experiences/Behaviors Exhibited ◦ Audio: Anne Henderson talk about the roles parents play as decision makers

N ot

es N

ot es

N ot

es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

5iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

• Respect Differing Cultural View Points [bullet points] ◦ Link: Respecting Families From Differing Cultures

• Keep in Mind • Audio: Anne Henderson talk about how respect builds trust and fosters improved relationships

between schools and families

❖ Page 8: Acknowledging the Strengths • Audio: Luz Hernandez talks about some of the ways that her son’s school has acknowledged her

family’s strengths • More information

◦ Link: Council for Exceptional Children Code of Ethics ◦ National Education Association Preamble ◦ Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA ‘04)

• Keep in Mind • Audio: Anne Henderson discusses how education is changing and how educators must place high

expectations on students and their families

❖ Page 9: References & Additional Resources • Suggested module citation • References • Additional Resources

❖ Page 10: Credits • Suggested module citation • Content Experts • Module Developers

N ot

es N

ot es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

6iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

• Module Production Team • Media Production Team • Media • Expert Interviews

Wrap Up • Summary of the module • Audio: Anne Henderson emphasizes the importance of welcoming and involving families in an

effort to help all children to learn and succeed • Audio: Luz Hernandez shares some words of wisdom for professionals who work with families

who have a child with a disability • Revisit your Initial Thoughts responses

Assessment • Complete the numbered questions. Please note that the IRIS Center does not collect your Assessment

responses. If this is a course assignment, you should turn them in to your professor using whatever method he or she requires.

N ot

es N

ot es

 

 

Collaborating with Families

7iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu

v Outline

You Have Completed This Module

• Give Us Your Feedback ◦ Link: Module feedback survey form

• Professional Development Hours ◦ Link: IRIS PD Options

• Related Resources [links]

N ot

es

 

  1. Objectives 5:
  2. Objectives 8:
  3. Objectives 6:
  4. Objectives 7:
  5. Objectives 17:
  6. Objectives 10:
  7. Objectives 18:
  8. Objectives 19:
  9. Objectives 20:
  10. Objectives 21:
  11. Objectives 22:
  12. Objectives 24:
  13. Objectives 23:
  14. Objectives 30:

Small Group Budget At A School

/in /by

Building a Small Group Budget

A crucial and difficult component of budgeting is planning for expenses within the available resources.

Based on the information collected in Clinical Field Experience A, create an annual budget for the small group using a digital spreadsheet (e.g., Excel) to allocate funds to the selected group. Base this budget on both current and anticipated expenditures and revenues.

Include the following components in your budget:

 

 

· Current budget revenue and expenditures.

· Proposed revenue and expenditures.

LeaderInMe Small Group Sample Budget Excel File uploaded on PaperOwl

Leader in Me Budget
Year-One
Leader in Me Budget Summary
Northridge Elementary School
 
Anticipated Income
Source Amount  
School Budget $8,000.00  
Vivant Solar Funding Match $8,000.00  
PTA Donation $6,000.00  
Total: $22,000.00  
Anticipated Expenses
Line Item Amount  
Contractual Service $16, 000.00  
T-shirts: 738 students, 22 teachers, 15 extras x $5 $3,875.00  
Printing $100.00  
Awards/Ceremonies $500.00  
Contingency $1,000.00  
Total: $21,475.00  
Budget Surplus $525.00  
     
Year-Two
Leader in Me Budget Summary
Northridge Elementary School
 
Anticipated Income
Source Amount Change
School Budget $8,000.00  
Vivant Solar $8,000.00  
PTA $6,000.00  
Rollover from previous year $525.00 $525.00
Total: $22,525.00 $525.00
Anticipated Expenses
Line Item Amount Change
Contractural Service $16,000.00  
T-shirts: 747 students, 22 teachers, 15 extra x $5 $3,920.00 $45.00
Printing $100.00  
Awards/Ceremonies $550.00 $50.00
Contingency $1,000.00  
Total: $ 21,570.00 $95.00
     
Budget Surplus $955.00  
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 

· For line items that are increasing or decreasing significantly, include an explanation for the increase or decrease, supported by data you obtained through the needs assessment survey or interview.

Needs Assessment Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V9JCC7M

Parent/Teacher Feedback Needs Assessment/(Answers in Yellow) Survey

Top of Form

Thank you for your participation. We’d like to learn more about your experiences with the “Leader in Me” program used at our school as well as the district’s 6 C’s program.

Question Title

1. How would you rate the quality of the “Leader in Me” program used at our school?

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Fair

Poor

Question Title

2. How well do the “Leader in Me” activities offered at our school match your student(s) interests and our school mission?

Not well at all

Mildly well

Fairly well

Quite well

Extremely well

Question Title

3. How would you rate the quality of the school district’s 6 C’s free student leadership program?

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Fair

Poor

Question Title

4. Based on your knowledge, how easy would it be for our school to cut funding for the “Leader in Me” program?

No easy at all

Mildly easy

Moderately easy

Tremendously easy

Question Title

5. In order to help students have stronger leadership skills, which of the 6 C’s would you like to see school funding spent on?

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

Communication

Creativity

Citizenship

Character Education

All of the above equally

None of the above

Question Title

6. How often do you attend “Leader in Me” programs at school?

Almost never

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

Question Title

7. What are the working strengths and/or gaps in the “Leader in Me” program?

Effective, too costly

 

 

Interview: Two music teachers are over the Leader In Me Program. It appears to have a big budget, but majority of funds goes to CONTRACTUAL SERVICE and T-shirts. The only wiggle room is if copies were made in black and white (free copies) instead of color copies made at a print shop. Music teachers find the program very good for youth leadership at our school. Parents volunteer often and are happy with the way their children think before acting out.

· Strategies demonstrating line items you would adjust if you do not receive the funds you are requesting.

(Not much could adjust in the budget. Copying would have to be made at the school which only has black and white, no color copies.)

Write a 500-word rationale for the budget, addressing the following:

· How this group operates to support the school’s mission and vision: (This is a leadership program for all of our students. The 6th graders get to meet over a lunch break once a month with the

· Justification of how the requested expenditures will support the school’s priorities and goals and promote continuous school improvement

· Strategies to build organizational capacity to rely less on school funding

APA format is required.

This assignment uses a rubric:

Current and Proposed Revenue and Expenditures (15) Budget comprehensively reflects both current and proposed revenue and expenditures.

Explanation of Increases and Decreases (15) Budget includes a detailed explanation for the increase or decrease of line items with substantial support from the needs assessment data.

Adjustment Strategies (15) Provides innovative strategies demonstrating line item adjustments based on lack of requested funding.

Rationale: Mission and Vision (10) Rationale provides insightful description of how the group operates to support the school’s mission and vision.

Rationale: How Requested Budget Supports School’s Goals (15) Rationale comprehensively justifies how budget will support the school’s priorities and goals and promote continuous school improvement.

Rationale: Building Organizational Capacity (15) Rationale provides realistic and effective strategies to build organizational capacity to rely less on school funding.

Organization(10) The content is well organized and logical. There is a sequential progression of ideas related to each other. The content is presented as a cohesive unit. Provides the audience with a clear sense of the main idea.

Mechanics of Writing (includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, language use) (5)

ESOL CAPSTONE PROJECT LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

/in /by

ESOL CAPSTONE PROJECT LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

 

OVERVIEW
Lesson Title: Unit Title:
Content Area ELL Speaking Levels (Range) Class Level:
Length of Lesson in # of Hours: # of Classes: Teacher:
STAGE 1 – PLANNING FOR DESIRED RESULTS
LESSON OBJECTIVES: CONTENT AND LANGUAGE
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

In red, explain why you chose the content and language goals for your ELL students.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S) CONSIDERATIONS
  Indicate those addressed in this lesson:

· Practice with complex text and academic language

· Reading, writing, and speaking in evidence from literary and informational texts

· Build knowledge through content and vocabulary

· As you address a specific learning style in your description, identify it in the plan and provide a written explanation of why the activity meets that style. Type your notes in red.
HIGHER ORDER QUESTIONS  
   
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE NEEDED
 
VOCABULARY
 
MATERIALS NEEDED
 
STAGE 2 — EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
Ways that students and I will know the extent to which objectives have been met:

 

 

 

7

 

 

STAGE 3 — LEARNING PLAN MATERIALS TIME (optional)
INTRODUCTION Guiding Questions

· How will students know the purpose for this lesson?

· How will I contextualize the language focus of the lesson?

      
BODY OF THE LESSON – Day 1

For each day of the lesson Include the following:

· What opportunities will students have to practice new language and use it in authentic communicative activities? (pairs, cooperative learning, etc.)

· What questions will I pose to engage students, foster thinking and reasoning, and elicit language production?

· What academic and content vocabulary will students learn?

· How will I monitor the student learning and acquisition of language targets of the lesson?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    
· What learning strategies will they be practicing? In red, note what learning styles are addressed next to each of your learning strategies.

· Selection and application of technologies enhance ELL learning and are appropriate for learning environment and outcomes.

· Include frequent opportunities are provided for students to use the English language in class discussions and interactions with other students. In red, make note of these opportunities and explain how it will benefit your ELL student/students.

      
BODY OF THE LESSON – Day 2

 

      
BODY OF THE LESSON – Day 3

 

      
CLOSING Guiding Questions

· How will I bring closure to the lesson and provide opportunities for student reflection (i.e.., transfer of knowledge/skills)?

      
TECHNOLOGY USE:

· Selection and application of technologies enhance ELL learning and are appropriate for learning environment and outcomes. List your technology choices and explain why they were chosen.

      
TEACHER REFLECTION

(minimum 250 words)

· Reflect on the lesson at the end of your plan and provide the assessment results.  Include a narrative of how the lesson went, and how it improved your instructional practices. Indicate if you would make any changes.

Include not only your thoughts, but also your students’ responses to the lesson.

      
Assessment Results

(minimum 250 words)

· What are your classroom assessment results? What can you determine from this data? Did you make modifications to the assessment for ELL students? If so, explain. Did your ELL students use any accommodations? Include a copy of administered assessment.

      
Five Standards of Effective Pedagogy Narrative (minimum 250 words)

· Reflection for each standard: how did you included the Five Standards of Effective Pedagogy into your lesson plan?

Synthesis Essay

/in /by

In Defense of Lawnmower Parents

By Wendy Wisner

June, 2018/ babble.com

If you’ve been seeing the term “Lawnmower Parenting” floating around the Interwebs lately, you’re not alone. The fairly new buzzword picked up extra steam recently, thanks to a viral post by an anonymous teacher on the website We Are Teachers. “Lawnmower Parents Are the New Helicopter Parents & We Are Not Here for It,” the title reads; and boy, does the author not hold back.

Lawnmower parents are said to be the newest breed of overbearing moms and dads, and the author — a middle school teacher who says she deals with these kind of parents on the daily — is pretty frustrated with the whole thing. Her article has since sparked quite a debate in the parenting world, with plenty of parents nodding their heads in agreement.

Others, like me, aren’t so quick to jump on board.

Instead of just hovering, as helicopter parents are known to do, lawnmower parents basically do anything in their power to protect their kids from struggle or adversity. But as the author argues, “if we eliminate all struggle in children’s younger years, they will not arrive at adulthood magically equipped to deal with failure.”

The teacher goes on to tell the story of a dad who rushed to school one day to drop off a water bottle his daughter had forgotten. She “kept texting [him] that she needed it,” and so he got in his car and raced right over. Unconvinced that coming to school to give your kid their favorite water bottle was an absolute necessity, the teacher (understandably) raised an eyebrow.

In fact, he or she felt it was the ultimate example of how overbearing lawnmower parents “mow obstacles down so kids won’t experience them in the first place.”

As the parent of a newly-minted middle schooler myself, I’ve been thinking about these sorts of issues all week. On the first day of school, for example, my son wasn’t able to find his bus home and missed it.

Some of this had to do with the entire school getting let out at the exact same time, which left my son feeling utterly lost in a crowd of 600 kids. This was compounded by the fact that the school administration didn’t really give the kids much guidance as to how to find their buses. It also didn’t help that my 11-year-old son — bless his heart — is a little scatterbrained sometimes, and isn’t quite as savvy as he will likely be a few years down the road.

When he texted me to say he was stranded at school and asked if I could please pick him up, I had two choices. I could insist that he walk home himself (one mile in the sweltering heat), or I could pick him up (which meant that I had to walk one mile in the sweltering heat to get him, since the family car was not available).

I decided to pick him up. Not because I’m a lawnmower parent, or a helicopter parent, or any kind of parenting label you might want to stick to me. Nope; it was because it was the first day of middle school for my son, he’d had a rough morning, and I wanted to sweeten things by meeting up with him and taking him out for an ice cream cone.

I was doing what felt right to me in the moment, based on many different factors, including the ever-evolving and fluid relationship between me and my son. Because there’s a myriad of ways that I decide — or don’t decide — to challenge him or push his limits.

Looking at the situation from the outside, I’m sure everyone has an opinion about what I should or shouldn’t have done in the situation. I’m sure some would label me a lawnmower parent or say that I’m smothering. The same could be said for the dad who chose to bring his daughter’s water bottle to school. Sure, you could assume that maybe he’s a bit of a push-over, who just bends to his daughter’s every whim. But maybe his daughter was having a really hard week and just needed a little bit of extra TLC that particular day.

Honestly, I don’t know, nor do I care. Because as far as I’m concerned, labeling a particular parenting situation — one you are viewing wholly from the outside, even if you think you know a parent and child — is something we all need to put an end to. It assumes a whole lot that can’t be assumed, and doesn’t really take into account that parent and child’s particular relationship.

Much as we’ve come to lean on these parenting labels, they just further divide us, placing us into black and white boxes. When the truth is, each and every child is so different. Each and every day is so different. And each instance of parenting should be looked at with a fresh set of eyes.

Sometimes it is appropriate to come to our kids’ rescue; other times, it isn’t. But these labels only serve to make us second-guess our instincts, which are multi-layered and complex.

Of course, I understand the importance of teaching our kids independence. But really, when you think about it, there are a million different opportunities for kids to learn independence. It’s kind of just built into life.

When my kids were babies, I was told that if I held them too much, they would never want to crawl, walk, or explore the world. But guess what? My kids managed to do all of those things just fine. There came a day that they literally leapt out of my arms, wanting to figure out how to grab whatever shiny object was in their path, and that was it. The human spirit is bent toward growth and independence.

In many ways, our job as parents is to provide scaffolding for our kids — to help them learn these things little by little, and at their own pace. So in many ways, I might “baby” my middle schooler, because it’s a big, scary world out there as it is. I like to think I go at his pace, with the knowledge that he is only going to feel confident if he is ready to do each new thing, not if it’s thrown in his face by some arbitrary deadline.

And in so many other ways, I step back. I let him make mistakes, learn from them, and own them. Just as I’m sure most of us “lawnmower parents” do when we feel it’s right; regardless of whether or not the world is looking.

(1090 words)

Babble.com is an online magazine and blogging network for young parents “courtesy of Disney.”