Practicum
With Typically Developing Children and Children with High-Intensity Needs
In the spring semester of 2021, I took part in a practicum experience with a set of peers, which included individuals seeking degrees in Speech-Langual Pathology, Special Education, and Reading Education.
Today was the first day of practicum with students that are typically-developing and students with varied needs, ranging from low-intensity to high-intensity. To say I was nervous is an understatement; this was a new experience for all of my colleagues. We were teaching kids through Zoom about reading and writing. Don't worry, it did NOT feel like an educational experience because we had SO much fun. I worked with two colleagues that specialize in two different fields: Special Education and Speech and Language Pathology (SLP). Working as an educational team was an experience that I have come to love because we all bounce off of each other's educational and personal experiences to make the best literacy experiences for our students.
The purpose of the practicum is to engage students in literacy experiences that are engaging enough to get kids to enjoy reading and writing. Unfortunately, many kids with varied needs do not have rich literacy experiences, which causes them to have negative relationships with literacy. Believe it or not, having positive literacy experiences changes the overall positive outcomes of a child's life, so this practicum is changing lives.
Before we can start changing lives drastically, my colleagues and I have to answer four essential questions about each child in our small group. These questions determine if a child is in an emergent literacy or comprehensive literacy stage. According to Comprehensive Literacy For All by Dr. Karen A. Erickson and Dr. David A. Koppenhaver, "We want to know if a student can:
1. Identify most of the letters of the alphabet, most of the time.
2. Is interested and engaged during shared reading.
3. Has a means of communication and interaction.
4. Understands that Print has meaning. ( Erickson, Koppenhaver, & Cunningham, 2017). "
Answering these four questions about a student's relationships helps my colleagues and I determine the route we take in terms of literacy instruction.
Most students received a "yes" answer to all of these questions, so it's time to start planning Comprehensive LIteracy activities... stay tuned for next week!
Practicum 2
Thursday
4:30 pm
2/25/2021
Last week proved to be such an amazing experience, so I was looking forward to this week's meeting as well. We had less kids show up at this week's practicum yet still managed to have the same amount of participation/energy as the previous week. The kids that are in this practicum are great kids. They are all opened to the idea of exploring literacy and engaging in this experience.
I learned last week that the students LOVE the game 'among us', so when the kids were able to come up with a name for our group, of course they chose 'AMONGSTERS'. I have to say, that is a great group name. My little amongsters :)
This week we decided to have the students go on another virtual field trip, but this time we went to Disney and explored the Pirates of the Carribean ride. The kids loved it and told us exactly what they saw by writing in the padlet. They are all in the conventional literacy stage. One child that uses an eye gaze only types one word in the group chat or on the padlet, so I want to find ways in which to get him to express himself more. He uses multiple words while speaking using his 'Tobi'' device, so I think that it is possible for him to write more.
One of the students finished the padlet and we stopped talking about our fun field trip. We had the students take part in two Gimme-5 activities writing about (1) their favorite books (2) where they want to visit in the world. Our main objective and mission as a group is to give our kids 'choice' in their literacy experiences. I can't wait to see what books the kids are into and what places they want to visit.
Here's a look at what we did this week
Practicum 3
Thursday
4:30 pm
3/04/2021
As practicum approaches each week, my group members and I have become accustomed to meeting weekly. We meet every Tuesday from 3-4 p.m. to discuss the lesson plans for the following Thursday. We discuss the kids, reading materials, lesson plans, and how to engage the interests of all students. I really enjoy working with my colleagues each week.
For this Thursday, there were only 4 kids in practicum. I was sad that all of the kids couldn't attend Thursday's meeting, but I understand how busy everyone's lives are. We planned our weekly lesson based on a child's interest in space; each week we are picking a book that aligns with one of our kids interests. We planned out the lesson, but unfortunately, the child who inspired our space lesson wasn't in attendance. :(
The lesson still went great. We used the Anchor, Read, Apply strategy while reading a book about the Apollo 13 mission. We also created a 'found' poem based on the kids observations. The kids listening and following along to the graphic novel. I was the one who read the novel for our group, and I have to admit that it was difficult to read in an online format. I had to share my computer screen with our group and read font that was small. I messed up a few times while reading, but I know the kids didn't mind.
We received feedback after our practicum experience and some things we can do better are: celebrating and acknowledging each child's contribution in the chat or spoken aloud to the group. We can also give the children more time to answer the questions themselves. Stay tuned for next week!
Practicum 4
Thursday
4:30 pm
3/11/2021
Practicum today went by quickly, as usual. I wish we had more time to interact with the kids, but I understand why our time is limited. I missed the first 30 minutes of practicum today because I had an interview. However, I made it just in time for small group!
During our small break-out group we focused on greek mythology. This may seem like a random topic for a literacy discussion, but my colleagues and I picked this topic because many of our group members wanted to visit Greece. We know this information because, at the beginning of practicum, we asked our group members to fill out an interest inventory. The kids told us what books they like to read and what places they've always wanted to visit. Therefore, because we have this information, each week we go on a field trip to a country that is inspired by the interests of our group members and we, then, read a book and write based on what the kids noticed.
This week we used the KWL strategy before reaidng the book about Greek mythology and so many of our group members knew so much about this topic! It was surprising The kids loved the book we read and all participated very well this week.
Practicum 5
Thursday
4:30 pm
3/18/2021
This practicum experience was one of the more difficult ones because our number of participants was low. However, luckily, the focus of this units week was inspired by a child who attended this evenings literacy practicum. In one of the past sessions, we had an entire unit about space, but the child who inspired us wasn't in attendance.
This week we focused on Pennsylvania. My group members and I watched to videos about Pennsylvania; one to give an overview of the geography of Pennsylvania and the other to give cool facts about the state. This lesson was extremely informative for both the kids and for me. I never knew much about Pennsylvania and now I know plenty of facts.
After we watch videos and read about Pennsylvania, my group and I decided to write a short story about 'Judah going to Pennsylvania'. Judah is the child who inspired this weeks topic. The kids had a BLAST writing a story about Judah visiting Pennsylvania. Judah and the other two students who were present on zoom had a great time, but I wish more students would have been there. Hopefully there is a better turn out next week.
Practicum 6
Thursday
4:30 pm
3/25/2021
Yay! Thankfully this week's practicum via zoom was filled with almost all of our participants. Similar to previous weeks, my group members and I decided to go on a virtual field trip based on the interests of one of the children in our group. This week we went to NORWAY! I don't know much about Norway, so I was glad I was able to learn alongside the kids. Similar to last week, we watched videos about Norway and began to write a story centered around it. However, we didn't get to finish our story! All of he kids and I were so sad that we were able to finish the story, so we decided to carry the lesson over into next week's practicum.
The book we read was about a folktale based out of Norway. The story is extremely interesting. I am always the group member who reads aloud to the kids, but I make sure to never read the book ahead of time. I want my reactions to be genuine and to have a shared experience with the kids. Unfortantely, this makes me stumble on my word a bit, but the kids never mind my mistakes.
I will talk more about the lesson and about the story we will write together as a class next week! Stay Tuned!
Practicum 7
Thursday
4:30 pm
4/1/2021
Wow. This is our second to last practicum. Where has the semester gone? Before I begin discussing how this week's practicum went, I just want to give a shoutout to the kids in my practicum group-- YOU ARE AMAZING. I am so proud of the kids in my group and how hard they have worked in this practicum.
Today's practicum went by quickly because we had a guest speaker: Dr. Kristen Rytter. She is a woman with a Ph.D. who has written children's books and who researchers children with communication difficulties. She, herself, lives with cerebral palsy but she does not let it define who she is as a person. It was truly remarkable to hear her talk about how she communicates with the world around her and her accomplishment. During practicum, one of my students was fascinated by Dr. Rytter, this is because he has similar communication difficulties. I was so happy that my student was able to meet Dr. Rytter and see how much she has accomplished. I know she inspired him.
After Dr. Rytter talked with our practicum group, my group and I worked more on our book in Book Creator. It amazes me how interested the kids are during this activity. The kids wanted to change the font, add pictures, and write about cows, police officers, and french fries!
Stay TUNED for next week!