Case Study #12
Toby
pp 56 - 60
Questions:
- What type of placement should Toby be placed in? Why?
- If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge's classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
- If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge's class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling other students about his disabilities?
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65 comments:
3.In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
In my opinion, I think Toby should be included partially in mainstream classrooms and most of the time should be spent in segregated classrooms. When in mainstream classrooms, Toby can be exposed to typical behaviors of children, when and how they should behave in certain situations. He can learn from his peers as to show appropriate behaviors in different circumstances. When in segregated classrooms, there are more resources that can cater to his learning needs. Also, curriculum is designed specially to cater to his learning pace. This will address his reading and writing issues.
5.If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Most importantly, Mrs. Ridge should conduct a sharing session with Mrs. McDonald to exchange information about Toby’s learning strengths and weaknesses. Strategies in managing Toby during classroom activities can be discussed. With other regular education teachers, Mrs. Ridge can find out the common classroom practices for typical children which might have affected the learning of children with learning disability. She can compare the practices to what she does in a special needs’ classroom and find out the root cause to Toby’s delayed learning. Thereby, resolving any conflicts in classroom practices and needs of children with learning disabilities.
6.If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about this disability?
Mrs. Ridge could help Toby feel secured emotionally by providing the care and concern. Buddy systems can be implemented so as to help Toby familiarize with the new classroom and practices. Mrs. Ridge should describe some of Toby’s behaviors to the other students and provide them ways in which they can correct his inappropriate behaviors. They should also be allowed to express their opinions or share and discuss Toby’s behaviors in their classroom. Introduce simple terms like “active” instead of using terminology such as “hyperactive”.
- Ng Siew Chin -
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
In my opinion, I think that Toby should be placed in a mainstream class and definitely not in a special needs school as Toby have an IQ that is way above average. However, despite his high cognitive ability, Toby has short attention span and high activity level. He is enthusiastic about trying new tasks but would quickly lose his interest and become distracted. Therefore, I feel that special arrangement involving the interdisplinary team like a behavioral specialist during class activities and/or some time allocated out of the class can teach him strategies to manage his behavior, and to provide support for the teachers. A speech and language therapist can also be engage to help Toby in enhancing his language ability in areas like reading and writing through the therapy sessions.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge can create a collaborative and supportive environment by planning for a universal learning programme that is not only flexible but it also caters to the children’s diverse needs. She can work on the children’s interests first by modifying the curriculum to suit and cater to their capabilities. Mrs. Ridge can also provide a range of activities with differing complexity and allow children to make choices in their learning, one such example is “choice card” and “learning centres” where the children decide what they kind of activities they want to engage in. Furthermore, a teacher support group can be establish so that the teachers can work together, discussed and provide support for each other in building a collaborative classroom for all learners.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
I think that before Toby officially move up to 4th grade. There should be special arrangement for Toby to join his new classmates and his teacher, Mrs. Ridge in their class activities to familiarize Toby to his new learning environment. This will ensure a smoother transition to his new class. Before Toby officially joins the class, Mrs. Ridge can have an open discussion about Toby where she will talk to the children about Toby special abilities and his needs. She will also address the children uncertainties so that they will be more prepared when Toby joins the class. Furthermore, Mrs. Ridge can also assign a buddy to assist Toby in his daily class activities.
Crystal Tan Wei Wei
3) In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in regular education classroom and during part of the school time, he will attend lessons by the special needs educator. This is because although he is an easy target for other students’ abuse, he needs to know how to interact with other children with the help of the regular education teacher and how to tackle problems. Interaction and communication are life-long skills that Toby needs. Mrs. McDonald had also shown that Toby is able to make progression with the techniques that she had used which means with appropriate guidance, regular classroom teacher like Mrs. McDonald can help Toby progress. The regular classroom teachers need to have the basic knowledge of ADHD and work hand in hand with special needs educator to provide appropriate lessons for Toby. From the tests, Toby had shown inconsistency which meant he might not has grabbed the skills yet or was confused. Therefore, Toby should also spend some time with special needs educator to help him progress even more because special needs educator can provide more appropriate activities for him and can spend more quality time with him.
5) If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge could have regular meetings with Mrs. McDonald or other regular education teachers to discuss any problems or strengths or improvements needed. Mrs. Ridge could establish routines, set clear and consistent rules and consequences even in lessons conducted by other regular education teachers. Mrs. Ridge could provide stimulating materials for him to be engaged too. Mrs. Ridge could also invite Mrs. McDonald or other regular education teachers into the classroom at times to observe Toby
6) If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
- At first, explain to Toby about his change of class and I feel that it is important to get his approval as we need to respect how he feels. If agree, Toby then can join Mrs Ridge’s class for a few classes (maybe lessons that she has interest in) to know and interact with some children and get the feel of being in Mrs. Ridge’s class. Gradually, when Toby is ready, he can join the class fully. The teacher can also prepare Toby’s disabilities by telling the other students about his condition and they may have heard before from their friends about Toby. Teacher should allow students to express their concern and provide help if possible. Teacher should also tell students that all can make it in being friend with Toby.
o00oRina Lino00o
1.I think that Toby is capable of being in a regular classroom, but because of this hyperactivity and his inability to concentrate, it would be advisable that he goes to a half day inclusion where the teacher is able to zoom in on what he is weaker at and he would have the full attention with appropriate activities that is catered for him.
2.According to the scores that Toby has reflected on the tests he has done, we can see that his Mathematics is comparable to his grade and that he is above average on percentile rank. His IQ score reflected on his WISC-R scores are also above average, indicating that he is capable of receptive and expressive language abilities, has general knowledge, able to reason, and is capable of co-ordination and gross motor skills.
To create a collaborative environment catering to his abilities, Toby could attend Math lesson in the regular classroom. He could also attend classes that require participation from the students like drama lesson where is able to move around, listen to other people and contribute his opinion whenever necessary.
3.I think that Mrs. Ridge should attend Toby’s regular classroom first, where she is able to know Toby’s character better, what his routine is, and cater to Toby something that he is comfortable in.
Transitions can be made a little at a time, where Toby spends an hour or two with Mrs. Ridge initially emphasizing on his reading skills and concentration span before going there for half a day where more activities are done. On other times, he gets to join the regular class for specific lessons.
As for informing the other children about his disability, the teacher could come up with lessons on people with different abilities and talents, progressively discussing about the different characteristics of every individual. The teacher could explain the behaviour of Toby to the rest of the class. She could let the class pose different questions regarding Toby, at the end of the day ensuring that the class has a positive mindset about his out-of-normal behaviour.
3)In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom with scheduled consultation sessions with the relevant special needs professionals (i.e. 1 hour of consultation with Mrs Ridge, 1 hour with reading and writing specialist daily and behavioural specialist ½ hour for 3 sessions a week). I feel that Toby’s condition is not severe to the point that he has to be placed in Mrs Ridge’s class full time. According to WISC-R, Toby’s scores were above average, namely in his performance IQ. Also, in Mrs McDonald’s class, Toby have shown gradual improvements in his oral reading scores after she tested out 3 different techniques. This supports that with the appropriate strategies such as focusing on his strengths and interest areas of children’s puzzles and more engaging task, Toby is capable to perform well with more time allowance. With collaboration between his classroom teachers and special needs professionals like Mrs Ridge, it is possible that Toby remains in the mainstream classroom.
5) If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Meetings could be held on a regular basis for the discussions of strategies that could benefit both Toby and the other students in class. First of all, the teachers have to make sure that strategies employed in Toby’s classes are consistent. Teachers who have worked with Toby before could also provide feedbacks on his strengths and weaknesses (i.e. strengths- verbal, performance; areas to improve- reading, writing) as well as his interest areas. This may then aid them to plan their lessons similar to how they can build up on each of Toby’s strengths, for example, carry out more discussions verbally instead of writing them out. As researches have shown that children perform better when they are provided with experiences that they are comfortable in, the teachers could probably look to the interests of individual child in class and implement differentiated instructions such as various learning corners and tasks.
6) If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
As Toby may be more familiar and comfortable with Mrs McDonald, she could help by orientating and explaining to Toby that he is going to a new class. Mrs McDonald as well as Toby’s parents can help Toby to predict and prepare himself for the new environment. In class, Mrs Ridge could show recognition for Toby’s feelings towards his new environment. Tasks that he performs well in (i.e. puzzles) could be given to Toby so that it could make him feel confident about himself in the new class. She could also help the other students understand Toby’s disability by highlighting his strengths to his friends. Mrs Ridge could explain to them that Toby needs more time and patience from everyone and she could also enlist the help of the other students. To help Toby adapt to his new environment and be accepted by his peers, Mrs Ridge could implement engaging group activities that require more output of energy (i.e. telematch, field trips), and also assign a buddy system for Toby and the rest of the students.
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should continue to be in Mrs. McDonald’s class, and also be in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom for a few hours in a day, or for a few times in a week, depending on his class schedules. It is to help him in his reading and writing, which are his main learning problems. With Mrs. Ridge, whom I assume is equipped with the necessary skills to help Toby as she is a LD teacher, she would be able to aid Toby appropriately in his development in reading and writing. Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald should create a partnership in dealing with Toby because I feel that it would be of a greater help rather than him being in either one of their classes. There would then be a balance - improvements in reading and writing while spending a few hours with Mrs. Ridge, and also a maintained academic progress in other subject areas while in Mrs. McDonald’s class.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
To create a collaborative environment, she can update Mrs. McDonald and other regular education teachers about her observations on Toby, his progress, how he is able to achieve certain things, and what kinds of strategies worked with Toby. Also, she can ask these teachers about their opinions and the observations which they have regarding Toby, about what actually helps and what does not.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling other students about his disability?
Firstly, Toby should be informed of the changes that will occur in his daily schedule. Students should be informed about Toby’s characteristics, his strengths, and also the ways in which he learns. Through knowing how Toby learns, students may help him in his learning in the most appropriate way when it comes to group and pair work.
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I think that Toby should be placed in a special education school. As he needs different instruction and method to learn the basic skills compare to his peers. However, the teachers did not pay attention to his problem and provide him quality time he needed. Thus in a special education school, Toby will be placed in a smaller ratio class and more individualized plan will be design for his needs. When his basic skills are built and in good foundation, he can still attend mainstream school. As he is intelligent and focus in doing work, however his difficulty in reading caused a barrier to his learning so when his problem is solved I believe that he can learn just like his typical peers.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could be she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Firstly, Mrs Ridge needs to find out from Mrs. McDonald what she had observe about Toby and what are the learning strategies that suits Toby or what should be avoided using. Next, she can share her plan for Toby with Mrs McDonald or other regular education teachers and discuss if it is visible for Toby. Then she can try out her method and again discuss with Mrs. McDonald or other regular teachers what works for Toby vice versa.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
Mrs. Ridge can provide Toby with puzzle that is what he is good at to make him feel good in the new classroom. She can also put him near her and assign him a buddy who is not so active as him. She can also assign him duties or chance for decision making to make him feel part of the class. The teacher can tell other children that Toby is a very active boy and some of the things he will do but he is still like every one of us and he can solve puzzle very fast. Alternatively, the teacher can use stories or dramatic play to tell other students about his disability.
In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
Considering what’s best for Toby, I think he should placed in a special needs class led by the LD teacher, Mrs. Ridge. Since young, he hasn’t been performing well in general education classrooms. His hyperactivity and short attention span makes it difficult for his teachers in the past to structure lessons that will meet his needs. As a result, according to the WRAT Scores he is below average in some of the most basic learning skills, especially in reading and spelling. Considering his age, I feel that that his learning problems need to be addressed urgently, more than his behavioural problems. However to counter his learning problems, his behavioural problems must be addressed first. And, I feel that this can not be made possible if he remains in Ms. McDonald’s classroom. A proper structured class led by Mrs. Ridge will address both his behavioural and learning problems.
If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald can have regular meetings to discuss Toby’s performance in class. They could work together to determine what’s best for him and how it can be achieved in a specific time. Over time, the teachers could review his performance in accordance to the goals set earlier. The frequency of the meetings, I suppose, depends on the progress Toby makes. It could be as frequents as once a week or bi-weekly, to as rare as once a month.
If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
To ensure a smooth transition, perhaps his teachers could arrange for visits to Mrs. Ridge’s class before the actual moving to that class. During these visits, Mrs. Ridge can introduce herself, the classroom and his classmates. Considering that Toby has an above average ability in receptive and expressive language (WISC-R Score), perhaps he could be encouraged to introduce himself to his new classmates. His new classmates could also then introduce themselves. This could serve as an ice breaker activity. Toby could also be allowed to sit in and participate in one or two lessons to have ‘a feel’ of what his new classroom will be like. Other ice breaker activities could also be organised, especially those that are movement based, since his psycho motor abilities are above average according to the WISC-R Scores and also, because he is naturally ‘always on the ball’.
Before Toby comes in to visit his new classroom, Mrs. Ridge can prepare the students by telling them that they will have a new friend joining them. She can do this through discussions, story telling and dramatisation.
3)
At a glance, it seems impossible to place Toby in an inclusive classroom as he is constantly disrupting the classes. His ADHD can be considered quite severe as classes get constantly disrupted by him. A friend who is a studying to be a psychologist shared his thoughts and thinks Toby should be place in a segregated school and his symptoms should be trained and minimize before he is able to be in an inclusive settings. However, in my opinion, no matter how difficult things may seem at first, Toby can be placed in an inclusive classroom with a strong support system from people around him such as teachers, classmates and learning disabilities teacher. With Individualized Education Plan, differentiated instructions for Toby, inclusive learning will be less challenging than before. It is not to say that things will be smooth sailing, but challenges are overcome in small steps. Success will not come easy though but Toby has been showing improvements when proper guidance was given.
In my opinion, Toby can be placed in a regular classroom with inclusive teaching adaptations but he will still need to attend class with the other children with learning disabilities in the initial stage. This will allow Toby to identify and learn how to cope with his disabilities as he also needs a lot of individual attention in order to improve on his grades.
Gradually, teachers may want to put him into a regular class full time when he is able to sits in a class with minimal disruption.
5)
In order for both teachers to achieve maximum potential for Toby, they have to find common ground to bring out the best from Toby. Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald should have constant communication and feedback with regards to Toby’s development and progress. They can both discuss on the how to tap on his strengths and convert his weakness into strengths.
Both of them together Toby’s parents and his therapist can meet up and plan for Toby’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Mrs. Ridge could lend her expertise by preparing and equipping Mrs. McDonald on instructional approaches for students with learning disabilities.
Since Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, it is important the environment should be conducive to his learning and his needs are met. Mrs. Ridge can also share teaching models combining direct instruction and strategy instruction with Mrs. McDonald or other regular education teachers so that there is a flow in both classrooms to provide continuity in Toby’s learning.
6)
Before starting class proper, Toby should be told beforehand on the changes occurring. A “mini orientation” can be organized for him to expose him to his new environment and his classmates. The teacher may want to share and educate the other classmates about his disability, what to expect, what to do and what not to do. Should there be any questions or feedback with regards to Toby, the other students can approach her to ask questions. Other than that, there should also be an Individualized Education Plan for Toby which will help in promoting child adjustment and the generalization of the skills.
His parents may want to sit in for the first two days of the class to help Toby adapt to his new surroundings. As seen from the case study, Toby is enthusiastic to try out new things and this may be to his advantage to help him adapt to the new surroundings. Teacher may look into including direct instruction approach which includes a number of presentation techniques designed to maximize Toby’s attention and involvement in learning which includes small-group instruction, using response signals and pacing.
With all these measures put into place, Toby should be able to successfully adjust to his new environment.
Syafiqah
Grp A
Jasmine Chua
(Qn.3)
I think that Toby could actually be placed in a semi inclusive environment, spending times in both special needs and the typical classroom. I feel that he should be given the opportunity to mingle with the typical children to perhaps learn pro social skills as he is developing typically. However, he does need time in a special education class as he may need more specialised attention when working on academic subjects. This is as Toby seems to have problems only in certain areas such as mathematics and language.
(Qn.5)
Perhaps they could work together to create constant environments for Toby. For example, they could use similar reinforcement systems to encourage Toby. Besides that, the teachers could also work together to go through Toby’s progress over the terms and take note of his strengths and weaknesses. This way, planning of activities that could cater to his, and the typical children could both be met.
(Qn.6)
The teacher’s should not stress on the point that he was moving to a different class due to his disability, but rather explain to the children that Toby needed extra help on certain tasks, and hence the shift in classes. To help his transition, Toby could have a gradual move to the other class, by starting him off with perhaps an hour a day in that class, then have the time spent there increased over time. Of course, Toby himself should be told the fact that he would be shifting classes to prepare him for the change in environment and classmates. Teachers should also be alongside with him to keep him assured and comfortable.
In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a setting whereby he would get teachers like Mrs. McDonald. Toby definitely needs more attention, and a setting where there are lesser children. Toby needs more revisions than the other students in his class, and therefore his teachers would spend more time going through the lesson with him. Also, he tends to need more attention than his other friends. It is essential for him to understand why some actions are inappropriate for him to carry out, and why. When they want to reject Toby’s requests, reasonable rejections should be done, and Toby should understand the reason. For example, he needs to know why is it wrong for him to climb up the bookshelves. These must be done with positive reasons from the teachers.
If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
I feel that Mrs. McDonald would still need to be around for Toby for another short period of time. That is because she knows where Toby is progressing and is aware of his problems, and how to help him. She is also clear about Toby’s other strength and can help Mrs. Ridge in handling Toby’s bad days. Other regular education teachers can also provide suggestions for activities that might interests Toby. For example, he likes puzzles and is good at it, more puzzles related activities can be used to build up Toby’s character, and letting him
If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling other students about his disability?
Mrs. Ridge can start to build a relationship with Toby, and getting to know him better.
The teacher can read stories about Toby’s learning disability and hyperactivity to the class. That would help them to understand why Toby is always on the move, and have a fidgety behavior. Also, the other students should also be aware of how to let Toby feel comfortable. This does not meant that they have to accommodate everything towards Toby, but instead, it helps them recognize why some of Toby’s preferences might be different from them.
-Woo HuiJing, Evon-
Q3.
I feel that Toby should stop the education curriculum that he is presently attending and have some private tutoring to establish his language foundation first. Gradually, as his foundation is built and development is closely on par with his peers in the mainstream classroom, he can attend the mainstream classroom for half a day, and have private tutoring for the other half of the day. This will cater to Toby’s learning needs and at the same time, have an ‘inclusive curriculum’ to prepare him better for the future ‘inclusion environment’. However, before officially placing Toby in a placement, it must be done with Toby’s consent! I strongly believe, for Toby’s development to be stretched to his fullest potential, Toby’s comfort in the environment is the most important factor.
Q5.
Mrs. Ridge could share some classroom management techniques to help Mrs. McDonald feel more empowered to teach Toby in the class. Mrs. Ridge could also have a step-by-step teaching guide on how to help Toby learn in class for Mrs. McDonald. A pool of resources could be shared amongst the teachers too. Frequent discussions and check on how each other is doing (Mrs. McDonald’s progress, emotionally and mentally, and Toby’s development) could also help to ensure an effective environment for learning.
Q6.
Mrs. Ridge could explain to Toby the ‘house rules’, expectations and guidelines to follow in her class. A brief introduction to the class and Toby’s future classmates could also be done to increase familiarity in the class. Mrs. Ridge could tell and explain to the class Toby’s needs. In a positive manner, she could also tell the class the things and reasons Toby may do certain things that may be different from the norm of the class.
- yourSPNS7! :D
isabella groupB
Question 3
Firstly, I would suggest letting Toby stay in a general education classroom for majority of the subject areas. This is because Toby’s WISC-R scores suggest that he is capable cognitively. Additionally, his results from the Silvaroli Classroom Reading Inventory indicated that his listening comprehension was at a fourth grade level which is higher than his current level of third grade. However, he would probably need to have speech and language therapies for his deficits in the areas of reading, writing and reading comprehension which yielded a score of below average for most areas. Considering his low achievement in the area of independent reading level and instruction level being in the first and second grade level and inability to remember sight words, therapy sessions outside the general education classroom should be made available in order for him to catch up. Moreover, additional help from the speech and language therapist should also be made available, especially during the English language classes. In addition, it would also be appropriate for him to have assistive technologies such as the Text- to- Speech (TTS) system; where lengthy texts or phonetic transcriptions into speech. In this way, it is expounding on his ability in listening comprehension.
Question 5
She could reassure and encourage them for their efforts and hold regular meetings with them to discuss about Toby’s progress and take their views into consideration where appropriate. She could also review and share her observations with them, to let them see that despite the fact that Toby has changed classes, they can still play a part in his education.
Question 6
She could start with integrating him into her classroom for a few lessons at a time initially and integrate him fully when he is seen to be adapting. The teacher could talk to the students about Toby before allowing him to join the other students for informal meetings and discussions.
Serena Teo/ Class B
Case Study #12 – Toby
3)In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
Toby should be placed in an inclusion classroom with special programs included. Related service should be done outside of the classroom but within the school premise. It is because the classroom is a busy area and may be distracting for Toby to concentrate due to his hyperactivity and learning disability. In addition, he also had short attention span on activities. Hence, Toby needs one to one interaction and guidance from the teacher.
5)If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs Ridge could sit-in in Mrs McDonald’s class during curriculum time. She could provide co-teaching support to Mrs McDonald by devising modified lesson plans and fragmented learning instructions which are clear and specific to aid Toby in his learning. After Toby had finish his lessons with Mrs McDonald, Toby could received learning support from Mrs Ridge. She would help Toby to identify letters, pronounce words or subjects which he had difficulty in.
6)If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
Mrs McDonald can bring the modified activity for Toby into Mrs Ridge’s class. Mrs Ridge can provide Toby with one to one assistance and at the same time give him a sense of continuity from Mrs McDonald’s class. We would allocate a personal space for Toby within the classroom so that Mrs Ridge could take Toby from the big group to his personal space or area and conduct the activity as usual. This is to ensure that Toby will not feel segregated from his peers and is still within the same classroom premise. Mrs McDonald should share information about Toby’s disabilities with her students when Toby goes for his ‘other’ lessons. She should explain what is expected from the students to accommodate Toby’s learning disability.
Done by:
Madeline Tan
Group B
Q3) I think that Toby should be placed in Mrs. McDonald’s regular class and at the same time, make adjustments to attend Mrs. Ridge’s LD class. As seen by his test scores, he performed above average on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children but performed poorly on basically, language skills. Toby could function as well as typical developing children. When placed in a regular classroom, Toby could learn together and from his peers during group discussions. He is an intelligent child who just needs more help in his language abilities. Therefore, engaging a teacher like Mrs. Ridge to further help Toby work on his language skills would benefit him.
5) Mrs. Ridge could work together with Mrs. McDonald’s by reinforcing that which Mrs. McDonald did with Toby, reading stories and reviewing words that were misread. They could have a log book to update each another on Toby’s progress.
Mrs Ridge could also work together with other regular education teachers by sharing with them the activities that she is doing with Toby and together, come up with activities that reinforce what Toby is learning in order for Toby to succeed.
6) Mrs. Ridge could get Toby to write his name on a piece of paper and go to the students in her class to introduce himself. He will show the students his name and read it out loud. The students in Mrs. Ridge class could introduce themselves to Toby as well. This will help Toby gain a sense of belonging in the classroom and control over the transition from his regular education class to Mrs. Ridge’s class.
Mrs. Ridge could use story-telling to handle telling the other students about Toby’s disability. She could also talk about Toby’s disability to the other students using terms that they will understand in order to prepare them for Toby’s behaviours in the future.
Geraldine Liu
Group A
Question 3
I feel that Toby should be placed in an inclusive setting as he has proved that he is able to achieve and improve if the right strategies are employed to engage him. Therefore an inclusive setting would be encouraging for him as, after all, he has been in a regular classroom all his life and sudden drastic changes as to totally remove him from the regular classroom might be too much for Toby. With adequate support from both the regular class teacher and Mrs. Ridge, I feel that Toby will be able to progress even further.
Question 5
If Toby were placed in Mrs. Ridge’s class, she could arrange for a timetable that included at least one participation timeslot in each of the regular classes. Mrs. Ridge could meet with each teacher and get the lesson outline from them so that she may review the lesson’s content with Toby prior to the actual lesson with the regular class teacher. Mrs. Ridge could also have regular meetings with the regular classroom teacher to assess Toby’s improvements and refine goals for him to achieve.
Question 6
I feel that both Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Ridge should sit with Toby and his parent and tell him that the arrangement is to help him learn better and that he would still be able to play with his friends. Mrs. Ridge could plan for Toby to visit her classroom to familiarize him with the setting. She can arrange for his seat to be allocated and labeled with his name, along with his cubby hole so as to allow him to feel accepted into her classroom and also tour around the classroom to look at the works created by his soon-to-be classmates. She could also brief him on the timetable in her classroom and the rules that the class adhere to with the children of her class on the subsequent visit.
Mrs. McDonald could read stories on learning disabilities to introduce her class to this topic and discuss ways their peers can help these children and the right manner to handle these situations; e.g. whether if bullying them is the right thing to do just because they were different. Probably after a day or two after this lesson is carried out, Mrs. McDonald can raise the fact that Toby has a learning disability and that he would be going to Mrs. Ridges class during circle time.
Audrey Chen
Group B
Done By: Koh Han Ni
Q3) I think that Toby should be place in a segregated setting. In an inclusive setting, Toby displayed difficulties in completing his tasks as the activity might be beyond his capabilities. On top of that, Mrs MacDonald does not have the opportunities to spend one-to-one time with Toby to assist his learning. As a result, Toby performed poorly in his academic area. Whereas in a segregated setting, Toby could to receive the appropriate education that would best support his learning in the classroom. The teachers would plan and implement the curriculum and activity according to the goals that they have set for Toby. As a result, the teachers would be able to reach out and meet the needs of Toby. And also, professionals would work closely with Toby to support his learning. In this way, the professionals could stretch his competence which in turn enables him to achieve more in his learning.
Q5) I think that Mrs Ridge could discuss and exchange information about Toby with Mrs MacDonald. For instance, they could communicate about Toby’s strengths and area of weakness and also the behaviors that Toby will exhibit during lesson. In this way, Mrs Ridge could develop goals and plans that will best meet Toby’s needs. In addition, with a deeper understanding about Toby’s development, Mrs Ridge could know the strategies and skills to employ to support his learning. For instance, through the discussion with Mrs MacDonald, Mrs Ridge could know the level of ability that Toby is at, and thus she could use differentiated instructions in the classroom so as to ensure that Toby is able to go along with pace of the lesson.
Q6) To help Toby to cope with his transition, Mrs Ridge could communicate and discuss with the IEP team about the upcoming transition. During the discussion they could talk about Toby’s level of performance in his current placement and the type of supports which could help him adjust to the new environment. In addition, Toby’s parents could prepare Toby about the routine in the new setting. For instance, they can talk about what it's going to be like at school and what he will be doing in the school. To help the other students in the classroom to understand about Toby’s disabilities, Mrs Ridge could tell them the behaviour that Toby might exhibit in class and also to explain the reason for occurring. The teacher could also tell the students the difficulties and challenges that Toby is experiencing so that they could understand and respond to Toby in positive and self-loving ways.
Koh Han Ni
Group B
Questions to Case Study 12, Toby:
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I think that Toby should be placed in an integrated classroom. This still allows Toby to interact with peers his age and be exposed to subjects and themes appropriate to his age. Although the test results show’s that his reading is behind his peers but with support from the LD teacher for certain hours a day, he would be able to catch up in time without leaving his regular education classroom and friends who can be of significant support to his learning as well.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
I feel that Mrs. Ridge should strive to still keep Toby in Mrs. McDonald’s class. Mrs. Ridge can share her experiences and strategies with Mrs. McDonald to see that although teaching Toby while coping with the other students can be tough but it can be done. Mrs. Ridge can continue to share information about Toby’s progress in her classroom while Mrs. Ridge can also create and implement activities with the help and support from other regular education teachers that include students from regular classroom and her LD classroom that brings both classes together and learning together with peer support and teacher’s facilitation.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
Firstly, if Toby does transit to Mrs. Ridge’s class, Toby can progressively attend her lessons while still attend Mrs. McDonald classes for about a week. Toby also has to learn to make new friends in the new environment. This will help make the transition easier when he knows he will have peers to work with in the new class. Once he is used to Mrs. Ridge’s class he can then attend her lessons regularly. However, before he attends Mrs. Ridge’s class, Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald should sit down with Toby to talk about the up coming changes in the classroom and explain the reasons for the change in order to mentally prepare Toby for the changes that suddenly implementing the switch in the classrooms.
Secondly, Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald can talk to their classes about the changes that were about to happen with their classes without the presence of Toby. The class has to understand that their friend from Mrs. McDonald’s class is not leaving due to his misbehaviors but learning difficulties. She can use a story with a child who is different to illustrate Toby’s difficulties and then have a discussion about how the class feels and their responses about Toby and the changes that are about to happen.
3) In my opinion, Toby should be placed in an integrated classroom because his strengths and weaknesses are at the extreme ends of the spectrum. For example, his arithmetic standard score in WRAT and broad mathematics standard score in WJPB was 90 and 78 respectively. This is considered slightly above the average scores and proved that Toby is excelling in mathematics. However, his reading standard score in WRAT and broad reading standard score in WJPB was 77 and 34 respectively. This is slightly below the normal average scores and showed that Toby is not excelling in this area. Therefore, by placing Toby in an integrated classroom, whereby he can join the regular classroom for arithmetic, which is his strengths and joining the LD class for reading, Toby would be able to learn at a comfortable rate.
5) Mrs Ridge could collaborate with other teachers by having Toby in the regular classrooms during mathematics since that is his strength. By doing so, Toby would not feel too demoralized for being in an LD class and it gives him an avenue to acknowledge his strength.
6) To facilitate the transition, Toby could be brought into Mrs Ridge’s class for an hour or so every day for a week and gradually increase the amount of time spent in the Mrs Ridge’s class as time goes by. Toby could also be sent for counseling, to assure him that Mrs Ridge class is not for “losers” or the “slow people”. The teacher should inform the other students about his disability when Toby is around and not discreetly to avoid unnecessary speculation. Teacher could also explain to other students that they can play a part in helping Toby overcome his disability by being gracious and helping him as when necessary.
Nurfarah Mohamed
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
Toby should continue to be in the normal classrooms with his friends. However, the classroom teacher should vary their teaching methods to cater to each child’s learning styles. For example, Toby is a very kinesthetic learner. The teacher should adapt to his learning styles by conducting movement games such as “spelling bee” and “word hunt”. Toby’s next strength would be his listening comprehension skills. The teacher should work on his strength by creating a “listening station” for children to listen to CDs of read-along-stories while referring to the storybooks provided.
4. How do you think Mrs. McDonald feels about placing Toby in the LD classroom?
I think Mrs. McDonald felt not right and unfair to include Toby in the LD classroom. This is because she found out that firstly, according to Toby’s WISC-R Test results, his IQs are slightly above average (all above 100). Secondly, according to his WJPB Test results, he scores high average for his mathematics (112). Thirdly, his listening comprehension is at the forth grade level. Therefore, I believe that she feels that if Toby’s needs and attention are being met, it is very likely for him to meet the standards and to reach his fullest capacity.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
I think Mrs. Ridge can help Toby by providing him a differentiated and specialized instructions especially during English lessons. Mrs. Ridge can work together with Mrs. McDonald or the other first and second grade teachers. She can collect their activity sheets and lesson plans as a guide and sample to facilitate Toby in class. In addition, Mrs. Ridge can also provide him extra classes in one-to-one oral reading like how Mrs. McDonald has conducted to master his r controlled sounds, diphthongs, word endings and silent consonants.
Nurul Izzah
Group B
Hu Huazhen Dawn Group B
3) Toby should be located full-time placement in a mainstream class with additional support. As seen from the case study, Mrs McDonald implemented different techniques for Toby over a month during reading class. His reading improved but was having problems in his writing language. Thus, with a multidisciplinary approach, the teacher could establish the need for accommodation. In addition, according to Heward (2006), children with learning disability perform better in an inclusive general education classroom. Additional support from the Learning Support Coordinator is able to assist the teacher in teaching methods or management strategies. Even though Toby is experiencing difficulty in social functioning, with his peers, the teachers can provide activities to involve Toby and his peers instead of placement in special education programmes.
5) She should constantly provide updates on Toby’s condition with the other regular education teachers, holding weekly group meetings or sessions. This would help improve and provide immediate service and instruction for them. During group meetings, all teachers should share a common goal and understand Toby’s disability. Mrs Ridge could emphasize that there are many solutions and ways to address his learning disability. Toby’s needs, expectations, and ideas should be blended into shared understanding and mutually-agreed upon solutions. Mrs Ridge could also allow Mrs McDonald to take on an assisting role in her classroom, ensuring that co-teaching is involved while meeting the needs of Toby. Therefore, everyone is able to evaluate the outcomes and take on a supportive role in a collaborative environment.
6) Mrs Ridge could inform Toby that he would be required to move to her classroom as she could work with him on his writing and reading skills. She can show a positive attitude towards his transition and establish an expectation that he would be able to perform the required task in her classroom. Mrs Ridge can give a tour of her classroom with Toby to make him feel at ease and comfortable in the setting. Encouragement to boost Toby’s self esteem in his reading and writing skills and allow him to talk about his work while reviewing his expectations. Stay close to him and employ a peer or partner to assist him. In addition, books on ADHD is used to illustrate his disability in order to begin discussion. Mrs Ridge could discuss with the other children on why Toby would behave differently from other children in the class. She can point out many ways in which Toby is similar to everybody and offer them tips for interacting with the Toby instead of teasing his disability.
Hu Huazhen Dawn Group B
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should e placed and why?
The tests done by the psychologist, Mr. Zombie, enable me to identify a few areas which Toby obtained grade of his level or even higher. For instance, he performed above average on Wechsler Intelligence Scale. His arithmetic, board mathematic and knowledge score were average. After reading the case study and identifying his strengths, I feel that his learning difficulties in the language aspect can be minimize if teachers implement language activities that are appropriate for his development level. In addition, practicing different teaching techniques that support his learning difficulties will also be beneficial for his development.
Therefore, I feel that partial inclusion is the type of placement he need such that part of his day will be spend in LD teacher – Mrs. Ridge class and the other part of the day will be send in Mrs. McDonald’s class. Moreover, Mrs. Ridge who is trained in the area of special education can help her class can focus on activities that provide Toby with the support required to cope with his learning difficulties in the language aspect. On the other hand, Mrs. McDonald’s class can focus on Toby’s strength such as Mathematics and areas of improvement on his social developments with his peers.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge can create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or other regular education teachers by having frequent and consistent communications with each other. This can be achieved by holding a meeting each week to discuss and share information about Toby’s development and performance. If teachers are faced with time constraint, information can also communicated through emails or communication book. Assessments and test done by Toby should also be shared among his respective teachers as this will ensure common understanding in his development. In addition, Mrs. Ridge can invite Mrs. McDonald and other teachers to observe Toby’s behaviors and performance in the LD classroom. Similarly, Mrs. Ridge can also request to observe Toby in his regular classroom. Through the observations, both Mrs. Ridge and regular education teachers will be able to identify the effective teaching techniques, strategies and activities implemented by different teacher. This will ensure consistency in the teaching practices used by different teacher which will be beneficial for Toby’s development. It also allows teachers to assist each other by providing suggestions in making improvements in the teaching strategies used or activities implemented.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
Mrs. Ridge can try to build rapport with Toby before he transit to her class. This can be done by joining Toby in his class with Mrs. McDonald and be involved in the activities that Toby participates in. Teacher should explain to Toby’s peers about his learning difficulties and the reason for attending lesson in Mrs. Ridge’s class. This can be done by providing children with examples. An example can be, when they face difficulties in their studies, their parents will send them for remedial classes where they will be able to gain the support needed to cope with the difficulties faced which is similar to Toby’s case. Teacher can introduce storybooks about Learning Disability and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to provide students with better understanding about Toby’s special needs. In addition, teachers can also discuss with students about their worries of have Toby as their classmate. The different ways of assisting Toby’s learning and the appropriate ways of treating him can also be discussed.
Tan Yi Jun
Group A
Q3: In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be place in the special education programe in his community, and attends a special education school. From the test results of the WISC-R, WRAT and WJPB scores, I could see that Toby displayed great difficulty in his literacy development. In addition, I believe that specially-trained teachers would be able to better handle and understand Toby’s behavioural problems. The teacher-student ratio in special education schools is smaller and thus is more conducive to Toby’s learning development; as it has shown in the case study, he strives when he is in a one-to-one interaction environment.
Q5: If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
To create a collaborative environment between Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Ridge, I feel that both of them perhaps could meet up once every 1 or 2 weeks to review Toby’s progress. At the same time, it encourages open communication between both parties as they share the problems faced and then suggest solutions to the problems.
Q6: If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
Instead of handling him written worksheets in class, provide simple visual-aids related assignments for him to complete; allows for smooth transition into special education class. The teacher perhaps could inform the children that there will be a new student joining them in their class, and that he is assigned the “Class Monitor” to assist the teacher in handling out materials. (to gratify Toby’s needs to move around)
Jasmine Chong
Group B
Qn 3.In my opinion, I think that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom instead of a segregated class. Even though he is facing learning and developmental problems in terms of his reading and writing, generally, Toby is still a very bright child. In fact, he has an average Verbal IQ and a superior Performance IQ. His full scale also reflected that his IQ score is above average. However, for Toby to be successful in the regular classroom, we need to have differentiated instruction catered for him. It would be much more effective to have an IEP for Toby and teachers and professionals could work towards the goals stated in the IEP. Perhaps, we could also have a reading specialist to work with him on a weekly basis. Teachers could make use of different strategies to cater to diverse needs of learners, including Toby, to help him succeed in the regular classroom.
Qn 5.Mrs. Ridge could maintain communication with Mrs. McDonald to find out more about how Toby was in the regular class. I think that both teachers should work closely together in order to help Toby improve and succeed. Mrs. Ridge should not feel hesitated to learn from Mrs. McDonald and vice versa. They could continue to share and discuss about Toby’s learning and development. It must be noted, however, that communication should be positive to maintain such collaboration.
Qn 6.For a start, Toby could visit Mrs. Ridge’s classroom for a few hours a day. During this time, he could participate in the activities and start making friends already. As Toby gradually got warmed up with the new class, the transition period will be smoother. Toby should also be informed of the change before hand. Teachers should be able to explain to Toby about the purpose of the placement and he should be able to see the change positively. As for informing the other students, teachers should communicate Toby’s learning difficulties tactfully. Teachers could emphasize on Toby’s strengths, and explained that even though Toby is a bright child, he still faced a little difficulty in terms of learning to read and write. Therefore, a different placement might be necessary to help Toby learn and improve.
the above comment is from
Low Shilin Jacelyn
Group A
3) I think given the fact that Toby is being overly active in class and becoming quite a problem for the teacher to handle at times, he should be placed in the preschool in a half-day program. Assessments have been done to determine Toby’s reading abilities and judging from the test scores, Toby needs some serious help in his reading abilities. A half-day program in preschool would be recommended for Toby to perform normal daily routines of interaction with his peers and teachers. The afternoons can be spent with a reading specialist, who will help Toby with his reading. In this way, Toby will be able to benefit and improve on his reading and eventually he will be able to revert back to a full day program in the preschool for his education.
5) I think what Mrs Ridge could do is to establish a weekly meet up with Mrs McDonald to share and discuss about Toby’s progress in the class. From there, the two teachers, seeking the help of a reading specialist and other fellow teachers, can help to plan for Toby’s curriculum in school. Mrs Ridge should also work closely with Mrs McDonald to know of Toby’s past academic results as well as social and emotional behaviours when with peers and teachers. In this way, Mrs Ridge will be able to understand and know beforehand everything about Toby so that she can prepare the class and herself when Toby comes in.
6) I think firstly, it is important to help him be able to focus after being transferred over from another class, hence it is important for him to sit in the front row so that Mrs Ridge is able to take notice of him. Have daily routines that will create clear expectations of what is expected of Toby. Mrs Ridge could also engage him in activities that he enjoys and excels in. Praising him for positive behaviours and doing work (whether it is done correctly or not) will also help Toby to feel accomplished and will want to achieve better. It is also important that Toby is accepted in the new environment so his new classmates play an important role in helping him to do so. As a teacher, it is Mrs Ridge’s duty to inform the other students beforehand about the disability Toby is having. She should also explain some of the implications of this disability and encourage the students to be supportive towards helping Toby to be accepted in the class. In doing so, Toby will be able to gain both support from teachers and peers and with the help of a curriculum that is designed to help him, he will be able to improve gradually and also gain love and support from people who genuinely care for him.
report from SPNS11 =)
In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom because his Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (WISC-R) Full IQ score is 119, which is high average. His verbal IQ is at average while his performance IQ is at superior level. This shows his intelligence is at the same level of typical children of his age. By putting him in a separate class with other children with special needs, the LD teacher will have lower standards for him and thus, his potential will not be fully stretched. Furthermore, I think that Toby refused to worksheets properly because he felt discouraged to even try and not because he is unable to do it. Therefore, Toby can learn in a regular classroom with modified curriculum and instructions, while his language teacher can give him additional lessons few times a week to cope with his difficulty in reading words.
If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs McDonald or with other regular education teacher?
Mrs Ridge can first observe Toby is his regular classroom and teach him reading skills. When she has enough information from his regular teachers, test results and understands more about Toby’s learning difficulties, she can have a meeting with his regular education teachers. They can discuss together what Toby’s challenges are and come up with solutions to help him cope with his problems in lessons by modifying the curriculum to meet his needs. Mrs Ridge and Mrs McDonald can come up with reading or language goals for Toby as well as to discuss what activities are suitable for him that he can focus on, such as matching big font word cards instead of worksheets.
If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disabilities?
Perhaps, the transition would be easier for Toby as the time he stays in Mrs Ridge’s class slowly increase. For example, Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class for an hour in the first week, a couple of hours in the second week, half days in the third week and full-time starting on the fourth week. Or gradually increase the number of days he is in Mrs Ridge class.
One in-direct way to tell the other children about his disabilities is through social activities. The teacher can plan pair and group works and give tasks that Toby is able to achieve; peer learning can help other students to accept Toby’s differences. For example during reading comprehension activity, a member of the group can read out the passage. Hence, Toby can understand the text and answer the questions as a group. The teacher can read to the class story about a student with learning disabilities and the class can discuss about the story together.
___
Koh Feng Yan Yvette
Group B
3)As seen from the evaluations conducted by the school psychologist, Toby performed above average on the WISC-R and in his broad mathematics standard score and broad knowledge standard score (WJPB) but was weaker in his reading and spelling. Therefore, I feel that Toby should be placed in a general education classroom where his strengths could be further developed. However, I feel that in order for Toby to succeed in the general education classroom, there need to be some form of supports which cater to his diverse learning needs. For instance, the provision of resource room enables Toby to receive intensive, individualized instruction that target on his weaker areas.
5)Mrs. Ridge could share some information on learning disability, such as the characteristics, with the regular education teachers so that they would have some understanding on this form of disability and better understand why Toby behaved in certain ways. Next, Mrs. Ridge could work together with the teachers by tapping on each other skills and resources to design instructions or activities that support Toby’s learning.
6)Mrs. Ridge could provide Toby with activities that made him succeed and boost his self-esteem. I think Toby would be able to adapt to the new environment more easily when he could find tasks that he was able to accomplish. In addition, Mrs. Ridge could plan some class-bonding games, for instance, “Follow the Leader”. In this game, Toby could have a chance to become the leader and this would make him feel a greater sense of responsibility and also build up his confidence. The teacher could invite the class to find information on learning disability. In addition, she could invite the children to dramatize some of the situations where students with learning disability might encounter. Next, after the dramatization, teacher could get the class to discuss about or reflect on the challenges or problems that students with this disability may face.
Cai Wanqin
Q3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular class because firstly, in Mrs. Macdonald’s class, Toby showed no apparent disruption to the class; he mostly laid his head on the desk whenever he is tired or frustrated with his work. Secondly, Toby was actually able to perform well in his reading tasks on some days, probably with the aid of medication in helping to control his inattentiveness. Thirdly, with the suggestion of the principal, Mrs. Macdonald tried three different pre-referral intervention techniques with Toby and he actually was able to reduce his error rate in reading. This goes to show that he is able to learn well if appropriate strategies were in place. And last but not least, in the various psychoeducational assessments, Toby actually scored above average on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R). And in the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), Toby scored relatively high in his Arithmetic, while in the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery (WJPB) his Mathematics scored an even higher average score and knowledge, an average score. Therefore, with all the above reasons, I do not see a need in placing Toby in a special education class.
Q5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. Macdonald or with other regular education teachers?
If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, she could create a collaborative environment with Mrs. Macdonald or other regular education teachers by arranging a time schedule for Toby where he could have the best of both worlds – regular and special education classes; preferably a timetable where Toby could attend both classes, half-day each. It would be optimal if Toby is able to attend his favourite subject classes during the time in the regular class, i.e. Mathematics. The teachers could also come together from time-to-time to discuss and share ideas and strategies that would help Toby in his learning. Another idea could be to have a buddy system, where a student from the regular class would partner with a student from the special education class.
Q6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
One way of ensuring that Toby has a smoother transition from his regular class to Mrs. Ridge’s class is to prepare him mentally with the help of the teachers and parents. The transition should not be immediate and should be done only after Toby is being told of it and prepared by his teachers and parents. Mrs. Ridge should also meet up with Toby or assign him a buddy prior to him attending her class as this will ensure that he knows who he can turn to for help should he encounter any difficulty. Mrs. Ridge could also give him an orientation of the class in order for him to familiarize with the environment that he is going to be in, and what can he expect from attending the class.
I feel that the teacher should not tell the other students what Toby’s exact disability is but should instead let them know that a new student will be joining them in the class, and like them, he too needs help in his learning, that it would be great if they would make their new friend feel welcomed.
Evie Huang (Grp A)
Question 3
I think that Toby should be placed and included in a regular classroom, but with a professional therapist who will help Toby to adapt in class. I feel that Toby should have an equal opportunity as every other student, and not be penalized because of his disability. Since there are services made available to help him, I feel that it will be good if he remains in a regular classroom. If Toby remains in a regular classroom, certain changes or pointers have to be made. Toby can be placed with a group of peers who are able to guide and help him along. This group of peers will help Toby with his academic work when he faces difficulty while struggling to complete his work and to be the ones who work together with him during group work or discussion. This will allow him to build a sense of trust with his peers. Having a good relationship with his peers contributes to a better learning environment for Toby. Lastly, during classroom lessons, Toby should sit near the teacher and be given roles and responsibilities in the classroom, so that he would not be distracted easily during lessons in class.
Question 5
To build relationships between Toby and students of Mrs. McDonalds’s class or other regular classrooms, activities can be planned so that Toby will have an opportunity to interact and learn with other students. For example, to plan for an outdoor activity that involves both classes together. In addition, teachers can plan to divide the classes into groups that include a mixture of students from both classes, so that they can work on group activities like projects or assignments together. This will be a great opportunity for them to work together while learning, helping and interacting with each other.
Question 6
To help Toby transition from his regular education class to Mrs. Ridge’s class, a transition buddy can be assigned to Toby to help him to cope with the changes. Also, the teacher should plan for a smooth transition, so that Toby will be able to adapt to the new environment in the classroom quickly. Also, roles and responsibilities can be assigned to Toby in the new classroom. To talk to other students about his disability, teachers can hold a discussion (without Toby involve) to discuss about student’s concerns, issues and come up with suggestions to help him. In addition, teachers can help students to identify the characteristics and behaviour of Toby, so that they will understand him better.
Hung Yirong Jasmine
Group A
Q3: In what type of placement do you think Toby should placed and why?
In my personal opinion, Toby should be placed in a regular classroom but have other forms of interventions outside of class. This is so as he is described to be a highly intelligent boy who only lacks in the ability to succeed in the aspect of language skills. Thus, when he has interventions out of class, he may be able to improved on this aspect and in class, he will be challenged to perform better at a higher level of learning.
Q5: If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
For activities which Toby has little difficulties with, like Mathematics for example, he can be placed in Mrs. McDonald’s class or other regular education teacher’s class to participate in them. With such, he is able to interact with his typically developing peers and at the same time, allow opportunities for them to understand and accept him.
Q6: If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
The transition process could be achieved by getting him to participate in certain lessons of Mrs. Ridge’s class before allowing him to be a full time student there. The teacher could tell the other students about his disability through stories which encompasses such topics or even simply by having a class discussion about Toby and why he is special when he is not present in class.
Amanda Liew
Group A
3) In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a resource room where he would receive special education services for part of his school day. He might be able to learn better and be accepted by both his classmates and teachers, instead of being the target of the other children’s abuse for the whole day. On top of this, I feel that the help of a special needs trained assistant can be provided for him when he is in class with other typically developing children to help him focus and learn better in the classroom.
5) If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
The teachers should come together and discuss about Toby’s strengths and weaknesses and think of lesson or ways that work and focus more on his strengths. Since Mrs. McDonald has worked with Toby for a while, she can provide insights into his behaviour in class and how he learns best. For example, I feel that they can plan for more hands-on lessons for Toby as he learns better when he is doing it rather then reading activities.
6) If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
I feel that before Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class full time, he could start by attending her class for a short duration each time to get familiar with the setting and the other children in the classroom. Hence when he does go over full time, it would not be as difficult for him as if he were to attend Mrs. Ridge’s class immediately. Mrs. Ridge can tell her class that Toby is active by nature and that aside from that fact, he is every bit as normal as they are.
pamela
group a
3. Through the tests conducted, I could see that Toby is an intelligent child but he had problems with certain areas in his learning. As identified by his teacher, these problems mostly lie in his reading abilities. However, I feel that in Toby’s case, he has not been receiving the right kind of support to help him with his learning, and so, being placed in a regular education classroom is probably not a good idea for the time being. It would be better for Toby to be placed in a special education classroom, where he is placed with students at the same learning pace with him to receive the proper support that he needs. The curriculum structure would also be different, where it would be modified to cater to Toby’s needs as well as strengths in order for him to progress. The special education teachers are also better equipped to handle difficult situations with Toby.
5. Mrs Ridge could give Mrs McDonald some background information on Toby’s condition in order to help Mrs McDonald understand why, unlike the other children, Toby is behaving in certain ways. Mrs Ridge could also provide some useful tips or pointers on how to cope with these behaviours and what else she can do to support Toby’s progress.
6. Mrs Ridge can first start off with getting Toby familiarized with her. When Toby is comfortable with Mrs Ridge, Toby must then be informed of what is going to happen so that the change of classroom will not come as a shock to him. Before pulling Toby out of the regular classroom entirely, Toby can sit in some of Mrs Ridge’s classes and let Toby get to know the other students in her class. Mrs Ridge can then gradually take Toby out of the regular classroom more often and put him in her classes until Toby is entirely comfortable and adjusting well in her classroom.
Nur Fazelah Bakar (Ella)
Group B
3)Toby can be placed in the mainstream classroom for 60% of the day, and 40% of the day in the classroom for children with learning disabilities. According to his WRAT scores, Toby scored 77 for reading and scored 94 and 86 respectively for his reading and written language scores in the WJPB. Despite the slight discrepancy in both the WRAT and WJPB scores, it is evident that Toby is below average in his language expressive skills. As such, it is important that Toby gets specialized individual instruction in these areas in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom. However, according to the WISC-R Scores, Toby scored 128 for performance IQ, showing his superior strength in that area. For the WRAT scores, Toby scored 90 for his arithmetic and 112 for his mathematics on the WJPB. Again, there seems to be a slight discrepancy; however it proves that Toby is stronger in his mathematical skills and performance IQ as compared to his expressive language. In addition, despite his learning difficulties, Toby does not seem to be a trouble maker in class, showing that his behaviour is under control. These strengths in him prove that he can still cope with other areas of academics in the mainstream classroom. As such, Toby will be able to thrive in the mainstream class, while working on his areas of improvement in language in the LD class. This should be the placement for the time being and should not be considered permanent as it should be flexible according to Toby’s learning needs.
5)Mrs. Ridge can take measures to create a collaborative environment. Firstly, she should work closely with Mrs. Macdonald and Toby’s other teachers to let them know about what she will be focusing on in the LD classroom. It is important that the teachers update each other on the content they will be touching upon in their respective lessons and collaboratively make plans for his learning. This will ensure continuity in Toby’s learning, allowing him to apply the language skills he picked up in Mrs. Ridge’s class, in the other subjects he learns at the mainstream classroom, and vice versa. Secondly, as Toby exhibits strengths in the areas of math and performance IQ, Mrs. Ridge can advise his regular education teachers on ways to allow for Toby’s optimal learning in his strengths of math and performance IQ. As Mrs. Macdonald seems frustrated with teaching Toby, Mrs. Ridge can advise her on strategies she can undertake in helping Toby to learn in the best way possible. Mrs. Macdonald also felt that the other teachers would not bother to administer tests or take further action with Toby’s learning. As such, I feel that Mrs. Ridge, along with Mr. Zambie, have a big role to play in convincing the other regular teachers of Toby’s strengths. Through these ways, a collaborative environment for optimal learning can be achieved.
6)If Toby were to go to Mrs. Ridge’s class, I feel that it should be done in stages. A sudden transition to Mrs. Ridge’s class would mean an abrupt change in environment, causing Toby to feel threatened. Due to this, his hyperactivity and impulsivity may show up and get worse again, like what happened when he was moved to another pre-school class. Rather, if Toby spent an hour or two at Mrs. Ridge’s class in the first week, and gradually increased his time there, it would allow him to slowly get accustomed to the new class, rules, and friends. When explaining Toby’s behaviour to the rest of the children, Mrs. Ridge should ensure that Toby is not around, to prevent him from feeling discomfort, as the teacher and students discuss about him and his behaviour. As the teacher discusses his behaviour, she should ensure that the children fully understand why he behaves such. By ensuring this, it reduces the chances of the children passing inappropriate comments that may hurt Toby. Mrs. Ridge could also discuss how the students can assist Toby in his learning, and most importantly, making him feel welcome in the class.
Shron
Group A
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I think that Toby should be placed in both the regular education class and the special education class. Being in the regular education class would still provide Toby with the opportunity to interact with children of the same age. According to the Hudson Education Skills Inventory - Reading (HESI-R), Toby’s listening comprehension was at a fourth-grade even though he is only at the third grade. I believe that allowing Toby to be in a regular education class to learn the same things with some modifications on the assessments can support Toby in his learning. However bring in the special education class would also help Toby in various ways. This would allow Toby to improve on the weaker areas of his development. The special education class would also be able to specifically provide for his needs as the curriculum and activities are modified to suit him.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs Ridge should help the regular education teachers understand and be aware of Toby’s disability so that they can better provide for Toby’s needs. When the teachers have had a better idea of what the disability is about, Mrs Ridge can communicate with the teachers and work with them on specific ways that they can support Toby’s learning by modifying the activities and curriculum for him. The teachers can also go to Mrs Ridge if there were any problems that they face when teaching Toby so that they can work out how they can help Toby in his learning. As a special educator, Mrs Ridge can give the teachers ideas about how they can differentiate instructions for Toby so that Toby can be successful in the regular education class and not lose out to his other classmates.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
In transition, Toby needs to understand why he is separated from his classmates and is attending the special education class. He also needs to understand that his disability should not stop him from succeeding in any situation. With the help of the special education classroom, Toby can improve on his weaker areas so that he can catch up with his other classmates in the regular education class. This communication with Toby should be done by his regular classroom teacher or his parents.
I believe that the teacher, Mrs McDonald, should talk to the rest of the class about Toby’s disability so that they will not judge him and tease him. This would help them make sense of the academic and behaviour problems that he display in class. Mrs McDonald needs to let the other students know that though Toby has a disability, he is a normal child just like them who likes the same things as them do and that they should accept him as their friend. After understanding Toby’s disability, the other students should discuss about how they can help and support Toby during discussions and classroom activities.
Yi En :)
Qn 3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom with teachers who are well-trained in the area of special needs, in this case ADHD or having a language specialist to enter the classroom when Toby is having language classses. As Toby displays a slightly above average performance in his development, I feel that it is not necessary to place him in a special school setting.
Furthermore, it is important for student with special needs to receive an appropriate version of the educational and social benefits which non-disabled students routinely receive in school (Wikipedia, n.d.). By having language specialist to enter the class when necessary, Toby will be able to receive help in his reading and word pronunciation in a least restrictive environment.
Qn 5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
The teachers can make use of cooperative teaching which is to have general classroom and special needs educators to work in a coordinator manner to teach children in an integrated setting. It is essential for the teachers to work together during their planning of curriulcum so that they are able to support each other and carry out instruction and assessment together. The teachers can set aside time to plan such that they are able to constantly review progress, evaluate and make adjustments to address the problem.
When the teachers combine their individual skills and perspectives together, it helps them gain different view and therefore, stengethen the effectiveness of their teaching.
Qn 6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition form his regular education class to her class? How should ht eteacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
I feel that it is important to identify some of the special characteristics of Toby together with the other typical children. Many times, these children have something to say and they are not satisfied with the answer of just being ‘different’. Through such discussions, everyone in the class can think of unique ways to work with Toby to help him cope with his special needs.
Some of the tips I found on http://childcare.about.com/od/specialneeds/a/differences.htm are:
• Answer a child's questions matter-of-factly. The worst thing an adult can do is to avoid a child's innocent questions, because it can create discomfort and confusion rather than understanding and comfort.
• Find something in common. Friendships are founded on common interests rather than differences. This helps kids to focus on similarities.
• Encourage role-playing. If special needs are explained appropriately by an adult, kids not only understand the disabilities better but will be impressed about all the things that can be done.
• Treat a child with special needs as you would with any other same-age kid. Encourage equal friendship and respect. Reinforce that every child is both unique, but that we are all more alike than difference.
Qiaoyi
3.I personally thought that Toby should remain in the regular classroom. It is not necessary for Toby to study in a different education system. In the case study, it did not reflect that Toby was displaying any negative behavior with his classmates. This goes to show that, socially he is coping well with his peers. Hence, we should not deprive him from learning with the typical students. It is also mentioned that Toby’s hyper activeness could be tame by medication. With that, it suggests that he is under control most of the time. Also I do not see much obstacle in including him in the classroom, especially when he does not have any physical disability. Beside that, I thought that Mrs. McDonalds was providing excellent teaching strategies to intervene to Toby’s academic progress.
5. Mrs. Ridge could include more print rich environment that is accompanied with plentiful of visual aids. Toby strength is in visualizing in sequence. Also Mrs.Ridge could have more group discussion that should encourage Toby to speak up and participate in class. At least he is able to contribute his thoughts verbally rather then written. Mrs. Ridge should tab on his strength in communicating, IQ and strength in visualizing to help Toby overcome academic obstacles. Most importantly, regular communication with Toby’s parents and paraprofessionals are essentials to seek for Toby’s progress and suitable intervention to help him.
6. For smooth transition process, there should be a lot of communication not just with Toby’s parents and schoolteachers, but also Toby himself. Mrs. McDonalds should prepare Toby about the transition he needs to precede. It is helpful that Mrs. McDonalds would inform Mrs.Ridge some useful techniques in handling Toby. Mrs. Ridge can educate her class about Toby’s condition and explained about the importance of including him in the classroom. In any time when Toby misbehaves, he should also be ‘reprimanded’, however teacher could help to constantly reinforce the importance of accepting Toby, through collaborating with the other parents.
3) In what type of placement do you think that Toby should be placed in and why?
I feel that Toby should be placed in both a regular education class and a segregated class (with peers of similar condition) for different parts of the day. Where academics (e.g. reading difficulties) and life skills are concerned, Toby requires one-on-one attention by trained professionals for at least half the day in a special school or a resource room. Nevertheless, he should remain to participate in group activities with normal peers so as to help him become more familiar with interacting with society in future. There is also another alternative whereby Toby can remain in a regular education class with a special needs teacher to assist Mrs. McDonald during lessons and other daily activities.
5) If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge could set up regular meetings with Mrs. McDonald and/or other regular education teachers and have an open discussion where they can share their problems, doubts and strategies. She should also consider inviting Toby’s parents to these meetings as they may also benefit from the sharing sessions. By doing so, they are helping and supporting each other towards the main goal: which is to maximize Toby’s learning abilities to the best of their ability.
6) If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling other students about his disability?
In my opinion, I honestly believe that conducting lessons through drama for both Toby and other students would help both parties in coping with transition to school and acceptance respectively…
For Toby – His learning could be greatly enhanced as it caters to his active nature
For other students – By role playing different scenarios, children will be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes and learn to behave appropriately towards Toby.
3)From the Silvardi Classroom Reading Inventory results, it clearly indicated that Toby’s language development was still behind the rest of his classmates. With his independent reading skills at the first grade, he might face some difficulties coping with his school work which is of a third grade level. Based on the techniques implemented by Mrs. McDonald, Toby showed improvement as the number of reading errors was reduced from 20 to 5 words per story read. However, the problem persisted as there wasn’t any consistency in the other classes that Toby attended. Therefore I feel that Toby should be placed in the same mainstream school however in a second grade class where consistency in techniques across all subjects and repetition of the second grade level topic are present.
5)To ensure a proper transition for Toby, Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Ridge class to Mrs. Ridge have to work hand in hand. As a start, Mrs. Ridge could research on Toby’s strengths and weaknesses through interviews with his parents, former teachers, psychologists and his friends. Later, together with Mrs. McDonald, they can view his portfolio and identify which areas need improvements. With the background knowledge of Toby, they could then work out an IEP for Toby to suit in the class. Regular meetings should be held among the teachers and psychologists to keep track of Toby’s progress. There should also be open communication between parents and the school for constant updates on Toby’s performances.
6)Mrs. Ridge needs to make Toby feel belonged and valued in the new environment. With a proper introduction with the new classmates and environment, Toby can familiarise with the new setting. After which, the children can share about their interests and dislikes. Mrs. Ridge can also assign tasks that are of Toby’s interests in developing a leadership role and label his things so that he can feel belonged. In order for his new classmates to be aware of his disability, Mrs. Ridge can share stories that talk about differences in each individual. In situations where Toby is active and moves around, she can point out that he needs to move about. However, she must ensure that she does not neglect the needs of the other children.
Q3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
I feel Toby should be placed in a mixture of both inclusive and segregated classroom as I feel that total inclusion or segregation by itself will not be fully beneficial for Toby. If Toby is placed in a segregated classroom, he will be able to have the teacher’s attention to himself and be able to learn at his own pace. In addition, the teacher will be able to modify the lesson and teach according to his learning style to meet his needs. However, he will be separated from his peers and it may deprive him of the essential social skills, communication skills and cooperation skills that he can practice when he is a inclusive environment. Therefore, I would suggest that he attend the mainstream school in the morning and then attend the special education school in the afternoon so that he can have the best of both worlds.
Q5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
I feel that the teachers should come up with an individual education plan together and monitor Toby’s development through anecdotal records and checklists. They should sit down to discuss Toby’s development and plans to help him achieve the goals that they set for Toby on a weekly basis.
Q6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby’s transition from his regular classroom to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
I think Mrs Ridge should sit in in Mrs McDonald class to get to know Toby better and interact with Toby so that Toby is comfortable with her before he transits. Then, Mrs Ridge could educate the children on children with special needs through dramatization, role play and stories. They can then come up with ways to help Toby as a class after the story, dramatization and role play.
Michelle Tan Yi Ni
Group A
Question 3:
I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular education classroom as his disabilities are not so extreme that he should be placed in a separate classroom. Despite his disabilities, he is quite an intelligent child and should be allowed to develop his skills while interacting with peers in the regular education classroom. His peers could also be of assistance to his teachers with regards to being reading buddies or when engaging in paired or group work with him.
Question 5:
His teachers could all come together to plan for group or paired work activities to be conducted in the classroom. They could also collaborate and plan to use certain classroom strategies in uniformity when attending to Toby’s learning needs. They could also include in the classroom, learning materials that cater to children of different ability levels. In this way, not only does Toby benefit from the use of such materials, other children who may have varying ability levels will benefit from the usage of those materials too.
Question 6:
In the beginning, he could spend part of the day in the regular education class. Week by week, the time that he spends in the regular classroom would be lessened till he does not spend anymore time in there. It could start with spending half a day in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, to spending alternate days there, until it leads to him spending everyday in her class. I think that speaking to him and letting him know about the changes that he will be going through will also help with his transition. With regards to the other students, the teacher should speak to them and let then know about their new classmate beforehand. She should also let them know more about his disability to help them understand him better. She could also let them know ways in which they could assist her, with assisting him in the classroom to meet his needs.
Tania Group A
Q3. I feel that Toby should be placed in the general education classroom, but going to the resource room during reading class. Based on the psychologist’s evaluation, it seemed that Toby’s weakness is in reading, whereas other subject areas such as arithmetic, as above average. Hence, I think that Toby would benefit greatly, if he were to be placed in the resource room, where he would either be given one-to-one attention from the resource teacher or in a classroom with a lower student to teacher ratio. This would allow him to focus to develop and improve on his reading level, where the activities in the resource room will be catered to his developmental level which is below his current third grade level.
Q5. Firstly, I feel that Mrs. Ridge should work closely with Mrs. McDonald, exchanging and sharing information with each other. Subsequently, Mrs. Ridge will learn some useful techniques that Mrs. McDonald had successfully employed with Toby. Mrs. Ridge could even improve on those techniques that did not work on Toby, giving feedbacks to Mrs. McDonald on how to go about improving it. If Mrs. McDonald is willing to further work with Mrs. Ridge, they could work out a list of goals for Toby to achieve.
Q6. Mrs. Ridge could adapt the same curriculum that Mrs. McDonald is using, making it suit the learning pace of Toby. This will mean that Toby will still learn the same things as his peers, but at a level catered to his developmental needs.
Sarah Chiok
Group B
(3) In most ways, children with learning disabilities are no different from children without these disabilities. However, for the case of Toby he is also diagnosed with ADHD in which I believe requires him for specific learning needs. What more his disabilities prevent him from reaching his potential. Thus, I feel that it will do Toby good if he were to be placed in special education programs either in a separate all-day classroom or as a special education class that the he can attends for several hours each week. However, if the problem gets severe, his parents may choose to place Toby in a special school for the learning disabled.
(5) The organization of the integration of Toby, a student with disabilities into regular classrooms is critical. Many people will be involved with the process, something most classroom teachers have not had to experience before. Thus, team teaching will be implemented. These interactions can be overwhelming to Mrs. Mcdonald or other regular education teachers who has always been alone with students. Interpersonal conflicts can be common. Conflicts arise from personality differences and from a lack of clarity about appropriate role functions. Hence, it is good that both Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald to have establish a good communication system by having a common planning time and have a consistent system of sharing lesson plans or units.
(6) Sometimes children with special needs like Toby have difficulties with transitioning between their mainstream classrooms to a special education classroom. Even if they are involved and interested in what they are doing in one classroom, they may not wish to change rooms if they have to walk into the middle of an activity their classmates have already started. Thus, it is wise for the teacher to make clear to Toby about his transition, bring him to look around his classroom and making him familiarize with the setting of the class he will be joining. As for the other students, teachers can prepare them by informing beforehand about the arrival of Toby, teacher might also want to consider talking to the children about his disabilities so that they will be able to understand when he behave in such a way.
-Nur'Hazwani-
(Group B)
3. I feel that Toby should be included in the mainstream class for part of the day and spend another portion of his time in a segregated class. In the mainstream class, he can learn to interact with typically developing children. With his strong verbal abilities, he may not face much difficulties communicating with his friends. Also, Toby can learn Mathematics with other typical learners as his Mathematics scores are fairly good – From Woodcock-Johnson Pysychoeducational Battery, Toby has a percentile rank of 78 in the area of Mathematics. Toby can also join in other activities like physical activities. Another reason why I feel that Toby should be in the mainstream class for part of the day is because, he performed above average in Wechsler Intelligence Scale and this shows that he is an intelligent child who may be capable of coping with the work in mainstream. However, Toby needs more attention and intense interventions in writing and reading. He can receive the assistance he needed in a segregated class with teachers or therapists who can provide intense interventions in his writing and reading.
5. To create a collaborative environment with other regular education teachers, Mrs Ridge can find out from the general education teachers what Toby had been learning in class and his interests. By doing so, Mrs Ridge will be able to plan activities that build on Toby’s prior knowledge and interest. Also, Mrs Ridge can find out from other regular education teachers about the strategies which worked or did not work for Toby so that she will be able plan and implement more effective strategies. As Toby was in a general education class previously, Mrs Ridge can discuss with other general education teachers and allocate some time for Toby to join in some activities such as music and movement activities which will provide him with opportunities to interact with his friends and teachers. Mrs. Ridge’s can arrange for some time for Toby to interact with a few regular education teachers so that he can relate his problems with teachers whom he is familiar with. Also, this will help Toby to accept his teachers more readily if he is able to progress back to general education class after successful interventions.
6. To facilitate smoother transitions, Mrs. Ridge can start building rapport with Toby so that he is able to accept and cooperate with her. Also, Mrs. Ridge can arrange some time for Toby to be in her special education class and be acquainted with his new friends before he joins her class officially. Mrs. McDonalds can also prepare Toby for the transition by talking to him and helping him to be aware of the changes which he may be facing. Also, teachers can work closely with parents so that they can also prepare him mentally for the transition. Mrs. Ridge can use a story which portrays children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) and discuss with them about children with ADHD. Mrs. Ridge will then inform the rest of the class that they will be expecting a friend with that condition. In addition, Mrs. Ridge can encourage the class to appreciate the differences among people by accepting Toby and assisting him whenever he needs help. On the other hand, I feel that Mrs. MacDonald should explain to the class about Toby’s change in class due to his condition. She can also help the typically developing children in her class to understand about Toby’s condition and be kinder to him when they see him around in school.
Toh Jingfen Yvette
Group A
Question 3
I believe that Toby should be placed in Mrs Ridge’s LD class, instead of being in Mrs McDonald’s class. The reason being is that Toby is having some forms of learning difficulties and should be under the care of a teacher who is able to commit and meet the needs of these special children. If he were to continue being in Mrs McDonald’s class, he may not be learning substantially and may even distract the other children. Whereas if he is transferred to Mrs Ridge’s LD class, he may have his curriculum modified to cater to his learning difficulties and may therefore learn better than if he was in Mrs McDonald’s class. Besides that, he would not feel that pressurize to perform like the other typical children.
Question 5
Mrs Ridge could discuss with Mrs McDonald and other teachers about Toby’s condition, and they could probably come up with a plan or a set of strategies that all the teachers, including Mrs Ridge will follow. This is to ensure consistency for Toby as we do not want him to feel lost, following a different plan each lesson. A strategy that can be used for Toby would be that of allowing him to sit in the front, and giving him slightly more time in completing his work. The teachers could also follow a standardized set of evaluation criteria to evaluate his learning overall.
Question 6
Mrs McDonald could join Toby in his new class for the first 2 lessons, so that Toby would not feel as if he is suddenly thrown into a new environment without knowing anyone familiar. As for telling the other children about Toby’s disability, Mrs Ridge could announce that there will be a new friend joining the class, who is someone special. She could also emphasize to the other children, on being patient with the new friend, as he is different from the rest, and needs more guidance.
Josephine Wong
Group B
Q3.
I think Toby should be placed in a resource room. I feel that Toby needs to receive general education as well as instruction and related services that will help him to learn and thrive. Toby is currently in his third grade and he is an intelligent boy as he performed above average on the Wechsler Intelligence scale for Children. Being placed in a resource room will no doubt benefit Toby’s development in many ways. Firstly, Toby will not lose his identity with his general education class peer group. Peer relationship is definitely important and essential at Toby’s age. And secondly, by placing Toby in a resource room, he will be able to receive the intensive, individualized instruction he needs everyday.
Q5.
I think Mrs Ridge could have regular meetings with Mrs Mcdonald or with other regular education teachers, and provide information and expertise to one another. Mrs Mcdonald have work with Toby before, so she will know Toby’s working style, strengths and weaknesses better than Mrs Ridge. And on the other hand, it is important for Mrs Ridge to listen to what Mrs Mcdonald has to say and plan goals using the available information and her expertise. This way, it will benefit Toby and there is coordination and consultation between Mrs Ridge, Mrs Mcdonald and probably other teachers as well. In this instance, Mrs Mcdonald will also feel that her feedbacks/comments are being valued and this will definitely help to foster a positive relationship between Mrs Ridge and herself.
Q6.
I feel that Mrs Ridge could tab on Toby’s strengths and interests, and plan activities that are fun and intriguing for Toby the first few days in class. The goals of the activities must also be realistic and achievable for Toby. This will inevitably help to foster Toby’s confidence and interest in completing future tasks assigned to him in class. And since Mrs Mcdonald have work with Toby for a period of time; I feel that she should be a part of Toby’s transition during the first week so that there is a familiar figure in class. Therefore, collaboration is important between Mrs Ridge and Mrs Mcdonald in this instance. It is also important to educate and heighten the other students’ awareness of Toby’s disability. As Toby’s hyperactive behavior often results in his friends’ ridiculing him, Mrs Ridge could use a simple story that talks about the disorder to educate the students. And this should be implementing in the absence of Toby; as it will allow students to raise concerns or questions about Toby’s condition and at the same time Toby’s feelings and sensitivity are taken into consideration (Toby will not feel ashamed or offended).
Chan Liming Elaine
Group B
Done by: Lee Ning Zi
3) Toby should be placed in an integrated classroom where there is the availability of a special need educator, working alongside with a specialist that best understand Toby’s and his condition well. This will enable the educator and specialist to work close together in helping Toby meet his needs by implementing strategies that will be elaborated below.
5) Working hand in hand, the educators should break up tasks assigned to Toby into workable and obtainable steps by providing examples and specific steps to accomplish them. As Toby works on his task, educators should monitor his progress frequently and ensure that a clear timeline is set for each step he does to accomplish the task. They could perhaps increase Toby’s attention span by making use of Toby’s interest of fixing puzzles to teach number concepts as well. In order to help Toby stay focus in class, Mrs. Ridge should increase and encourage small group teaching/activities and if possible, one to one interaction with Toby especially when doing reading activities. All the educators in the school should also reward attention and positive behaviors displayed by Toby in the classroom e.g. gaining other’s attention appropriately, by using praises or physical proximity/touch for instances. To prevent the distraction, Mrs. Ridge could seat Toby close to her or assign a buddy to remind him of the positive behaviors he should be displaying during lesson time. It is important to allow ample time for Toby to complete his task and to always strive for quality than quantity of the tasks allocated to him.
6) Toby should be given advance warning about his transition of where he will be going to and when will the transition be taking place. Toby could also be reminded of some of the expectations during the transition e.g. you will need to follow the instructions and direction of the educator. With the accompany of simple and concrete oral/written instructions, the educator will first need to gain the attention of Toby by using alerting cues like ringing a bell before giving directions. There should only be one direction given at a time and ensure that ample time and space is being provided during the transition.
To allow the rest of the children to better understand Toby’s behavior in the classroom, the educator could share some basic information of ADHD with the children and the few expected behaviors from Toby in class. The educator could get the children to share their thoughts and views about Toby’s behaviors, ask questions to clear their doubts, suggest ways to help him concentrate and learn in class and also, how they should react when they are being disturbed by Toby. There could be a story telling session to educate the children on social values like being helpful to one another and to appreciate and accept others for who they are despite their differences.
Lee NIng Zi
Group B
Question #3
For Toby’s case, I feel that Toby should be placed in both a regular class room and a special education classroom. Probably Toby will be spending his morning in a regular classroom and his afternoon in a special education classroom, or vice versa. The reason that I chose this type of placement is for Toby to both receive individualized instruction in his weaker area in terms of academics in the special education classroom and opportunity to “learn” positive social behavior through positive interaction with his classmates in the regular classroom.
Question #5
Frequent communication is essential for Mrs. Ridge to create a successful collaborative environment with the teachers in the regular classroom. Through regular communication, both Mrs. Ridge and the regular classroom teachers can better understand Toby and his situation in classes. Techniques and methods to cope with the disability can also be shared during this time of communication. Mrs. Ridge can also help by sharing with and explaining to other teachers what are some common traits and behaviors that Toby may display due to his disability. This, I feel, can help clarify the notion that Toby is not being “purposefully” mischievous.
Question #6
To help Toby in transition from the regular classroom to Mrs. Ridge’s class, she can start by “sitting in” Mrs. McDonald’s class to observe Toby. This can help Mrs. Ridge better understand Toby’s learning difficulties first hand. At the same time, Toby can begin familiarizing himself with Mrs. Ridge, allowing him to feel more comfortable around Mrs. Ridge prior to joining her class. Both teachers can also prepare Toby for the transition by talking to him about it. A peer from Mrs. Ridge’s class can also be assigned to buddy with Toby. Mrs. Ridge should also take time to discuss with her class about Toby joining them, what are some common characteristics of children with learning disability, and come up with some strategies as a class on how to deal with the problems that arises with it. This way, her class can have mental preparation on receiving and accepting Toby in their class.
Lynnette Fang Yixuan
I think Toby should be placed in an inclusive classroom. In such a setting, there would be related services to deal with Toby’s behavioural and learning disabilities. Preferably, therapy services should be school-based. Placing these therapies into one premises helps for an efficient use of resources and time. At the same time, the therapists are able to provide quick access of Toby’s assessment, evaluations and development to his regular teachers, or vice-versa.
The regular classroom may prove distracting for Toby. As Toby has a short attention span, and disruptive in class, perhaps Mrs Ridge’s classroom would be a less distracting. She is able to give one-to-one interaction and guidance to Toby. She collaborates by giving the individualised teaching instructions to Toby while the regular teachers give the main instructions to others. In this way, Toby receives personal attention, and would be less distracting for him. Alternatively, Mrs Ridge can provide learning support by sitting-in in Mrs McDonald’s class and co-teach Toby concurrently during curriculum time.
How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his stability?
Mrs Ridge can share Toby’s learning situation with her students tactfully before Toby comes. She should explain her expectations to her students about accommodating his learning disability. To ensure smooth transition for him, Mrs McDonald can plan a modified activity from her actual lesson and bring it to Mrs Ridge’s class. In this way, Toby would not feel segregated from his mainstream peers as he is still doing the same learning activity. Alternatively, Mrs Ridge can be in Mrs McDonald’s class as Toby completes his task in-class with individualised guidance from Mrs Ridge.
...penned by Raihan
Case Study #12
In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and been used?
I think Toby should be placed in Mrs. Ridge classroom when doing language activities such as reading and writing, but stays in Mrs McDonald's class for other activities. He needs more individual attention while doing reading and writing, due to his short attention span, impulsiveness and hyperactivity.
If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge's classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge should have conferences regularly with the other teachers to analyse Toby's progress and areas for improvement. They can share their strategies that works for Toby and provide support for each other whenever needed.
From the case study, Toby seems to be more competent in mathematics and doing puzzles and he often tries new task, quickly lose interest and gets distracted. Teachers could do a achievement star chart for Toby to encourage him for finishing his work in both classes. Short activities can be planned with more frequency by adapting worksheets, books, etc to shorter sections (Emphasizing on quality rather than quantity). Step by step instructions and activities should be planned according to his readiness, interest as well as his learning profile.
If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge's class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class?
She needs to make sure that the transition from his regular education class to her class is consistent. To ensure consistency, teachers can fix routines for transitions to make it predictable for Toby. She can inform Toby earlier before transition to another class by using a timer which rings and indicates that he needs to be in another class. Other children can get to know Toby by allowing him to join ice-breaking group activities. The teacher can also tell a story about Toby or have Toby introduce himself using his name cards. Visual task charts could be used in both classrooms to ensure that Toby knows what to do in each class.
Adalene
Toby should be placed in an inclusive placement. As highlighted in the case study, Toby’s cognitive assessment shows that he has a high average IQ level and is strong in his mathematics. Toby’s weakness would be that he is not as strong in the area of reading. However, Toby has shown improvement in his reading under Mrs MacDonald’s guidance. Thus, Toby may be able to succeed in an inclusive placement if provided with appropriate resources and support. However, if he does not improve in his reading when being placed in an inclusive setting, a reading specialist can be involved to either work with Toby on a one to one basis outside of classroom time or provide consultation to the classroom teacher to help Toby in the classroom. A behavioural therapist can also be consulted to conduct behavioural therapy with Toby so his medication dosage may be reduced, which therefore might reduce the inconsistencies in his performance at school.
Mrs Macdonald’s techniques to help Toby cope with his weakness in reading seem to be helping as Toby has shown slight improvement in his oral reading scores. Thus, if Toby is placed in Mrs Ridge’s classroom, Mrs Ridge may collaborate with Mrs Macdonald to work and refine techniques which may be employed to help Toby with his difficulty in reading. Mrs Macdonald, having worked with Toby for a longer period of time, may also have a clearer idea of his strengths and weaknesses in his academics or in his behaviours, which she can share with Mrs Ridge. Mrs Ridge can then, work upon this information and plan as to how she can work with Toby in her classroom.
A sudden change in classroom environment may be overwhelming for Toby. Therefore, the change should be done progressively. For example, the time in Mrs MacDonald’s classroom can be decreased and time in Mrs Ridge’s classroom can be increased progressively over days for Toby to adjust to the new classroom environment. In the case study, it was mentioned that Toby’s hyperactive behaviour and small size made him an easy target for other students’ abuse. Therefore, it is very important that the teacher raise awareness among the other students about Toby’s disability in a discreet manner. The teacher can introduce Toby’s disability to the other students and allow them to find out information about his disability via the internet or book resources. The students can then share their findings and discuss about how they are able to help Toby cope with his disability e.g. reading or assignments can be done as a group activity so as to help promote social interaction between Toby and his classmates. Also, working in a group may also help Toby to focus and stay on task for a longer time as compared working alone as he is engaged in the task through group discussions.
The above comment was by Cai Xiena Sara
3. I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom with some time spent in the learning disability class. As according to the WISC-R test, he scored above average from children his age. This shows that he is intelligent and can learn. From the passage, Mrs. McDonald spent more time guiding him and working with him on his reading and positive results were shown. Hence, Toby just needs more time and constant assistance from the teachers. Therefore, I feel that there should be an assistant teacher with him to assist and guide him. In the learning disability classroom, the teacher can work more closely and concentrate on him better by giving him more time and attention one-to-one.
5. One way is that there should be constant and regular weekly meetings held to update one another on Toby’s progress and development and brainstorm on ways to help him improve and further develop. Another way is to have a communication book whereby the teachers can write notes or ‘updates’ regarding Toby. This allows the professionals involved to be updated daily when Toby goes to each of them for his lesson. The communication book would also help reduce the amount needed to discuss during the weekly meetings.
6. I think there should be staggered time spent in Mrs. Ridge’s class. Initially, have Toby in her class for one hour and slowly increase the length of time over time. This will allow both the students in her class as well as Toby to adapt to the changes.
I think the teacher should be honest and let her class know that Toby needs more time and attention from her to complete a task. She can even get some of her students who are performing better to guide him. In this way, both students might gain.
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
Personally, I feel that Toby should be placed in a regular classroom. From the case study, although he is learning at a slower pace as compared to his peers, he did make improvements when Mrs. McDonald implemented some intervention strategies. Moreover, it does not appear that Toby causes much disruption to the regular class, even though he has ADHD. However, to better support Toby’s learning in the regular classroom, there could be a learning disability officer present in class to help him with his learning disabilities, and to reinforce Mrs. McDonald’s teachings.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
The two teachers could plan for lessons that Toby could attend in the regular classroom environment. In the WRAT test, Toby scored fairly well in arithmetic, as compared to the other domains. As such, they could plan for math activities which are of Toby’s interest for him to attend in the regular classrooms. They could also plan for large group activities like outdoor play, music and movement, art and craft etc. Toby should also join the regular class during mealtimes.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
The teachers should arrange such that Toby gradually attends Mrs. Ridge classroom. For the first week of transition, he could attend an hour of lesson in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom; the second week he could attend slightly longer sessions; and as time goes by he would slowly ease into Mrs. Ridge’s classroom. This would allow Toby and the children in both the general education and special education classrooms adapt to the change at a comfortable pace.
Before Toby joins her class, Mrs. Ridge could discuss about the characteristics of ADHD with her class, so as to let the other children have a better understanding. She should be honest about the disability, and not try to cover up anything.
Ng Xing Hui Stephanie
Group A
Question 3:
I think that Toby should be placed in the third grade LD classroom with the support and guidance from Mrs. Ridge, as well as being placed in Mrs. McDonald classroom. Reason being, I feel that Toby should be given an opportunity to be a part in an inclusive and segregated classroom so that he will be able to achieve and fulfill the goals that are set for him as he can learn from both his typical and non-typical peers. Next, I can infer from the test results stated in his WISC-R Scores, and in this case, it is all above average. Thus, I believe that with his abilities, he may be able to cope in both the inclusive as well as the segregated classroom. Lastly, I believe that he will benefit from attending both the inclusive and LC classes as it will touch on both his strengths and weaknesses (stated in the case study), with proper scaffolding from both Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald.
Question 5:
I think that Mrs. Ridge can have regular meetings with Mrs. McDonald and other regular education teachers, to discuss on the progress of Toby and other areas where they can help Toby to improve, achieve or fulfill. They can also discuss on adjusting or setting new goals, both short and long term goals, for Toby if he has or has not make any improvements on his progress. Teachers may discuss on the teaching strategies and the activities that are planned for Toby to help him achieve his goals.
Question 6:
In my opinion, I feel that Mrs. Ridge’s classroom should be warm, cozy and welcoming for Toby, so that he can feel a sense of belonging in it. For an example, personal desks and labels with his name on it may help him to adjust the transition and help him ensure that he is being valued as a part in the classroom. I think that the teacher can conduct interesting and engaging activities like dramatization on the story about the boy who has a disability and puppet storytelling to tell the other students about his disability.
Alina Poh
Group B
3. 3) I feel that Toby should be placed in the general education classroom, though I would recommend that part of his day (probably one or two hours) should be spent with a Resource Room teacher who can further support him on a one-to-one basis.
From the passage, my impression of Toby is that he is a rather intelligent boy who happens to face difficulties in reading. His WISC-R scores have shown that he has an IQ that is above average; his WJPB scores have proven that he is above average in his mathematics and general knowledge; all the tests administered explain his difficulties in literacy (reading and writing/spelling). Also, the passage has also mentioned that Toby displayed slight improvement in his literacy skills with the techniques incorporated by Mrs McDonald.
Hence, I feel that Toby should be allowed to continue in a general education classroom, while receiving additional one-to-one support from a Resource Room teacher in his literacy skills. The Resource Room teacher would be able to facilitate his literacy development at a rate he is comfortable with, allowing him to learn without being pressurized to keep up with his classmates’ literacy abilities, thereby maximising his literacy development. I strongly believe that this would be a win-win situation for Toby – he can continue studying with his friends in the general education classroom, without compromising his own literacy development.
5. 4) Mrs Ridge could create a collaborative environment by conducting a discussion revolving around Toby. During this discussion, Mrs McDonald, as well as other teachers who have taught Toby before, would be invited to share their experiences of working with Toby. They could also talk about their observations of his behaviour, of his strengths, and of areas that he can improve on. Similarly, Mrs Ridge and other teachers could air their concerns during this discussion, and every teacher would be encouraged to give their own opinions/suggestions on how to help Toby.
6. 5) I would recommend that Toby be allowed to gradually transition from Mrs McDonald’s to Mrs Ridge’s class, instead of making a sudden change of class. This could be achieved by having Mrs McDonald accompanying Toby to drop by Mrs Ridge’s class on the first day. The subsequent two to four weeks could be used to help Toby ease into Mrs Ridge’s class. Toby could first start off by spending one or two hours of the entire day in Mrs Ridge’s class, and the rest of the day in Mrs McDonald’s class. This duration could be slowly increased, till Toby is comfortably integrated into his new classroom.
With regards to Mrs Ridge telling the other students about his disability, I feel that honesty is the best policy; I believe that the other students have the right to know what is going on in their classroom. Mrs Ridge could start off by talking to them about Toby and his disability – what it is about, what kind of behaviours they can/should expect, and strategies to cope with Toby’s behaviours. For instance, should they be caught in a situation whereby Toby is distracting them from doing their work, Mrs Ridge could teach them how to talk to Toby, to shift Toby’s focus back onto his own work. However, I would recommend that this be done in Toby’s absence, so as to avoid a negative effect on Toby’s emotional development.
the above post was by Sarah Yu, B Class.
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
Personally, I feel that students with disabilities should not be excluded in the mainstream classroom as every individual should be given equal learning opportunities.
However, after reading Toby’s case study, I think that placing Toby in a special school may be considered as according to the case study; he’s facing many difficulties in reading and writing and is also often bullied by students due to his hyperactive behavior.
On the other hand, I feel that another alternative will be to have the class teacher to work hand in hand with reading and writing specialists so as to help Toby to resolve his reading deficits. Also, to resolve the problem that Toby is being bullied in the classroom may be because his peers are lack of the understanding as to why Toby is behaving this way. The teacher may help the class to understand Toby’s condition so as to prevent such things from happening again. In addition, if the situation allows, maybe having 2 teachers in a classroom will be more manageable, so that one teacher will focus on helping Toby, while the other teacher will be teaching the rest of the class in general.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, Mrs. Ridge may keep a record of Toby’s progression and to let the other teachers be aware of the various techniques that she has been using to help Toby. The book has mentioned that Mrs. McDonald was hoping that Toby would be in Mrs. Ridge’s class full time. However, I feel that instead of keeping Toby full time in the classroom throughout his third grade, maybe for the 1st semester he will be in the Mrs. Ridge’s classroom. If he has shown some progression in his academic in the 2nd semester, maybe he could attend his morning class in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom and the afternoon class in the Mrs. McDonald’s classroom and eventually switch him back to Mrs. McDonald’s classroom permanently depending on his progression.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
To help Toby with the transition from his regular education class to her classroom, both teachers may plan and try to make both environments more similar, so that it will not be too traumatizing for Toby when attending lessons in a new classroom. The teacher could tell the other students about Toby’s disability through a storytelling session so as to enable the students to learn about Toby’s disability and needs.
Question 3
Answer:
Toby should be placed in a segregated setting or in a special school as the teacher is not trained in the area to develop him successfully. A special school would help him as the pace will be appropriate for him. The teacher to ratio in a SPED school would help Toby in focused learning.
Mrs Mc Donald also does not have an interest in teaching Toby. Thus, finding the right teacher which is in this case a special school has, should be more prepare and skilled to work with children like Toby.
Question 5
Answer:
Mrs Ridge should collaborate to involve families; his former teacher and the school management. Transition should be smooth thus Mrs Ridge should allow time for Toby to be settled in class. Communication is important for both teachers to ensure that Toby is progressing. They should also share the techniques that they have or is using to support Toby and find out whether the strategies are effective.
Question 6’
Prepare children by introducing the Toby to the class first before Toby actually comes in. Have a discussion before Toby comes in. A story about a child with special needs can be told to the class. Encourage children to ask questions about Toby during the discussion. Help children understand Toby by telling them how they can help Toby in class and why it is important to help Toby.
Surya
B group
the 7th post by mI
is from yvonne lee -group A
3. In what type of placement do you think Toby should be placed and why?
In my opinion, Toby should be placed in a regular classroom at certain times of the day, for example, during Mathematic periods, and at other times, in a classroom with others who have similar needs as him, with interventions to help him to improve in his language skills, especially in reading and writing. This is because Toby has an above average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as shown on his score of 108 for verbal IQ, 128 for performance IQ, and 119 for full scale IQ on the Weshler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R). This means that Toby has the ability to perform relatively well in school. However, although his Arithmetic standard score of 3.1 is at grade-level, as shown on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), Toby’s standard of reading and spelling is of a grade 1.6 and 1.8, this means that Toby would require intervention especially in the area of language skills to enable him to cope with the demands in the inclusive classroom. Therefore, I think that he should be placed in a classroom which sees to his needs for an improvement in the area of language especially, with necessary language-based interventions in place, and at the sasme time, should attend a regular class for the subject areas which he has strength in, such as Mathematics.
5. If Toby is placed in Mrs. Ridge’s classroom, what could she do to create a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald or with other regular education teachers?
Mrs. Ridge could plan for regular meetings with Mrs. McDonald to find out more about Toby’s behavior and progress in class, as well as strengths and weaknesses. In that way, she can minimize the transition period of moving from class to class and can get to know Toby better faster, and to therefore make some initial plans or accommodations for him. To foster a collaborative environment with Mrs. McDonald as well as other teachers who may have had prior experience with children who require intervention especially in the area of language, there could be sharing sessions which are scheduled to allow all teachers to share ideas on teaching methods and strategies to help Toby progress, and to better understand what Toby’s needs are.
6. If Toby goes to Mrs Ridge’s class, what could be done to help Toby transition from his regular education class to her class? How should the teacher handle telling the other students about his disability?
If Toby goes to Mrs. Ridge’s class, communication between Mrs. Ridge and Mrs. McDonald is crucial, as it is through Mrs. McDonald that Mrs. Ridge can learn more about Toby’s likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses sooner and therefore build rapport with him. Through communication, appropriate goals can be planned for Toby as well, so that expectations are not too low or too high for Toby in his new classroom. When telling other students about Toby’s disability, she should be tactful and sensitive. For example, perhaps even before the first day of class for Toby, the teacher could pre-empt the students in her class about the arrival of Toby, so that they could be mentally prepared. When introducing him to the class, she should be sensitive with the choice of words she chooses to use, and avoid the use of labels such as “disabled”. Instead, she could perhaps say that Toby needs some help with improving his reading and writing and at the same time, state a few of Toby’s strengths.
the above comment was posted by Abigail Tan, Group B
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