Sparks,+Jeff+-+Physical+Education

Inclusion in Physical Education



=__Introduction__=

Hello! My name is Jeff Sparks. I graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Anthropology in 1996…which seems like a really, really long time ago. Since then, I married, traveled to 48 of the 50 states in the US (see if you can guess which two I have not visited), tried my hand at woodworking and writing, then became a stay-at-home dad when our first daughter was born. Eight years later and I am fully immersed in the MAT program at Southern Oregon University.

Education and career goals. I am a life-long learner. Teaching and encouraging students to follow me down that path, making them critical thinkers, and vital informed community members are my goals. If I can get students to think, to question, and to become involved, then at the end of the day, I know that I have made a difference. I am looking forward to working in one of our local elementaries. So far, I have been in classrooms from Pre-K to 6th grade (excluding 4th and 5th) and would love to teach any of them.

What brings me joy? My family, hearing the crazy things that students come up with, reading, spending time outdoors.

What is my greatest fear about being a teacher? I fear that I will not be able to find a balance between teaching with urgency and teaching so urgently that I become burned out. It’s all about balance.

Did I ever experience a time when something was extremely difficult to learn? How did it make me feel? Calculus. I took calculus I and II twice each before passing. I was frustrated, especially because I was thinking that I might major in mathematics the first year that I was in college. I did not attempt calculus III for fear that I would fail at that too. I am disappointed, sometimes, that I did not pursue higher math because I enjoy it today.

How can I relate this to students with learning differences? Patience and empathy. These are two core qualities that any teacher would do well to nurture. Seeing the world through another’s eyes is one of the most enlightening things that one can practice.

I want to come away from this course with an expanded sense of empathy for all students. I don’t want to have an inclusive classroom for students with disabilities, I want to have an inclusive classroom for all students.

 My daughter and me at Lava Beds, National Monument (that's me on the right).

=__Introduction__=

===I chose inclusion in physical education because we are mostly focused on the classroom, and academics, as we should be. However, I am also one who believes that exercise and movement are an essential part of anyone's life. Making that part of students with disabilities lives is important for them as human beings and us as educators.===

=__Five things that I learned__=


 * ===I'm not sure that I learned this this time around, but believe that it is important to keep in mind: People with disabilities are //people// first.===
 * ===Don't put your limits on what you believe someone can or can't do.===
 * ===Most traditional P.E. activities are easily adaptable for students with special needs.===
 * ===Many lessons and activities that are designed specifically for students with special needs are enjoyable by all students.===
 * ===Inclusion is differentiation. To make an inclusive classroom for all students is my goal.===

=__Resources__=

Adapted physical education classes
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===This is my #1 video resource that will be most useful for teachers. It shows many different ways that physical education is important for all children, especially students with disabilities. It has great ideas that we can use right away if we have students with disabilities in our classes.===

5 out of 5
PE Central

===#1 Website for P.E. educators. This website has a whole lot of information about Physical Education including Lesson Ideas that have modifications for students with disabilities. The more I explore this site and search for other resources, the more PE Central comes up. There is a huge amount of information on this site. There is a link to videos on adapted physical education .===

Let's Play
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Quad Rugby
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4 out of 5
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==="Murderball" is a movie about wheelchair rugby, a para-olympic sport. The movie focuses on Team USA and Team Canada. If you have not seen this movie, you need to watch it. Be aware there is much coarse language. It is not a resource for students, but for teachers.===

6 out of 5. It will change your view about people with quadriplegia.
Palaestra, subtitled:
 * //Forum of Sport, Physical Education & Recreation For Those With Disabilities//**

is a quarterly magazine. Their mission statement follows:
===**(From the Website) PALAESTRA**'s mission is threefold: first, to enlighten parents in all aspects of physical activity, thus making them the best possible advocates for their children during IEP (Individual Education Plan) discussions with the school or community recreation staff; second, to increase the knowledge base of those professionals working with children or adults with disabilities, making them aware of the **can do** possibilities of their clients; third, we would like our adult readers to learn the value physical activity holds for their increased wellness.===

5 out of 5
GopherSport

4 out of 5


===Website for the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability. The site is geared toward educators, therapists, and people with disabilities. There is a lot of information that is fairly easy to navigate.===

4 out of 5
=**__Community Based Learning Project__**=

I chose to shadow our special education teacher. She explained that it was not a typical day in the resource room as it was the end of the quarter and so everyone was scrambling to get missing assignments in before grade day. What this meant was that out of the eight students in the room, four were working on revising a “writer’s workshop” assignment, two were working on math assignments, one was working on writing skills, and one, completely caught up, was lying on the floor reading __Diary of a Wimpy Kid__. There were also two paraprofessionals in the room working one on-one-with two of the students, a fifth grader working on writing and a first grader working on letter forming.

For the most part, the special education teacher facilitated and motivated kids to get their work done and turned in. She did some instruction on a math lesson. The only things that are taught in the resource room at the school are reading, writing, and math.

There is a token economy based on behavior, “Bee Bucks”: if no reminders are given and work is completed, then the student earns 5 Bee Bucks. One reminder, but work still finished: 4 Bee Bucks and on down. At the end of the month the students get to “shop” for toys and books. When I was there, the teacher had to get more Bee Bucks out of the cupboard as the students had earned so many this month.

INTERVIEW

What kind of interventions/activities/approaches do you use and why?


 * Reading Research based. That is mandated
 * SRA Math (a brand name math program).
 * Writer’s Workshop
 * Peer partnering
 * “Seeing Stars” symbol imagery
 * She tries to foster independent learners and teaches by showing rather than telling.

What seems to be working?

A little bit of everything. All instruction is differentiated and individualized. Small group instruction is used often. In the upper grades, small groups are nearly non-existent. The students that she works with really like the small group work, they almost crave it. The younger students, who get small group work all day, for the most part, in the general education classroom could take it or leave it.

What about Functional Behavior Assessments?

Again, totally individualized. The process in our school district starts in the classroom with informal interventions by the teacher. Then the student is referred to EBIS. If no progress after formal interventions, then the student may be tested for ADD/ADHD. Right now, she is working with a student who is 100% in the classroom, but comes to check-in in the mornings, and checkout at the end of the day.

REFLECTION

What the resource room most resembled is small group-work time in a general education classroom. Students were mostly on task, though sometimes not so much. They were genuinely trying to finish assignments, for the most part, just like a regular classroom. Granted, there were only eight of them in the room, but their behavior was pretty even. Only once, when a girl became flustered because of a math problem, did the teacher have to intervene by sending her down to the drinking fountain to collect herself. She returned shortly and went back to the task at hand.

The instruction was just how I would teach: leading students to find the answer for themselves rather than telling them what those answers would be. The teacher did have to do much scaffolding. While working on the math problem, for example, she used manipulatives (plastic quarters), multifaceted explanations and pictures on the white-board.

All in all, it was not what I expected. I suppose that I naively assumed that, even though I had not seen them around school, the resource room housed some severely MR students. What I found were students who lave learning disabilities who genuinely want to learn, but have difficulty. They are getting an education in a small classroom of diverse learners with much adult help.