Blog #5 Position Paper Topic Research

Position Paper Research
Each of you has gotten approval for a topic of research (don't blog until you have your approved topic from me). Instead of the position paper (which was long and arduous), a blog conversation seems more fitting.

So share the following:
1. Your topic/debate (and remember, this is on a continuum and not necessarily an either/or).
2. Know the research that supports both sides of the issue (i.e. share how a four day school week benefits students and how it is detrimental...this will definitely apply to different types of learners!).
3. Share which learners are most impacted by the different sides...
4. Make your claim of what you believe is best for the majority of these learners below (i.e. is a 4 day week beneficial to most? Why? OR is a 4 day week detrimental to most? Why?
Blog #5 by Friday, Jan. 6^th and respond to classmates by Sunday, Jan. 8^th.  

Here are the learners I'd like you to choose from...address AT LEAST 8 of the most applicable to your topic (many go for what they deem special needs but this list is the most common in-the-classroom reality in Missouri per DESE):

• Apathy
• At-Risk (gangs, drugs, attendance, sexual abuse, homeless, pregnancy, poverty [included by itself too as SES can impact students on all spectrums – think about a wealthy student in a middle class school, a poor student in a wealthy school – it goes both ways])
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum
• Behaviorally challenged (undiagnosed) – this can be a classic ornery kid or a child who really cannot control him/herself/keep his/her hands to him/herself or one who is just not yet diagnosed
• Bullied or bullies -- these kids often have the same needs and often the bully starts off being bullied and hence becomes a bully as a coping mechanism 
• Depression
• Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia -- only include the ones that are applicable to the topic
• ELL/ESL
• Emotional Disorders (children of divorce, substance abuse in family or self, family issues, loss of a loved one, sibling rivalry issues, etc.) – this can range from mild to severe
• Giftedness
• Learning Disability (LD) – Academic deficit, language deficit, social-emotional problems, cognition deficits, motor skill/coordination problems, etc.) *Sometimes ADD & ADHD are included here
• Overextended student – students who do EVERYTHING from sports to choir to band to debates to virtually anything – these kids often suffer from extreme stress AND they often miss class due to games/matches, etc.
• Socio-Economic Status (SES) – especially a factor if a child is a different SES that his/her peers
• Shyness
• Struggling Reader (IEP or undiagnosed)
• Visual vs. Auditory learners (address them collectively)

Blog #4 Accommodations/Differentiation

ACCOMMODATIONS: 

You should have just used the Accommodations List to consider how to meet the needs of as many learners as possible during a given lesson. It's daunting and impossible to meet every student's needs during every lesson...but it should be a goal. When I'm doing gallery walks with my students, I know that if a younger kid had behavior issues, I would have to vary how I do it. When I taught junior high, I used numerous strategies for every lesson, but not every strategy works every time. The key is to diversify how you differentiate. That being said, share how it felt to try to accommodate every kid? What kinds of accommodations did you come up with that could satisfy the needs of several learners (THAT'S the key)... Think Universal Design for Learning (UDL)... You may not have watched the video yet, but it's central to this point. After answering those couple of questions, also pose any worries you have with the group. What stresses you out most about meeting the needs of all students? Blog by Monday Jan. 2^nd and respond by Wed. Jan. 4^th