Knowledge of Students
Case Study for Assistive Technology
Rationale
"Accomplished teachers of students with exceptional needs consistently use their knowledge of human development and learning and their skills as careful observers of students to understand student's knowledge, aptitudes, skills, interests, aspirations, and values." (NBPTS)
Two of my students were struggling to complete a reading and writing assignment for two very different reasons. One of them has low reading skills, the other has high reading skills coupled with attention and hyperactivity problems. We have technology available that I envisioned could be helpful to both of them.
I used these case studies as evaluation tools in determining which assistive technology worked best for the reading and writing task at hand. I reviewed the students' experiences with reading and observed their behavior when given reading material and time to read. After my evaluation, I put a lesson plan in place that included the entire class using the assistive reading technology and again observed the students under evaluation for assistive technology.
Following are the case studies and the lesson plans.
Case Study
Name: Shellie
Age: 14
Grade: 09
(The student’s names are changed for this purpose)
Shellie is a 14-year-old, ninth grader. She receives instruction in the inclusive setting with her peers for all classes. She has a daily tutoring group session in the resource room. Shellie has an IEP with accommodations and modifications to the ninth grade curriculum. She has been determined to have a specific learning disability. On her most recent evaluation, the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, Shellie’s scores fell in the low range in all areas. The school psychologist reports that a diagnosis of cognitive disability would not be fitting, because Shellie was very distracted and rushed through the tasks on the test. Her report states, “. . . there is a severe discrepancy between achievement and ability.” Teacher comments on classroom observations note that Shellie is easily distracted and tends to rush through all assignments.
Shellie completed the Scholastic Reading Inventory in the fall of 2009 and scored 248, which falls in the range of first to second grade. She is interested in reading adult-level novels, especially the current best-sellers about vampires. Shellie is conscientious about her schoolwork, but her difficulty in reading comprehension has a negative effect on all other course areas. She needs to increase her skills in reading comprehension in order to increase understanding in the content areas, as well as for her own enjoyment of books. Shellie has access to an on-screen reader and some of her textbooks on CD in the resource room. She is currently listening to New Moon, a popular vampire story, on my iPod.
Shellie is a well-organized student and is conscientious about her work. She completes nearly all assignments on time. She uses her student planner to keep records of homework. She enjoys using computers, and learning new skills. Shellie sings in the school chorus. Her brother is teaching her to play the guitar that she received for Christmas.
Shellie lives with her mother, father, sister and brother in rural Appalachia. Her father is a self-employed mechanic, and her mother is a homemaker. Her mother is supportive and usually visits the school for parent-teacher conferences. She reads aloud to Shellie at home. Shellie’s entire family enjoys hunting, and she has already claimed her first deer. Shellie would like to work in nursing after graduation from high school.
Case Study
Name: Cody
Age: 14
Grade: 09
Cody is a 14-year-old ninth grader. He has a 504 plan due to ADHD and congenital absence of the chest wall. Until recently, Cody used a daily medication for ADHD. His elementary and middle school years were, for the most part, academically successful. Now he has stopped taking the medication, and the difference in his ability to focus is remarkable. At this interim, he is failing every subject, including shop class, the only one that he likes.
Cody has an exceptional memory and good listening skills. His strengths are evident in oral evaluations and class discussions. Cody’s previous 504 plans allowed for recorded or oral responses, but the accommodation has not been utilized. Cody objects strongly to using any kind of accommodations that draw attention to his needs. He recently announced aloud to other students that he is not in special education, because he has does not have a “real IEP”.
Cody uses a few accommodations, such as small group for testing, but does not need modifications to the course work. However, due to the recent reports, we reviewed his 504 plan a month early in order to plan for different interventions. We agreed on a plan that focuses on more organizational supports for Cody, and his mother plans to review the medication with his doctor. In addition to organizational support, with or without medication, Cody needs support to increase his ability to remain focused during reading in the content areas. He reads at an age-appropriate reading level and enjoys novels about true stories with eerie twists, for example, crime drama. Verbally, Cody can summarize and reflect on his reading, demonstrating a level of understanding that is above average for a ninth grader.
When asked if he would prefer the opportunity to record his responses for tests, Cody said that he does not have a physical problem with writing; the problem of not turning in his written work is that he simply does not like to write. He agreed to use the word processors, which are available in every classroom.
Cody lives with his mother, father, and younger brother in rural Appalachia. His father is a bread truck driver, and his mother is a homemaker. Cody enjoys football and participates on the school team. He must keep his grades up in order to be eligible for the team, and this serves as motivation for Cody to be successful. He plans to be a welder after graduating from high school.
Case Study
This case study involves two students in the ninth grade who have similar needs in reading. Neither is able to complete a novel reading assignment or textbook passages in the content areas, and complete the related assignments successfully. The causes of each student’s reading problems are very different; however, a universal solution may be in the works for the both of them, as well as for their classmates.
Both students are in an inclusive, ninth grade English class with a general education teacher and an intervention specialist using team teaching methods. Both students attend a tutoring group for one class period each day with the intervention specialist. Their English class consists of 22 students. Five of those students have interventions for at-risk, an IEP, or a 504 plan. In other core courses, Shellie and Cody are in similar, fully inclusive settings with the exception of team teachers. Only the English class has the benefit of two teachers.
For their English class, Shellie and Cody need to read a novel of their choice each nine weeks. They are assessed on three assignments –a physical project that represents the book, a series of eight weekly logs (reflections), and two entries on the class wiki. Earlier this year, Shellie scored at a first to second grade reading level the Scholastic Reading Inventory. For the first term, she chose to read the popular novel Twilight. The vampire saga is on a much higher reading level, but Shellie is a few days away from 15 years old, and she is infatuated with popular culture. She knew that she could manage the assignment because she had seen the movie. Now it is time to choose a novel again. Shellie chose New Moon from the same series—also with a movie. She has a paperback copy of the novel and carries it everywhere. She talks frequently about reading the book, but she does not have a place marked and does not spend her free time reading. Shellie’s work on the first novel project showed a limited understanding beyond the basic plot.
Cody, on the other hand, enjoys reading for pleasure. He is capable of reading slightly above grade level. Still, like Shellie, he is unable to complete any assignments successfully that rely on response to text. He did the physical project for the novel assignment, but only wrote the two-to-three sentence reflections under his mother’s hand. Cody’s problem stems from his inability to focus for more than a few minutes. He used medication for ADHD until a few months ago when he stopped abruptly. He has struggled since then and has begun to fail every single class. We do not know the reason why Cody stopped using the medication, but it is common for teenagers to want to quit using it. His mother said that she would talk to the doctor about restarting the medication. We will approach this evaluation for assistive technology regardless of the medication issue. Learning to use assistive technology is safer than using medicine and is more conducive to life-long learning.
Although the two students have different problems, their evaluations for assistive technology lead to similar solutions. Both need audio versions of reading content. Shellie would benefit from an audio version of books that she would like to read for the novel project. It would provide her with content of interest and provide practice for her comprehension skills. Her English teacher and I expect that she will gain a deeper level of understanding for this second novel, which she will demonstrate in her reflections and wiki comments. In her other coursework, Shellie skips the reading passages in the text and tries to answer questions by looking backward. She would benefit from audio in all content areas. Cody does not care for audio books, because the reader goes too slow he says. He prefers Kurzweil 3000, computer software that includes an on screen reader. It is available in the resource room and has a feature for setting the speed. Cody would also benefit from cues to remain on task, given via the technology device.
The school psychologist recommended that Shellie be seated away from her peers and close to the teacher, and that the teacher prompt her to stay on task. Cody’s mother insisted that he be moved into the hall and isolated from the friends who distract him by talking. Both scenarios are social death for ninth graders and only minimally help the student to stay focused, whatever the task. In considering assistive technology for Shellie and Cody, I followed the SETT model as recommended by Joy Zabala. The first item to consider of the SETT acronym is the S. “Meaningful issues must be identified for each individual student.” (Zabala). In reference to determining a student’s needs, Zabala recommends taking survey of that student in every environment of the day, noting the tasks that need to be completed and the tools to complete them. In other words, determine the student’s needs in a very specific way.
Shellie needs to be able to access pop culture for her enjoyment, and to develop her skills in reading comprehension. In high school, students have limited time for remedial work. Although Shellie may be able to raise her reading scores by participating in an outside course, none is available, and transportation would be a problem for her family. Given limited time, it is better that Shellie concentrates on comprehension skills more than decoding skills for reading and learning. Shellie wants more than anything to fit in with her peers. Cody needs to have focused attention to reading passages in order to understand and complete his assignments in the content areas. And, like Shellie, Cody would rather be grounded for life than use some equipment that makes him stand out in the crowd.
I would prefer that the students in my school be so accepting of others and of differences that no one would be concerned with how anyone needed to learn. That is not the reality. Zabala says; we are working toward “higher rates of success for users and lower rates of device abandonment,” (3) so, nothing matters more than student buy-in. The student ultimately decides whether to consistently use the technology or not. I began with a private consultation with Shellie and with Cody. I asked them what methods of learning had made them feel successful in the past; had they tried listening to popular books or school books on CD; did they own iPods; would they be willing to listen to school work or novels on the iPod; and would they like to learn how to listen to lessons then record their answers on the computer. They both agreed that they would be comfortable using the computer in most classrooms and iPods everywhere, except that iPods are banned in school. That problem is easy to fix. We decided to begin in English and in tutoring, our own domains.
In English class, Ms. Wolfe and I team-teach. She is the teacher of record, and we share instructional duties. Both of us have extensive professional development hours invested in educational technology, which results in having the best-equipped classrooms. We made a commitment to create lessons that include as many learning styles as possible. We agreed to make audio books a reading option and put the literature CDs files on the school’s shared driver, so that students can access them anytime. We have a ceiling mounted projector connected to the teacher computer. We use a “clicker” program, called Turning Point, which works with PowerPoint to create formative assessments. This activity gave us insight into Cody’s remarkable ability to retain information when presented this way. He earned the only 100% on the test of participle phrases. This is further evidence that Cody needs to be physically engaged in learning. Each student gets a remote control, called a clicker, to select answers from teacher-created questions on the screen. A report generates at the end of the assessment showing the score for each clicker. We also use a document camera to review and edit writing. Often photos, videos and music help to make our point. Both the English classroom and the resource room, where tutoring takes place, has Kurzweil 3000 available on a student computer, also.
The second consideration for choosing assistive technology using the SETT model is the many environments in the daily life of the student. In our English class, the students are accustomed to trying different learning activities. So we decided it was the best environment to begin our trial of audio lessons. I created a lesson plan incorporating choices of technology, including the methods that we intended for Shellie and Cody to try, in a place where they would be part of an inclusive group doing the same thing. As for other environments, both Shellie and Cody can use their iPods and the Kurzweil computer program in all of their classrooms, the computer lab, and the library. School administrators make it clear that students who are using iPods with permission for learning purposes may have them out. The popularity of the iPod in general makes it ideal for acceptability among users.
. The iPods are fabulously portable tools. Zabala’s final steps in the SETT process are attention to the tools and the tasks. She explains that tasks rarely consist of an isolated skill. Usually a task involves combining several skills. In choosing assistive technology, we should decide which of those skills are necessary for mastery of the task, and which of those skills need supported with tools. Her work, from 1996, intuitively relates to the study of the role of strategic networks in the brain published by Rose and Meyer seven years later. According to Rose and Meyer, when choosing tools for learning support, it is important to consider which specific deficiency in that combination of skills needs to be addressed, while they caution against choosing tools that replace more than necessary.
First, consider Shellie. She is not able to decode text with fluency beyond second grade level. She is interested in reading and participating in the study of adult level novels. According to Rose and Meyer, the pleasure of reading resides in the affective network of the brain. The affective area is affected by inflections in the voice, sound effects, and changes in characters that would enhance Shellie’s understanding of the text. This voice quality is not available in a screen reader and not a developed skill for beginning and emergent readers. Rose and Meyer says “Good readers can re-create the emotion an author embeds in text, but gleaning text’s emotional content can be a challenge for poor readers who struggle to grasp the basic meaning of words.” (57) Poor readers, say R and M, are using all of their brain resources in an attempt to decode words, and the emotional satisfaction in reading is lost. “. . . when decoding is not automatic, the brain recruits strategic networks into the work of analyzing words—a process that sidetracks a learner’s ability to focus on constructing meaning.” (57). Shellie’s personal motivation for reading the vampire books is first for enjoyment of reading and secondly to complete the English assignments. She needs the emotional content in order to construct quality reflections of the text and engage in meaningful conversations with her peers. It was imperative that we choose a reading medium that gives her the emotions that good readers feel automatically. This can be accomplished using human readers, professional book readers or teachers, for mp3 files, downloaded to an iPod. The assistive technology chosen, by design, helps keep Shellie focused. With ear buds in her ears, the technology isolates Shellie in a way, without moving her away from her friends; therefore, she is not as distracted by their talking as she was previously.
Cody enjoys reading his own selected novels. He needs help to stay on task in order to accomplish reading-intensive work that he considers repetitive and boring. I cannot argue with him. His history teacher lectures 50 minutes every day, 180 days a year. One of the texts that Cody needs to read and respond to is a workbook of history lessons written for the Ohio Graduation Test called Buckle Down. The teacher uses the colorless, picture less, lifeless workbooks, page-by-page.
Of the technology tools under consideration for this homework task, Cody preferred the Kurzweil program. The Buckle Down lessons are available. He can open the file with the same skills that it takes to open a word document. He can set the speed to read to him rather quickly. He does not need, or prefer, emotional voice inflection. I can insert my own notes or mini voice recordings to remind him to stay on task. I can give him hints to encourage him, or as he likes, additional history trivia on the topic of study to help him stay focused. He can type his short answers into text boxes that are imbedded directly on the page in the Kurzweil program. He can select multiple-choice answers using a highlighter cursor. When Cody is finished with the homework pages using the Kurzweil software, he can print his work. He can take the highlighter and select special text to be printed for a custom study guide, a list of vocabulary terms for example. More important for Cody, he can save the file as his own, solving the organizational issue of lost work. The page on the program returns to its original state for the next student. The Kurzwiel program is available in the resource room with a scanner and a printer attached. The remaining five computers have a version with reading and study tools only. Headphones with microphones are available for listening and voice recording. Also, like Shellie, Cody benefits from the technology by design. Wearing headphones and being physically engaged with entering his response into the Kurzweil document, helps him to stay focused on the task.
References
Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Lesson Plan Grade 9 English
Thinking and Reading at the Same Time
Grade 9 Benchmark: By the end of the 8–10 program:
A. Apply reading comprehension strategies to understand grade appropriate text.
B. Demonstrate comprehension of print and electronic text by responding to questions (e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing).
Supplies
- Computer and internet connection
- Recorded story with prompts (saved as a Windows Media Player file or mp3)
- Headphone set with microphone
- Reading Log
- Use a recorder on the computer to record any story, or use the attached script.
- Give a brief introduction explaining the purpose of the lesson—to learn about reading skills and apply them to listening.
- Pause at strategic points in the story to allow students time to write, type, or record their responses.
- Place copies of the sound file on the computers that you plan to use.
- Open the file in advance, so that the student only needs to click Play.
- Open a recording program for easy access. Audacity is free and easy to use.
- Open a word document file.
Procedure
- Give the students a Reading Log (example of Reading Log follows the script below) and explain that they will hear an introduction, then a story. The instructions for what to do further are in y recording. Tell them to listen for instructions for when it is time to write on the log, type on the computer, or record their own voice.
- Review with the students how to use the voice recorder to save responses, the word document to type, or they can write on the paper Reading Log. They should be encouraged to try all three.
Script for Think-Aloud Recording
Directions: Read the following script in two voices. One is the voice of the storyteller, and the other voice is you, thinking about the text.
You: Have you ever been in class when the teacher hands out something to read. In a few minutes, she starts asking questions, and somebody calls out all the answers? You wonder, “How could he know everything? We just read this a second ago!?” It seems as though your classmates know a secret to reading. Well, it is not a secret. And perhaps, that student does not even realize what he or she is doing. The truth is, good readers think and read at the same time. Just listen, I will show you how it works.
I am going to tell you a story that comes from the mountains. During the story, I will stop to let you know what I am thinking. Also, when I stop, you can record or write what you are thinking.
Storyteller: This here’s a story ‘bout a boy named Jack. Jack was lazy as the day is long, and one day his Ma was cooking up a storm, and she said to Jack, “Jack, go fetch me some more wood for my cookstove.” Well lazy Jack didn’t go, and he didn’t go ‘till the wood run plumb out.” Right then Jack’s Pa came home and lit into him good and sent him to bed.
Well Jack went off to bed, but he was madder ‘n a hornet. He was tired of always being the one to git the firewood. So, he jus’ jumped up and took off down the road in the middle of the night. After he walked a ways, Jack heard a strange noise coming from the field. A donkey was cryin’ and bawlin’ all together. “Eeeeeowwww,” it cried to Jack.
“What’s the matter?” asked Jack.
“Well,” said the donkey, “I am old and can’t carry heavy loads no more. The farmer said I was going to the glue factory in the mornin’”
“Come on and go with me,” said Jack. “I’m going to find me a new place to live.” So the donkey and Jack went on together down the road.
You: Now, I am thinking about this story. Since Jack met a donkey, and they went down the road together, I predict that Jack is going meet more characters like the donkey and maybe get into some kind of trouble. Take a minute or two to say what you predict will happen. Press the Pause button now, and press it again when you are ready to listen.
Storyteller: Pretty soon, Jack and the donkey heard an awful noise. Then they saw a cat sitting on the fence jes’ wailing her head off.
“Meeeeeeowwww,” she cried.
“What’s the matter?” asked Jack.
“I ain’t got no teef anymore and I cain’t cetch mice. The farmer says I ain’t no count.”
You: I am thinking about this story again. The language is different from the way people usually talk. “Ah-Ha,” I can still understand the story and figure out the meanings of unusual words. Take a minute or two to tell what makes you say, “Ah-Ha.” Press the Pause button now, and press it again when you are ready to listen.
Storyteller: “Well,” said Jack, “we are going to find a new place to live. Come on and go with us.” So Jack, the donkey, and the cat went on down the road. Pretty soon, they saw a house off in the field. It was pitch dark. “Looks like no one lives there, let’s go see,” said Jack.
So they went to the house to look around. To their surprise, there was food in the house, and blankets, and strangest of all, piles of money. “Oh Lawdy,” exclaimed Jack. “I think robbers live here, and now that it’s ‘round midnight, they are probly comin’ back.”
You: Now I am thinking about this story. I have read stories similar to this one. A lazy boy, like the Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, usually gets into trouble, but then he does something clever to get out. Take a minute or two to say what this story reminds you of—a connection to something you have read before, or maybe something that has happened to you. Press the Pause button now, and press it again when you are ready to listen.
Storyteller: So Jack made a plan. He told the cat to crawl up the chimney, and the donkey to wait by the door. And, sure enough, the robbers came home. But, they stopped at the edge of the yard because they was afraid of the dark.
One robber volunteered to be the first one in to light the fire. When he got inside and up to the fireplace, and just as he retched inside it for the firewood, the cat retched down from its hiding place in the chimney and scratched his eyes.
The robber ran screaming to the door where the donkey raised its hind legs and kicked him on out. The robber never stopped running. He grabbed his mates and told them that a woman was hiding in the chimney waitin’ to scratch their eyes out, and a man was by the door aimed to kick them on through. They ran all night and never came back. So, Jack, the donkey and the cat lived just fine in their new house.
You: Take a moment to think about your predictions. Were they accurate? What about your Ah-Ha moments, did you learn anything new? Were you able to make some connections? You can add to your Reading Log if you wish. Remember to save or to turn it in.
Reflection
Besides being fun to do, this lesson was informative in guiding our selection of assistive technology. Since this lesson, the winter of 2009, both students in the case study have continued to use audio versions of text. Shellie brought her driving instruction handbook to scan into the Kurzweil program. When students have access to the proper technology for the task at hand, they experience an increase in motivation. And, naturally, they are more successful in their academic endeavors. In the past few months I have transfered hundreds of pages of our students textbooks to mp3 and mp4 files. They can download the files to their own players or use the two that I have in the learning center. My goal is to provide audio access to all of our required text and much more in pleasure reading.
Besides being fun to do, this lesson was informative in guiding our selection of assistive technology. Since this lesson, the winter of 2009, both students in the case study have continued to use audio versions of text. Shellie brought her driving instruction handbook to scan into the Kurzweil program. When students have access to the proper technology for the task at hand, they experience an increase in motivation. And, naturally, they are more successful in their academic endeavors. In the past few months I have transfered hundreds of pages of our students textbooks to mp3 and mp4 files. They can download the files to their own players or use the two that I have in the learning center. My goal is to provide audio access to all of our required text and much more in pleasure reading.