Teaching Children with Autism 2

Continued from here

Step 6: Manage Behavioral Challenges

For students with autism, problem behaviors may be triggered for a variety of reasons. Such behaviors may include temper tantrums, running about the room, loud vocalizations, self-injurious activities, or other disruptive or distracting behaviors.

Because children with autism
often have difficulties communicating in socially acceptable ways, they may act out when they are confused or fearful about something.

Your first challenge is to decipher the cause, or function, of a particular behavior. Look for patterns in these behaviors such as when they do, or do not, consistently occur. Communicating with families and other team members, and observing the behavior in the context in which it occurs, will be an essential part of learning the function of a specific behavior.

It’s important to use consistent, positive behavioral reinforcement techniques to promote pro-social behaviors for children with autism. This process involves
providing reasonable alternatives to undesirable behaviors.

Teachers may choose to ignore other negative behaviors or give predetermined consequences. The key is to be consistent with how you react to the behaviors over time, and to use as many positive strategies as possible to promote more desirable behaviors.

As you follow these steps and learn more about children with autism, you will become a mentor to other educators when they face similar challenges for the first time. Your curiosity will fuel your education about autism, and your communication skills will help you create a meaningful alliance with parents.

Most of all, you will be able to effectively collaborate with a team that will support a child with autism throughout the
course of the school year. Your patience, kindness, and professionalism will make a difference in the lives of all
your students.

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Courtesy: www.researchautism.org

Teaching Children with Autism 1

Your classroom is already a diverse place. With the rising inclusion of students with autism in general education settings, the challenges associated with managing a classroom will grow.

This section outlines a simple and highly flexible six-step plan you and your teaching team can use to prepare for the inclusion of a child with autism in your classroom.

Step 1: Educate Yourself

You must have a working understanding of autism and what that means for your students. Sometimes children with autism may behave in inappropriate or disruptive ways, but their behaviors are more related to their autism than they are deliberate, disrespectful acts.

Learning about autism and about how it specifically affects your student is the first step to success. Your education about autism will evolve as your
relationship with your student and their family develops; your knowledge about the disorder and skills in dealing with its impact on the classroom will also continue to grow.

Maintaining an open attitude to learning and working closely with the parents and school team will help you (and your student) succeed in the long term.

Step 2: Reach Out to the Parents

Parents are your first and best source of information
about their child. Step two is all about establishing a
working partnership with the families of the students
you serve. Not only will you meet before the school year
begins, but it is critical to establish methods and
patterns of communication for which there is mutual
agreement.
Building trust with parents is essential. Communication
with families about the progress of the student should
be ongoing. While the information you exchange may
often focus on current classroom challenges, strategies
employed, and ideas for alternative solutions, do not
forget to include positive feedback about
accomplishments and milestones reached.

Step 3: Prepare the Classroom

There are ways you can accommodate some of the needs of students with autism in your classroom that will enhance their opportunity to learn without sacrificing your plans for rest of the class.

Of course, there are practical limitations on how much you can modify the physical characteristics of your classroom, but even a few modifications to support a child with autism can have remarkable results for everyone.

Step 4: Educate Peers and Promote Social Goals

You must make every effort to promote acceptance of a student with autism as a full member and integral part of the class, even if that student only attends class for a few hours each week. As a teacher, you must create a social environment that encourages positive interactions between the student with autism and his or her typically developing peers throughout the day.

Children with autism, by definition, have difficulties with social skill development and understanding language and social cues. With appropriate assistance, however, children with autism can engage with peers and establish mutually enjoyable and lasting interpersonal relationships.

Research shows that typically developing children have more positive attitudes, increased understanding, and greater acceptance of their peers with autism when provided with clear, accurate, and straightforward information about the disorder. Assuming there are no
restrictions on disclosing that your student has autism, educating your class about autism and how it can affect their classmate can be an effective way to increase positive, social interactions between the child with autism and his classroom peers.

Remember that many social interactions occur in settings outside the classroom. Without prior planning and extra help, students with autism may end up isolated during these unstructured times.

You may want to create a “circle of friends,” or a rotating group of
responsible peer buddies for the student with autism; they will not abandon him or her, serve as a model of appropriate social behavior, and protect against teasing or bullying. This strategy should also be considered for use outside of school.

Read more about Autism here

Courtesy: www.researchautism.org

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14 days ultimatum over unpaid salaries

The Academic Staff Union of the Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu, Ogun State, has again given the state government a 14-day ultimatum over its failure to pay their 48-month salary arrears as at February 10, 2015

In a letter to Governor Ibikunle Amosun dated January 26, 2015, and signed by its Chairman, Dr. Dan Oludipe and the Secretary, Modupe Owolabi-Gabriel, respectively, the union listed among the contending issues the non- payment of their July-December 2010, and February-September 2011 salaries and salary
arrears from July 2009 – June, 2013, all totalling 48 months.

They sent the letter through the Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Mrs. Segun Odubela. The union also demanded that the government should regularise the payment of their salaries and return the
institution to its original permanent site at Ijagun.

According to them, if that is done, TASCE will have access to her Internally Generated Revenue and will be able to assist the government in meeting some of its financial obligations as obtained in other state-owned tertiary institutions.

The union had also demanded that the government should constitute a formidable governing council for the college and the release of the white paper on the existence of the Tai Solarin Institutions (TASCE and Tai
Solarin University of Education), as submitted by the visitation panel.

Besides, the union urged the state government to retrieve all the certificates of the affiliated programme (full-time and part-time) of TASCE, issued out by
TASUED, and return same to TASCE along with huge funds realised from the issuance.

The union leaders said the 14-day ultimatum became necessary following the expiration of a 21-day strike notice given the government last November.

Oludipe, who said the last time they received their salaries was in August 2014, pleaded with the government to come to their aid as the members were
finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations.

The governor in November last year during the strike by the union said his administration did not owe them 48
months salaries, but the immediate past
administration.

He, however, promised to pay as soon as the government was buoyant enough to do so.

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Is my teaching effective?

Many teachers already think about their teaching and talk to colleagues about it too. You might think or tell someone that "My lesson went well" or "My students
didn't seem to understand" or "My students were so badly behaved today."

However, without more time spent focussing on or discussing what has happened, we may tend to jump to conclusions about why things are happening. We may only notice reactions of the louder students.

Reflective teaching therefore implies a more systematic process of collecting, recording and analysing our thoughts and observations, as well as those of our students, and then going on to making changes.

If a lesson went well we can describe it and think about why it was successful.
If the students didn't understand a language point we introduced we need to think about what we did and why it may have been unclear.

If students are misbehaving - what were they doing, when and why?

Beginning the process

1. Peer observation

Invite a colleague to come into your class to collect information about your lesson. This may be with a simple observation task or through note taking.

This will relate back to the area you have identified to reflect upon. For example, you might ask your colleague to focus on which students contribute most in the lesson, what different patterns of interaction occur or how you deal with errors.

2. Recording lessons

Video or audio recordings of lessons can provide very useful information for reflection. You may do things in class you are not aware of or there may be things happening in the class that as the teacher you do not normally see.

Audio recordings can be useful for considering aspects of teacher talk.

How much do you talk?

What about?

Are instructions and explanations clear?

How much time do you allocate to student talk?

How do you respond to student talk?

Video recordings can be useful in showing you aspects of your own behaviour.

Where do you stand?

Who do you speak to?

How do you come across to the students?

3. Student feedback

You can also ask your students what they think about what goes on in the classroom. Their opinions and perceptions can add a different and valuable perspective. This can be done with simple questionnaires or learning diaries for example.

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What to do next

Once you have some information recorded about what goes on in your classroom, what do you do?

Think, You may have noticed patterns occurring in your teaching through your observation. You may also have noticed things that you were previously unaware of. You may have been surprised by some of your students' feedback. You may already have ideas for changes to implement.

Talk Just by talking about what you have discovered - to a supportive colleague or even a friend - you may be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things differently.

If you have colleagues who also wish to develop their teaching using reflection as a tool, you can meet to discuss issues. Discussion can be based around
scenarios from your own classes.

Using a list of statements about teaching beliefs (for example, pairwork is a valuable activity in the language class or lexis is more important than grammar)

you can discuss which ones you agree or disagree with, and which ones are reflected in your own teaching giving evidence from your self-observation.

Read

You may decide that you need to find out more about a certain area. There are plenty of websites for teachers of English now where you can find useful teaching ideas, or more academic articles. There are also magazines for teachers where you can find articles on a wide range of topics.

Or if you have access to a library or bookshop, there are plenty of books for English language teachers. Ask Pose questions to websites or magazines to get ideas from other teachers. Or if you have a local teachers' association or other opportunities for in-service training,
ask for a session on an area that interests you.

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Courtesy:  http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

A Great Teacher

What does it mean to be a great teacher?

Of course credentials, knowledge, critical thinking, and all
other faculties of intelligence are important.

However, a great teacher should be much more
than credentials, experience and intelligence.
What lies in the heart of a great teacher?

You are kind:

a great teacher shows kindness to
students, colleagues, parents and those around
her/him. My favourite saying is “kindness makes
the world go around”. It truly changes the
environment in the classroom and school.
Being a
kind teacher helps students feel welcomed, cared
for and loved.

You are compassionate:

Teaching is a very
humanistic profession, and compassion is the
utmost feeling of understanding, and showing
others you are concerned about them. A
compassionate teacher models that characteristic
to the students with her/his actions, and as a
result students will be more open to
understanding the world around them.

You are empathetic:

Empathy is such an
important trait to have and to try to develop in
ourselves and our students. Being able to put
yourself in someone’s shoes and see things from
their perspective can have such a powerful impact
on our decisions and actions.

You are positive:

Being a positive person, is not
an easy task. Being a positive teacher is even
harder when we’re always met with problems with
very limited solutions. However, staying positive
when it’s tough can have such a tremendous
positive impact on the students and everyone
around us. Looking on the bright side always
seems to help make things better.

You are a builder:

A great teacher bridges gaps
and builds relationships, friendships, and a
community. Teachers always look to make things
better and improve things in and outside of the
classroom. Building a community is something a
great teacher seeks to do in the classroom and
extends that to the entire school and its
community.

You inspire:

Everyone looks at a great teacher and
they want to be a better teacher, they want to be
a better student, even better, they want to be a
better person. A great teacher uncovers hidden
treasures, possibilities and magic right before
everyone’s eyes.