Kailey

"Focus on Exceptional Children" article review

This article’s main point is that the how learning strategies are taught is just as important as the strategies themselves. It also focuses on teaching children that have a learning disability that the best way for them to learn is by the use of task-specific learning strategies. It points out the main reasons why students with learning disabilities need help in this area, as well as a description of task specific learning strategies. It then goes on to discuss some different types of strategies, organizational strategies, along with PROJECT, which is a simple way to help students remember project/homework completion. In the final pages of the article it talks about how we as teachers can follow through and teach the task specific strategies.
 * __Summary:__**

The article connects to our class because since our class' main focus is on diversity, children who have learning disabilities are different. Whether it be the rate that they learn or comprehend things, every student is different and learns at a different pace. It also connects to our classroom because we are all learning to become teachers. This article was focused towards teachers when faced with a student with a learning disability, so it could be very useful to us.
 * __Reflection:__**

This article could be very useful in a classroom because it focuses on how to teach students that have a learning disability, and we as teachers will have students with learning disabilities in our classroom. It is mostly because it is directed towards teachers, but parents could also use it if they wanted help with working on tasks at home. I especially liked the PROJECT task strategy, because each letter stands for something different, and it is in the process of getting the specific homework assignment done. I think that a lot of the different examples given in the article could be very useful in class as well. Not only does it give examples, but it also gives an explanation for the children who have a learning disability, and why certain things may be harder to understand. It is almost like a way for parents and teachers to see the child's point of view when trying to learn. Teaching task learning strategies also helps to keep the child focused on the main goal or accomplishment that they have, and as teachers we want the students to learn so using these strategies can help them to further their learning.
 * __Explanation:__**
 * P repare your plan**
 * R ecognize and ask**
 * O rganize**
 * J ump to it**
 * E ngage in the work**
 * C heck the work**
 * T urn it in**

Hughes, C. A. (2011, October). Effective Instructional Design and Delivery for Teaching Task-Specific Learning Strategies to Students with Learning Disabillities. //Focus on Exceptional Children, 44//(2), 1-16.

Comments: I agree this topic is very relevant to the class. I have heard about the project task stragegy before and i think its a good idea too, to introduce to students and parents. I agree that it is good because it is so specific which will help kids focus more. -Emily Tessar



I read “The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake for our text talk project. This book is about a young girl named Maleeka Madison, whom struggles with being bullied by other students because she is a darker skin color than everyone else. She used to be proud of her dark skin, because her father told her she was beautiful, but after he passed away she began to get teased. Her mother makes her clothes because they could not afford to buy nice things after her father died. Maleeka puts up with the bullying until Miss Saunders (a new teacher) comes along. Miss Saunders was born with a rare skin disease that gives discoloration to parts of the skin on her face, and the students learn that she is proud of her skin. Miss Saunders teaches her class that everyone is different, and just because someone looks different doesn’t mean they should be treated differently than anyone else. Maleeka decides to stand up for herself and stop letting the bullies push her around, because she is proud of whom he is. Sharon does a great job of painting a picture of how middle school bullying is, as well as showing how if affects the children both inside and out.

This book was directed towards African American people, but I feel that it could truly go to any culture or group because everyone is different whether it is looks, customs, dress, or personality, and because of that everyone has the possibility of being bullied. It shows that people may look different, but it is truly what on the inside that counts.

Reading this book made me realize how serious bullying is. It is something that happens around us all the time, whether we know about it or not. When I was younger bullying was something you heard about happening, but never something I saw happen. It also is a reminder that every child has insecurities about themselves and that when kids with a variety of cultures come together in one room; some of them may wonder why others look different.

This book enhanced my cultural awareness by reminding me that everyone is different. America is seen as “the melting pot” with different cultures and backgrounds coming together, which means there will likely be a variety of cultures in the classroom. It also made me realize that as a teacher, it is my job to make sure that every student feels comfortable and should be proud of where they came from. It also shows how bullying can affect a child both physically and mentally, as well as make them feel like less of a person.

I gained a variety of new insights from reading this book. I learned that, like Miss Saunders from the book, it will be my job to make sure that students are comfortable and confident about themselves. Also to remind my students that everyone is different, but that doesn’t mean that they should be treated any different than anyone else. It also makes you think like a middle school kid again, you have to put yourself in their shoes to realize how everything works

I feel that this text is 100% relevant to both classroom and community, because it talks about something that can be common in both classroom and community. It is directed towards a younger audience but I enjoyed reading it as well. I would recommend it to any teacher who wants to teach equality to his/her students and that it is okay to be different. I would use this book with my students in the beginning of the year to remind them that everyone is equal.