Assistive Technology Case Study

Danielle Pouzol

UNE Inclusion Education

EDU 722

Dr. Lovejoy

10/9/2011

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Assistive Technology Case Study

Dynamic Instructional Design Model (DID)

After researching the different models that were made available, I chose to utilize the

Dynamic Instructional Design (DID) Model that was discussed in Teaching and Learning with

Technology by Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2011). This model appealed to me because it is a

close relation to the current model that my school utilizes and it allows me to adapt and evaluate

my lessons on a more consistent basis. All of my students are directed by Individualized

Education Plans (IEP) and therefore need modified academic programs to incorporate

accommodations listed on their IEP. The DID model allows me to outline a whole unit and then

within the scope of the daily lessons differentiate the material to meet each students IEP goals

and level of learning. Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2011) outlined six steps in the DID model

that helped me input more information into the design of my lessons. Those steps were, know the

learner, articulate objectives, establish the learning environment, identify teaching and learning

strategies, identify and select technologies and make a summative evaluation. This model also

allows me to identify specific steps to follow in preparing the lesson plan and outlines how to

evaluate my lessons both during delivery and after the unit is taught, thus making it a dynamic

lesson that can be adjusted as needed in the future.

Meet My Students

Within the walls of my main classroom are three children ages 11-13 who are all delayed

in some level of learning and behavior. There are two Ed Techs to support educational and

behavior plans of these students. In the satellite classroom, located next to my main classroom,

I have two students under my supervision who have been diagnosed with profound autism who

are 11 and 19. These two students have highly individualized and intensive programs that are

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overseen by myself and their 1:1 Ed Techs and have very little interaction with the main

classroom students. All of my students have Individualized Educational Plans, Crisis Plans and

Behavior Management Plans that help dictate my curriculum and modifications within my

curriculum. The main classroom students will be the focus of this case study.

Regina is 12 with a diagnosis of autism. She is an above average reader, but has

significant difficulty in comprehending text, understanding math concepts, spatial recognition

and understanding social cues. She has very limited social skills and poor motor planning which

requires the support of a 1:1 to help her navigate her schedule for the day. Kyle is 12 with a

diagnosis ADHD with co-occurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. Kyle excels at

Math and problem solving, but has significant delays is reading and writing due to dyslexia.

Given his history and delays, he has a hard time with appropriate social interaction and

classroom behavior. He currently does not have 1:1 support, but a great deal of time has been

dedicated to him by my staff to help him remain focused and engaged in activities. Cody is 13

and is considered significantly delayed and emotionally delayed with Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder. Cody is above average in reading comprehension and writing, yet exhibits work

refusal behaviors on a daily basis and consistent emotional dysregulation. He has the support of

a 1:1 to help him remain focused and engaged in all aspects of his program.

Learning Environment

The learning environment for all of my students consists of two major areas, the physical

environment and the emotional environment. The first area is the physical environment.

Because there are only three students, each student has his or her own personal space that is

outlined on the floor with blue tape. Each area is 5x5 and within it contains their desk and chair.

The tape is set on the ground as a boundary for other students and plays a major role in the

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emotional environment that will be described later. Each Ed Tech has a desk that is located in

close proximity to their students. Kyle’s desk is located in close proximity to the teacher' s

desk, so that he may receive the support he needs throughout his day.

All of the students have a Sensory Profile and a major aspect of each of their profiles is to have a

dimmed, quiet and peaceful classroom. Our overhead lights are dimmed by specially designed

light covers that decrease the brightness of the fluorescent bulbs. We also use up- lighting and

twinkle lights to add ambient light to the room. During our sensory time, we play soft classical

music or acoustic music to help drain out the external noises from the rest of the school.

The second aspect of the learning environment of my room is the emotional environment.

Since our program is a therapeutic milieu, we work off of four basic principles, safety; respect;

responsibility; and effort. These four core principles help provide a roadmap for our students to

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Fig. 1 Room Layout (not to scale)

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promote emotional regulation. We utilize several interventions to help the students feel safe.

One of them was already mentioned with the tape on the floor around each student’s desk. This

provides students with a visual cue to ask before they enter into someone else’s space. If a

student doesn’t respect the other student’s space, they are asked to apologize and return to their

seat or to the activity that they were doing. If a student becomes dysregulated, either

emotionally or physically, in the classroom we perform a countdown from five with the

expectation that they exit the room and take a break card. These break cards are a vital part in

providing consistency in our treatment program. Our school is designed with four rooms called

lifespace rooms. These rooms are used to allow students to take a break and regulate themselves

before they can enter back into the classroom. If a student becomes unsafe in any area of the

milieu, we are allowed to put hands on them and escort them to a lifespace room. We are also

allowed to perform safety holds, if their behavior plan allows, in order to keep them from

injuring themselves or others.

Our students each have a Generalist (Licensed Social Worker) that meets with each

student for one hour a week. We also have an Occupational Therapist and Speech and Language

Pathologist that meets with each student for the allotted time that is designated by their IEP.

The teachers and Ed Techs work closely with these providers to help them meet their Individual

Service Plan (ISP) goals. Our class schedule is modified on a daily basis to incorporate these

services and any program that these providers suggest. For example, we have a sensory time

built into our daily schedule that allows the students to engage in one of their sensory diet

recommendations.

Brain Research and My Students

. Based on the brain research information by Rose and Meyer’s book, Teaching every student in

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the digital age (2002), people learn across three brain networks, the recognition network, the

strategic network, and the affect network and process in a combination of either top-down or

bottom-up. The recognition network is best summarized as us being able to identify and

interpret patterns of sound, light, taste, smell and touch. (Rose & Meyer, 2002). All three of my

students have a working memory below 80 and therefore top-down processing; connecting what

they are learning to other knowledge and understanding in recognition is difficult for them. They

are also strong bottom-up processors in the strategic network. The strategic network is best

described as how we plan, execute, and monitor our internally generated mental and motor

patterns (Rose & Meyer, 2002). My students receive Occupational Therapy to help them

develop fine motor and gross motor skills. All three of them have deficiencies in motor planning

as well. I have discovered that they all learn best by practicing and physically performing tasks.

The affective network is how we interact with the external world. Since two of my students have

PTSD and one is autistic, interaction with external stimuli is a challenge for all of them. There is

significantly more times when bottom-up processing (fear or protective articulations) happens

then top-down processing for my students. For example, if they hear a loud scream or loud bang,

they react by covering their ears, screaming, yelling or banging to make the noise go away. If

the loud external stimuli continue, my students become hypersensitive to these noises and they

tend to escalate themselves and need to utilize a lifespace room to retreat. There are times when

top-down processing (calming themselves) happens if they hear a loud noise or encounter a

situation that excites them. They will usually be able to self-regulate themselves by asking for

hand strategies, taking space, using weighted blankets or vests, or asking to go for walk.

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Assistive Technology Choices

Working for a private school with a very supportive foundation, I have been blessed to

have a fully interactive Promethean Board and 3 iPads. These technologies are used on a daily

basis in my room and are fully integrated in to my major academic subject lesson plans, such as

Math, English, Science and Social Studies. By using these two tools, the students have both

visual and kinesthetic processing components which allow them to connect and understand

concepts faster and easier. There are times when my students become over-stimulated by the use

of technology, so I try to limit the integration into my lessons to no more than 20 minutes at a

time. I have found that a combination of the technology followed by practice worksheets and

manipulative items helps solidify the understanding of the concept being taught.

Lesson Plan for Coin Identification

Date: 10/3/2011 Grade: 3-6

Teacher Name: Danielle Subject: Math

1. Topic-

Money identification and understanding

2. Content-

Through this unit, children will learn money concepts such as: identifying coins and bills, coin and bill values, and that equal amounts can be reached through different coin and bill combinations.

3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-

1. Understand the value and difference of coins and dollars2. Able to add and subtract money using the proper process

4. Objectives-

1. Students will be able to identify coins and dollar values with 95 percent accuracy when given coins2. Students will be able to add a variety of coins to equal $1.00 with 95 percent accuracy

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3. Students will be able to count back change from $2.00 to $.50 using a variety of coins with 90 percent accuracy4. Students will be able to add sums of money with 95 percent accuracy on worksheets

5. Materials and Aids-

Promethean Board lessons: Money, Money, Money and Math with Money.

iPads: Individualized worksheets loaded on each students profile from PLATO

Whiteboard: examples of addition technique with roadmap.

Play money and play store items (none totaling above $1.00)

6. Procedures/Methods-

A. Introduction-

1. Discussion of how important it is to manage money and understand it.2. History of the establishment of money

B. Development-

1. "Money, Money, Money" Promethean Board presentation2. Hand out play money with coins totaling $1.00 (2 quarters, 3 dimes, 3 nickels, and 5 pennies) 3. Show students how different combinations can equal different amounts with proper addition method using $ symbol and decimal points.

C. Practice-

1. Have students make different combinations totaling $.50 and $1.00 using coins, and write down the appropriate method for adding them together. 2. Using play money, have students purchase items from the play store. One student will act as the cashier and has to count back change to the other students. A calculator may be used to help identify the amount, but the student needs to be able identify the right coins

D. Independent Practice-

1. iPad worksheets identified for adding money2. iPad worksheets identified for subtracting money

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)-

1. 1:1 support for identified students2. Simplified verbal directions for lower level readers

F. Checking for understanding-

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1. During “Play Store” activity monitor interactions and provide correction as needed.2. iPad work checked at the end of the work session3. Have the students express what they liked the best about the daily lesson

G. Closure-

1. Reflection on how important money is to purchase things and how important it is to be able to add money and subtract money.

7. Evaluation-

1. Rubrics of coin identification (see next page)2. Graded iPad worksheets

8. Teacher Reflection-

Two students were able to quickly identify each coin correctly and able to complete worksheets successfully. They were also successfully able to count back change with accuracy during the play store interaction. However, one student had a difficult time identifying coin values. This student needed a great deal of 1:1 support to complete the daily lesson. This student will need continued practice to be able to successfully complete the lesson

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Reflection

I found this project to be beneficial to me because it helped me tie all of the required

readings together in a practical form of application. I enjoyed putting together the lesson plan

and implementing it, because I am still in the learning process of lesson planning. I am eager to

continue using the methods that I read about in our textbooks and implementing more technology

into my daily lesson plans. However, I did find it a challenge to complete the project, along with

all of my other responsibilities, in a timely manner. I found myself critiquing my teaching

methods to suit both my agencies needs and the needs of this class, but when all was said and

done, I did feel a sense of accomplishment when my students were able to successfully meet the

objectives of my lesson.

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References

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. B. (2011). Teaching and learning with technology (4th

ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002) Teaching every student in the digital age. Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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