Downs+Syndrome

__**Nathan Bayer**__ 1) Throughout the course of researching, organizing, presenting this cultural presentation, I have not only learned new things about this group, but i have also deepened my understanding as well. Due to my experiences with people with downs syndrome, I had a fairly decent background knowledge of the disorder. However, I did not know of all of the physical effects of Downs Syndrome as well as how these abnormalities can further hinder a person with Downs Syndrome to communicate (i.e. the enlarged tongue and its effects on speaking clearly). I also had no prior knowledge of the absurdly high abortion rate in unborn babies who have been diagnosed with Downs. Lastly, I was unaware of all the positive and lasting effects that a teacher can have on a student with Downs. I realized that by following certain guidelines, one could foster a degree of achievement and educational growth within their students with Downs Syndrome. The lessons that I have learned from not only completing my own presentation, but also from watching other's projects is invaluable for my future success as a strong, fair, and diversified educator.

2) My group functioned extremely well. We got along very well and everyone pulled their equal weight. I had a blast working with these fine people and I feel that it was our great group chemistry that most contributed to our success in our presentation.

3) I am most proud of the fact that my group was able to present the information on Downs Syndrome in such a way that it was easy to understand and remember for our audience. I am proud taht we could play a part in the class’ future careers as educators. Therefore I would not wish to change a thing. Great job group! __**Michael Federman**__ __**Nicole Gottsacker**__
 * 1.** The first and perhaps the biggest take away I had was the stunning abortion rate associated with Down syndrome pre-natal diagnosis. I feel if there was a bigger effort to inform expecting parents of the wonderful long and productive lives these children can have, I feel there could be a decrease in that extremely high percentage. Secondly I think there were many good tips for how to handle a Down syndrome child in your classroom. I feel that Evan, Nate, and Nicole did a strong job of bringing up several good points and then strongly re-enforcing those points. Third, on the section I personally worked on, I learned exactly what the medical explanation for Down syndrome is. Previous to this assignment I didn’t have a clue.
 * 2.** I was very please in the way our group worked together. I think each person presented their information clearly and in an interesting way. We filled the time just perfectly and I think the presentation kept moving. Each person was responsible for their section and we all trusted one another to present in a way we would be proud of.
 * 3.** I was proud of the respect and care we showed for our topic. I think we did a good job of illustrating the challenges of Down Syndrome and yet to encourage our fellow students to push the Down syndrome kids at the same time. I think if we could have found a way for Down Syndrome to be more relatable, to somehow help them and ourselves to understand what these kids go through would have been very effective.
 * 1. Three major points that I learned about my culture is that there is an abortion rate of about 95%, they can grow to be independent, and having one of these children in your classroom can be very challenging.**
 * 2. Our group functioned very well. We were all assigned a section of the presentation. We then met the day before our presentation and ran through it and made sure everything sounded perfect!**
 * 3. I am proud of our presentation as a whole. I feel we had the perfect amount of lecture, video and discussion. I would not change anything!**

__**Evan Conley:**__ Post Assessment:

1.) 3 Major Points: In doing this project, I feel like I learned a great deal about this population. The first is their uniqueness. Just like everyone else in the world, each person has their own personality and unique characteristics, people with Down's Syndrome are no different. They also each have their own unique health concerns and treatments that are individualized for each person. Like many people have said in the comments and in class, I was completely surprised by the abortion rate. I understand that having a child with Down's Syndrome is a lot of work, but I couldn't believe the abortion rates.

2.) Group Chemistry: Our group worked very well during our project. We assigned different sections for each of us to complete, and emailed Nicole our information for the presentation, then met before our presentation to do a walk through, everything went very smoothly, and we all made the deadlines. It was great working with Nate, Nicole, and Michael.

3.) Most Proud Of: I'm proud of our group's ability to engage the class in discussion. We talked about some pretty serious things -- Abortion etc. -- But we presented the question, and we had a very productive conversation and everyone in the class was able to get a lot more out of the topic, much more than us just lecturing about statistics.

__**Outline**__ -What you know? -Truths and myths -How to reference your students with Down Syndrome
 * Introduction

-What is Down Syndrome? -Some numbers on Down Syndrome -What is the cause of Down Syndrome? -Two Karyotypes -The genetic process -How does this genetic process effect a person? -Physical characteristics of an individual with Down Syndrome -Intellectual disabilities associated with Down Syndrome -Physical Differences -Awareness and Abortion -Video and Discussion
 * A medical explanation and moral questions

-Down Syndrome students are unique -Skills Training -Additional at home support -Multisensory learning experience -Computer based curriculum -Three important parts of ongoing Down Syndrome treatment
 * Down Syndrome treatment

-Inclusion -Conditions for successful inclusion -Teacher Awareness -Modifying the curriculum -Modifying curriculum chart
 * Down Syndrome in the classroom


 * Closing discussions, comments, and questions,

Hey Guys! Here's our page... Gorgeous huh? ;) Anyways, now that we have it, feel free to write down your contact information.... And a list of your top 3 hopes and dreams ;)

Name-- Nathan Bayer:

Email-- njbayer@wolfmail.stritch.edu

Phone (cell)-- 1(414) 507-4302  begin_of_the_skype_highlighting  1(414) 507-4302  end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Hopes & Dreams-- 1) I hope to be a good teacher. 2) I hope that I never stop having fun in whatever I do. 3) I hope AND dream that this hour long presentation is NOT as long as it seems like it's going to be! ;D

Pre Assessment 1. I chose this topic for a few reasons. First, I know and am good friends with a family who's oldest son was born with downs syndrome. Second, I would love to be able to learn more not only about the disorder, but also about how this family has adapted their personal day-to-day cultures to accommodate their son's/brother's diagnoses. I hope to learn more about Downs Syndrome and more of the toll it can have on those who do not have the disorder, but who are still effected by it daily. 2. I really do not have many concerns with this project. I feel my group will b able to work very well together and accomplish a lot. I also am comfortable that we will find more then enough relative and important information to support our topic. 3. I am a hard worker and I am good at making presentations not only informative, but enjoyable as well.

--Posted February 23, 2012 at 2:25pm--

Name-- Nicole Gottsacker

Email-- ncgottsacker@wolfmail.stritch.edu

Phone (cell)-- 1(920) 627-6353  begin_of_the_skype_highlighting  1(920) 627-6353  <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Hopes & Dreams-- 1) I hope that I am a great and effective teacher. 2) I hope I am very successful in everything I do, both in teaching and life. 3) I hope that our presentation goes well and we get a very good grade!

Pre Assesment 1. I selected this topic because I find it very interesting. I want to be a special education teacher and, to be honest, I really do not know anything about Down's Syndrome. I know that throughout my career, I will encounter children with this disability. 2. My biggest concerns at this time is knowing which information is extremely important. There is so much information on Down's Syndrome that it will be very hard to pick out only what is important. 3. I am a very hard worker and I am very organized. I will make sure everything looks neat and that everything is turned in on time.

Name-- Michael Federman

Email-- mjfederman@wolfmail.stritch.edu

Phone (cell)-- <span class="skype_pnh_print_container_1334597111">1(920) 606-6595 <span class="skype_pnh_container"><span class="skype_pnh_mark"> begin_of_the_skype_highlighting <span class="skype_pnh_highlighting_inactive_common"> <span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span">1(920) 606-6595  <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Hopes & Dreams-- 1) To make history as interesting as I think it is for all my students. 2) To live many different life experiences 3) To dominate this presentation that way I know we can

Pre Assessment 1. I didn't select the topic myself. However, I am very interested in learning so much more about Down's Syndrome and sorting myth from fact. Also, as a group I hope we are able to provide our fellow future teachers with techniques of teaching those with Down's syndrome. 2. My biggest concern is not filling the hour, we will do that no problem. My biggest concern is doing the project the right way and staying on point of how does this information help prepare us to work with Down's Syndrome kids. 3. I am very organized and driven to do this properly not just so we can get a good grade but to benefit us all through understanding this syndrome so much better. I'm confident that myself and my group are striving to do our best.

__Project Plans/Responsibilites__ - start with a brief overview of Downs - medical information (Michael) - 20-25 minutes - Downs in the classroom (Nicole and Nate) -25 minutes - Treatment (Evan) -link to what a teacher can do to help with treatments... -meet with students and doctors of students - emphasize partnership between teachers, students, doctors. - governmental policies -10 minutes

__Resources__ http://www.ndss.org/index.php http://www.down-syndrome.org/information/education/curriculum/?page=4

__Group Set Due Dates__ - Brief outline of information you are presenting (March 1) - Start working on your powerpoint section and have some/most of the slides done (March 8) - Make sure you have all of your information and ask group members questions if you have any!!! (by March 15) - We need to set up a time that works for us to practice!!!

I think you guys did an awesome job!! You all looked very professional, everyone spoke and knew their information, and my favorite part about your presentation was how you related it back to the classroom. Great job!! -Kailey

You guys did a great job on your presentation! You each presented your part very well and all were very well informed on the research. I really liked how you guys started out your presentation with the truth and myth part, i learned things about down syndrome that i didn't know before. Also one thing that stuck with me and that i thought was interesting was the video you showed about abortion and the options. Good job -Emily Tessar

I think you guys did a great job. My favorite part of your presentation that stuck with me was the video you had about people with Down Syndrome and them accomplishing their dreams. Everyone was dress neatly, and that was a good touch to your presentation that got every group to do the same thing. - Kayla Schmeckel

I think all of you did an awesome job! I really learned a lot about individuals with Down Syndrome. I really enjoyed the video that you guys showed about being more alike than different. That was really neat to see because often people probably think that an individual with Down Syndrome is going to be very different. - Yolanda Booth

Great job guys! It was a really great presentation. I enjoyed the videos. The thing that really struck me was the abortion rate. I knew it was high, but I didn't realize it was that high. Thanks for bringing some attention to that. It led to a really great discussion. -Molly Toll

I really enjoyed this presentation. I think, as a few other people said, the main thing that I found most interesting (and disturbing to be honest) was the abortion rates due to pre-birth knowledge that a child may have Down Syndrome. I had done an essay on abortion topic back in high school, and I found out that doctors aren't even 100% sure whether a child does or does not have down syndrome. Sometimes they are only maybe 20% sure, which I found crazy! Anyways...good presentation. I thought you all did really well. -Emily Sparks

I think that this presentation was a great way to start off all of the presentations. You guys had a lot of great information, all of which you related to teacher. You guys looked professional and presented well. Great job! -Alisha Adams

Although I wasn't here for your presentation, I heard it was awesome! Looking over your research I can agree that at times it can be very challenging working with a student who has Down's Syndrome but it's also very rewarding! -Alyssa Thomas

You guys did a fantastic job. I liked everything about your presentation, and the video was my favorite, the we are more alike than different. I have watched it again on my own. :) You also all dressed up very nice. So GREAT JOB! - Becky Gilbreath

You guys did a great job presenting this topic and I loved the way that you took a positive outlook on it. You picked really good videos that enhanced you presentation. -Anna Lijewski