Teaching the Undocumented Adult Special Education Learners, Part II
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We are correctional educators that are participating in an online class through California State University San Bernardino to become Highly Qualified Correctional Educators. One of our assignments was to formulate a “burning” question within our group and to post the question on Listservs. Our group was zzpacific, all of us in the Pacific Time Zone. Our group included the following:
Janice Kaber, Academic Vice Principal California Department of Corrections Thomas Bertain, Academic Vice Principal California Department of Corrections Sally Rice, Academic Teacher California Department of Corrections Cherylee Wegman, Vocational Instructor, California Department of Corrections Sandra Vandever, Oregon Department of Corrections
QUESTION We are a group of correctional educators teaching adult learners, who may or may not be motivated to learn. We are searching for instructional strategies and materials to support basic and intermediate level reading curriculum. What instructional strategies have been found to be effective, or are being experimented with, in teaching the undocumented Adult Special Education Learners in such areas as: general study skills, reintegration skills, or retention?
RESPONSES
Author: Vandever, Sandra<sandra.s.vandever@doc.state.or.us
Date: 03-14-2007 12:29
Recently I tried a mini-jigsaw with my ABE students. I made up small cards with letter, vowel and word combinations on one side and the other side had pronunciation, usage etc on the back. Groups of two drew the card, discussed it, brainstormed other examples of words with the letter combinations and lastly share their card and the information on them to the rest of the class. It only took about 10 minutes to explain and implement the project and another 15 to compile lists and present to the rest of the class. (My classes are very small) I plan on doing this several days a week to improve spelling and decoding skills. Most of my ABE students read between third and fifth grade levels.
Author: Vandever, Sandra<sandra.s. vandever@doc.state.or.us
Date: 02-21-2007 17:10
I use media to entice students into learning. For example: The last two years, each semester (I usually get a whole new batch of students) I present a social studies unit on the "Lewis and Clark Expedition". I purchased a very well made VHS tape, pulled trivia off of the internet and found a Lewis and Clark card set made near Bend Oregon. The game has a question and multiple choice answers on it. It is played like Jeopardy with two teams. I then do a week or so of direct instruction and shared journal entries from a book I have. They really get a feel for the experience. We watch the movie and finally play the game one more time using the information they have learned. The students initially don't want to "waste time on this old stuff,” but by the end of the unit are very competitive. The remainder of the semester students will ask, once or twice, to play the game again, "just for fun".
Author: Vandever, Sandra<sandra.s.vandever@doc.state.or.us> Date: 02-23-2007 17:34
Our facility uses the Lexia Reading program, site http://www.lexialearning.com/ I have used the SRA program for slower learners when they attend my class, if their teacher is out sick. Students have enjoyed reading the short stories that range in various levels of difficulty and then has comprehension, vocabulary building, and phonetic skills exercises at the end of the readings. I have also used the Hooked On Phonics program http://www.scholastic.com/clicksmart/index.asp?source_key=9979&listID=psrch&sa_campaign=internal_ads/clicksmart/psrch&gclid=CJuniuDtxYoCFQQ6UAodfEd-bw
Author: Alba, Albert< aalba1@cox.net> Date: 02-24-2007 12:07
An appropriate question that we grapple with every day! I have just ordered the Challenger Series of reading and writing. The hard part is getting time to spend with the 1/5 of the class that falls in the category of “very low reader". Author: Spader, Connie Jean<larry_spader@hotmail.com> Date: 02-24-2007 13:36
We love the Challengers. I wish they had more comprehension questions, but usually the stories are good enough that we can have a good discussion from them, and then the variety of other activities in the lessons gives them lots of vocabulary building exercise. Author: Beethe, Ruth Date: 02-24-2007 17:33
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I like Challenger. I used it with the learner I tutored for a couple of years (working at the Challenger 5 & 6 levels). It is interesting and adult appropriate material Date: 02-26-2007 09:57
All of my ABE (only three today) are at different levels. They read in Challenger 3-5. Instead of weekly spelling each student has the new words from the Challenger he is working on. The tutor or I will give a spelling test at the end of the week or the next Monday. Author: Vandever,Sandra <sandra,s.vandever@doc.state.or.us Date: 02-26-2007 17:22
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One of my favorite texts is Reading for Comprehension from Continental Press. It is composed of one page stories that are interesting (even the tutors enjoy and learn from them) followed by five or six questions. The questions are matched to reading skills. Frequent errors of the same number question link to lack of understanding of a particular skill (i.e. main idea, sequence, context clues, etc.). I have Levels A-H (grades 1-8). I also have the previous series. It is similar but actually starts at AAA Level. Date: 03-04-2007 16:26 Author: Muth, William <wmuth@vcu.edu>
Should we keep a developmentally delayed person in an academic program because we do not want to demoralize him? Or should we "level" with him and move him into a survival program, even if his dream is to someday get his GED? Date: 02-28-2007 16:59 Author: Vandever, Sandra <sandra.s.vandever@doc.state.or.us>
Our ESL instructors have used “Rosetta Stone” and the accompanying videos and text for three years now. They have really seen the improvement and recently have moved quite a few students into ABE. Our version of Destinations is very old and will not be updated. I don't have a way to show student progress with a print out and the program often goofs up, skips questions, wrong answers etc. It is very frustrating to begin working in math, think you have finished an assignment and be taken back to the beginning. rs
Date: 02-28-2007 16:51
Author: Vandever, Sandra <sandra.s.vandever@doc.state.or.us>
There may be a time when our "brain injured or lower functioning" students might want to improve their skills before they release, i.e. life skills, instead of a GED. My student A realizes that he does not have the time left to get his GED so he is concentrating on improving his reading and "life skills math". I don't mind spending the one on one time with him because he has set this goal for himself and is very motivated. I don't feel as though I have failed him as an instructor if I give him the tools to go as far as he feels is necessary. Date: 03-01-2007 19:39 Author: Spader, Connie Jean <larry_spader@hotmail.com>
In Arkansas, all inmates without GED's or high school diplomas are required, by law, to be in school - even if they are 95! Some of the men are so low that there is virtually no chance of them ever being able to get a GED. Our only comfort is that we are helping them to retain academic skills they presently have (by using them), and perhaps adding a few simple skills that may be of use to them somewhere along the line. Date: 03-01-2007 20:22 Author: LeGeros, Geo <glegeros@alltel.net>
While here in Nebraska, I do recall some obscure rule that students must continue to "advance" based on their TABE scores, there is no limit on how many years they can continue in the program. Could their continued involvement actually stimulate some type of cognitive functioning that will either aid them in intellectually regaining some of those capabilities, or, in the case of those who seem to lack the intellectual capability, could the potential still exist to some extent for them to still make significant and meaningful gains through being part of a learning community that would enhance and enrich their lives? Date: 03-01-2007 21:05
We have also struggled with that vague rule about students being required to "show progress." We have several students who have been in school a LONG time....a couple with life sentences who were in school before our TRD rule. I remember reading something during the first class about the "process" being more important than the "product." Date: 03-04-2007 17:57 Author: Kaber, Janice <jkaber@sbcglobal.net>
As we have learned...you use it or lose it! That fact is what keeps us going. Even the students who will probably never get a GED are making progress in some way. One of my students in his 50's has just learned to do fractions. Another, whose mind is drug damaged, has just mastered division for the first time in his life. The stimulation of the classroom is very positive, plus they have a teacher who believes in them and encourages them.
Date: 03-03-2007 09:37
Author: Spader, Connie Jean <larry_spader@hotmail.com>
I spoke with a student on Thursday. He's been in education for about 7 years and has gone from an ABE II to an ABE 1. His goal is to get a GED and get out of education. He would be happy if he got to a 10.0 grade level and hopes then he can be unassigned from education. However, his TABE scores are going backwards. When do we say that we don't have the resources to help him? Date: 03-06-2007 14:58 Author: Prince, Anita Holm <anita.prince@dce.virginia.gov>
I spoke with a student on Thursday. He's been in education for about 7 years and has gone from an ABE II to an ABE I. His goal is to get a GED and get out of education. He would be happy if he got to a 10.0 grade level and hopes then he can be unassigned from education. However, his TABE scores are going backwards. When do we say that we don't have the resources to help him? Date: 03-06-2007 14:58 Author: Prince, Anita Holm anita.prince@dce.virginia.gov
Summary
This was an interesting assignment. All of our groups members believe that we learned a great deal from the process. We feel that we did not receive enough responses to fairly evaluate the assignment. We believe that this is due to none of the members of our group being involved in the listserv process prior to this assignment. We did not post on enough listservs and probably not the appropriate ones. However, we did receive valuable responses and learning did take place for ourselves and our students.
