Creating a Learning Portrait — Suzanne Smythe (SFU)

Creating a Learning Portrait: A tool in screening for learning disabilities/difficulties

Suzanne Smythe

Learning is about relationships, and half the work of identifying and addressing learning difficulties in adult literacy settings is to know the learners, and to understand (and help them to understand) how they learn best.

Below are guiding questions that help us to screen for learning difficulties. People who avoid some kinds of activities or work and excel in others, who dislike some kinds of learning, who have had difficulties in school or work all their lives, are likely to have a learning difficulty.

Over time, gather information that will help you and the new learner, to best meet his/her learning needs.

Be prepared to share information, to share your own learning experiences, to make this more of an ongoing conversation (don’t
interview on the first day of class!)

Use your sensitivity to know if it is or is not OK to ask questions, and be OK with information coming out slowly as you work
together.

• What are your plans/goals? What would you like to work toward?
• What makes it pleasant, easy for you to learn? (working alone/working with
• others, music, food, quiet, etc.)
• What makes it difficult to learn? (e.g bright lights, background noise, music,
• sitting too long, listening to too many instructions, too much printed text, etc)
• What was school like for you?
• What subjects/parts of school did you enjoy?
• What did you dislike?2
• What are you good at?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What kinds of work have you done?
• What kinds of work are you doing now?
• How long have you lived in (…)?
• (If appropriate): How are you children doing in school?

Your turn: What other information may be helpful in screening for learning
styles and learning difficulties?
And…SHARE your experiences of learning, what makes learning difficult or
enjoyable for you. Create a setting in which people talk about their learning, as
part of the learning process.
Paying attention to:

• Areas in which the person excels, and areas of interest
• Ongoing difficulties in school related to reading, writing, behaviour, etc.
• Difficulties keeping a job because of new skill requirements, organization
• skills, etc, organization;
• Low self esteem
• Children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability (LDs are
• hereditary)
• Social supports, resources and qualify of everyday life

Follow-up this conversation with informal assessment/placement that pays
attention to:

• Reading skills (reading a familiar text)
• Fluency (Speed and accuracy)3
• Comprehension
• Analysis of type of errors
• Eyes: tracking the print in a conventional way or moving all around the
• page?
• Pronunciation: Phonemic awareness (know the sounds the letters make?)
• Writing skills
• Spelling (nature of errors)
• Fluency (speed and accuracy)
• Handwriting (laboured or smooth, legible or?)
• Sentence structure and meaning – does it make sense?
• Organization/Disposition
• Losing things?
• Seems disoriented, gets lost?
• Difficulty focusing, following instructions?

**Assess dynamically. This means, intervene during the assessment when you
see the learner is having difficulties and ask them how you can help, and what
the nature of the difficulty is. This will give you valuable information about the
nature of the difficulty, instead of a blanket result of can/can’t do.
For more information on how LD may show up in reading, see:
http://www.lbspractitionertraining.com/prac_training/M3%20-
%20Learning%20Disabilities/3.3_popup_LDandReading.htmAppendix M

From: How to Design and Host Community Conversations about Learning Disabilities

By Pamela Auffray, Family Literacy Facilitator, Chilliwack Community Services &
Debbie Denault, Literacy Outreach Coordinator, Chilliwack Learning Community Society
December 2010

link: http://www.chilliwacklearning.com/strategies/al/index_44_1544501673.pdf

1. Creating a Learning Portrait (Suzanne Smythe)
2. Screening Checklist (Bow Valley — separate attachment)
3. Top 10 tips for creating a learning environment that works for everyone,
including those with a LD

Born with a gift

I wish there was an explanation for these striking adult ed poems from Dawn Courage’s presentation.  I can’t find any info on google today. I’ll record it here for an example in a writing class perhaps.

 

Born with a gift that you did not ask for

Born with a gift that makes you the odd ball

Born with a gift that makes everyone think you always lie

Born with a gift  that people think you are the freak of nature

Born with dyslexia means I did not learn how to read or write

I have always looked at people through rosy sun glasses

Now I simply see people for whom they really are

Let me tell you they come in all colours, shapes, sizes

They come in good, they come in bad, they come any old way

I live by honesty, this way I can put my head on my pillow and

know that Nothing can come back on me

I do not let anyone bully me anymore, let me tell you how

people hate this because not more taking advantage of Mel

[ page break]

I have had many people try to take me out, from being raped

and beatin to within an inch of my life

From drugs to prostitution, lived on the streets, I have eatin out of garbage cans

Well I am still standing people, But I am stronger now that [sic] I

have ever been

Be careful this bitch is awake, and on his toes

I am grateful for all my blessings everything from good to bad

I am grateful for all the things I have learned

I am grateful for all the pain, sorrow, laughter

I am grateful for this monster inside of me

I have now excepted [sic] who I am, I LOVE who I am

I am the best I have ever been, God I ask You to watch over me

I will do the rest down here.

 

MTVT

 

Supporting Learners & Learning Differences DTES Ed Ctr Series, May 11th 2012

Suzanne Smythe (SFU) — Balanced Approaches to reading, UD, and multi-modal learning: stategies for dealing with adults with reading difficulties.

I only read the handout, since I had to leave right after Smythe began.  He paper provides a good breakdown of the different types of learning aspects that go into ‘literacy’, and I found it a good primer for someone who is not an expert on the subject such as myself. A lot of the strategies reminded me of the kind of work that was done en masse in elementary school. I wonder if elementary school teachers might be better suited for crossover in adult ed, LD, ESL, and the like.  Smythe’s package has a focus on comprehension and relationship-buidling as the role of the educator.

I especially like the idea of building an education portfolio for the learner.

Dawn Courage’s workshop on ADD/ADHD was more geared towards someone in a similar position as herself, that is, one of a special needs and support educator.  Perhaps the best overlap between the two sessions was the emphasis that difficulties a learner may encounter are complex and clinical ones are notoriously hard to diagnose, so that labelling is not as useful as teaching skills. A simplified way of understanding “common learning difficulties associated with ADD/attention difficulties is: problems with working memory, and auditory processing issues”.

Another slide looked at symptoms which, curiously, looks like most people, if not youth, would probably encounter at some point whether diagnosed with a LD or not!

A 5-step (Hallowell) strategy sounds similar to what I saw at a summer camp for youth recently.

1. connect — form a relationship

2. play – to use the imagination

3. practice – take skills from play and adapt to discipline

4. make progress; achieve mastery –> building blocks of self-esteem an motivation

5. recognition – not always winning a prize, but having someone notice your progress.

The problem I find in some of the materials is the notion that you can be everything to any student, and overcome any challenge. While I find this empowering, I think this can stretch some new high school teachers of core subjects a little thin.

Courage also notes the difference between curriculum-based outcomes, and learner based outcomes, where the latter is more goal based, and presumably more personalized. I think a balance between these two strategies is key for success in core school subjects.

Pro-D day session: UDL

Universal Design for Learning: The Key to Inclusive Education

Pat Mirenda, PhD, Professor in the Faculty of Education, UBC

Friday, April 20, 2012

 

Based on the title, I expected this session to be one grounded in curriculum building principals for a varied spectrum of learner styles and abilities, but in fact the focus in “inclusive education” is students with special needs. Pat Mirenda’s presentation style was humourous and captivating, as she explained that inclusive education in the 80’s was billed to teachers as including special needs kids without any additional attention paid to meeting their learning outcomes. “No big deal, don’t worry about it” kind of thing. Even after this move, parents remain concerned that the academic levels of education their kids  receive are somewhat less than impressive.

In comes UDL. The idea is the teacher teaches the same lesson, but tests the special need child on a modified level.  This sounds like a completely obvious and unoriginal point to me–no offense, Pat. Special needs have specific learning plans which call for evaluation of specific skills. The main point is that special needs kids in the class can participate with other students, instead of doing an independent curriculum.

I like the basic idea, and it’s up to the audience to apply the idea to their own situations, whether for advanced learners or ones with special needs. I just didn’t find half of Pat Mirenda’s presentation on special needs relevant to my particular experience at this point.  I was especially concerned with some example choices she made. Earlier in the presentation, special needs relegated to “pushing a broom” was frowned upon, but later volunteer work in the school was re-branded under the positivist slogan “experiential learning”, with a cafeteria worker cited as a case for success.  Granted, pushing a broom is out of the lime-light, while working in a cafeteria isn’t, but both these experiences have little to do with universal design for academics.

Special ed workers were recommended to design the modified worksheets to test the knowledge for special needs kids.   Here, ‘universal’ becomes ‘individual’, which makes it somewhat difficult to uphold broad benchmarks for all students who are taught the same lesson.  I understand this is a great method for special needs, but I am not sure it is named correctly as ‘universal’ with so many difficulties in applying the method en masse.

The examples used were ridiculously low. Grade 11 special needs evaluations took on the look of primary worksheets. I personally  do not think special needs should earn any kind of modified credit for ‘grade 11’ if they are unable to meet a certain benchmark for ‘grade 11’,  or anything even close to it.  Sorry. Grade 11 is not just an indicator of your age.

In sum, this workshop was so-so. It made me think about the bigger topic of education reform, moving towards a system of benchmarks and levels, where grades may be comprised of mixed-ages and a variety of levels and interests.

 

SETBC Links galore

Here is yet another useful site for sharing lesson plans online.   I’m stoked to browse this resource after signing up for the universal design workshop coming up on the April 20th pro-d day.

Special Education Technology – BC

http://www.setbc.org/bcudl/

There is a cartel of SET links and programs that all reference each other. I popped open a couple windows and checked it out.

Provincial Outreach Programs (POPs) — this targets students with physical disabilities, like deaf, blind, autistic, etc:

http://www.popbc.ca/

NTS follow up:

Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – http://fasdoutreach.ca

VERY nice website! With assessments, IEP suggestions, transitioning.

Though a question comes to mind: how does one become officially diagnosed with FASD? Sometimes I think labels can be scary, but it’s easy to remember that they are only labels, not abilities.

“Communication Assistance for Youth and Adults (CAYA)operates as a project created through Special Education Technology BC (SET-BC). Our clients are adults aged 19 years and older who require an augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) system due to a severe communication disability, i.e. speech that is not functional for daily communication. ”

http://www.cayabc.org/

NTS: check out alternative online platforms for these students. Stephen Hawking is def. a genius hero of mine. There’s got to be a fanclub among this group I can join.

Assistive Tech. BC:

http://www.at-bc.ca/skillsdevelopment.html

I like the intro:

“Are you as effective a learner as you can be? Do you tend to follow an established routine when you study, or do you select specific study tactics based on your study goals and the tasks you need to accomplish? Would you like to know more about how to incorporate the technology you received from ATBC into your overall strategic approach to studying?

The most effective learners are also highly strategic learners. But what does it mean to be a “strategic learner”? A strategic learner has a repertoire, or “toolbox,” of actions (“tactics”) from which to choose when faced with a study task. Strategic learners set goals and choose the tactics they believe will be best suited for meeting those goals based on the demands of the task.

The goal of the Skills Development Centre is to provide resources that will help you to effectively incorporate your assistive technology into the learning strategies you already use, and to help you build new approaches to studying with your assistive technology.”

In the 21st century, everyone uses “assistive technology”.

I am familiar with many of the programs and resources from working at CILS (shout out to CILS for awesomeness!), but NTS to follow up on STUDY STRATEGIES — some good bits of knowledge there.

D10: Navigating special education in BC

D10 Navigating special education in BC
Lizzie Midyette

Gather some tips and tricks for understanding the process of identifying, supporting, and maintaining services for students with exceptional learning needs in BC.

Target group: K – 12

“Welcome to Holland” opened up the session. I had never heard or read the powerful essay before, which Midyette read aloud.  Now it’s something I will never forget.

Teachers should note that sometimes parents of disabled kids have not passed grieving, with some denying themselves any notion to grieve at all.

Most of us didn’t miss skipping round-table introductions after this, which Midyette  noted were usually ‘unsubstantial substance’ in large groups. Finally, someone said it!

One way to look at special education is by exceptional and typical students.

For the kids, one thing interesting to note is the complete deconstruction of tasks. What are the steps to do this?

How do you do your homework?

What are the steps to eat lunch in the classroom?

One technique: chaining

You start the ball rolling on the steps, and the student catches on & completes the task/sequence.

Special Education educators need to be aware of how you will taper the lessons so your child achieves mastery.

Another thing to keep in mind is to

Isolate the problem — Stick to 3 goals or less (what, how & when)

There are so many solutions to some of these student’s needs, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Try to narrow it down to check for results.  And, be patient with results. They may take years.

I liked the idea of a “transitional goal”, where transition means “life skills beyond high school”.

Midyette noted that Speech Language Pathologists are excellent district resource people who have expertise in communications and learning programs.

Midyette spent most of the second half of the seminar showing us a few different types of IEP‘s, or Individual Education Plan.   These look like they take some time and thought to fill out, nevermind execute. 

My high school friend and English-Lit  teaching guru Melanie Guyot noted that she had barely seen one of these in her university program before stepping into a classroom practicum dedicated to special needs students.  W.O.W. I salute you, Ms. Guyot. And thanks to Lizzie Midyette for giving me some insight into some of the enormous administration that goes into special education, nevermind the amazing energy and work done in modified instruction itself.

This also highlighted the integrity and truly special skill set of special education teachers in BC, who are at risk of losing control over the quality of service, thanks to a government overturning collective bargaining and cutting 100 million dollars out of the education budget this year.

I was thinking about doing something with special education, but Holland suddenly looks a lot more bleak to me.  I can see why there is a “7 year itch” or burnout period for these specialists.

Midyette’s solution is to schedule the fun in the workplace, as well as not taking on more than you can handle–especially as a new teacher.  So get your  “cupcake cult”  together and head to a school near you.