Teaching+Cases

Teaching Case #1 Reflection-
Like the previous entries, the first solution that came to mind was to find a way to provide class materials online for both students. If internet access was going to be an issue for either student, there is always the option of old-school tape recordings or burning the podcast to a cd. Since Alex would not be allowed into the chem. lab, it would be ideal if a plan was put in place to have either a parent or another student pick up and turn in his work for the class. Both students would also have access to an e-mail address and/or a personal telephone number (with appropriate hours of availability discussed) in order to write/call with questions about the course work.  In a situation like this is would be of the utmost importance to establish clear and open communication with both sets of parents, the students, and the school administration, letting everyone know what the plan was so there wouldn't be any unexpected surprises or ugly confrontations.

Teaching Case #2 Reflection-
With an IEP already established you would have to tread pretty lightly. Since it sounds like little could be done to avoid Andrew missing class, as a teacher, the only thing I could do was try to make it as easy as possible for Andrew to access the class material. Sending Andrew home with a class text and typed class notes would be one way for him to study classroom materials and keep up with the rest of class. If he had internet available at home, assignments, additional notes and videos could be made available to him. Tests would be hard to administer if Andrew was gone for an extended period of time but, if he would be back in school every couple of weeks, tests could be made available to him in the school library for him to take at his convenience. This system is currently utilized at CHS and it seems to be a highly effective method of handling student absence.

Teaching Case #3 Reflection-
I would first see if there were a translator available in the school district or a staff member in the ESL department who was fluent in Portuguese that woould be willing and able to help out in the classroom. Since it seems as if Dianna's parents spoke English well enough to express their hopes for her in the class, they may turn out to be a wonderful resource as well. If one or the other of them could be present even a few times a week in the classroom, Dianna might have better success understanding the lessons. If a translator, parent, or staff member could not be present inside the classroom, I would try to employ an online translator such as Babelfish.com.

Teaching Case #4 Reflection-
Not being well versed in the world of AP Physics, I am not very familiar with the required equipment needed to complete the lab assignments for the class. However, since they are not available at Gabriel's school, my first call would be to his school district to try and find out whether any of the other schools nearby would have the appropriate material available. If they were not readily available within the district, my next step would be to either improvise using the materials that were available or see if it was possible to send the necessary equipment via mail, to be sent back once the labs were completed.

Teaching Case #5 Samantha’s Spanish Setback  Samantha was a freshman in my first-year Spanish course. She had recently changed schools and was entering my classroom three weeks into our first trimester. In her old school, Samantha’s former Spanish teacher had a completely different year-long curriculum plan than my school. Samantha’s old class had started the year off with geography and country capitals, while my students and I had been working our way through some basic grammar and vocabulary. At the time Samantha entered my classroom, we had almost finished the entire first chapter and had started introducing concepts from chapter two. Samantha, having never had any experience with the language, was at a serious disadvantage. She would have a very difficult time understanding chapter two concepts without working with chapter one, but I had to continue instruction for the rest of my students.  // Question: //  How would you deal with this situation? What technologies, methods and strategies could you employ to address this situation ?

Teaching Case #5 Reflection-
What I did for Samantha, whose name has been changed for this case, was to make a series of worksheets from the chapter she missed that she could study at home. In class we would have gone over vocabulary, grammar and cultural facts. In the class text, these items are often spread out and presented in a piece-by-piece manner. By giving Samantha worksheets, i was able to present the information in such a way that all the information was easily accessible and all in the same place. The chapter vocabulary, for example, is spread out on three different pages throughout the chapter. A list is given of all the spanish words at the end of the chapter, but the definitions are not included. What I did was to make one list of all the vocabulary, including the definitions, so that she was able to learn the vocabulary and then use the sheet later as a study tool. I used this same method to make worksheets for numbers, days of the week, and month names, all concepts we had covered in class before Samantha came in to my classroom.