As you continue implementing your own lesson plans and activities that will eventually assist the students with whom you are working to be as independent as possible, you are bond to encounter some challenges. Challenges which were unforeseen and only realized once you were in the moment. For example, when Dr. Z. had a summer camp for disadvantaged youth he was unprepared for the daily demand it would require (over 13 hours every day!) However, he figured out some ways to overcome this challenge in order for the camp to be successful.
What were some challenges you observed and how do plan on meeting these challenges in the next few weeks so that your learning environments go smoother and you are more prepared for them when they come up again?
One of the major challenges that I have come by was that my student has some issues following instructions. He has a lot of energy and he loves to play the running away game. I've come to realize that if I take away the equipment and not play into the behavior that he wants to get from me works. It's important for me to let him know that he needs to listen in order to be able to do the activities that he wants. We've also come up with a strategy of an activity board where he can choose what activity he wants to play so that we have a set schedule and that he must to stick with it since he chose it. It was very challenging for me at first to get my kid to listen, but this last week was the first week we used the activity board and it went well. There's still room for improvement but I'm excited for both me and my kid to overcome these challenges.
ReplyDeleteOne challenge I've encountered is that my student has a very high energy level and simply gets caught up or very set on doing something over and over again or simply just doing what she wants to do. I think I've realized that if I give her a choice between two options, it kind of limits what she might think we are going to be doing and what is available. If she sees something else that someone else is doing, I say that it will be one of two options the following week and that seems to be working really well. I think there's definitely going to be some struggles, but helping her to understand that there are only a limited number of options will hopefully help both of us.
ReplyDeleteWhen he doesn't want to do something he'll walk away or just sit there. This week was the first time I haven't been able to get past it. I asked him to say thank you and I couldn't get him to do anything for 10 min. I tried everything I could think of. I do want to do better at giving him choices. It'll give him a little more control over what we do. I think that could help but beyond that I have no idea!
ReplyDeleteOne big challenge that I would like to overcome is his objection to trying to float on his back. He is so against this, that every time I suggest it, he gets very upset and wont listen to me for awhile after. I think that it is more than just the swimming issue. When he doesn't want to try something I usually let it go, but now I think our relationship is more comfortable. I feel that I can push or reason with him better in the coming weeks. Even if I can only get him to try something once that would be better than not at all. I want to work on getting him to try new things that aren't as comfortable. This could be possible by compromising and even using something that he likes as a tool.
ReplyDeleteI have come to better understand her relationship with her mother, which is very good, but can make it hard to stay focused on activities if she is not close by. This past week was extra hard because he mother was not there when we switched over to the pool and she was very concerned about where she was. It is becoming more challenging to keep her attention the more comfortable she gets with me. I want to practice praising her good behavior when she is focusing on what we are doing, and placing her concerns with her mother to the side. Hopefully she will be able to slowly gain confidence in being without her mother.
ReplyDeleteThis week A wasn't there so I was paired with another child. He was older than A but barely spoke. I wasn't used to having such a hard time communicating. When I would ask a question sometimes he would ignore it or he would repeat some words. So I had to get closer and ask again slowly and give him time to respond. I think he responds best when he's in an environment that's not too crowded and overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI have decided I must have go lucky because my student is seriously an angel! She is so sweet! She is sometimes resistant to try something new when you first introduce the idea to her, but if you keep talking to her about it she will eventually try it. This week we had a huge breakthrough! We have been trying to get her to go underwater and man did she protest. But our unforeseen event of the week was K just going for it and doing it! I was so proud of her. I am hopefully we can keep progressing at the rate we are! We are having a blast!
ReplyDeleteThis week my student was not there possibly due to Fall break. I had an opportunity to pair up with another student M and her teacher; this semester M gets to do a lot of activities with my student so it was nice to get to know her a little better too. With another teacher, myself and M’s Dad there facilitating it was interesting to see how over-communicating can get in the way. It was like having three chiefs so I stepped back a little bit to play more of a supporting role. I felt like it was overwhelming to M having three people asking her to do things and so I focused on making sure we took turns. M was not very verbal so it was nice to tune into her sign language and body language. I realized how important it was to “read” that form of communication. She practiced money and shopping at a grocery store that another teacher had set up. It was a great idea and fun for her. She did get tired and wanted to transition to a more active activity. She kept signing to “play” and was mostly non-verbal as is my assigned student. It was great to have an opportunity to tune into how she communicates however, it was challenging to keep her attention. I realize the importance of having a handful or more of planned out activities with a clear intention of practicing a skill. I would like to focus on this as well as non-verbal communication for next week. It was a great opportunity to learn from another student and teacher.
ReplyDeleteI haven't really encountered any problems with my student yet. She seems to understand that I am in charge and that I have made a plan for the day. The only thing that in a challenge is what seems to be our main goal to accomplish this semester, and that is working with others and not getting upset or demanding. So far she has done all right working with me and maybe 2 other people. Hopefully by that end of the semester we will be able to work with 6 or more people and not have too many difficulties.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems that I have encountered is that while I am trying to make him more comfortable with the pool he is getting more comfortable with the pool. He isn't afraid just to jump off the platform even when there is not someone to help him because he can't swim. He jumped off the side of the platform I was not on and I had to hustle over there so he didn't drown. I need to put the platform in a position where he can only jump where I am at, remind him to hang on tight if I need to go retrieve something, or I have been having him jump on my back to help me go retrieve the item.
ReplyDeleteWell since T has such an issue with following directions or staying on the task at hand; I have found it beneficial to only have very few amount of objects and allow him to use that object or task in as many ways as possibly. I think this helps with him not getting to over stimulated. Only giving him one object at a time has been helpful too so that he can just stay on task with the one object. I will normally hide the other objects; especially the marker for the white board. I also have found to keep T very busy in the pool because if you do not he tries to splash everyone and steal their toys. This has taught me to be more prepared for him when he is around more people; as he is in the pool.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems I have encountered, is communication and when this barrier happens and my student gets frustrated she has a break down and shuts off from me. trying to regain that composure and connection again is really tough and can be a struggle, I haven't figured out a way to overcome this barrier yet.
ReplyDeleteOne of the challenges I have encountered with R is the communication barrier. He is very nonverbal and I have to keep asking him questions or have him repeat phrases in order for to have him talk. This can be difficult because it is hard to understand if he is enjoying an activity or if something is bothering him. I still haven't found a way to help him with his communication,but one thing I have done is I have constantly asked him questions to at least get something out of him.
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